Player of the Week
Ben Bentil, Providence
Bentil is one of the more surprising stories in the Big East. Although he had a mostly lackluster freshman season at Providence, averaging a little more than six points a game, Bentil has made a huge jump as a sophomore, averaging almost 20 points a game (leading the Big East in scoring) and is one of the main reasons Providence is 11th in the nation. Providence has struggled in the last five games (2-3), but don’t blame Bentil. He was the man in the big overtime thriller against Villanova, in which he scored 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Bentil followed that with 25 in a losing effort to Xavier and 26 on 8-12 shooting from the field and 9-10 from the charity stripe in a close win over Georgetown. Providence lost to lowly DePaul largely because Bentil (seven points) was kept out for most of the first half with an ankle injury. Bentil, who could still be seen struggling the next game in another matchup with Villanova, powered through and scored 20 points, 18 in the second half. Bentil has taken the pressure off of Kris Dunn and made Providence into a contender.
Who’s Hot
Angel Delgado, Seton Hall
Following the Big East’s leading scorer is Angel Delgado, the Big East’s leading rebounder at 10.1 RPG. With Villanova, Xavier and Providence all in the top 25 for much of the season, it is surprising that Seton Hall sits third in the conference, unranked. Seton Hall is 17-6 (7-4 in the Big East) thanks largely to Delgado. Delgado had a slow start to the New Year, averaging eight points and less than eight rebounds a game before settling down. He has caught fire in Seton’s Hall’s four-game win streak, averaging more than 13 rebounds and 16.5 points a game. Delgado fits the mold of a Kenneth Faried type, as his voracious rebounding skill should translate well at the next level.
Henry Ellenson, Marquette
Henry Ellenson might have surprised a few when he chose Marquette over top schools like Kentucky and Michigan State, but it has certainly been a tremendous choice as his strngths have been showcased and his defiencies masked. Ellenson is averaging an impressive 16.3 points per game, 9.8 rebounds a game and even 1.8 blocks per game. Ellenson’s all-around game has the chance to be even better if he ever becomes a consistent three-point threat. He has certainly piqued the interest of NBA scouts with his versatility at 6-foot-10, and has improved as the season has progressed. Although he struggled from the floor in the loss against Seton Hall (10 points on 3-9 shooting), he had excellent games against Xavier and Butler. Ellenson scored 22 points in the high-scoring 90-82 loss to Xavier but had one of the more impressive stat lines of the year in Marquette’s win over Butler. Ellenson finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds and a whopping six blocks. Ellenson’s only fault has been his efficiency, but he went 8-14 from the field and 14-16 from the free throw line.
Who’s Not
Kris Dunn, Providence
Dunn, with the help of Ben Bentil, has lifted Providence to new heights this season. The Friars are ranked and legitimate title contenders for the first time in years. Dunn has pushed himself from a low-end lottery pick to a top-five draft pick with his complete game on both sides of the ball. Unfortunately for Providence Dunn’s recent struggles are much of the blame for Providence losing three of the last four. Dunn has shot 34.33% from the field in the last four games and turned the ball over six times against Villanova. Dunn is still effective in losses, exemplified in the loss to Xavier (6-15 shooting) in which he grabbed eight rebounds, dished out seven assists and had seven steals. Dunn (second in the Big East in scoring) is a prime candidate for Player of the Year but will need to keep up his efficiency from the field if Providence wants to play deep into March.
Jalen Brunson, Villanova
The Villanova Wildcats might be the best team in the country even if their freshman starter has struggled of late. Brunson came to Villanova 16th on ESPN top 100 recruits. Brunson has shown he is wise beyond his years but not the can’t-miss prospect some thought him to be. Brunson has struggled to score efficiently, going 5-16 combined from the field in the two games against Providence and 2-7 from the field against St. Johns. Brunson has been doing a better job of finding his teammates but is still only averaging 2.8 assists per game. Listen, Brunson has done fine and has fit seamlessly into Villanova’s offense. Is it splitting hairs? Sure. But Brunson can still improve his game to where he can move up in the draft like fellow-Big East point guard Kris Dunn has done.
Jalen Reynolds, Xavier
The Xavier Musketeers are 21-2 and currently ranked sixth in the nation. But one guy who has not set the world on fire has been Jalen Reynolds. Reynolds came out of the gate hot and opened the season with a 16-point, 15-rebound effort against Miami Ohio. Reynolds shot an amazing 61.8% from the field as many thought it was time to take the next step for the 6’10" big man. While he hasn’t been terrible by any stretch, Reynolds has settled into much of the same player he was last year and shooting a career low 51.9% from the field. Reynolds shows flashes of brilliance, like when he scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against Providence, but it is too often followed with a tough shooting night. Reynolds has struggled mightily in the last three games, averaging 8.66 points per game at 42.9% from the field. The forward is struggling from the free throw line, going 8-18 (44% down from his season average of 59.8) and even went 1-8 from the line in the win against St. John’s. Xavier is a well-rounded team who doesn’t rely on anyone too heavily (well, maybe Trevon Bluiett) but would love Reynolds to become a more consistent player and hopefully someday be the player who dominates too infrequently.
Top Five Assist leaders in the Big East
1. Kris Dunn (Providence)- 6.7 APG (148 total)
2. Maurice Watson Jr. (Creighton) 6.5 APG (157 total))
3. Roosevelt Jones (Butler) 4.9 APG (112 total)
4. Isaiah Whitehead (Seton Hall) 4.7 APG (107 total)
5. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera 4.5 APG (108 total)