Player of the Week
Dwon Odom (Xavier)
Xavier basketball continues to impress, now being ranked No. 18 in the nation. Their bench depth is one of the best in the conference especially now with Zach Freemantle healthy and back in the starting rotation. Odom is 7th on the team in scoring averaging 7 points per game. In their recent win over Marquette, he scored 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field. This marks his career high in points scored, which he was able to accomplish in only 21 minutes of playing time. Travis Steele has several other bench players who can provide a spark off the bench just like Odom did this week.
Who’s Hot?
Creighton Bluejays
The Blue Jays just shocked the world with their huge dominating win over Villanova. It was a close game until Creighton went on a 23-5 run to close out the game. They played an all-around great game, especially on the defensive side holding the Wildcats to 17.4% from long range. Ryan Kalkbrenner made a huge impact inside the paint. Since Villanova couldn’t make their shots from the outside, this forced them to be more aggressive when driving in the lane. Kalkbrenner was there to stop the interior shots using his height and athleticism to record 5 blocks on the night. This was a great start for Creighton’s Big East season opener.
Providence Friars
Ed Cooley’s squad earned their first top-25 ranking since February of 2016 after their win over UConn. At the No. 22 spot, the Friars have been able to grind out and win several close games. Having only one loss is a huge accomplish coming into Big East play. The win on the road over UConn goes to show how hard this team will play every night. They are holding opponents to 61.5 points per game, third in the Big East. This is a team that relies on their intensity and physicality to win games. They are second to last in the Big East scoring 69.8 points per game. They’ll host Georgetown on Wednesday Dec. 22 in their first Big East home game of the season.
Who’s Not?
Villanova Wildcats
The Wildcats now sit at 7-4 after a tough non-conference schedule. Against Creighton they did not look like a Jay Wright team. The offense was stagnant, and the shot selection was poor. Collin Gillespie led the team with 16 points with the second leading scorer being Eric Dixon who had career high 15 points and season high nine rebounds. The Wildcats only had 6 turnovers, but still couldn’t dictate the pace. Their previous game resulted in another 20-point loss to No. 2 Baylor. They scored only 36 points and shot 22% from the field, both program lows for the Wildcats. These past two games are a major wakeup call for the Wildcats and they need to turn things around quickly with their next opponent being ranked Xavier.
Butler Bulldogs
The Bulldogs sit at the bottom of the Big East alongside Georgetown, which is a little surprising considering that their roster is composed of several veteran players. Their most recent came in a blowout loss by 29 points to No. 3 Purdue. They scored a season low 48 points. Chuck Harris was sidelined this game due to a non-covid related illness, but nonetheless they were not able to put up a fight against the boilermakers. Looking at the Bulldog’s previous games, they were able to get an overtime win over Oklahoma, but other than that they have not able to keep games close against their tougher non-conference opponents.
Top Five Coaches:
#5 Greg McDermott
It is the mark of a great coach when they happen to lose their entire starting five from the previous season, yet they remain one of the best teams in the conference. Coming into this year, many experts had the Blue Jays finishing last in the Big East. It is still early, however a 20-point win over Villanova is convincing enough to display what this team is capable of. McDermott has had a winning season all 11 years at Creighton except for the 2014-15 season.
#4 Ed Cooley
Even after losing star player David Duke early to the NBA, Cooley has his team at 11-1, tied for first in the Big East. He led the Friars to a school record five straight NCAA tournament appearances from 2014-18. He has coached five All-Americans one of which was Kris Dunn who won the Big East player of the year in back-to-back seasons.
#3 Kevin Willard
What a start for coach Willard. Seton Hall’s non-conference schedule may have been the hardest coming into the season with the exception of Villanova. They’ve won big games over No. 4 Michigan and No. 7 Texas. This is the first time in program history that the Pirates have defeated two non-conference top ten opponents in the regular season. Willard’s team has finished top-four in the Big East the past six seasons. His biggest season was in 2019 when the Pirates won the Big East regular season championship for the first time since 1993.
#2 Dan Hurley
Watching either of the Hurley brothers coach is always entertaining since they always bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm to their squads. His competitive nature transfers to his team which is why they have been a tough team to play against. Last year Hurley led his team to finish 3rd in their first season back in the Big East. This year he has his team playing well even with injuries getting in the way.
#1 Jay Wright
Ever since bringing two national championships to Villanova Jay Wright (pictured) has earned national respect across all of college basketball. In the past eight years, Villanova has an average of 29.1 wins per season. Wright was named the Associated Press men’s college basketball coach of the decade back in January of 2020. His resume clearly shows that he is one of the best coaches in the business.