Player of the Week:
Alex O'Connell,Creighton
After getting career high 22 points against Xavier a week ago, O’Connell came out and broke that record against DePaul with a new career high 28 points. He was leading Creighton in scoring until only getting six points in their recent win over DePaul. The former Duke Blue Devil has made great strides this year. Even last year he was a bench player who didn’t get many minutes. Before the DePaul game he was averaging at least double figures in Creighton’s last seven games. His elite perimeter shooting will help to pave the way for the Blue Jay offense the rest of the season.
Who’s Hot:
Marquette Golden Eagles
That’s right. The Golden Eagles have made this list for the third straight week now on a six-game winning streak. Their last three wins have been against ranked opponents: Seton Hall, Xavier, and Villanova. Marquette could possibly be the highest ranked Big East team when the next AP poll comes out. The win over Villanova had to be the most impressive ending the Wildcats’ 29 game winning streak at home. Shaka Smart had a tough task coming into Marquette having to deal with what some considered a rebuilding season. This is the longest win streak since an eight-game win streak from the 2018-19 season.
Creighton Blue Jays
Two home games this week results in two wins for the Blue Jays. Both matchups resulted in huge double digit wins with strong defensive performances. In the win over Saint John’s, they held leading scorer Julian Champagnie to 17 points on 7-of-21 shooting, four points below his season average. They also held Posh Alexander to season low nine points and one steal. In the win over DePaul, the Blue Jays trailed by nine points at half time, but a 17-0 run got them back into the game. Yet again defense was key, only allowing 15 second half points.
Who’s Not:
Saint John’s Red Storm
There’s no doubt that Saint John’s has a great offense with many talented scorers, but on the flip side they are second to last in the Big East for points allowed. A big reason they allow so many points derives from their tempo. As soon as they grab a rebound or get a steal they are out in transition. This gives more time for the opposition to get scoring opportunities. Despite being the highest scoring offense in the Big East averaging 80.1 points a game, they only put up 64 and 60 points this week in their two respective games. Their next two games feature a stretch of two road games, which will be a test since they are without a road win this year.
Butler Bulldogs
Extending their losing streak to six games, the Bulldogs can’t figure anything out on offense. In those four losses they are averaging 54.7 points a game. Chuck Harris has been a strong option for them offensively with 15 points in a game they only scored 42 against Villanova. He also had 16 and 21 vs UConn and Providence respectively. Butler has a veteran team, so it’s hard to believe that they have lost hope for the remainder of the season. They’ll look to regroup and learn from their recent hardships.
Top Five Defenses:
#5 Creighton
Mentioned previously in this blog, the Blue Jays have had two back-to-back outstanding defensive games. A big reason for their success comes from the interior presence of Ryan Kalkbrenner. The seven-footer is averaging three blocks per game, ranked second in the Big East. In their game against DePaul, they only allowed one player into double figures, but the Blue Demons were without Big East leading scorer Javon Freeman-Liberty
#4 Providence
The Friars are 16-2, the best start in the Ed Cooley Era. What is the biggest reason for their success? Defense. They’ve held opponents under 60 points in half of their games this season. They are fourth in defensive field goal percentage in the Big East forcing conference opponents to shoot an average 40% per game. Their best defensive performance came in the win over Wisconsin, who is now a top ten team in the nation. They held the Badgers to 19% shooting from the three.
#3 UConn
Energy surrounds the Huskies on defense, especially when Dan Hurley has them fired up. The list goes on and on of the long, athletic players making up UConn’s roster. Both Adama Sanogo and Isaiah Whaley are great shot blockers averaging over two blocks a game. Tyrese Martin is another great example of an athletic player who plays a lot bigger than he actually is.
#2 Villanova
Shouldn’t be a shocker here considering the history of this program recently. Villanova basketball will play hard defense every single night. If there is a 50-50 ball, you bet there will be a Wildcat diving on the floor to get after it. They currently are on top in the Big East allowing only 60.2 points per game in conference play. Their rotations and defensive slides are a work of art to watch, it seems they always have solid communication on that end. While Villanova has many talented scorers, their defense sometimes doesn’t get the recognition it deserves.
#1 Marquette
Going back to their six-game win streak, just look at what their defense did in those games. They held Villanova to 54 points and Xavier to 64 points. Collin Gillespie only had 10 points on 4/13 shooting. Marquette has several defenders who have chance of making Big East defensive honors. Darryl Morsell is easily the best defender on the team. He’s strong guard who isn’t afraid to get up in your grill around the perimeter. He can continue to make a push for the Big East defensive player of the year after being on the Big Ten’s all-defensive team last year.