Big East Stretch Drive Begins Saturday

The stretch drive of the Big East season begins for all 16 teams Saturday.

For instance, in Pittsburgh, the Panthers (0-14) and Seton Hall (0-14) play for the right to avoid possible ignominy by finishing the campaign without a single win.

For the No.4 UConn women (12-2), Saturday’s game at Marquette will go a long way in determining where the Huskies will be seeded in the Big East tournament, which begins Friday at the XL Center.

Geno Auriemma, accustomed to entering the tournament as its regular-season champion and top seed, says it’s really not that important where you start, but how you finish.

“Unless you are the No. 1 seed, there is no difference between being the second or third seed,” Auriemma said. “You still need to play the same teams [along the way]. It doesn’t matter to me. You play who you are supposed to play.

“When next week comes, depending on what we do, and what other teams do over the next two games, the conference will line us up from 1 to 16 and tell us who is playing who. And then you go out and play the games.

“It  doesn’t matter to me, one way or the other. You can finish first and have a tough matchup or finish third and have it easier, judging by how are league looks right now. … I’m really not that concerned about any of that. We’ve been through the tournament enough times. We know what needs to be done.”

If the Huskies beat Marquette, and Notre Dame defeats South Florida Saturday, the two will play play for a share of the title Monday at the XL Center. The only way UConn can win the No. 1 seed outright is for Notre Dame to lose before it gets to Hartford.

If No. 1 is out of the question, there still is much math homework to be done before the Huskies know if the second or third seed is  their starting block.