THE BIG EAST AND USA BASKETBALL
U.S. Olympic Team head coach Geno Auriemma announced his coaching staff on Jan. 20 at a press conference held in Chicago. DePaul head coach Doug Bruno was named as Auriemma’s assistant, along with Washington Mystics assistant Jennifer Gillom and Atlanta Dream head coach Marynell Meadors. All three served as Auriemma’s assistants for the 2010 USA World Championship Team that captured gold and qualified the U.S. for the 2012 Olympic Games.
TOP-25 MATCHUPS
There are several top-25 games set for this week, starting with No. 3/3 Connecticut at No. 21/19 DePaul on Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. ET. On Jan. 22, No. 18/15 Louisville will play at No. 19/17 Georgetown at 5 p.m. in game televised on ESPN2. In nonconference action, No. 2/2 Notre Dame will host No. 9/9 Tennessee as part of Big Monday on Jan. 23 on ESPN2. On Jan. 24, the Blue Demons will play at No. 7/8 Rutgers at 7 p.m. on the CBS Sports Network.
VILLANOVA WINS PHILADELPHIA BIG FIVE CHAMPIONSHIP
Villanova captured the 2011-12 Philadelphia Big Five championship with a 52-30 win over visiting Penn on Jan. 17. Under head coach Harry Perretta, Villanova has won 13 Big Five titles, including nine seasons with a perfect 4-0 mark and the outright title. It is also the second time in the last three years that Villanova has won the Big Five championship.
TOP PLAYS FEATURED ON ESPN
Women’s basketball jumped into SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays last week as two BIG EAST moments made the cut. Marquette’s Katie Young was featured as the No. 1 play after her 40-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer gave the Golden Eagles a 51-50 victory against Villanova on Jan. 10. St. John’s Nadirah McKenith’s improbable behind-the-head, off-balance layup against Rutgers on Jan. 17 with the shot clock expiring was also featured.
TRIO OF 3-POINT SHOOTERS
Connecticut redshirt-junior Caroline Doty’s first 3-pointer in a win against Cincinnati on Jan. 19 gave her 100 career 3-pointers. She joined both sophomore Bria Hartley and senior Tiffany Hayes, marking the first time the Huskies have had three players on the same team with at least 100 3-pointers since Maria Conlon, Anne Strother and Diana Taurasi in 2003-04.
