#BIGEASTwbb Tournament Tips Off Friday
First Round action at Wintrust Arena begins at 11 a.m. CT when No. 8 seed Providence faces No. 9 seed Georgetown; No. 7 seed Villanova against No. 10 seed Xavier follows at 1:30 p.m., with both games streaming on BEDN.
WBB Notes - 3.5.20
NEW YORK – The 2020 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament presented by Jeep tips off on Friday with a pair of First Round games. No. 8 seed Providence against No. 9 seed Georgetown is set for an 11 a.m. CT start, followed by a 1:30 p.m. tipoff between No. 7 seed Villanova and No. 10 seed Xavier. Both games will stream live on the BIG EAST Digital Network presented by SoFi, with John Fanta and Kim Adams on the call, while Meghan Caffrey and Ashley Liotus will report from the sidelines. Friday’s winners earn dates with the top two seeds in the BIG EAST Tournament, as the victor between the Hoyas and Friars will face top-seeded DePaul at noon CT on Saturday, while the winner between the Musketeers and Wildcats will tipoff against No. 2 seed Marquette at 6 p.m. Saturday. Friday’s games will be a Youth Day, with free admission for those 18-and-under, while over 2,600 students from 17 local Chicago area schools, along with a group from the Special Olympics are slated to attend the doubleheader.
No. 9 seed Georgetown vs. No. 8 Seed Providence, 11 a.m. CT
BIG EAST Digital Network
This Season: Geogetown, 62-53 (@ GU); Providence, 62-55 (@ PC)
BIG EAST Tournament history: Providence, 5-1; most recent – 2013 First Round: Georgetown, 81-61
The longtime foes meet for just the seventh time in the BIG EAST Tournament and first time since 2013. Georgetown and Providence split the regular-season series this year, with each team winning on their home court. PC’s Mary Baskerville recorded double-doubles in both meetings in 2019-20, beginning with game highs of 15 points and 10 boards in the Dec. 31 Georgetown victory and followed by a 10-point 10-rebound outing in the Friars’ win less than a week ago. Brianna Jones led the Hoyas against Providence, averaging 14.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in the two meetings, including a 24-point, six-rebound showing last Friday. Georgetown is competing in the First Round for just the second time since conference realignment after being the 10 seed in 2015. GU has advanced out of the Quarterfinals the last two seasons, marking the first back-to-back BIG EAST Semifinal appearances in program history. The Friars ended a 13-game losing streak in the BIG EAST Tournament last year with a First-Round win over Xavier. PC is the No. 8 seed for the first time since 2010, and will look to advance in the conference postseason in back-to-back years for the first time since 1994-95.
No. 10 seed Xavier vs. No. 7 Seed Villanova, 1:30 p.m. CT
BIG EAST Digital Network
This Season: Villanova, 66-54 (@ VU); Villanova, 55-54 (@ XU)
BIG EAST Tournament history: First Meeting
Despite finishing in a tie for third place in the standings, Villanova finds itself playing on the first day of the conference tournament after coming out on bottom of a five-team tie. The Wildcats swept the regular-season series with the Musketeers, but their most recent meeting was decided by just one point, 55-54, and Xavier was without leading scorer and rebounder A’riana Gray, who went for 20 points and 10 rebounds in the season’s first matchup. Both teams enter Friday’s tilt looking for their first BIG EAST Tournament win since 2015. Similarly, of their four consecutive tournament losses, three have been by single digits, including last year’s edition when Xavier fell by eight to Providence in the first round and Villanova was edged by Georgetown in the quarterfinals by nine. Going head-to-head with Gray will be recently crowned BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Maddy Siegrist, who averaged 22 points and 11.5 rebounds in two games against Xavier this year. Also of note, this will be Villanova head coach Harry Perretta’s 37
th and final BIG EAST Tournament after announcing his retirement back in October.
2020 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament presented by Jeep
All times local – Central
First Round – March 6
Game 1: #9 Georgetown vs. #8 Providence, 11 a.m. (BEDN)
Game 2: #10 Xavier vs. #7 Villanova, 1:30 p.m. (BEDN)
Quarterfinals – March 7
Game 3: #1 DePaul vs Game 1 winner, Noon (FS2)
Game 4: #5 Butler vs. #4 Seton Hall, 2:30 p.m. (FS2)
Game 5: #2 Marquette vs. Game 2 winner, 6 p.m. (FS2)
Game 6: #6 Creighton vs. #3 St. John’s, 8:30 p.m. (FS2)
Semifinals – March 8
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 5 p.m. (FS1)
Game 8: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 7:30 p.m. (FS1)
Final – March 9
Game 9: Semifinal winners, 7 p.m. (FS1)