Big East Basketball What To Watch: Week Two

HEY LOOK THE BIG EAST WHAT TO WATCH ARTICLE THAT’S ABSOLUTELY NOT LATE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

[smiles; laughs nervously]

Hey, so here’s what happened: We got all caught up in the excitement of Marquette being ranked for the first time in five years that we evvvvvvver so slightly forgot to put the polishing touches on this here schedule for the week. The good news is that you weren’t made aware of Butler/Detroit, and that’s it. Okay, also the DePaul game that’s starting as I type this apology. BUT THAT’S IT. All of the good games start tomorrow anyway.

Here’s the highlights for the week:

Tuesday, November 13: Wisconsin Badgers at Xavier Musketeers (5:30pm Central, FS1) - You may remember last year’s Xavier/UW game where the Musketeers went bananas over the three minutes of the game and kind of ran the Badgers out of their own barn. Also: JP Macura Gator Chomped the Bucky student section. A good time was had by all. The Gavitt Games brain trust rematched the two down in Cincinnati this year because they’re not idiots.

Wednesday, November 14: #18 Michigan Wolverines at #8 Villanova Wildcats (5:30pm Central, FS1) - Remember what I said about the brain trust not being idiots? Yeah. They put together a rematch of last year’s national championship game. Easy move for some must-see TV.

Wednesday, November 14: #24 Marquette at Indiana Hoosiers (7:30pm Central, FS1) - You can make an argument that this is the most important game of the Gavitt Tip-Off Games this year, as a win by either side would go a long way towards affirming the general preseason thoughts about that team. Marquette is supposed to be good, Indiana is supposed to be much improved with Romeo Langford on board. One of these things will be proven to be true in Bloomington.

Thursday, November 15: Ohio State Buckeyes at Creighton Bluejays (6pm Central, FS1) - Hey, remember what I said about the brain trust not being idiots? Well, they remembered that Greg McDermott took a long hard look at the OSU job before the Buckeyes eventually hired Chris Holtmann. Thus: a naturally occurring storyline for Holtmann bringing the Buckeyes to the CHI in Omaha.

Thursday, November 15: #19 Marquette at #24 Miami Hurricanes (6pm Central, ACC Network Extra/WatchESPN) - Yes, this is a women’s basketball game, but it’s two ranked teams and it’s the Preseason WNIT semifinals. Easy inclusion on the list here. Winner gets to play in the championship game and an extra Major Seven game on the NCAA tournament profile never hurt anyone. PLUS: It’s Carolyn Kieger coaching against her mentor and former boss, Katie Meier!

Friday, November 16: St. John’s Red Storm at Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6pm Central, Big Ten Network) - RAC Attacks are real. If St. John’s gets RAC Attacked, I am not going to stop making fun of Chris Mullin ever. Forever ever.

Saturday, November 17: Providence Friars vs South Carolina Gamecocks (1:30pm, WatchESPN) - The Friars got got by Wichita State down at the Naval Academy on Friday night. They kind of need a win to bounce back from that, and hosting Holy Cross earlier in the week isn’t going to cut it. Also: They’re playing the matching partner of Michigan/George Washington on Sunday, and uh, [glances at GW’s schedule] George Washington is really, really bad. Playing the Colonials is going to do Ed Cooley’s guys absolutely no favors, so you want to avoid that by winning this game.

Here’s the full schedule for the week!