Player of the Week
Donovan Clingan (UConn)
The 7-foot-2 sophomore has been leading the way as the big man for the defending champion Connecticut Huskies this season. Clingan is averaging 15 points 6 rebounds this year but has turned up the scoring at the end of November. The Bristol, Connecticut, native may not log the most minutes, but he makes the most of his time on the floor. Clingan scored 17 points and four rebounds on 7-for-11 shooting in 18 minutes against Manhattan on Friday. Less than a week later, Clingan continued his efficiency on the court — pouring in 29 points and seven rebounds on a stellar 12-for-13 shooting night in the 84-64 victory over New Hampshire. Clingan will be put to the test this Friday when he goes up against 7-foot-2 Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson in the Big East-Big 12 Battle.
Who’s Hot
Connecticut Huskies
The defending National Champions picked up right where they left off a season ago, starting the new campaign with a 7-0 record thus far. On Monday, the Huskies set an NCAA record for most consecutive nonconference victories by double-digit points, with their 24th in a row after defeating New Hampshire. Although the thick of the team’s schedule is just starting to heat up, Uconn has picked up some important wins — including taking home the Saatva Empire Classic. The Huskies took down Big Ten foe Indiana by 20 behind Tristen Newton’s 23 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assist — a game-high in all three categories. The following day, Uconn faced its first ranked opponent, taking down No. 15 Texas 81-71 at Madison Square Garden. The Huskies have won every game by double-digits so far this season, but the true measure of this team will face its toughest battle yet, as it travels to Allen Fieldhouse for a matchup against No. 5-ranked Kansas on Friday.
Pierre Brooks (Butler)
The Michigan State transfer Pierre Brooks has made an immediate impact for his new team this season. The now-Butler Bulldog is averaging 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists to start the year. Brooks came to Butler looking for a larger role than he had under Tom Izzo, and he’s found that early on, averaging 31.1 minutes per game in 2023 — a huge jump from the 14.3 minutes he averaged as a Spartan last year. Brooks ended the ESPN Events Invitational strong, scoring a career-high 26 points against Penn State in the final game of the tournament — including logging 38 minutes for the squad. The junior guard followed his performance up with 25 points and four rebounds in the win over Boise State on Sunday.
Who’s Not
Xavier Musketeers
After making the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament last year, Xavier is not off to the hot start it was looking for this season. Sitting at 4-3, the Musketeers haven’t had too difficult of a schedule thus far, with the exception being a loss to No. 2 Purdue in the Gavitt Tipoff Games. Xavier followed up the defeat to the Boilermakers with a loss to Washington a few days later. Near the bottom of the standings, Xavier sits at 10th in the Big East with more tough matchups on the schedule still to come. After coming off of an upset-loss to Oakland on Monday, the Musketeers will face No. 6 Houston in the Big East-Big 12 Battle on Friday night. While it’s still too early to tell where this Xavier team will end up this year, its remaining schedule will give a good idea of where the Musketeers stand come March.
Tyler Burton (Villanova)
Tyler Burton has had an up-and-down introduction to his Villanova career. The senior is still trying to find his footing with the Wildcats despite a strong debut against American that resulted in 15 points and seven rebounds. Since then, Burton has struggled to find his spot in the offense, failing to reach double-digits in three out of his last four games. Burton, who averaged 19 points per game at Richmond a season ago, has not taken double-digit shot attempts this season for the Wildcats yet either. Burton is averaging nearly 10 points less per game this year compared to last at 9.4, but proves to be a strong rebounder on the boards with 7.3 rebounds per game.
Top 5 best wins of New Season
1. No. 4 Marquette vs. No. 1 Kansas
Following a win against UCLA the night before, Marquette took down No. 1 Kansas in the Maui Invitational on Nov. 21. Highlighted by 21 points and nine rebounds from Oso Ighodaro, the Golden Eagles controlled the entire game, taking a 10-point lead into the half and finishing with a 73-59 win over the Hunter Dickinson-led Jayhawks.
2. Villanova vs. No. 14 North Carolina
On its way to eventually winning the Battle 4 Atlantis championship, Villanova took down North Carolina in a overtime battle and a rematch of the 2016 NCAA Tournament Championship. The Wildcats, led by a career-high 34 points from Eric Dixon, took down the Tar Heels 83-81 to advance to the championship game.
3. No. 5 Uconn vs. No. 15 Texas
Uconn took down Texas in the Saatva Empire Classic behind 20 points from Alex Karaban. The Huskies took a 13-point lead into the half before the Longhorns stormed back in the second half, but it was not enough to outlast the firepower of the Big East-favorites, as Uconn won 81-71.
4. No. 4 Marquette vs. No. 23 Illinois
Marquette took down the Fighting Illini in its third game of the season in the Gavitt Tipoff Games. The Golden Eagles soared by Illinois 71-64, thanks to 24 points from guard Tyler Kolek.
5. Butler vs. Texas Tech
On its way to winning its third-straight game, Butler took down Texas Tech in overtime to represent a victory in the Big East-Big 12 Battle. The Bulldogs scored over 100 points in the win for a 103-95 victory. Jahmyl Telfort led the way with 26 points in Butler’s biggest win to date in the young season.