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BIG EAST Conference preview: Marquette the team to beat

By Erica Ayala

MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 07: Marquette Golden Eagles guard Allazia Blockton (11) looks inside during the Big East Women's Championship Game between the DePaul Blue Demons and the Marquette Golden Eagles on March 7, 2017 at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, WI. (Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 07: Marquette Golden Eagles guard Allazia Blockton (11) looks inside during the Big East Women's Championship Game between the DePaul Blue Demons and the Marquette Golden Eagles on March 7, 2017 at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, WI. (Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WI – MARCH 04: Providence Lady Friars guard Maddie Jolin (21) drives the lane during a Big East Tournament game between Providence Lady Friars and the Seton Hall Pirates on March 04, 2017, at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, WI. (Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI – MARCH 04: Providence Lady Friars guard Maddie Jolin (21) drives the lane during a Big East Tournament game between Providence Lady Friars and the Seton Hall Pirates on March 04, 2017, at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, WI. (Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Providence

Preseason predicted ranking: 9th, down two spots from 2016-17 finish

2016-17 Record: 4-14

2016-17 Overall Record: 12-19

Two seniors Sarah Beal and Aliyah Miller will be hard to replace. Beal is ninth all-time in the program for assists and surpassed 1,100 career points. Miller suffered an injury and missed her final four games. She recorded 6.3 points and 5.3 rebounds before her injury.

Key returners:

Jovana (Yoyo) Nogic was voted by the coaches to the preseason All-BIG EAST Team. The guard led the Frias with 14.5 points per game last season. Maddie Jolin averaged 9.6 points off the bench and could fight for more minutes this season.

Newcomers:

Andrea Cooper joins Providence as a top 50 prospect at her position.  New Hampshire Gatorade Player of the Year Olivia Orlando will join the Friars backcourt.

Head coach:

Jim Crowley impressed in his first season as the Friars skipper. Providence posted a double-digit winning season. Now, Providence will look to continue climbing up from the bottom of the BIG EAST.

Key non-conference games:

Providence will travel a short distance to challenge Quinnipiac before hosting Georgetown in BIG EAST play. The Friars will need to establish their version of a complete game to be successful on December 6.

Outlook:

The preseason ranking for the Friars seems accurate, given their struggles in the past several years. They show signs of being a more consistent team, but BIG EAST domination is still an aspiration.

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