Player of the Week
Skylar Diggins – Senior guard – Notre Dame
Diggins helped the Fighting Irish to a 3-0 week and the No. 1 overall seed in the Big East Tournament. She averaged 27.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game last week, in addition to 12 steals. In a critical triple-overtime win against Connecticut, Diggins had 29 points and 11 rebounds. She will hope to continue her hot streak this Sunday when Notre Dame plays the winner of the South Florida-Rutgers game on Saturday.
Game of the Week
Big East Championship Game – Teams TBD – Tuesday, 6 p.m.
Although many experts are predicting the conference championship game to be No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 UConn, there is still a solid chance a dark horse squad may sneak in. Syracuse has played exceptionally well all season and has earned its No. 3 seed. Despite Villanova falling to the No. 6 spot after starting 5-0, it has an active two-game winning streak and the capability of pulling off a major upset. Villanova has shown improvement by proving Big East coaches wrong; the Wildcats claimed the No. 6 seed, although coaches pegged them for 10th.
Notre Dame, UConn, Syracuse, Louisville earn double byes
Notre Dame and Connecticut finished in first and second place, respectively, but the slight surprise out of the Big East this season was certainly Syracuse. Predicted to finish sixth in the preseason coaches’ poll, the Orange marched to an 11-5 conference record and a probable at-large seeding in the NCAA tournament. Syracuse will be the No. 3 seed in the Big East tournament this weekend and will likely be playing No. 6 Villanova, provided the Wildcats do not get upset by either No. 14 Providence or No. 11 Georgetown.
Marquette’s winning streak not enough for bye
Despite Marquette’s vicious play as of late, the Golden Eagles’ three-game winning streak was not enough to earn a first-round bye this weekend. Positioned in the 10th slot, Marquette will take on last-place Pittsburgh, which hasn’t won a Big East game since February 2011. The game is scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m. in Storrs, Conn. The winner will battle No. 7 DePaul, and if Marquette is lucky enough to win two games, it will face a daunting UConn team that will be well rested from its double bye.
Junior forward Katherine Plouffe and sophomore guard Arlesia Morse combined for more than 25 points per game this season, and their efforts keyed the Golden Eagles’ recent winning ways. Marquette has been a strong rebounding team (fourth in rebounding margin) and respectable from long range (sixth in 3-pointers), and the team will need to use this to its advantage in the Pittsburgh game and beyond if it would like to secure an NIT berth.
Georgetown will have long road ahead
The Hoyas, picked to finish seventh in the Big East in the preseason, closed out the year in just 11th place and will have a difficult path to the conference finals. Although Georgetown should defeat No. 14 Providence this Friday, it must then face No. 6 Villanova, which has won two in a row. If it squeaks past ‘Nova, the Hoyas will have No. 3 Syracuse waiting for them. Overall, it has been a disappointing season for Georgetown, which finished with a 5-11 league record, including an ongoing three-game losing streak.
The Hoyas ranked 11th in scoring, 13th in free throw percentage, last in assist-to-turnover ratio and last in defensive rebounding percentage.
