NEW YORK – NCAA Tournament berths are the storyline of the week as the 2016 BIG EAST Men’s Lacrosse Championship Presented by the Jeep starts up in Denver on Thursday, May 5. The semifinals, which start at 6:30 p.m. Eastern/4:30 p.m. local, will air on CBS Sports Network with Ben Holden on play-by-play and Evan Washburn as the analyst. No. 2 seed Marquette squares off with third-seeded Villanova in the first semifinal; while top-seeded Denver hosts No. 4 Providence in the night cap.
The winner of the semifinals will face off in the final which will air on FS2 on Saturday, May 7 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern/2:30 p.m. local.
The BIG EAST Champion will earn the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Why We’re Watching:
Villanova vs. Marquette (6:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. MT) – With both teams in the top 20 of the RPI (Villanova -11, Marquette -15), the first semifinal will have a largely national story line as both teams are working to prove to the NCAA Committee that the BIG EAST is more than a one-team NCAA league. Villanova is making its fifth appearance in the BIG EAST Championship, the most of any BIG EAST teams. Marquette is making their third appearance in the tournament and is looking for their first BIG EAST postseason win. Villanova is 2-5 in the tournament and has been runner up in 2013 and 2014. Both teams are ranked in the top 20 nationally, Villanova is No. 16 in both major polls, while Marquette is No. 19. It is the second top 20 league match this season. The Wildcats are coming in on a three-game winning streak, while Marquette is trying to rebound from a two-game skid that includes a non-conference loss to Duke and a 14-11 loss to Denver last Saturday for the regular season title. When the two teams met in the regular season, Marquette upset the then-ranked No. 5/6 Wildcats, 11-3. Two of the 2016 BIG EAST major award winners will be represented with Defensive Player of the Year Liam Byrnes from Marquette and Co-Midfielder of the Year Jack Curran from Villanova.
Providence at Denver (9 p.m. ET/7 p.m. MT) – Providence is making its first appearance in the BIG EAST Tournament after getting into the playoffs as the best of a three-team mini-conference tied at 1-4 (with Georgetown and St. John’s). Denver is the top seed in the tournament for third-straight year and has never lost a game in the regular season or the conference championship since joining the league in 2014. The Friars won their BIG EAST game against St. John’s on April 2, but lost their last five games, four in league play. The Pioneers are 5-0 at home this year, matching their 5-0 BIG EAST record. Denver hasn’t lost since March 26 against Penn State in Dallas, Texas. Denver boasted four major BIG EAST award winners: Offensive Player of the Year Connor Cannizzaro, Co-Midfielder of the Year Trevor Baptiste, Goalkeeper of the Year Alex Ready and Coaching Staff of the Year Denver with head coach Bill Tierney.
BIG EAST Men’s Lacrosse Championship Presented by Jeep
Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium
University of Denver
Semifinals – Thursday, May 5 (CBSSN)
No. 2 Marquette vs. No. 3 Villanova at 6:30 p.m. (Live Stats | Marquette Notes | Villanova Notes)
No. 1 Denver vs. No. 4 Providence at 9 p.m. (Live Stats | Denver Notes | Providence Notes)
Final – Saturday, May 7 (FS2)
Semifinal Winners, 4:30 p.m.
All Times Eastern