Player of the Week:
Zuby Ejiofor, Saint John’s Red Storm
This could have been the entire starting lineup, honestly. The Red Storm continued their dominance at home during a Sunday matinee against UConn (a team that refers to MSG as “Storrs North”), with a wire-to-wire dominant win. UConn couldn’t weather the storm at all, and Ejiofor led the way for Saint John’s. He was dominant on all fronts, leading the game in scoring with 18 and putting up 9 rebounds and 6 assists to boot. He also had 2 steals and 3 blocks in the game. Simply put, he was everywhere. Saint John’s continues to look like one of, if not the, best teams in the country. They’re physically imposing, have a great fan base, and play that Rick Pitino style of ball that would have you thinking they’re playing for their lives out there. In my humble opinion, they should be one of the favorites to win it all, and Ejiofor is a huge reason as to why this team is such a well-oiled machine.
Who’s Hot?
Xavier Musketeers
4 in a row for the Musketeers who continue to stay hot down the stretch. Zach Freemantle and Ryan Conwell have emerged as an incredibly potent duo for this team as the season has progressed; one of them has led the team in scoring in all but four games this entire season. This team felt dead in the water just a month or so ago, when they lost a heartbreaker in OT versus Saint John’s and fell to 12-8. They came back to life quickly, on top of the 4 game winning streak they’ve won 6 of their last 8. Xavier has officially inserted themselves into bubble talk, which is a great sight! There’s a legitimate chance now that we could see 5 Big East teams in the tournament this year. An even bigger chance to keep the natty in conference, especially if UConn continues to look the way they have
Creighton Blue Jays
The Blue Jays followed up a disappointing two game skid that saw losses to both Saint John’s and UConn with two wins to reassert themselves as the number two team in conference play. The story of this team’s season has followed a similar track, where as soon as they approach the rankings they drop a game or two. Don’t let the lack of a little number next to their name on the ESPN app fool you though. This team is a legitimate threat to win the Big East title and at times they’ve looked like national contenders. The experience and poise that Kalkbrenner brings to this team shows on the tape. He’s one of the best safety valves in the country, he functions as a tight end with great hands for the Blue Jays in the way that if they need something to happen they can just throw it up to him and watch him work. As I’ve said in previous weeks, Ashworth and Kalk are a dangerous duo and they should be on the minds of any team with Big East title hopes.
Who’s Not?
Georgetown Hoyas
It’s been a pretty disappointing end of a very promising season for the young Hoyas. They’ve dropped their last two and 4 out of their last 6 after looking like they could be on bubble watch for a majority of the season. There’s still a lot to like about this roster, Thomas Sorber is one of the biggest freshman surprises in all of college basketball this season, and Micah Peavy has been a pretty great lead guard who will likely get a G-League contract after his college career is over (at the bare minimum). Despite the higher level of talent than years previous, they haven’t been able to fully put it all together. Maybe it’s Coach Cooley still adjusting in his second year at the helm, or maybe it’s just that they were overachieving for a lot of the year. Despite the lack of W’s recently, I still would have a hard time betting against them in the conference tournament. They have a lot of grit and good size… anything can happen in March.
UConn’s Title Defense?
Let’s recap the last couple of years before we get into it here. They start off 13-0 two years ago, then they lose 6 out of 11 games in the middle of their season, then thet turn it on in the postseason and blow almost every team out of the water behind Adama Sanogo. The next year, they’re arguably one of the best teams in college basketball history with a 37-3 season where they only had to play their star center for 10 minutes in the championship game. Then the following season, they fall to being unranked and one of the streakiest teams in the sport. There’s been reports of recent saying that UConn’s at-large bid is almost unquestionable. The Huskies, barring major disaster these last couple of games, will more than likely have the shot to defend their title. Do they deserve it? Well, they have the most AP top 25 wins in the Big East. So that’s a good thing, but theyt also have 9 losses (some of them being to terrible teams). Nobody thought that this team would be as good as last year, but they have disappointed fans so far this season. However, if we know anything about UConn basketball it’s that they like to be the underdogs (i.e. 2011, 2014, 2023). Their chances at a title are slim to say the least, but as I’ve said before… it’s March, baby.
Power Rankings
5. Xavier Musketeers
A hot streak at the right time. These guys are putting it together right now.
4. UConn Huskies
*insert Hot and Cold by Katy Perry lyrics here*
3. Marquette Golden Eagles
Shaka Smart has righted the ship for Marquette and got them back into the top 25. They continue to showcase defensive prowess, but he and his teams will always be questioned by media when playoff time rolls around.
2. Creighton Blue Jays
Exciting whites! They keep rolling. AP Rank doesn’t apply here.
1. Saint John’s Red Storm
One of the best teams in the country and one of the best teams Saint Johns has seen in a long time.