WBB Notes - 2.12.19
Top-16 Reveal
In the first of two top-16 reveals during the 2018-19 season by the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee, Marquette was announced as a No. 3 seed in the Chicago Region and the No. 9 seed overall. The Chicago Region Semifinal and Final will be held at Wintrust Arena, the three-year home of the BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament presented by Jeep. If the season ended today, Baylor, Louisville, Oregon and Mississippi State would be the No. 1 seeds in the 2019 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship. UConn, defending champion Notre Dame, Stanford and NC State are currently No. 2 seeds. Rounding out the top-16 seeds included the Golden Eagles, Iowa, Maryland and Oregon State as No. 3 seeds, while South Carolina, Gonzaga, Iowa State and Miami (FL) were No. 4 seeds.
On The National Scene
Following a 2-0 weekend, Marquette maintained its position in both national polls – No. 8 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 7 in the
USA Today Coaches’ Poll. Similarly, DePaul went 2-0 over the weekend and continued to receive votes in the Coaches’ Poll. The Golden Eagles and Blue Demons boast the top two NCAA RPIs as well, with MU at No. 8 for a second consecutive week while DePaul improved four slots to No. 34 – its best showing since Jan. 17 (33). Villanova (41) and Butler (44) also remained in the top 50, while Georgetown (92) remained in the top 100.
Hiedeman, Campbell Make In-Season National Awards Lists
Candidate lists for the Citizen Naismith Player of the Year Trophy and the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Award were narrowed on Monday and two BIG EAST players made the cut. Marquette senior guard Natisha Hiedeman was recognized on the Naismith Midseason Team and was added to the 10-person Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List. The Naismith Midseason Team includes 30 women’s players representing 20 colleges in seven different conferences On March 4, the competition will narrow as the midseason team of 30 becomes 10 national semifinalists. DePaul junior guard Kelly Campbell, who was recognized on the Lieberman preseason list, advanced to the in-season candidate list alongside Hiedeman. To be considered for the prestigious award, candidates exhibit the floor leadership, play-making and ball-handling skills of Class of 1996 Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman. Hiedeman is recording her finest season as a Golden Eagle, currently leading Marquette with 17.9 points per game, grabbing 5.8 rebounds and handing out 4.6 assists per game. Campbell leads DePaul in assists and rebounding, and is second in steals. She is No. 12 in the nation in assist-turnover ratio.
Tune-In Television
A trio of BIG EAST women’s basketball games will air on national television this weekend, including one live from The World’s Most Famous Arena. FS2 tips things off on Friday when Providence visits Xavier at 7 p.m. ET, while No. 8/7 Marquette travels to Seton Hall on Sunday at noon for a game airing on CBS Sports Network. The TV slate rounds out Sunday at 1 p.m. when -/RV DePaul and St. John’s tangle at Madison Square Garden for a game airing on FS2. The remaining six games will stream live on the BIG EAST Digital Network, including Creighton at Butler on Friday (7 p.m.) and Georgetown at Villanova on Saturday (1 p.m.).
Upcoming Schedule
Friday - Feb. 15
Creighton at Butler, 7 p.m.*#
8/7 Marquette at St. John’s, 7 p.m.*#
-/RV DePaul at Seton Hall, 7 p.m.*#
Providence at Xavier, 7 p.m.*+
Saturday - Feb. 16
Georgetown at Villanova, 1 p.m.*#
Sunday - Feb. 17
8/7 Marquette at Seton Hall, 12 p.m.*%
-/RV DePaul at St. John’s (Madison Square Garden), 1 p.m.*+
Creighton at Xavier, 2 p.m.*#
Providence at Butler, 2 p.m.*#
^FS1 +FS2 %CBSSN #BEDN *BIG EAST contest
All times Eastern