2018-19 TV Schedule
NEW YORK – The BIG EAST Conference 2018-19 women’s basketball schedule, announced on Monday, tips off Nov. 6-9 for all 10 teams. Conference play will begin on Dec. 29, with all teams playing at least one BIG EAST game prior to the New Year. FS1 and FS2 will air a total of 22 games, including the quarterfinal, semifinal and championship games of the BIG EAST Tournament, March 9-12.
All 10 BIG EAST teams will appear on at least two nationally televised games during regular-season play across the FOX Sports family of networks, while an additional two games will be featured on CBS Sports Network (CBSSN). For the fourth straight year, the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) will air all women’s basketball games during conference play that are not scheduled for a television broadcast, for a total of 74 tilts.
For the sixth consecutive year, FS1 and FS2 will provide coverage of the BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament, with this season’s event returning to Wintrust Arena in Chicago for a second consecutive year. FS2 will air the quarterfinal round on March 10, with games set for 1, 3:30, 7 and 9:30 p.m. (ET). FS1 picks up the remainder of the tournament, with the semifinals on March 11 slated for 4 and 6:30 p.m., and the championship game set to tip off at 8 p.m. on March 12. The BIG EAST Digital Network will live stream both first round games on March 9, with tip times not yet determined.
Through the first five seasons as a 10-team league, eight different programs have received bids into the national postseason, including four squads earning NCAA Tournament berths in 2018, the most since reconfiguration. The BIG EAST has combined for 14 NCAA berths over the last five seasons, with all four invitees in 2018 advancing to the second round. Eighteen teams have qualified for the WNIT since realignment, including St. John’s in 2018, when the Red Storm marched on to the quarterfinal round. Six teams carry multi-year national postseason streaks into the 2018-19 season led by DePaul’s 19-year postseason run, which includes 16 consecutive NCAA appearances, along with St. John’s (11 years), Creighton (11 years), Villanova (seven years) and Georgetown (three years). Marquette joined the pack this year after claiming its second consecutive NCAA berth for its first back-to-back trips to the big dance since 1999 and 2000.
The Conference is in the sixth year of its multi-year contract with FOX Sports, which has exclusive television rights to all BIG EAST competitions. The lone non-conference game on the television lineup is Marquette’s date with the reigning national champions, Notre Dame. The two former league foes, who battled into overtime last season, will tip off at the Al McGuire Center on Dec. 22 at 1:30 p.m. (ET) on FS1.
Conference play tips off on FS2 when Villanova, which is coming off its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2013, hosts Butler on Dec. 29 at 8 p.m. ET. The Bulldogs and Wildcats each boast three nationally televised games this season, along with Butler’s opponent on Jan. 6, St. John’s. The Red Storm make their season television debut against the Bulldogs on FS2 at 1 p.m.
What has become a marquee BIG EAST rivalry, DePaul travels to Marquette on Jan. 4, in a rematch of the last two BIG EAST Tournament title games. The contest will air on FS1 at 8 p.m. ET. The two teams shared the 2017-18 regular-season title, while the Blue Demons won their third tournament crown this past March after the Golden Eagles claimed their first BIG EAST Championship in 2017. Scoring will be on display when the two nearby foes meet, as each team is averaging roughly 90 points per game in each of their last six regular-season meetings.
Coming off a second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, Creighton makes its national television debut on Jan. 6 at 2 p.m. when it hosts Georgetown on CBS Sports Network. CBSSN has two BIG EAST matchups this season, with the second coming in South Orange, N.J., on Feb. 17 at noon, when Seton Hall hosts Marquette.
The Pirates welcome longtime foe Providence to Walsh Gym on Jan. 13 for the Friars’ first TV game of the season, set for 1 p.m. on FS2. Creighton returns to the lineup for its second of five television games, as the Bluejays host Butler on FS1 on Jan. 20 at 3 p.m. Xavier gets its first TV exposure on Jan. 27 on FS2 when it hosts DePaul at 2 p.m. The Musketeers also face the Friars on FS2, with the game set for Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. in Cincinnati. FS1 takes over for the next two contests, with Villanova hosting Creighton on Feb. 3 (2 p.m.), and Marquette welcome Georgetown on Feb. 8 (8 p.m.). The Bluejays return to FS2 on Feb. 10, when Seton Hall travels to Omaha for a 2 p.m. tilt. The Wildcats’ TV slate concludes at Xavier on March 1 (7 p.m., FS2).
FS2 will cover a BIG EAST women’s basketball game at Madison Square Garden for the first time, as St. John’s returns to the World’s Most Famous Arena for a league contest for the second time in three years. The Red Storm will host DePaul in Midtown Manhattan on Feb. 17 at 1 p.m. St. John’s returns to FS2 the following week when it travels to Georgetown on Feb. 24 at 2 p.m.
A BIG EAST regular-season title could be on the line in the March 3 finale when Creighton hosts DePaul at 2 p.m., in a game airing on FS2. The Blue Demons have won at least a share of five consecutive regular-season titles, including 2016-17 when they shared the crown with the Bluejays.
The BIG EAST Digital Network will provide coverage of 74 additional women’s basketball conference games. BEDN, launched in September 2014, is its own dedicated channel within the FOX Sports app, the mobile app that provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content at home or on-the-go. Streaming on the FOX Sports app is now available on several connected devices, including Apple TV, Roku and Chromecast. Fans can download the mobile app for free from the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Amazon App Store and Windows Store. In addition, FOX Sports also encompasses FOX Sports Digital, including
http://FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports app, which provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content, with instant scores, the latest stats and real-time alerts available to iOS and Android devices.