NEW YORK – This Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One is in its eighth season as the official podcast of BIG EAST basketball. The sixth episode of the season welcomes Creighton head coach Greg McDermott, Providence senior center Nate Watson and basketball analyst Donny Marshall.
TWITBE welcomes Providence senior Nate Watson in the BIG EAST Spotlight, ahead of Saturday’s tilt against DePaul. Despite being picked seventh in the preseason coaches’ poll, the Friars are off to their best overall start since the 1972-73 season with a 20-2 mark. In league play, Providence sits at the top the standings with a 10-1 record, while riding a seven-game win streak. A super senior for the Friars, Watson leads a balanced scoring attack with 13.5 ppg, to go with a team-high 20 blocks. Watson joins the show to talk about the team’s success and overall goals moving forward.
The BIG EAST Focus shines on Creighton head coach Greg McDermott ahead of back-to-back games against Georgetown. Moving into sole possession of fifth in the league standings with a 6-5 conference mark, Creighton’s BIG EAST resume includes wins over No. 15 Villanova, No. 18 Marquette and No. 24 UConn. McDermott joins the show to discuss the competitive nature of the BIG EAST and the obstacles Creighton has overcome this season with several new faces in the locker room.
FOX and CBS Sports Network basketball analyst Donny Marshall gives a view on the national perspective. The former UConn star, who played alongside the likes of Ray Allen, Kevin Ollie and Doron Sheffer, and against Kerry Kittles, Arturas Karnishovas, Lawrence Moten and Othella Harrington, to name a few, was later drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1995. He then wrapped up his career with the New Jersey Nets. Marshall takes the experiences he gained and challenges faced when describing the game night in and night out to his viewers.
The episode’s “Who’s Hot” segment features the return of “Blast from the Past” reliving the greatest moments of 40 years at Madison Square Garden. This week, return to the 2014 BIG EAST Tournament where Providence and Creighton put on a show in the first tournament after the conference realignment. The Friars’ Bryce Cotton led his team with 23 points, while the Bluejays’ National Player of the Year Doug McDermott scored a game-high 27 points. However, it was Cotton and Providence who prevailed, 65-58, as the Friars won their first tournament title since 1994.
The returning hosts for This Week In The BIG EAST (#TWITBE) are John Rooke, a longtime BIG EAST play-by-play voice, and Kevin McNamara, BIG EAST radio host, columnist and author. Rooke and McNamara give a comprehensive look at the teams, coaches, players and storied tradition of the top basketball conference in America in each episode.
To join the conversation and send questions to Rooke (@JRbroadcaster) and McNamara (@KevinMcNamara33), use #TWITBE on Twitter. Fans may submit questions to be featured on the show.
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This will air Saturday 2/12 at noon Eastern on Sirius 138 XM 201 Online 964 leading into the Villanova broadcast of Seton Hall @ Villanova.