The Big East is always one of the most fun conferences to watch, and this year it is incredibly competitive, with 6 teams sitting on 4 losses at the moment, and it produces some of the best games in the country. I really love watching it as every game is always exciting, and I don't think enough people watch the conference overall. Here's all my thoughts on the conference, and I always love to discuss the conference on Twitter @ThreePointRange, especially as things ramp up during conference play.
Thoughts
- Villanova has started off conference play undefeated, and a huge reason for that has been the play of their two senior stars, Phil Booth and Eric Paschall. They are both inside the top 10 in scoring in the Big East, with Booth scoring 18.4 points a game and Paschall 16.9. Booth has been absolutely amazing at points this season, almost single-handedly winning games for the Wildcats, like when he scored 28 in a win over Creighton. Paschall is no slouch either, having scored over 20 points four times in Big East play, and honestly, these two aren't talked about enough nationally. They are one of the best one-two punches in the nation, but I think because of the slow start to Villanova's season, no one has paid attention to the teams, but they are playing like one of the better teams in the nation at the moment, thanks in no small part to these two stars.
- The wheels have begun to fall off the cart for Providence. The Friars are off to a very slow start to Big East play, and they have looked pretty bad every time out. They have won two of their last three, but they don't look like a threat to make the tournament. Makai Ashton-Langford is a bad point guard, but he's been getting a ton of minutes for the Friars, mostly thanks to the injury to AJ Reeves, who was playing really well prior to his injury. I'm really interested to see how they play against DePaul today at home, as that is a must win game for Providence to even have a shot at the tournament.
- Butler took on Creighton, and I had a few takeaways. I was tweeting about this first one, but Aaron Thompson is a liability on the offensive end for Butler. I mean, look at this defense on him. It isn't even that he is a bad shooter, going 8-19 from deep on the year, but he just doesn't shoot it, even when he is wide open. He needs to take more shots, just to prove that he can, for Butler's offense to reach its peak. Martin Krampelj has an excellent game for Creighton, and I think the loss of the big man was a huge reason why the Blue Jays struggled towards the end of the year last season. He's back, and with a 16 points, 8 rebound performance, he's doing really well and giving Creighton an interior presence that they lacked down the stretch.
- Marquette went into their inferno mode down the stretch against Xavier, making 7 threes in the second half, including 5 in the final 10 minutes of the game, and I don't know how you can stop Marquette when Markus Howard, Sam Hauser, and Joey Hauser make 13 threes in a game, especially when they are shooting 59.1%. Xavier played well for a large portion for this game, but the Golden Eagles had too much firepower from their big three to be beaten. This second half showed why some people believe Marquette can make a Final Four run, because they are nearly unbeatable when they are drilling NBA threes.
Power Rankings
1. Villanova (2)
Record: 15-4, 6-0
2. Marquette (5)
Record: 18-3, 7-1
3. St. John's (1)
Record: 15-4, 3-4
4. Creighton (4)
Record: 12-8, 3-4
5. Seton Hall (3)
Record: 12-7, 3-4
6. Butler (7)
Record: 12-9, 3-5
7. DePaul (10)
Record: 11-7, 3-4
8. Xavier (8)
Record: 11-10, 3-4
9. Providence (6)
Record: 12-7, 2-4
10. Georgetown (9)
Record: 12-7, 2-4
What to Watch
- Seton Hall travels to Philadelphia to play Villanova later today. The Pirates hold some big wins over Kentucky and Maryland, but they have fallen off a little bit in Big East play, losing their last three games. The biggest reason why has been their offense falling off, currently last in the Big East in turnover percentage and only shooting 33.1% from three, which is largely due to Myles Powell no longer making everything he puts up. Meanwhile, Villanova's offense has kicked into another gear in conference play, leading the league in effective field goal percentage during conference play. I think the Pirates will come out hot, and Powell could have a huge game, but I think Phil Booth and the rest of the Villanova offense wear down Hall and get the win.
- Marquette heads to Butler for an intriguing matchup. The Golden Eagles have lost just once in the new year, while Butler has been streaky throughout conference play, often taking a step back for every step forward. I will be looking very intently at Butler's three point defense, since as I mentioned earlier, Marquette can shoot the lights out of the ball. However, the biggest thing for me in this game is the Golden Eagle's defense. They have been sneakily good on that end of the floor, and they actually lead the Big East in adjusted defensive efficiency, and they also do a very good job defending the paint. Butler, and especially their star player Kamar Baldwin, thrive on getting into the paint, so that definitely favors Marquette. We have also seen Butler struggle with foul issues, and Marquette makes 80% of their free throws, so all things point to a road victory in this one.
- St John's will be in Nebraska to play Creighton, and there should be offensive fireworks in this one. Both teams are top 20 in the country in three point percentage, so there should be lots of buckets in this one. However, the key lies on the defensive end, with Creighton ranking dead last in three point defense in Big East play, while the Red Storm is first. That should favor the Johnnies, but three point defense is a notoriously unreliable stat and can change from game to game, so I'm not worried about Creighton suddenly missing every shot they take from deep. I just think they'll have no answer for Shamorie Ponds, Mustapha Heron, and the rest of the Johnnies, so I think they can outgun the Blue Jays in this one.
- St. John's has another big game later on in a non-conference tilt against Duke. We saw the Johnnies knock off the Blue Devils last season behind an excellent game from Shamorie Ponds, but it's hard to see that happening again. I think the biggest area where Duke holds an advantage is on the interior, where St. John's struggles thanks to a lack of size, and Duke has size to spare. I expect the Blue Devils to crash the glass hard and get a lot of easy buckets like that. I also believe Duke will force St. John's to do something they haven't done a lot of this year: turn the ball over. Duke thrives on that defensively, and I think their athletes will be able make the Red Storm make bad decisions. Finally, St. John's loves to run and play in transition, but that is how Duke plays, and you aren't going to beat the Blue Devils playing their style of basketball, not this year. Factor in the game being in Cameron, I think that Duke wins this one quite easily.
Full Big East Schedule 1/27-2/2
1/27
Georgetown @ St. John's
DePaul @ Providence
Seton Hall @ Villanova
1/30
Marquette @ Butler
Providence @ Seton Hall
Villanova @ DePaul
St. John's @ Creighton
1/31
Xavier @ Georgetown
2/2
St. John's @ Duke
Seton Hall @ Butler
Providence @ DePaul
3 Questions
1. Who is getting the bids?
This is becoming a big trend in college basketball, with a lot of teams struggling to win games. As of now, Villanova and Marquette seem very secure in their tournament spots. Other than that, I've got no idea who is going to make the tournament. You can make a case for everyone else having a shot, although I think Xavier, Providence, DePaul, and Georgetown are starting to fall way out of the race. That leaves St. John's, Seton Hall, Creighton, and Butler in the hunt for bids, and I think they can all make the tournament if things go their way, but there are a few things that have to happen. First, they need to beat up on that bottom part of the conference. They also need to win their games at home, because a home loss, especially against one of those bottom tier teams, is really detrimental as a missed opportunity. Lastly, if they can pull out a win over Nova or Marquette, that would be huge for their resume. I'll say that two teams get in before Selection Sunday, one makes it into the First Four, and one misses out on the dance.
2. Who is going to win the conference?
As I mentioned earlier, Villanova and Marquette are currently ahead of the pack in the Big East at 7-0 and 6-1 respectively, so I'm interested to see who wins the conference. They still have to play each other twice, so if one of those teams can get a sweep, you're looking at a huge advantage. I think Marquette is more likely to get a sweep thanks to their hot shooting, but I'd bet on a split. Then it comes down to who can hold serve on the bottom part of the conference, and as of now, they have both done that. It'll be an intense race down the stretch, and as of now, I'll go with Marquette to take the Big East crown.
3. Who is the conference player of the year?
This may be even more intense than the actual race for the conference, with Markus Howard, Shamorie Ponds, Myles Powell, and Phil Booth all having great cases, and I think Jessie Govan, Max Strus, and Kamar Baldwin have some really good cases as well. I think Marquette wins the league, so for now I think it'll go to Howard, especially if he continues to score 24.6 points a game while making 43.4% of his shots from three. However, don't overlook Ponds here, as he is averaging over 20 points a game, and I think St. John's can go on a big run late in conference play, and he could get a lot of publicity down the stretch.
Thoughts
- Villanova has started off conference play undefeated, and a huge reason for that has been the play of their two senior stars, Phil Booth and Eric Paschall. They are both inside the top 10 in scoring in the Big East, with Booth scoring 18.4 points a game and Paschall 16.9. Booth has been absolutely amazing at points this season, almost single-handedly winning games for the Wildcats, like when he scored 28 in a win over Creighton. Paschall is no slouch either, having scored over 20 points four times in Big East play, and honestly, these two aren't talked about enough nationally. They are one of the best one-two punches in the nation, but I think because of the slow start to Villanova's season, no one has paid attention to the teams, but they are playing like one of the better teams in the nation at the moment, thanks in no small part to these two stars.
- The wheels have begun to fall off the cart for Providence. The Friars are off to a very slow start to Big East play, and they have looked pretty bad every time out. They have won two of their last three, but they don't look like a threat to make the tournament. Makai Ashton-Langford is a bad point guard, but he's been getting a ton of minutes for the Friars, mostly thanks to the injury to AJ Reeves, who was playing really well prior to his injury. I'm really interested to see how they play against DePaul today at home, as that is a must win game for Providence to even have a shot at the tournament.
- Butler took on Creighton, and I had a few takeaways. I was tweeting about this first one, but Aaron Thompson is a liability on the offensive end for Butler. I mean, look at this defense on him. It isn't even that he is a bad shooter, going 8-19 from deep on the year, but he just doesn't shoot it, even when he is wide open. He needs to take more shots, just to prove that he can, for Butler's offense to reach its peak. Martin Krampelj has an excellent game for Creighton, and I think the loss of the big man was a huge reason why the Blue Jays struggled towards the end of the year last season. He's back, and with a 16 points, 8 rebound performance, he's doing really well and giving Creighton an interior presence that they lacked down the stretch.
- Marquette went into their inferno mode down the stretch against Xavier, making 7 threes in the second half, including 5 in the final 10 minutes of the game, and I don't know how you can stop Marquette when Markus Howard, Sam Hauser, and Joey Hauser make 13 threes in a game, especially when they are shooting 59.1%. Xavier played well for a large portion for this game, but the Golden Eagles had too much firepower from their big three to be beaten. This second half showed why some people believe Marquette can make a Final Four run, because they are nearly unbeatable when they are drilling NBA threes.
Power Rankings
1. Villanova (2)
Record: 15-4, 6-0
2. Marquette (5)
Record: 18-3, 7-1
3. St. John's (1)
Record: 15-4, 3-4
4. Creighton (4)
Record: 12-8, 3-4
5. Seton Hall (3)
Record: 12-7, 3-4
6. Butler (7)
Record: 12-9, 3-5
7. DePaul (10)
Record: 11-7, 3-4
8. Xavier (8)
Record: 11-10, 3-4
9. Providence (6)
Record: 12-7, 2-4
10. Georgetown (9)
Record: 12-7, 2-4
What to Watch
- Seton Hall travels to Philadelphia to play Villanova later today. The Pirates hold some big wins over Kentucky and Maryland, but they have fallen off a little bit in Big East play, losing their last three games. The biggest reason why has been their offense falling off, currently last in the Big East in turnover percentage and only shooting 33.1% from three, which is largely due to Myles Powell no longer making everything he puts up. Meanwhile, Villanova's offense has kicked into another gear in conference play, leading the league in effective field goal percentage during conference play. I think the Pirates will come out hot, and Powell could have a huge game, but I think Phil Booth and the rest of the Villanova offense wear down Hall and get the win.
- Marquette heads to Butler for an intriguing matchup. The Golden Eagles have lost just once in the new year, while Butler has been streaky throughout conference play, often taking a step back for every step forward. I will be looking very intently at Butler's three point defense, since as I mentioned earlier, Marquette can shoot the lights out of the ball. However, the biggest thing for me in this game is the Golden Eagle's defense. They have been sneakily good on that end of the floor, and they actually lead the Big East in adjusted defensive efficiency, and they also do a very good job defending the paint. Butler, and especially their star player Kamar Baldwin, thrive on getting into the paint, so that definitely favors Marquette. We have also seen Butler struggle with foul issues, and Marquette makes 80% of their free throws, so all things point to a road victory in this one.
- St John's will be in Nebraska to play Creighton, and there should be offensive fireworks in this one. Both teams are top 20 in the country in three point percentage, so there should be lots of buckets in this one. However, the key lies on the defensive end, with Creighton ranking dead last in three point defense in Big East play, while the Red Storm is first. That should favor the Johnnies, but three point defense is a notoriously unreliable stat and can change from game to game, so I'm not worried about Creighton suddenly missing every shot they take from deep. I just think they'll have no answer for Shamorie Ponds, Mustapha Heron, and the rest of the Johnnies, so I think they can outgun the Blue Jays in this one.
- St. John's has another big game later on in a non-conference tilt against Duke. We saw the Johnnies knock off the Blue Devils last season behind an excellent game from Shamorie Ponds, but it's hard to see that happening again. I think the biggest area where Duke holds an advantage is on the interior, where St. John's struggles thanks to a lack of size, and Duke has size to spare. I expect the Blue Devils to crash the glass hard and get a lot of easy buckets like that. I also believe Duke will force St. John's to do something they haven't done a lot of this year: turn the ball over. Duke thrives on that defensively, and I think their athletes will be able make the Red Storm make bad decisions. Finally, St. John's loves to run and play in transition, but that is how Duke plays, and you aren't going to beat the Blue Devils playing their style of basketball, not this year. Factor in the game being in Cameron, I think that Duke wins this one quite easily.
Full Big East Schedule 1/27-2/2
1/27
Georgetown @ St. John's
DePaul @ Providence
Seton Hall @ Villanova
1/30
Marquette @ Butler
Providence @ Seton Hall
Villanova @ DePaul
St. John's @ Creighton
1/31
Xavier @ Georgetown
2/2
St. John's @ Duke
Seton Hall @ Butler
Providence @ DePaul
3 Questions
1. Who is getting the bids?
This is becoming a big trend in college basketball, with a lot of teams struggling to win games. As of now, Villanova and Marquette seem very secure in their tournament spots. Other than that, I've got no idea who is going to make the tournament. You can make a case for everyone else having a shot, although I think Xavier, Providence, DePaul, and Georgetown are starting to fall way out of the race. That leaves St. John's, Seton Hall, Creighton, and Butler in the hunt for bids, and I think they can all make the tournament if things go their way, but there are a few things that have to happen. First, they need to beat up on that bottom part of the conference. They also need to win their games at home, because a home loss, especially against one of those bottom tier teams, is really detrimental as a missed opportunity. Lastly, if they can pull out a win over Nova or Marquette, that would be huge for their resume. I'll say that two teams get in before Selection Sunday, one makes it into the First Four, and one misses out on the dance.
2. Who is going to win the conference?
As I mentioned earlier, Villanova and Marquette are currently ahead of the pack in the Big East at 7-0 and 6-1 respectively, so I'm interested to see who wins the conference. They still have to play each other twice, so if one of those teams can get a sweep, you're looking at a huge advantage. I think Marquette is more likely to get a sweep thanks to their hot shooting, but I'd bet on a split. Then it comes down to who can hold serve on the bottom part of the conference, and as of now, they have both done that. It'll be an intense race down the stretch, and as of now, I'll go with Marquette to take the Big East crown.
3. Who is the conference player of the year?
This may be even more intense than the actual race for the conference, with Markus Howard, Shamorie Ponds, Myles Powell, and Phil Booth all having great cases, and I think Jessie Govan, Max Strus, and Kamar Baldwin have some really good cases as well. I think Marquette wins the league, so for now I think it'll go to Howard, especially if he continues to score 24.6 points a game while making 43.4% of his shots from three. However, don't overlook Ponds here, as he is averaging over 20 points a game, and I think St. John's can go on a big run late in conference play, and he could get a lot of publicity down the stretch.
Comments
Post a Comment