Player of the Week:
Kam Jones, Marquette Golden Eagles
Last week, I made some power rankings about the best players in the conference, who might win what, etc. I said, in that article, that Kam Jones is absolutely a bucket getter but his scoring numbers will start to come down after a hot first week against bad competition. I’m happy to report that I was right! Kam only put up 17 points this week against Purdue… but I didn’t foresee him also adding 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Jones was absolutely everywhere on the floor against Purdue and while watching the game I felt almost targeted by him. I know Kam doesn’t read my blog, but it looked like he read me call him an elite scorer and wanted to show me he was much more than that. A triple double on excellent splits against one of the best teams in the country and defending national runner-up? That’s what Marquette wanted to see out of their senior leader, and he’s easily my player of the week.
Who’s Hot?
Saint John’s Red Storm
Saint John’s lost on a sick (or sickening, depending on who you like) buzzer beater last night in the championship game at the Baha Mar Hoops summit in the Bahamas, but let’s not discredit what they’ve done thus far this season. Hanging around and basically beating an elite team like Baylor in a high stakes game is not to be shrugged at. This Pitino squad is deep, and feels like one of those old school Louisville squads that their coach used to dominate the ACC with. They have 7 players averaging 9 or more points a night, and a lot of talent across the board. The loss to Baylor hurts, bad. Let’s also not forget they just defeated a really good New Mexico State team by double digits a couple days before their loss. They should have won last night and would have if not for a miracle shot at the buzzer, but these kinds of losses earlier in the season is what shapes you to be great. I have full confidence that this team will rattle off a bunch of wins as their next real challenge doesn’t come until playing Creighton on New Year’s Eve.
Xavier Musketeers
5-0 isn’t a bad way to start! The Musketeers haven’t played anyone of value yet, sure, but I want to shine some light on their great start to the year. They’ve won every game by at least 14 points this season and have three players averaging over 12 points a night. Most notable is Ryan Conwell, who’s looked like an NBA level scorer over the start of the season. The Indiana State transfer is averaging 18 a game on 50-50-90 splits. Yes, you read that right. Conwell is shooting 7 threes a game and making over half of them through 5 games. I don’t care if he was playing high schoolers, that kind of elite marksmanship goes a long way in big time games. I also wouldn’t be surprised if we see this team pull off an upset or two this season. With UConn struggling with turnovers, and Creighton having obvious flaws in terms of offensive productivity, a game at Xavier against one of the best scorers in the country is grounds for a trap game. Keep your eye on the Musketeers and especially on Conwell, he might make some waves this season and put Xavier back on the map.
Who’s Not?
Dan Hurley’s Sanity
I’m sure you all saw the video from this past week of Hurley saying his team played absolutely awful in a 35-point win over Texas A&M East. Now, what I found interesting was the comment section was almost unanimously agreeing that Hurley was doing too much or trying to look good in front of the press. But in my eyes, discrediting the two-time national champion seems like a bad idea, because Hurley was absolutely in the right. UConn lost the turnover battle against A&M, who are basically a D2 school. You can’t lose turnover battles against teams of that caliber and then expect to beat the Marquettes and Dukes of the world, it just won’t work. 19 turnovers in a 35-point win tells you enough about the talent this team has, but there are notable flaws now showing. I believe it’s the first time in the last two years that a UConn team has shown these kinds of tendencies, and Coach Hurley will need to patch them up quickly before they take on Baylor on the 4th of December.
Jayden Epps, Georgetown Hoyas
Epps transferred to Georgetown before the start of last season after spending his freshman year at Illinois, and he’s been a key player on every roster he’s been on since his freshman year. He was a 4-star coming out of high school, and was the number one player coming out of Virginia. The 6’2 guard is flashy, and a bucket getter, but he’s also one of the least efficient players in college basketball, and that efficiency could kill the Hoyas as the season goes on. It’s not easy to find hyper-efficient guards at his size, however it’s equally as difficult to find one as inefficient as Epps has been this season. 16 players qualify in stat rankings for the Big East thus far on ESPN’s website, and Epps is dead last in FG% there. 40% from the field on 13 shots a game is not going to help you win ballgames, and the Hoyas need to find a way to include Epps in the offense in a way that compliments his game and gets him easier looks, or else he might shoot them out of contention for a shot at the tournament.
Power Rankings
5. Xavier Musketeers
See above.
4. Saint John’s Red Storm
If they would’ve won, they’d be top 3. But that’s how college hoops work!
3. Creighton Blue Jays
Kalkbrenner is humungous. That is all.
2. Marquette Golden Eagles
(HOT TAKE INCOMING) Stevie Mitchell is the best wing defender in the country.
1. UConn Huskies
Despite the flaws, they remain.