#BIGEASTmlax Minute: No. 1 Seed; Final Tourney Spot At Stake
BIG EAST Men's Lacrosse Update (4.28.17)
NEW YORK – With one regular season game left to play, the No. 1 seed as well as the final spot in the playoffs is up for grabs as the six BIG EAST men’s lacrosse teams will all play Saturday afternoon.
With Denver, Marquette and Georgetown already locks for the BIG EAST Championship Presented by Jeep, the final spot will be determined by the winner of the Providence at Villanova game at 1 p.m. The winner of that game is the final team to qualify.
At 4-0 in league play, Denver currently holds at least a share of the BIG EAST regular season title, however, a loss to Marquette at home on Saturday would cost the Pioneers the No. 1 seed. A win by the Golden Eagles would clinch the top seed as well as a share of the regular season title.
Georgetown could finish as the No. 2 seed with a win at St. John’s in the season finale, coupled with wins by Denver and Villanova. Georgetown is back in the tournament for the first time since 2015..
Why We’re Watching:
PROVIDENCE at No. 15 VILLANOVA
Saturday at 1 p.m. ET (FOX Sports Atlantic)
Win and you’re in is the theme for this 1 p.m. game on FOX Sports Atlantic as the No. 15 Villanova Wildcats (9-4, 2-2) and the Providence Friars (5-9, 1-3) play eachother for the final spot in the BIG EAST Championship’s four-team field. All time, Villanova holds a two-game advantage, 6-4, in the all-time series against Providence. Villanova defeated St. John’s last weekend on the road, 10-8. The Wildcats were 6-0 this season. Villanova boasts an NCAA RPI of 11. Providence lost 13-6 to Denver last weekend. The Friars lone league win is over St. John’s. Providence won 14-8 in Queens on March 31. The last time these two teams saw eachother was in the 2017 BIG EAST Tournament in Providence. The Friars defeated Villanova, 10-4 to advance to the championship final. The Wildcats defeated the Friars the previous week, 15-7 to end the 2017 regular season. Villanova can finish as either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed should they win and qualify. The Wildcats would get the No. 2 seed St. John’s and Denver also win. Providence could only be the No. 4 seed.
No. 17 GEORGETOWN at ST. JOHN’S
Saturday at 1 p.m. ET (BEDN)
Georgetown (9-4, 2-2) qualified as one of the four teams in the championship last week with the Villanova win and Providence loss. With a win, Georgetown can finish as the No. 2 seed should Denver and Villanova also come out victorious. Should St. Johns’ win, Georgetown can finish either No. 3 or No. 4. With a loss, the Hoyas would be the fourth seed if Villanova defeats Providence. Georgetown enters the game coming off a 15-6 victory over NJIT. St. John’s (6-7, 0-4) has lost just twice at home, both to league opponents. The Red Storm lost11-10 in OT to Marquette on April 7 and 10-8 to No. 15/16 Villanova last weekend.
MARQUETTE at No. 4 DENVER
Saturday at 3 p.m. ET (ALT)
No. 4 Denver (10-2, 4-0) has already clinched a share of the regular season title. However, the Pios are looking to defend its BIG EAST unbeaten conference regular season streak of 25-0 as well as clinch a top seed in the upcoming tournament with a win. Marquette (6-6, 3-1) has been the only team to defeat Denver, doing so in the last two tournaments. Denver owns the series advantage 5-2. Denver and Marquette were in a similar situation at the end of the regular season in 2016. Both teams were unbeaten in league play at the time at 4-0. The Pios and Golden Eagles played eachother in Denver in the regular season final with the No. 1 seed on the line. In 2017, Denver won the regular season finale 16-8. In the tournament, Marquette won 11-8, a week later.
#BIGEASTmlax Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, April 28
PROVIDENCE at No. 15 VILLANOVA at 1 p.m. (FCS)
No. 17 GEORGETOWN at ST. JOHN’S at 1 p.m. (BEDN)
MARQUETTE at No. 4 DENVER at 3 p.m.
All times are Eastern.