Big East Tournament Set

Following the completion of the regular season, the Big East Tournament bracket is set. Host school DePaul secured the No. 1 seed with a 15-3 Big East record. St. John’s followed the Blue Demons with the No. 2 seed, and Creighton received the No. 3 seed. Villanova and Marquette will rematch in the season finale game as the No. 4 and 5 seeds. Butler will face off against Creighton as the No. 6, rounding out all the teams with first round byes. Number 7 Seton Hall and No. 10 Providence will face off to see who will play St. John’s, while No. 8 Georgetown and No. 9 Xavier will battle to play top-seeded DePaul. The Big East Tournament starts Saturday, March 8.

Big East Awards

The Big East Conference awards were announced Wednesday. Player of the Year went to Creighton sophomore Marissa Janning, while Freshman of the Year went to Georgetown’s Natalie Butler. Butler’s Liz Stratman won Defensive Player of the Year, and Marquette senior Katherine Plouffe won Scholar-Athlete of the year. Caroline Coyer of Villanova won the Sixth-Man Award, Seton Hall’s Tabatha Richardson-Smith won Most Improved Player, and St. John’s Eugeneia McPherson won the Sportsmanship Award.

First and Second All-Big East Teams named

Along with the Big East awards, the first and second All-Big East teams were named. The All-Big East first team consisted of Creighton’s Marissa Janning, Marquette’s Katherine Plouffe, DePaul’s Brittany Hrynko and Jasmine Penny, St. John’s Aliyyah Handford, Seton Hall’s Ka-Deidre Simmons and Villanova’s Devon Kane. Georgetown’s Natalie Butler and Andrea White, Seton Hall’s Tabatha Richardson-Smith, Butler’s Daress McClung, Creighton’s McKenzie Fujan and Sarah Nelson, and Providence’s Alexis Harris make up the All-Big East second team.

Game of the Week – Villanova vs. Marquette – Sunday, March 9 – 8:30 p.m.

The best first-round matchup of the Big East Tournament is the rematch between Marquette and Villanova. Villanova won the most recent matchup, beating the Golden Eagles 81-64 at home Tuesday night. Earlier in the season, when Marquette hosted Villanova for its Big East home opener, the Wildcats beat the Golden Eagles by two points. On a neutral court, the game should resemble the first meeting, but in order for the Golden Eagles to remain competitive, they must defend the three-point line well. If Villanova hits its threes, Marquette will have a very difficult time advancing into the semifinals.

Player of the Week – Marissa Janning – Creighton Guard – Sophomore

Creighton’s Marissa Janning was rewarded for her hard work this season by being named Big East Player of the Year Wednesday. Janning led the Bluejays in points, averaging 18.3 points per game, six more than the next-closest player on the team. Janning had the second-best three-point shooting percentage on the team and took the most field goals for the Bluejays. Janning also had the most assists on the team. Janning will continue to be the go-to scorer for the Bluejays in the Big East Tournament and should carry the team far into the tournament.