Hall Pass

Player of the Week

Sterling Gibbs – Seton Hall (G, Jr., 6-2, 185, Scotch Plains, N.J.)

Gibbs is a HUGE reason for No. 21 Seton Hall’s resurgence this season. Sure, you can couple that with head coach Kevin Willard’s recruitment of big-time freshman Isaiah Whitehead, but Gibbs’ play has been outstanding in its own right. It has been even more impressive in the last six games, which Whitehead has missed due to injury. The senior was a solid piece to the Pirates last season (13.2 points per game), but has developed into one of the best players in the Big East this season. His numbers are up across the board, with averages of 17.2 points per game on 47 percent shooting from the floor and 49 percent from long distance. He’s also dishing out 3.6 assists, grabbing 1.6 rebounds and coming up with 1.2 steals per contest.

This week, Gibbs turned in two noteworthy performances for the Pirates, earning him a spot as my Big East Player of the Week for the second time this season. In Seton Hall’s 68-67 road victory over Creighton, he scored 22 points on 50 percent shooting from the field (8-for-16), three-point line (4-for-8) and charity stripe (2-for-4). He also recorded four rebounds, one assist and one steal. It’s not all about his shooting stats though, it was his game-winning three-point shot with 2.1 seconds left which helped propel the Pirates to the win that caught my attention.

After he was denied the ball by great defense from Creighton guard Avery Dingman at the top of the key, Gibbs created some separation and managed to receive a pass from teammate Brandon Mobley. With just one dribble to the right, the senior would go on to shoot a pull-up three-pointer over Dingman, who recovered to contest nicely, and drilled the shot to put the Pirates up 68-67. It was the perfect way to end the game for Gibbs, who had made three of his four three-pointers in the first half.

In Seton Hall’s 79-75 overtime loss at home to Butler, he poured in 30 points on 9-for-16 shooting, including 6-for-9 from long range and 6-for-10 from the free throw line before fouling out with 2:08 left in the extra period.

Who’s Hot?

Ryan Arcidiacono – No.5 Villanova (G., Jr., 6-3, 195, Langhorne, Pa.)

Arcidiacono helped No. 5 Villanova to another dominant performance. This time, it was an 81-64 home win over a DePaul Blue Demon team that was on a three-game win streak and undefeated in Big East play. The junior guard finished with 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting, including 4-for-5 from long distance to go along with four rebounds in 27 minutes. He capped off a 45-point first-half effort by the Wildcats with a well-executed first-half buzzer beater. In the team’s 88-75 win over Xavier, he recorded team-highs in points (18) and assists (six). He was on point with his shooting stroke once again, going 5-for-10 from the field, with the majority of his points coming off a 4-for-8 performance from the three-point line.

Matt Stainbrook – Xavier (C, Sr., 6-10, 270, Bay Village, Oh.)

Despite Xavier’s two-game losing streak, Stainbrook has bounced back from a few subpar individual performances. He matched his career-high with 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting and grabbed a team-high four rebounds in the team’s 88-76 loss to Butler. After scoring just four points in the first-half, he scored 17 in the second-half. The 6-foot-10 big man dropped eight points in the first three minutes of the second to give the Musketeers a 42-41 lead. Later, he would score five straight points to keep Xavier within two possessions as the game entered its final 11 minutes. Stainbrook had a team-high 17 points and five rebounds against No. 5 Villanova.

Who’s Not?

LJ Peak – Georgetown (F., Fr., 6-5, 215, Gaffney, Sc.)

Georgetown’s prized freshman is currently in a shooting slump. In the Hoyas’ 60-57 overtime loss at Providence, Peak scored six points on just 3-for-10 shooting, including 0-for-2 from deep, in 38 minutes of game action. He followed up with that performance with a 3-for-8 effort for eight points against DePaul. Again, he failed to make either of his two three-point attempts in that game. Georgetown is loaded with players who can put the ball in the hoop, so they aren’t in dire need of his scoring. However, one of the reasons they recruited him was for the way he uses his freakish athletic ability to score from various areas of the floor in the half-court. He’s shown flashes, which includes his season-high 23-point season-opening game on 9-for-9 shooting against St. Francis (NY), but hasn’t been able to consistently put up those types of numbers this season.

Creighton Bluejays (Has lost six straight games and are now 0-5 in the Big East)

Once upon a time, the Bluejays were 9-3 and considered to be in the upper echelon of the Big East conference. Since then, they have lost six consecutive games, falling to 9-9. Creighton’s sixth straight loss in its 9-9 season came in the same disheartening fashion as its fifth did. Marquette’s Matt Carlino hit a three-pointer with 11.7 seconds left to lift the Golden Eagles to a 53-52 victory over the Bluejays. Four days prior, Sterling Gibbs gift wrapped Seton Hall a 68-67 win over Creighton by way of a three-pointer with 2.1 seconds remaining. In both games, the Bluejays had a chance to win. James Milliken’s three-point attempt fell short at the buzzer against Seton Hall, and Will Artino had good look at the rim but missed in the final seconds against Marquette. Teammate Ricky Krewlow had an opportunity for a tip-in but just missed it as time expired. Creighton is now 0-5 in the Big East and sits at the bottom of the conference standings.

Top 5 Three-Point Shooters

1. Sterling Gibbs – Seton Hall (G, Jr., 6-2, 185, Scotch Plains, N.J.)

Best three-point shooting performance – Nov. 24 vs. Illinois State: 7-for-9 (.778)

Gibbs has proven himself to be the top three-point shooter in the Big East this season. So far, he has already made 45 three-pointers in 17 games. Last season, he made just 31 shots from long range in total. He has raised his shooting percentage drastically from deep, as he’s making 49 percent of his shots from the three-point line compared to 34 percent last season. Gibbs is first in the Big East in three-point shooting percentage, three-pointers made per game (2.6), three-point field goals made total (45) and is fourth in attempts (91). Gibbs’ seven threes against Illinois State are the second-most by any player in the Big East in a single game this season.

2. Kellen Dunham – Butler (G, Jr., 6-6, 185, Pendleton, Ind.)

Best three-point shooting performance – Jan. 3 at St. John’s:  6-for-7 (.857)

Dunham was considered one of the best shooters in the Class of 2012. He has increased his three-point shooting percentage each year, with his biggest jump coming in between this year and last. The junior guard is shooting 45 percent from deep this season, compared to 39 percent last year and 37 percent in the previous year. In 18 games, he has made 43 three-point field goals, tied for second in the Big East. He’s second in three-point field goal percentage, tied for second in makes per game (2.4) and third in attempts (94). He’s tied with LaDontae Hention for the third-most threes (six) in a single game this season by a Big East player.

3. Isaiah Zierden – Creighton (G, So., 6-2, 180, Minneapolis, Mn.)

Best three-point shooting performance – Nov. 14 vs. Ole Miss: 5-for-8 (.625)

Talk about a green light. Zierden has the greatest number of three-point attempts of any player in the Big East this season with 108 through 18 games. It has paid off for the most part, as he ranks seventh in the conference in three-point shooting percentage (39 percent). He’s tied for second with Dunham in three-pointers made overall (43) and per game (2.4).

4. Matt Carlino – Marquette (G. Sr., 6-2, 175, Scottsdale, Az.)

Best three-point shooting performance – Nov. 27 vs. Georgia Tech: 8-for-14 (.571)

Carlino has raised his three-point shooting percentage from around 33 percent during the last three seasons to 39 percent, good for eighth in the conference. He’s tied for fourth in three-pointers made per contest (2.1), is fifth in three-pointers made total (34) and seventh in attempts (86). Carlino’s eight three-pointers against Georgia Tech is the most by any player in the conference this season in a single game.

5. LaDontae Henton – Providence (F, Sr., 6-6, 215, Lansing, Mich.

Best three-point shooting performance – Jan. 3 at Marquette: 6-for-12 (.500)

The senior forward is having a terrific all-around season. Shooting and making threes is just one reason why he’s having such a good season. Henton shoots the rock from deep at 35 percent clip, which only ranks 15th in the conference. However, he has taken the second-most threes in the Big East so far this season with 101 through 18 games, making 36 of them. His 36 made threes ranks fourth in the league. Also, he ranks sixth in three-pointers made per game (2.0).