Season in Review
The Big East had a wild season, with just two teams finishing over .500 and parity reigning in the conference. While Villanova and Marquette went 13-5 and 12-6 respectively, the next four teams in the standings were 9-9, St. John's was 8-10, and the bottom three teams were all 7-11. It honestly feels like anyone can beat anyone heading into the conference tournament, and I am very excited to see where this goes.
Bracket
Contenders
Villanova (22-9, 13-5)
The Wildcats are the reigning national champions, and if you watched last season's team, they will seem familiar. While they started the season slow, notably losing games to Furman and Penn in the non-conference, they went on an 11 game winning streak, including winning their first 10 conference games. They have the fourteenth best adjusted offensive efficiency in the country and that all comes from their three point shooting. They take 53.6% of their total shots from behind the arc, and they are shooting 35.5% from deep. While this isn't the same offensive powerhouse we saw last season, they don't have the same talent level, both Phil Booth and Eric Paschall are incredible and high level shot makers. They've seemingly hit a wall, going 3-5 down the stretch, but they are still one of the favorites at MSG and if they get hot, they are tough to beat.
Marquette (23-8, 12-6)
The Golden Eagles have made noise throughout the year for one reason: Markus Howard. I'll get into the point guard a little later on, but you simply can't talk about them without mentioning him. He is one of the best scorers in the country, averaging 25 a game, and he is one of the big reasons that they shoot so well from three. They make 39.4% of their shots from three point range, which is ninth best in the country, and when they are hot, they are pretty much impossible to stop. Their defense has also been sneaky good, and they do an especially good job of defending the paint. They are limping into the tournament, having lost four straight, but if Markus Howard and the Hauser brothers get hot, look out.
Sleeper Team
St. John's (20-11, 8-10)
The Johnnies are the definition of a streaky team. They went 12-0 on an admittedly weak non-conference schedule, and knocked off Marquette twice, Villanova, and Seton Hall, the three best teams in the conference. However, they got swept by DePaul, Providence, and Xavier, and really struggled at times. They certainly have the talent, with guys like Shamorie Ponds, Mustapha Heron, and Justin Simon making up an incredibly talented backcourt. They thrive on turnover margin, both by not turning the ball over and creating them on the defensive end. They lead the Big East in steals at 8.8 a game, which is also twelfth in the nation, and when they get out in transition, they are tough to stop. In a conference where anything can happen in the tournament, the Johnnies could go on a deep run.
Players to Watch
Markus Howard
Stats: 25 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 4 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0 BPG, 43.1/41.6/90.2
Howard is an absolute star, and there are few players capable of putting up points quite like he does. He has scored over 30 points 9 different times this season, including a 53 point performance against Creighton. When he's on, you can't stop him. He'll make deep threes off pull ups, step back, and off the catch, drive to the rim where he can either make a layup or pull up short for his devasting floater, and he can also attract so much attention that he'll find his teammates for open shots. Howard is one of the few players capable of leading his team to victory simply with his scoring, and I cannot wait to see what he does in the Big East tournament.
Phil Booth
Stats: 18.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.9 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 43.4/36.6/75
Booth is one of the few hangovers from last season's title, and I could have also featured Eric Paschall here. However, Booth has more potential to take over a game and that's why I'm featuring him here. He has hit many big shots, you may remember him hitting a big shot before Kris Jenkins in the national title game a few years ago, and he did it this season time after time, continuing to win Villanova games just by making shots in the clutch. A traditional Booth game is what he did in their victory over Seton Hall, when he put up 25/5/5 on seven made threes. For Villanova to go far, they need Booth to have big games, and he is more than capable of that.
Myles Powell
Stats: 22.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.7 APG, 2 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 44.5/35.3/85.5
Seton Hall came into the year with low expectations because they lost their four big name seniors, but Powell has made Pirates' fans forget about those players. The junior guard is one of the top scorers in the nation, and you just need to watch him once to understand why. He is a sharpshooter from deep, and he is is also pretty strong and a crafty finisher. He's eclipsed 30 points nine times this year, and he's averaging 25.5 points over his last 10 games. He has been a major force behind the Pirates recent success, and I think he continues that in the Big East tournament.
Shamorie Ponds
Stats: 19.8 PPG, 5.2 APG, 4.3 RPG, 2.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 45.6/35.4/84.5
St. John's has been inconsistent, but the one constant has been the play of their point guard, Ponds. He leads the conference in steals, second in assists, and third in scoring. When he's on, he's on, and he'll absolutely destroy you. The guard is lightning quick, and with his tight handle, he has the ability to just blow past anyone. He also can shoot the ball from deep, and I love watching him. He'll also pick apart a defense, and when he's at his best, St. John's has a shot to go far.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: Markus Howard, Marquette
G: Phil Booth, Villanova
G: Myles Powell, Seton Hall
G: Shamorie Ponds, St. John's
F: Eric Paschall, Villanova
Second Team
G: Kamar Baldwin, Butler
G: TyShon Alexander, Creighton
F: Sam Hauser, Marquette
F: Jessie Govan, Georgetown
F: Max Strus, DePaul
My Pick: Seton Hall over Villanova
The Pirates are hot, coming in having beaten Marquette and Villanova in the last two games of the regular season. They have to get through Georgetown, who they played tightly recently, and Marquette, who they just beat, to get to the final. I also like Villanova's ability to shoot and get them to the final, and but I like the way Seton Hall has been playing recently, so I think the Pirates pull off a minor upset and win the Big East Tournament.
The Big East had a wild season, with just two teams finishing over .500 and parity reigning in the conference. While Villanova and Marquette went 13-5 and 12-6 respectively, the next four teams in the standings were 9-9, St. John's was 8-10, and the bottom three teams were all 7-11. It honestly feels like anyone can beat anyone heading into the conference tournament, and I am very excited to see where this goes.
Bracket
Contenders
Villanova (22-9, 13-5)
The Wildcats are the reigning national champions, and if you watched last season's team, they will seem familiar. While they started the season slow, notably losing games to Furman and Penn in the non-conference, they went on an 11 game winning streak, including winning their first 10 conference games. They have the fourteenth best adjusted offensive efficiency in the country and that all comes from their three point shooting. They take 53.6% of their total shots from behind the arc, and they are shooting 35.5% from deep. While this isn't the same offensive powerhouse we saw last season, they don't have the same talent level, both Phil Booth and Eric Paschall are incredible and high level shot makers. They've seemingly hit a wall, going 3-5 down the stretch, but they are still one of the favorites at MSG and if they get hot, they are tough to beat.
Marquette (23-8, 12-6)
The Golden Eagles have made noise throughout the year for one reason: Markus Howard. I'll get into the point guard a little later on, but you simply can't talk about them without mentioning him. He is one of the best scorers in the country, averaging 25 a game, and he is one of the big reasons that they shoot so well from three. They make 39.4% of their shots from three point range, which is ninth best in the country, and when they are hot, they are pretty much impossible to stop. Their defense has also been sneaky good, and they do an especially good job of defending the paint. They are limping into the tournament, having lost four straight, but if Markus Howard and the Hauser brothers get hot, look out.
Sleeper Team
St. John's (20-11, 8-10)
The Johnnies are the definition of a streaky team. They went 12-0 on an admittedly weak non-conference schedule, and knocked off Marquette twice, Villanova, and Seton Hall, the three best teams in the conference. However, they got swept by DePaul, Providence, and Xavier, and really struggled at times. They certainly have the talent, with guys like Shamorie Ponds, Mustapha Heron, and Justin Simon making up an incredibly talented backcourt. They thrive on turnover margin, both by not turning the ball over and creating them on the defensive end. They lead the Big East in steals at 8.8 a game, which is also twelfth in the nation, and when they get out in transition, they are tough to stop. In a conference where anything can happen in the tournament, the Johnnies could go on a deep run.
Players to Watch
Markus Howard
Stats: 25 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 4 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0 BPG, 43.1/41.6/90.2
Howard is an absolute star, and there are few players capable of putting up points quite like he does. He has scored over 30 points 9 different times this season, including a 53 point performance against Creighton. When he's on, you can't stop him. He'll make deep threes off pull ups, step back, and off the catch, drive to the rim where he can either make a layup or pull up short for his devasting floater, and he can also attract so much attention that he'll find his teammates for open shots. Howard is one of the few players capable of leading his team to victory simply with his scoring, and I cannot wait to see what he does in the Big East tournament.
Phil Booth
Stats: 18.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.9 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 43.4/36.6/75
Booth is one of the few hangovers from last season's title, and I could have also featured Eric Paschall here. However, Booth has more potential to take over a game and that's why I'm featuring him here. He has hit many big shots, you may remember him hitting a big shot before Kris Jenkins in the national title game a few years ago, and he did it this season time after time, continuing to win Villanova games just by making shots in the clutch. A traditional Booth game is what he did in their victory over Seton Hall, when he put up 25/5/5 on seven made threes. For Villanova to go far, they need Booth to have big games, and he is more than capable of that.
Myles Powell
Stats: 22.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.7 APG, 2 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 44.5/35.3/85.5
Seton Hall came into the year with low expectations because they lost their four big name seniors, but Powell has made Pirates' fans forget about those players. The junior guard is one of the top scorers in the nation, and you just need to watch him once to understand why. He is a sharpshooter from deep, and he is is also pretty strong and a crafty finisher. He's eclipsed 30 points nine times this year, and he's averaging 25.5 points over his last 10 games. He has been a major force behind the Pirates recent success, and I think he continues that in the Big East tournament.
Shamorie Ponds
Stats: 19.8 PPG, 5.2 APG, 4.3 RPG, 2.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 45.6/35.4/84.5
St. John's has been inconsistent, but the one constant has been the play of their point guard, Ponds. He leads the conference in steals, second in assists, and third in scoring. When he's on, he's on, and he'll absolutely destroy you. The guard is lightning quick, and with his tight handle, he has the ability to just blow past anyone. He also can shoot the ball from deep, and I love watching him. He'll also pick apart a defense, and when he's at his best, St. John's has a shot to go far.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: Markus Howard, Marquette
G: Phil Booth, Villanova
G: Myles Powell, Seton Hall
G: Shamorie Ponds, St. John's
F: Eric Paschall, Villanova
Second Team
G: Kamar Baldwin, Butler
G: TyShon Alexander, Creighton
F: Sam Hauser, Marquette
F: Jessie Govan, Georgetown
F: Max Strus, DePaul
My Pick: Seton Hall over Villanova
The Pirates are hot, coming in having beaten Marquette and Villanova in the last two games of the regular season. They have to get through Georgetown, who they played tightly recently, and Marquette, who they just beat, to get to the final. I also like Villanova's ability to shoot and get them to the final, and but I like the way Seton Hall has been playing recently, so I think the Pirates pull off a minor upset and win the Big East Tournament.
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