#BIGEASTwbb Minute: Seeds And Records Up For Grabs In Finale
Seven BIG EAST Tournament seeds, including three first-round byes, remain up for grabs; BIG EAST three-point records are on the verge of being shattered.
WBB Notes - 2.26.19
Regular-Season Finale
The final weekend of regular-season action in BIG EAST women’s basketball is upon us as teams battle for the seven remaining seeds in the conference tournament. Only three squads have locked up their spots in the BIG EAST Tournament presented by Jeep – No. 1 seed Marquette, No. 2 seed DePaul and No. 10 seed Xavier – while Butler has guaranteed a first-round bye. The other six unassigned teams can still win their way out of playing in the tournament’s first round, as the top six teams receive byes, with some paths easier than others. Butler is one win away from claiming its highest BIG EAST Tournament seed ever, as the Bulldogs can snag the No. 3 slot with one victory. Providence has been no higher than No. 8 over the last 21 years and is currently in a tie for fourth with Villanova at 8-8. The Wildcats have avoided the first round every year since realignment, earning a top-four finish in five consecutive years. Creighton and Georgetown are currently tied for sixth, and if the season ended today it would be the Bluejays earning the bye based on their win over No. 2 DePaul. The loser of Sunday’s St. John’s-Seton Hall tilt will guarantee a first-round game, while the winner isn’t guaranteed a bye and will depend on the Georgetown and Creighton outcomes. While the Golden Eagles have already locked up the No. 1 seed for a second straight year, MU can claim the regular-season title outright with one more win after earning at least a share of it last Sunday.
BIG EAST Record Book Watch
- Through 16 BIG EAST games, DePaul has taken 498 three-pointers; the single-season record for attempts, which DePaul already owns, is 549. The Blue Demons lead the nation in three-pointers attempted this season.
- The single-season record for free-throw percentage is .963 (26-27); PC’s Jovana Nogic is currently at .957 (45-47); she can tie the record by going 7-for-7 over the final two games, or break the mark going 8-for-8.
- Sugar Rodgers (Georgetown, 2003-13) has the BIG EAST record for career 3-pointers made of 168; Nogic has 165 to rank tied for second all-time, while Villanova’s Adrianna Hahn is fourth at 162. Marquette’s Natisha Hiedeman is also within striking distance at 155. Nogic, Hahn and Hiedeman all have two BIG EAST games remaining.
In The Polls
Riding a six-game winning streak, DePaul ended its five-week absence and returned to the top 25 on Tuesday, landing at No. 24 in the
USA Today Coaches Poll. The Blue Demons have received votes or been ranked in the coaches poll every week this season, while DePaul also continued to receive votes in the Associated Press Top 25 for a second straight week. Marquette remained the BIG EAST’s top-ranked squad, falling two spots in the AP Poll to No. 13, and sliding one spot in the coaches poll to No. 12.
Résumé Builders
Four BIG EAST teams are in the top 55 of the latest NCAA RPI, led by No. 10 Marquette. The Golden Eagles have a BIG EAST-best 11 top-100 wins, including four in the non-conference portion of their schedule, while MU’s strength of schedule of No. 17 is the hardest in the conference. Notable non-league wins for Marquette include No. 29 South Dakota State and No. 45 Michigan. MU is winning and doing so comfortably, boasting Division I’s sixth-highest scoring margin (22.9). DePaul has the BIG EAST’s second-highest RPI at No. 25, and the Blue Demons have proven they’ve hit their stride at this point of the year. DePaul has won six straight and eight of its last nine, hitting its scoring groove that’s become standard for the Blue Demons. DePaul has nine top 100 wins, including No. 37 Kansas State and No. 74 Green Bay, while playing a top-50 strength of schedule. Villanova boasts the third-toughest schedule in the BIG EAST, ranked No. 42, while its RPI of 53 is also third-best. The Wildcats have four top-100 wins, including No. 63 Penn and No. 76 Princeton, as VU finished non-league play 9-2. VU has shown a flair for scoring as of late, averaging 70 points per game over its last six outings. Of its 10 losses this year, only four were by double digits, and half of those were at the hands of Marquette. Butler is No. 55 in the latest NCAA RPI after earning one of the top wins in program history when it knocked off then-No. 11 Marquette in Milwaukee. The Bulldogs have four top-100 wins this season, including No. 75 Ohio State, and went 10-1 in non-league action.
This Week In The BIG EAST
Friday - March 1
RV/24 DePaul at Providence, 7 p.m.*#
Villanova at Xavier, 7 p.m.*+
Georgetown at Butler, 7 p.m.*#
13/12 Marquette at Creighton, 8 p.m.*#
Sunday - March 3
13/12 Marquette at Providence, 1 p.m.*#
Seton Hall at St. John’s, 2 p.m.*#
Georgetown at Xavier, 2 p.m.*#
Villanova at Butler, 2 p.m.*#
RV/24 DePaul at Creighton, 2 p.m.*+
+FS2 #BEDN *BIG EAST contest
All times Eastern