Big East What To Watch: Week 16

We are entering CLINCHING TIME around the Big East this week, most notably because Geno Auriemma’s UConn Huskies have a chance to lock up the regular season conference championship on Wednesday. Each successive game around the league moves one thing or another close to locking into place for the conference tournament. That applies even more so to the women’s side of things, as their tournament starts a little less than a week sooner than the men’s tournament. As such, they’ve got fewer games left to go, thus throwing a little bit extra importance into every game left to go on the schedule.

Let’s get into some highlights around the Big East this week, shall we?

Wednesday, February 18: Creighton Bluejays at #5 Connecticut Huskies (6pm Central, TNT) — The schedule gods have not smiled upon the Bluejays, as they currently sit alone in fifth place in the Big East standings, holding down the last available bye to the conference tournament quarterfinals. However, they’re just a game and a half ahead of a three-way tie for sixth place in the league right now, and so things are real shaky for Josh Dix and friends with a visit to the Nutmeg State on deck here.

Wednesday, February 18: #1 Connecticut Huskies at Villanova Wildcats (6pm Central, Peacock) — Up three games in the loss column on Villanova with four to play, UConn can lock up the outright Big East regular season title right here. Kind of curious if UConn will come out on fire because they’re annoyed about getting pushed at least a little bit by Marquette on Saturday or if the Golden Eagles showed Jasmine Bascoe and her teammates where the Huskies’ exhaust port is located.

Wednesday, February 18: #17 St. John’s Red Storm at Marquette Golden Eagles (8pm Central, TNT) — All I’m saying is that The Nigel James Gang has won three straight home games and four of their last five at Fiserv and they get the weekend off after this, while St. John’s is coming off a literal fistfight at Providence this past weekend.

Saturday, February 21: Creighton Bluejays at #17 St. John’s Red Storm (11am Central, Fox) — Hey, remember what I said about Creighton’s spot in the last quarterfinal bye being shaky right now? Yeah, how’s this for a second game of the week as they try to stay in the top five? Upside, if you want to look at it this way: Greg McDermott’s team is going to have an impact, one way or another, on the conference title race between UConn and the Red Storm!

Saturday, February 21: #5 Connecticut Huskies at RV Villanova Wildcats (4:30pm Central, TNT/truTV) — Unless something goes very badly for Kevin Willard on Tuesday night in Cincinnati, Villanova’s last gasp at least a share of the Big East regular season title is on the line here. The Wildcats are already two games behind UConn and St. John’s in the loss column, so falling three back of the Huskies with four games left would pretty much end it. This one is at the Sixers’ arena downtown and not The Finn, so we’ll see if that leads to a notable Huskies contingent in the building.

Sunday, February 22: St. John’s Red Storm at Seton Hall Pirates (12pm Central, ESPN+) — St. John’s is in a tie for the fifth and final Big East tournament quarterfinal bye at the moment, and they’re two games ahead of Creighton while also sitting a game and a half behind these same Pirates. Savannah Catalon and SHU will probably clinch their top five berth on Wednesday at Xavier, so that may not be on the line for them. They may have to settle for kicking their local rival down the steps a bit.

Sunday, February 22: Marquette Golden Eagles at Villanova Wildcats (1:30pm Central, Peacock) — A rare spot where both teams are coming off a home game against UConn, thanks to MU getting the mid-week bye in the schedule. Cara Consuegra’s Golden Eagles shot the lights out at home against Villanova but haven’t been able to capture that same magic over the past month and change. MU needs the win to stay in the top five in the standings, too.

Here’s the full Big East men’s basketball schedule for the week, with all times Central, as always.

Here’s the full Big East women’s basketball schedule for the week, with all times Central, as always.

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