Player of the Week:
Dylan Addae-Wusu (Saint John’s)
Addae-Wusu just played the best game of his life, becoming the clutch performer for the Red Storm, a position that he normally is not in. In Saint John’s recent win over DePaul, he hit a game tying three pointer with 0.5 seconds to force overtime. In this game he also scored a career high 24 points leading his team to an overtime victory. The Bronx native scored 17 points in the final 14 minutes of the game, taking over down the stretch. Before this contest he averaged just 8.3 points a game.
Who’s Hot:
Providence Friars
Another 20-win season for Ed Cooley after Providence took down Villanova in their last game. They are now tied for 2nd place in the Big East and have moved to No. 20 in the AP Poll top 25 rankings. Ed Croswell led the team in scoring against the Wildcats with 21 points propelling him to earn his 1,000th career point. Before Villanova they played Creighton and won in double overtime. This might have been the most competitive Big East game this season with 20 lead changes and 17 ties. Providence took advantage of two home games this week and have a high chance of making March Madness.
Marquette Golden Eagles
Alongside Providence, Marquette was the only other Big East team to go 2-0 this week. They sit alone in first place in the conference and are ranked No. 10 in the country. The Golden Eagles depth and roster strength was evident in their recent victory over Xavier. Guard Stevie Mitchell has been more of a role player this year for Marquette, but in this game, he led the team in scoring with 17 points. He also earned a career high six steals proving to be an elite on ball defender. It’s clear that the Golden Eagles have some talented scorers, but their defense has been underrated all season.
Who’s Not:
DePaul Blue Demons
Eight straight losses. That’s the biggest losing streak in the Big East. Even Georgetown, a team who did not win a game in conference play last year, earned a win this week. There was promise earlier in the season when they beat No. 8 Xavier at home, but ever since then they haven’t been able to do the same. They gave Saint John’s a close game in overtime but did not score a single point in the second overtime resulting in a loss by nine points. Javan Johnson and Umoja Gibson carry this team every night, they just need another consistent scoring threat.
Baylor Scheierman (Creighton)
Scheierman has been attracting the eyes of many NBA scouts with his size and high basketball IQ in the guard position. There have been many games this season where he is lights out from three, but recently he’s been struggling. In the last three games he’s shooting just 18% from beyond the arc, 4/22 to be exact. Even though he hasn’t been shooting the best, he still makes an impact on other areas of the court with his elite rebounding skills and passing.
Top Five Most Improved Players:
#5 Kam Jones (Marquette)
After being named to the all-Big East freshman team in 2021-22, it was clear that Jones would step up with a bigger role. He is averaging double the number of points that he did last year at 14.9 points a game. Earlier this season he scored career high 26 points against Wisconsin displaying his improvement. In that game he made four three pointers. His biggest problem right now is consistency because he will have games where he will make just one three on 20% or worse from the three.
#4 Joel Soriano (Saint John’s)
Last year he averaged just 6.4 points a game. This year the big man is averaging 15.4 points and 12.0 rebounds a game. The fact that he is averaging a double-double just proves that he deserves to be on this list. He’s making an argument for being one of the best center’s in the Big East. His rebounds per game is good enough for third in the nation behind Oscar Tshiebwe and Zach Edey.
#3 Eric Dixon (Villanova)
Dixon started the season averaging around 20 points per game, but his production dropped off since the return of Cam Whitmore and Justin Moore. His dip in scoring is also partially attributable to a focus more on helping his team win games, rather than being a primary threat offensively. He’s had six 20-point games already this season while last year he had just one. A prime example of a Villanova basketball player who consistently develops over his career.
#2 Jordan Hawkins (UConn)
To go from being a role player to a top three scorer in the Big East is a sensational jump. Hawkins went from being a freshman guard who could come off the bench and knock down a three when needed to now being one of the leading scorers for his team. His development continues to show throughout the season with his current 16.4 points per game.
#1 Bryce Hopkins (Providence)
Although he wasn’t in the Big East last year, Hopkins is playing like not only the most improved Big East player but also the conference’s player of the year. He’s averaging 16.9 points a game, good for second in the Big East. I’ve mentioned this several times before, but the game that gained him national attention was back in December against Marquette. In a double overtime victory, he scored career high 29 points and brought in career high 23 rebounds.