DePaul Vs. Marquette for Big East Championship

Tonight, the DePaul Blue Demons and the Marquette Golden Eagles will battle (again) for the Big East Women's Basketball Tournament Championship. DePaul beat Marquette for the last two Big East Tournament titles.

After DePaul came into the tourney as the #1 seed with Marquette as the #2 seed, each received a first round bye. On Saturday, DePaul beat Providence 97-59, while Marquette beat Villanova 72-59. Yesterday, DePaul beat Seton Hall 83-80 in a tight contest, while Marquette beat St. John's 78-55. Despite the margins of victory, DePaul still comes into tonight's game as the favorite.

So far, the tournament has gone pretty much as expected. DePaul and Marquette were expected to be the last two standing. I expect a gritty battle featuring two finely-tuned teams. My predictiion is an 87-81 victory for DePaul.

A large crowd is expected tonight at Wintrust Arena. DePaul should be well-represented by hometown fans. I will be sitting in Press Row and while the general rule is "No cheering in the press box," I will be (mostly) silently rooting for my Blue Demons. If the Blue Demons win for the threepeat (@ Pat Riley), I might not be so silent. Go Blue Demons!