Player of the Week:
Justin Lewis, Marquette
Coming into Marquette as a freshman last season, Lewis made an immediate impact off the bench. Now he is arguably one of the most improved players in the Big East leading Marquette in scoring and rebounds. The red-shirt freshman earns player of the week for his performance in the win over Seton Hall. He scored 33 points, a new career high. He also brought in nine rebounds and dished out six assists. His new role for the team is a huge reason for their success recently.
Who’s Hot
Providence Friars
Another strong week from the Friars improves them to 18-2 overall this season. Their biggest win coming over Marquette, ending their seven-game winning streak. They were also able to overcome No. 21 Xavier on the road. That’s two huge road wins now taking their win streak up to five games. Justin Minaya gave significant contributions that led to the two wins. He played all 40 minutes in both games and was assigned to guard the best players on the opposing teams. In the win over Marquette, he had 14 points, six rebounds and two blocks.
Butler Bulldogs
The Bulldogs used their home court advantage to win both games this week. Against Creighton they won 72-55. Butler had four players in double figures with Chuck Harris leading the way with 18. They put down the clamps on defense forcing Creighton to shoot 2-for-22 from the three-point line. They also secured the win over Georgetown in a low scoring game with a final score of 56-53.
Who’s Not
Seton Hall Pirates
Falling back to 12-7, Seton Hall has put themselves into a tough position in the Big East. They need to start winning games to increase their chances to make March Madness. This week they lost both games by double digits, one of which being a blowout loss to Saint John’s at home with a final score of 84-63. Bryce Aiken has not played in the last three games and could be a big reason for their struggles since he is a key facilitator for their offense. This week they play against Georgetown and Creighton, and look to get back on track with a couple wins.
Georgetown Hoyas
Eight straight games. The Hoyas are on the biggest losing streak in the Big East with their last win coming all the way back on Dec. 15 against Howard. They sit at the bottom of the Big East with a 0-7 conference record. They just haven’t seemed to be playing good team basketball. Their offense has several players who can score, but the biggest reason for their struggles comes defensively. Georgetown is last in the Big East allowing 76.4 points per game.
Top Five Toughest Places to Play:
#5 Creighton (CHI Health Center)
The Blue Jays are so far from every team in the Big East making it a long travel to get to the arena. The fans in Omaha love filling the arena and always bring a lot of noise. An example from this season that shows Creighton’s home court advantage was the win over Villanova. They were able to beat the Wildcats by 20 with the raucous environment.
#4 Butler (Hinkle Fieldhouse)
This is arguably one of the most iconic arenas in the entire Big East. It is the 6th oldest college basketball arena that is still used today being able to hold just over 9,000 fans. It was recently renovated in 2014 which lowered it’s capacity from back in the day, but many people from Indiana say it the atmosphere is unbeatable.
#3 Xavier (Cintas Center)
Basketball is a big tradition in the city of Cincinnati. They never fail to fill the center for any given game. The Musketeers are 10-2 at home this season and a big reason for that comes from the noise that the fans create. Each of their two loses at home were extremely close, by three points to Providence and by four points to Villanova.
#2 UConn (Harry A. Gampel Pavilion/ XL Center)
The Husky fan base is like no other for both their men’s and women’s teams. Both the XL Center and Harry A. Gampel Pavilion allow for electric environments for UConn games. They use the XL Center when big crowds are expected against tough opponents. They are 9-1 at home this season with the single loss coming to Providence.
#1 Villanova (Finneran Pavilion)
Considering Villanova’s recent success, they must be thankful for their facility and all of the fans who attend their games. In the last five years, Villanova is 68-8 at home. That is a winning percentage of almost 90%. Winning that many games at home illustrates what a difficult place it is for opponents to play. The Wildcats seem to always shoot the lights out inside their own arena.