I think it’s more than a little bit funny that we get a nice quiet Monday on the schedule immediately after Finals Week, or at least Finals Week at Marquette. I get that, mathematically, it makes sense because there were a lot of Saturday and Sunday games, but it’s still a bit funny that now there’s some quiet time.
Anyways, Big East play is in full swing for both men’s and women’s basketball this week. It’s the first full week of games in the men’s division, while it’s a return to league action for the women.
There’s still some non-conference games of note floating around in here, too, especially over the weekend.
Let’s get to the highlights, shall we?
Tuesday, December 16: Butler Bulldogs at #5 Connecticut Huskies (7:30pm Central, Peacock) — Officially, this is the team in first place in the Big East putting their spot on the line. Butler and Providence opened up men’s play on Saturday, and the Bulldogs got a double overtime win to stand as the only team in the league with a win. Will they still be undefeated come sunrise on Wednesday?
Wednesday, December 17: Creighton Bluejays at Xavier Musketeers & Georgetown Hoyas at Marquette Golden Eagles (5:30pm & 7:30pm Central, FS1) — I wanted to put both of these games on the list and then I realized that both games are kind of similar, right in the vein of what Phantom Island co-host Steven Godfrey calls an “Anxiety Bowl.” Xavier’s the best off of the four right now, but a win won’t make them feel comfortable and a loss would make them wonder what’s going to go wrong next. The other three are all desperate for good news and desperately afraid of more bad news.
Wednesday, December 17: Marquette Golden Eagles at #1 Connecticut Huskies (6pm Central, Peacock) — Look, I’m not going to try and convince you that Skylar Forbes & Co. are anything other than a double digit underdog here…. but it is the two 2-0 Big East teams squaring off and the teams that were picked 1-2 in the league this season facing off for the first time. That’s not nothing, right?
Friday, December 19: RV Seton Hall Pirates at Providence Friars (5:30pm Central, FS1) — Shaheen Holloway has Seton Hall as the unofficial #28 team in the country. A win here plus a little bit of luck could have SHU ranked next week something that seemed impossible 8 weeks ago.
Friday, December 19: Seton Hall Pirates at Villanova Wildcats (6pm Central, ESPN+) — You’ll note that I didn’t say “only two unbeaten teams” when talking about MU/UConn. There are five undefeated teams in the Big East right now, it’s just that the other three are 1-0. Here’s two of them!
Friday, December 19: RV Villanova Wildcats vs RV Wisconsin Badgers (6pm Central, Fox) — It’s a big spot for a win for a Wildcats team that seems to be trending in a good direction but lacks a notable quality win. I’m also fascinated to see if the Badgers will draw in Fiserv Forum for a regular season game on a Friday night after their exhibition visit to Milwaukee did not go well.
Saturday, December 20: #22 St. John’s Red Storm vs RV Kentucky Wildcats (11:30am Central, CBS) — This is part of the CBS Sports Classic, and it’s at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. This would be a good spot for St. John’s to kick the Wildcats in the pants, but UK’s coming off a quality win over Indiana at Rupp Arena last weekend.
Saturday, December 20: #1 Connecticut Huskies vs #11 Iowa Hawkeyes (12:30pm Central, Fox) — Someone finally woke up last year and scheduled a women’s basketball Champions Classic. This is one half of the (hopefully now annual) event at Barclays Center, and honestly, it’s rude that this game is opening up for Tennessee/Louisville…. although not as rude as not getting South Carolina involved, to be honest.
Saturday, December 20: Xavier Musketeers at Georgetown Hoyas & Marquette Golden Eagles at Creighton Bluejays (7pm Central on FS1 & 7:30pm Central on Peacock) — HEY LOOK. THE TWO ANXIETY BOWLS JUST CHANGED OPPONENTS AND HOME/ROAD ARRANGEMENTS. SURELY THIS WON’T CAUSE CONSTERNATION FOR ANYONE INVOLVED.
Here’s the full Big East men’s basketball schedule for the week! All times Central, of course.
Here’s the full Big East women’s basketball schedule for the week! All times Central, of course.
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