BIG EAST notebook: Midseason analysis, Shea Ralph finding success in Nashville

Standings analysis

UConn in a league of its own

Through 11 conference games played, UConn has steamrolled its way through the BIG EAST — defeating conference opponents by an astounding 45.8 point margin of victory. The Huskies beat second-ranked Villanova by 49 points on Jan. 15 and outscored Seton Hall by a combined 176-100 across their two contests this season.

“It’s UConn, right?,” remarked Georgetown head coach Darnell Haney following his own team’s 41-point loss to UConn on Saturday. “Tonight showed us just how good of a team they are, this is probably from top to bottom since I’ve been here and played against them, the best team I’ve seen.”

UConn’s defensive intensity is frankly overwhelming the conference competition. The Huskies force a league-leading 25.3 turnovers per game and average 7.1 steals per game. UConn hasn’t lost a conference game since Feb. 21, 2023, and appears well on its way to a third consecutive undefeated conference season and sixth consecutive BIG EAST regular season title.

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Villanova and Seton Hall angling for second

Separated by about 90 miles, Villanova and Seton Hall represent the Jersey/Philly contingent of the conference. At the season’s midway point, they are all tied up with identical 8-3 records. The Wildcats handily defeated the Pirates 72-55 on Dec. 19, but that early-season matchup isn’t necessarily an indication of where the teams stand today.

Since the loss to Villanova, Tony Bozzella’s Seton Hall squad has gone 7-2, with its two losses coming at the hands of the behemoth Huskies. Denise Dillon’s Wildcats have gone 6-3 in that same span, with a blowout loss to UConn and losses to Marquette and St. John’s.

The Pirates and Wildcats aren’t just angling for spots in the conference’s top ranks, they’re also trying to get into the NCAA Tournament. Both teams are ranked in the Top 50 of the NET Rankings. Villanova is projected to be an NCAA Tournament team, with the Pirates sitting just outside of the 68-team field.

Seton Hall has a chance to make its case as an NCAA Tournament team across its remaining nine games, and will certainly have its Feb. 26 rematch against Villanova circled on the calendar.

Hoyas ‘starting to gel’

Before the season began, Georgetown head coach Darnell Haney proclaimed that “it’s top half of the league or bust” and that his team “must” finish in the top tier of the BIG EAST for the season to be considered a success.

Following a sluggish 1-4 start in the BIG EAST, Georgetown has strung together a 4-2 record, placing the Hoyas at the exact middle of the standings (No. 6) at 5-6. The Hoyas had an impressive 63-54 win over Marquette on Jan. 17, their first over Marquette since the 2017-18 season and the first win in Milwaukee since 2011-12.

“Kudos to this group, they just came out and fought. I’m very proud of them and their resilience,” Haney said following the upset victory over Marquette. “They came out and they played Georgetown defense which we had really harped on this week along with rebounding and making sure we protected the ball. For the most part, especially in the first half, we did that. Some shots were falling in the first half that didn’t fall in the second half, but overall, it was a great team win for us, a great team win for our program.”

Georgetown is led by the smooth shooting of guard Khia Miller and the steadying veteran presence of grad transfer Laila Jewett. West Virginia transfer Destiny Agubada has also begun to make her presence known, landing a spot on last week’s BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll, her second appearance this season. Agubada averages 8.0 points and 4.8 rebounds her game while also elevating the Hoyas on the defensive end with 1.4 steals per game.

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Heading into the final stretch of the season the Hoyas are gelling at the right time, the pieces falling into place. Georgetown plays tough and plays together, traits it must maintain to finish the season in the top half of the conference standings.

“I’m just excited about our growth as a program and the growth of the young women in our program. They are starting to gel and figure out what it what it means to be a Hoya and what it means to play for us,” Haney said.

Xavier rising

The Xavier Musketeers have won four conference games since the the 2022-23 season, and three of them have been this season. Xavier has long dwelled in the BIG EAST’s basement, going winless for two consecutive seasons (2022-24).

So far this season, Xavier looks like a different program, and Mississippi transfer Mariyah Noel is a big reason why. Noel is the fourth-leading scorer in the conference (16.1 ppg), trailing only UConn power duo Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd and Villanova’s sophomore stud Jasmine Bascoe. Noel is also ranked No. 6 in rebounding in the BIG EAST.

The Musketeers were projected to finish last in the conference and, through 11 games, have exceeded expectations by reaching No. 9. Head coach Billi Chambers, now in her third season in charge has begun to make her mark on the program by adding an elite scorer to a team with an already-strong defensive identity.

Shea Ralph’s grit elevates Vanderbilt

As an All-American student-athlete at UConn, Shea Ralph was the 2000 BIG EAST Player of the Year and the captain of Connecticut’s 2000 NCAA national championship team. Her legacy in the conference is set in stone, and now she’s making her mark in the SEC as head coach of Vanderbilt.

Ralph was selected by the WNBA’s Utah Starzz when she graduated from UConn in 2001, but was unable to pursue a professional career due to a knee injury, instead turning to coaching. She got her first gig as an assistant at Pittsburgh (2003-2008) before returning to her alma mater to join Auriemma’s coaching staff prior to the 2008-09 season.

Ralph is a six-time national champion as an assistant coach at UConn (2009-10, 2013-16), including four undefeated seasons. She mentored some of the Huskies’ most elite guards in history, including Renee Montgomery, Tiffany Hayes, Moriah Jefferson and Paige Bueckers.

Now, in her fifth season at Vanderbilt she’s coaching star guard Mikayla Blakes, last season’s National Freshman of the Year winner and the nation’s second-leading scorer this season. The Commodores are 20-1, losing their first game of the season to South Carolina on Sunday. By starting the season undefeated, Vandy became the sixth SEC program since 1999-00 to have a winning streak of 20 games or more and reached 6-0 for the first time in program history.

Auriemma enjoys watching his former player and assistant coach from afar, but soon the programs will collide — they announced a future home-and-home series. The Huskies will host the Commodores in the 2027-28 season before traveling to Nashville in 2028-29.

“I enjoy watching them play. You know, she’s not quite … [Indiana football coach] Curt Cignetti yet, but to go down there and do what she’s done in such a short period of time, I think is really cool,” Auriemma told reporters. “They’ve got a great staff — she’s got her husband on the staff, Tom [Garrick] … Kaili McLaren from our place on the staff … Kevin DeMille from our staff is down there. So I’m really happy for all of them.”

“It’s not easy to do what she’s done, and she’s so detail oriented, she’s so competitive in so many ways. She’s a great teacher. So many guards that have come through here were impacted by Shea.”

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