By Colton Watson
Georgetown—The Hoyas took the “bye week” a little too literally this week; sitting out Big East play in week 12, they faced James Madison University, George Mason University, and Penn State. They lost all three games. They’ll look to bounce back as this week as they reenter conference play this upcoming weekend, but the 29-16 (10-4) Hoyas’ at-large chances took a hit for sure. Looking ahead: vs UMBC 5/7, vs Xavier (BEC) 5/10-12)
Butler—It’s time for Butler to focus on getting some seniors and young players some innings and at bats. The 17-30 Bulldogs took four L’s this week, one at St. Louis and three to Xavier. The closest game was a 3-7 Saturday contest; the Billikens blew them out 2-12 on Tuesday. Cancun on 3? Looking ahead: at Ball State 5/7, vs Eastern Illinois 5/8, at Villanova (BEC) 5/10-12
St. John’s—The Johnnies are hot. They sneaked past Iona in the midweek and leapt closer to a potential Big East title and at-large NCAA tournament bid by sweeping the Creighton Midweek Warriors, er, I mean—Blue Jays. St. John’s is 31-11-1 overall and 11-4 in the Big East with two weekends left to play. If the home stretch treats the Red Storm and a few other contenders kindly, we could be looking at another multi-bid year in the NCAAT for the Big East. Looking ahead: vs Fairleigh Dickinson 5/7, at Seton Hall (BEC) 5/10-12)
UConn—The Huskies are cruising. At 29-17 overall after the season was looking grim entering conference play, and with the Big East’s best conference record at 12-3, the Huskies that were predicted in the preseason have finally arrived. They bookended a series of low-scoring affairs at Seton Hall with wins to go 2-1 on the week and maintain their Big East lead. Despite the poor nonconference record, the Huskies have a chance with Creighton (BEC) and Cincinnati to bolster their RPI and possibly slip into the dance regardless of results in the Big East tournament. Looking ahead: at Northeastern 5/7, vs Creighton (BEC) 5/10-12).
Creighton—The Big East’s most confusing team continues to baffle and befuddle. The Jays knocked off Nebraska, again, in the midweek to complete the season sweep. Creighton’s stellar 31-14 overall record is largely due to their being undefeated in midweek contests. However, they’re not even going to make the Big East tournament unless some trends totally reverse here in the home stretch of Big East play. A sweep at the hands of St. John’s, including a double-loss double-header on Saturday, could be the final nail in the coffin for Creighton’s Big East tournament hopes. A 4-10 conference record is unfathomable for a team that has already won 30 games and only lost 14. Looking ahead: at UConn (BEC) 5/10-12
Villanova—The good news for Villanova is that they didn’t lose a single conference game this week. The bad news…they still had baseball games on the schedule. Saint Joseph’s Univesity and Iona handed Nova a pair of home losses before the Wildcats were able to get off the mat a little bit with a 9-8 Saturday win against Iona. They would have to settle for a split, unfortunately, as the Sunday game was cancelled due to weather. The 15-29 Wildcats will always have that series win vs Creighton to look back on (but who doesn’t?). Looking ahead: vs Butler (BEC) 5/10-12
Xavier—The Musketeers used a 3-0 week to buck the can’t-get-above-.500 allegations, and are3 now sitting at 25-22 and 9-6 in Big East play after a road sweep of Butler. Xavier is now comfortably in shape to make the Big East tournament, where they will have a chance to defend last year’s tournament title and reemerge once again as an NCAA Tournament team Looking ahead: vs Kentucky 5/7, vs Miami (OH) 5/8, at Georgetown (BEC) 5/10-12
Seton Hall—Another poor week for the Pirates, who valiantly fought but ultimately lost the series to red-hot Connecticut after dropping a close one in the midweek to Hofstra. The forgettable season for Seton Hall continues, with little to be excited for aside from things like a walk-off win in game one of the Saturday double-header despite the series loss. At 5-10 in Big East play, Seton Hall will likely join Creighton, Nova, and Butler in the outside-looking-in club when it comes to the Big East tournament. Looking ahead: vs St. John’s (BEC) 5/10-12
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