Player of the Week:
Jared Rhoden, Seton Hall
Rhoden stood out for the hall in both games this week with not only points but contributing with assists and rebounds as well. In their loss to Villanova, Rhoden tallied 13/6/2 and also tallied 2 blokcs and 2 steals. Agsint Butler Rhoden helped the Pirates pull out the win with a game high 17, knocking down 3-of-7 from deep. If he can get on track from distance in Conference play, it will help his appeal for the next level, as the senior has proven to be a quality free throw shooter over the past two season, and just needs to extend his range with better consistency (28% on the year).
Who’s Hot:
Noah Horchler, Providence
They call him the unsung presence. Horchler may easily be one of the most improved players in the Big East this season. This week he scored a team high 17 points in their big win over ranked Seton Hall alongside 13 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Seton Hall’s head coach Kevin Willard called Horchler the “difference maker.” He went on to score 11 points with 8 rebounds in Providence’s most recent win over DePaul. Through 14 games this year, the senior is averaging 10.5 points a game. Last year, he averaged just 6 points a game off the bench.
Providence
They now sit alone at first in the Big East with a 3-0 conference record and 13-1 overall record. What a start for Ed Cooley. Many had the Friars finishing towards the middle of the pack in the Big East, but clearly those predictions were wrong. Midway through the season, the Friars are playing gritty, hard team basketball. Their defense is now second best in the Big East allowing only 61 points a game. Their most recent win came on the road over DePaul. They held the Blue Demons to 53 points, the lowest so far for them this season. The Friars talent is spread evenly on the offense side of the ball. They have four guys averaging between 10 and 13 points per game. Last year Nate Watson led the team in scoring averaging 17 a game and this year he is averaging just short of 14. This a positive for Cooley as his two primary scorers were either David Duke or Watson last season. This year, the balanced attack makes them harder to guard.
Creighton
Right behind Providence in the Big East standings are the Blue Jays. After winning easily over Villanova, they went on a little pause due to COVID-19 concerns, but they resumed played on the road against Marquette. They dominated this game early being up as much as 17 points until the Golden Eagles fought back to force overtime. Alex O'Connell buried a game-tying three to send the game into a second overtime. In the end the Blue Jays prevailed. Ryan Kalkbrenner scored career high 20 points and brought in career high 12 rebounds. The Blue Jays now travel on the road to play at Villanova, which could be a rude awakening as Villanova will be hungry for redemption.
Who’s Not:
Seton Hall
Although the Pirates have dropped two straight games, just be on the lookout because they are about to bounce back. The main reason for these two losses comes from the fact that they were missing half of their roster. The biggest name players being Ike Obiagu and Tyrese Samuel did not play against Villanova or Providence due to COVID protocols. Despite missing two key players, they only lost to Providence by five points on the road and by six points to Villanova. Obiagu’s frame makes him a wall in the paint. Without him allows for opposing teams to be more confident when driving to the hoop. Luckily for Seton Hall, they will play both Villanova and Providence down the road to get some redemption. Bryce Aiken continues to provide valuable minutes off the bench for Willard, especially down the stretch being a clutch and reliable player.
DePaul Blue Demons
Hope was high that DePaul was going to be competitive in the Big East after their strong non-conference start. Then they got to Big East play and played their two worst games of the season. They lost on the road to Butler in a tough close game, but they only put up 59 points. They were without second leading scorer David Jones but there can’t be excuses in the Big East. DePaul then hosted providence in their Big East home opener. This was their worst offensive performance all year. Javon Freeman-Liberty was the only player who showed up ready to perform scoring 22 points for the Blue Demons. They struggled as collective group shooting 29.8% from the field on their own home court. Give credit to Providence’s solid defense.
Top Five Seniors:
#5 Ryan Hawkins, Creighton
Transferring in from division 2 Northwest Missouri State, Hawkins has continued to display his scoring abilities for Creighton this season. He leads the team in scoring averaging 14.5 points per game. In his last five games he is averaging 18.8 points per game scoring 25 points against No. 19 Iowa State and No. 24 BYU. He has a brought a leadership presence that a young roster needs. He hustles and plays hard every single night.
#4 RJ Cole, UConn
Arguably one of the best true point guards in the league, Cole has been an important piece for UConn this season. He is averaging 16.3 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.5 assists per game. The Huskies have dealt with several injuries this season and Cole has been able to step it up in games where they were missing other significant role players. He is coming off an impressive game scoring 20 points and recording 7 assists in their road win over Marquette.
#3 Jared Rhoden, Seton Hall
Rhoden started all 27 games for the Pirates last year and comes into this season having an even bigger role with Sandro Mamukelashvili going into the NBA. This year he is averaging 16.4 points a game and 7.5 rebounds. His best game of the year was easily against Ohio State. Seton Hall lost the game, but Rhoden kept them in it late by knocking down mid-range jumpers and hitting his free throws. He ended with career high 29 points. Rhoden isn’t the greatest three-point shooter, but the second he takes one step inside the arc he becomes one of the best shooters on the court.
#2 Javon Freeman-Liberty, DePaul
Previously a player of the week in this blog, Freeman-Liberty has to be the most improved player in the Big East. He leads all players in the conference averaging 20.3 points per game. Last year he had several 20-point games, but not at the rate he is it doing it this season. Now entering Big East play with better competition, he will have better defenders guarding him every night. This was the case in their loss to Butler when he scored 13 points on 25% shooting from the field.
#1 Collin Gillespie, Villanova
A big reason for Villanova’s success this season comes from Gillespie’s leadership. In their recent win over Seton Hall, he was able to score team high 21 points while dealing being in foul trouble almost the entire game. He’s a point guard who is not only a great three point shooter but plays hard on the defensive side of the ball. Gillespie is second in three pointers made with 42 and is third in assist/turnover ratio (2.2). Jay Wright has himself another star at the point guard position.