Good morning Big East fans! It’s been a while, with the holidays and things getting busy at work, but I’m back. It was a huge week in the Big East, so let’s get into it.
Things We Loved Last Week
Chuck Harris knocks out Sooners
Harris puts the Dawgs in front.
— Butler Basketball (@ButlerMBB) December 8, 2021
Looking for a stop on defense #ButlerWay | #Team124 pic.twitter.com/yxAG5D1nCb
Chuck Harris scored 26 points for Butler in their overtime victory at Oklahoma, and none were bigger than the three he hit late in the extra frame to put the Bulldogs ahead for good.
Oso with the block
Hadn't seen this clip on Twitter anywhere, so here's Oso Ighodaro's game-winning block for Marquette over Kansas State. pic.twitter.com/DLJFtWeydT
— Big East Coast Bias (@becb_sbn) December 12, 2021
Redshirt freshman Oso Ighodaro got the block at the end of regulation to give Marquette the win at Kansas State.
Also, those Kansas State uniforms are so ugly. Respectfully, never wear them again. Thank you.
Bryce Aiken’s step-back three to seal win over Texas
#TheBattle x @SetonHallMBB pic.twitter.com/VrvADuSwG6
— BIG EAST MBB (@BIGEASTMBB) December 10, 2021
Bryce Aiken had 10 points against Texas, all in the second half. This step-back three-pointer was the dagger to give Seton Hall it’s second top ten win this season.
The Tony Stubblefield Era begins with a bang
This @itsnxo block is something else..
— DePaul Basketball (@DePaulHoops) December 11, 2021
He had 8️⃣ rejections in the win.#BlueGrit pic.twitter.com/oLBDOUlit3
DePaul went on the road to knock off Louisville Friday night. David Jones scored 33 points and Nick Ongenda had 8 blocks. Don’t look now, but the Blue Demons are 8-1.
Ryan Hawkins breaks Brigham Young
oidwhfiulakndfiuhnwoinefiuabw
— Creighton Men’s Basketball (@BluejayMBB) December 11, 2021
WHAT?!?!?!@RyanHawkins8 #GoJays pic.twitter.com/buBc71Oa5Z
I think Creighton’s tweet sums this one up perfectly. This dunk broke Big East Twitter, and I’m shocked it didn’t break the backboard. The Bluejays knocked off #24 BYU decidedly on Saturday.
Georgetown making Syracuse glad they left the Big East
KAIDEN FOR THE LEAD! ☔️☔️☔️@thekaidenrice #HOYASAXA pic.twitter.com/s56jG20NX1
— Georgetown Hoops (@GeorgetownHoops) December 11, 2021
Georgetown rallied from down 10 at the half to beat Syracuse. We just absolutely love that.
Xavier is the best team in Ohio
| Kings of the Queen City.@the1paulscruggs #LetsGoX pic.twitter.com/AEwMF9NidO
— Xavier Basketball (@XavierMBB) December 12, 2021
Finally, Xavier knocked off Cincinnati in the Crosstown Shootout to finish non-conference play 3-0 against teams from the state of Ohio. The Musketeers look mighty dangerous right now.
In the Rankings
Big East Rankings
School | BE Record | Record | AP | NET | KenPom | T-Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
School | BE Record | Record | AP | NET | KenPom | T-Rank |
Villanova | 2-1 | 9-4 | 19 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
UConn | 1-1 | 10-3 | RV (39) | 16 | 23 | 33 |
Xavier | 1-1 | 11-2 | 22 | 22 | 26 | 17 |
Providence | 3-0 | 13-1 | 16 | 27 | 40 | 21 |
Seton Hall | 0-2 | 9-3 | 24 | 28 | 29 | 32 |
Creighton | 2-0 | 10-3 | RV (2) | 53 | 48 | 53 |
Marquette | 0-3 | 8-6 | 83 | 85 | 110 | |
DePaul | 0-2 | 9-3 | 88 | 99 | 121 | |
St. John's | 0-0 | 8-3 | 116 | 83 | 79 | |
Butler | 1-0 | 8-4 | 124 | 104 | 138 | |
Georgetown | 0-0 | 6-5 | 161 | 116 | 153 |
Stock Rising
DePaul Blue Demons
DePaul is now at 51 in the NET after beating Louisville, and the Blue Demons have been legitimately impressive this year. Let’s see how they do next Saturday at Northwestern.
Xavier Musketeers
Xavier has jumped into the top 15 in the NET, and Zach Freemantle is still only a role player coming back from injury. Watch out for the Musketeers.
Seton Hall Pirates
Seton Hall got another top ten win this week, and Bryce Aiken showed what fans in Newark expected when he transferred from Harvard. The computers don’t like them as much as Xavier, but this is a damn good team.
Stock Falling
The only team that really qualifies here this week would be UConn, but we’ll give them a pass for a tough loss at West Virginia while being banged up.
The Schedule
Big East Schedule
Time | Matchup | TV |
---|---|---|
Time | Matchup | TV |
Tuesday, January 4 | ||
Postponed | #22 Xavier at Georgetown | |
8:00 PM | #24 Seton Hall at Butler | CBS Sports Network |
9:00 PM | #16 Providence at Marquette | FOX Sports 1 |
Wednesday, January 5 | ||
6:30 PM | DePaul at St. John's | FOX Sports 1 |
8:30 PM | Creighton at #19 Villanova | FOX Sports 1 |
Friday, January 7 | ||
6:30 PM | Marquette at Georgetown | FOX Sports 1 |
8:30 PM | #22 Xavier at Butler | FOX Sports 1 |
Saturday, January 8 | ||
12:00 PM | UConn at #24 Seton Hall | FOX |
12:00 PM | St. John's at #16 Providence | FOX Sports 1 |
2:00 PM | #19 Villanova at DePaul | FOX Sports 1 |
Game of the Week
Villanova at Baylor, 3:00 PM, Sunday December 12
I had this as the game of the non-conference schedule. Baylor is the reigning national champion, and Villanova is the best team in the Big East. This could easily be a Final Four preview. Villanova has a great team, but Eric Dixon won’t be enough to handle the athleticism Baylor has in the paint. Give me the Bears in this one.
My prediction: Baylor 87, Villanova 81
Stat of the Week
The Big East went 18-3 this week, with all three losses coming to power conference opponents. Seton Hall and Creighton had wins over ranked opponents. The conference already has 13 Quad 1 wins. With conference play starting at the end of the week, things are looking good in the Big East.
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