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2018 BIG EAST Tournament Bracket set

By Erica Ayala

MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 07: Marquette Golden Eagles guard McKayla Yentz (3) celebrates with Marquette Golden Eagles guard Danielle King (1) 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 McKayla Yentz (3) celebrates with Marquette Golden Eagles guard Danielle King (1) 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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For the fifth consecutive season, the DePaul Blue Demons are at the top of the table.  Acclaimed head coach Doug Bruno led his squad to a 23-7 overall record, with 15 conference wins.

The Blue Demons again share the regular title, this time with the Marquette Golden Eagles. Marquette head coach Carolyn Kieger bested their 2016-17 record, going 21-8 overall while also collecting 15 BIG EAST wins. This is the first regular-season title for Marquette and the fifth overall for DePaul.

Marquette claims the No. 1 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament for the first time while DePaul will be the No. 2 seed for the third time. The Golden Knights edged out DePaul due to their perfect 2-0 record against third seed Villanova. By claiming a share of the regular season title and the #1 seed, Kieger and her team are in good position to defend their 2017 BIG EAST title, the first in the program’s history.

Related Story: BIG EAST Conference preview: Marquette the team to beat

As it would turn out, the 2017-18 regular season final standings perfectly mirrored the BIG EAST Preseason Poll. The Golden Eagles are still the team to beat. Can Marquette tighten up defensively and complete the repeat? DePaul, Creighton, and Georgetown have been able to slow the juggernaut this regular season. Yet, Marquette’s offense is powered by Allazia Blockton and company. The junior guard has ten consecutive games of double-digit scoring headed into the postseason.

BIG EAST Tournament standings

  1. Marquette, 15-3
  2. DePaul, 15-3
  3. Villanova, 12-6
  4. Creighton, 11-7
  5. St. John’s, 9-9
  6. Georgetown, 9-9
  7. Seton Hall, 7-11
  8. Butler, 6-12
  9. Providence, 3-15 (Wins tiebreaker with a 2-0 record against St. John’s)
  10. Xavier, 3-15

The First Round tips off at 4 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 3, as No. 9 seed Providence (3-15) faces No. 8 seed Butler (6-12). The Bulldogs were a perfect 2-0 against the Friars this season. The winner advances and takes on Marquette at noon on Sunday in the Quarterfinals.

Seton Hall (7-11) and Xavier (3-15) battle it out Saturday at 6:30 p.m., for a chance to face DePaul the next evening on the line. The Pirates look to improve to 3-0 against the Musketeers. First Round games will stream live on the BIG EAST Digital Network presented by SoFi.

All BIG EAST Tournament games will be played at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. After the first round, fans can catch the action live on FS2. Below is the full tournament schedule. Start times are local – Central Standard Time.

2018 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament Schedule

First Round – March 3 (All times local – Central)

Game 1: #9 Providence vs. #8 Butler, 4 p.m. (BEDN)
Game 2: #10 Xavier vs. #7 Seton Hall, 6:30 p.m. (BEDN)

Quarterfinals – March 4
Game 3: #1 Marquette vs Game 1 winner, Noon (FS2)
Game 4: #5 St. John’s vs. #4 Creighton, 2:30 p.m. (FS2)
Game 5: #2 DePaul vs. Game 2 winner, 6 p.m. (FS2)
Game 6: #6 Georgetown vs. #3 Villanova, 8:30 p.m. (FS2)

Semifinals – March 5

Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 3 p.m. (FS1)
Game 8: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 5:30 p.m. (FS1)

Final – March 6
Game 9: Semifinal winners, 6 p.m. (FS1)

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