Player of the Week
Collin Gillespie (Villanova)
In the battle of Philadelphia, Gillespie was the star of the city leading Villanova in scoring all three games over La Salle, UPenn and Saint Joe’s. In his last four games he is shooting 52% from the three making five in their last game against Saint Joe’s. He scored his season high 26 points over UPenn. These past two performances make him the new team leader in points per game this year.
Who’s Hot?
Seton Hall
No. 23 sounds great for Kevin Willard and the Pirates who have several big wins already this year. After losing a close game to Ohio State, they bounced back and have won their last four games. Myles Cale missed a few games and is now back in the starting rotation. He is a huge piece for the team that will be needed for their remaining non-conference slate. Now at 7-1, Seton Hall has big tests against No. 7 Texas, Rutgers and Iona.
Providence
Just like Seton Hall, Providence lost a tough game in an opening tournament. They responded by winning three straight games at home. The biggest of which had to be the win over Texas Tech in the Big East and Big 12 Battle. Aljami Durham was named the Big East player of the week because of his performances against Texas Tech and Rhode Island. Standing at 8-1, the Friars are tied for first in the Big East for overall record. They have shown multiple players who can go out and lead the team in scoring on any given night.
Who’s Not?
Javon Freeman-Liberty (DePaul)
Being the player of the week a few weeks back, Freeman-Liberty has taken a step back in DePaul’s first loss of the season to Loyola Chicago. He shot 2 for 9 from the field scoring season low seven points. He still leads the Big East in points per game, but this could be a factor that that he just played against the best defense he has seen all year. He did have a stretch last year where he had three games in a row with single digits, but with the intensity he has been playing with he will bounce back in their next game.
Marquette
The Golden Eagles have dropped two of their last four games after starting 4-0. The losses came against Saint Bonaventure and Wisconsin, who are both stronger teams. They can’t rely on adding numbers to the win column later down the road against easy opponents. There’s a nice blend of freshman and veteran players who will get better together as the season goes. Shaka Smart has put them into a good position and despite some struggles recently, they will be prepared when Big East play begins.
Top Five Forwards
#5 Brandon Slater (Villanova)
Talk about improvement. He has made great offseason strides to become the player he is today. He defends, looks bigger from last season, oh and he also can score the basketball being third on Villanova averaging 14 points per game. Not only is he scoring a lot of points, but he is doing it at a highly efficient level shooting 60% from the field.
#4 David Jones (DePaul)
Jones is another smaller, but talented forward that plays bigger than his actual size. He is in the top-five leading scorers in the Big East averaging 17 points per game alongside teammate Freeman-Liberty. The most impressive stat is his hustle on the glass snagging 8.3 rebounds per game, 3rd in the Big East. All the noise for DePaul’s success has been focusing on Freeman-Liberty, but Jones has been essential for the Blue Demon’s start.
#3 Jared Rhoden (Seton Hall)
With this section considering all forwards, Rhoden deserved a spot having the play style of a guard but playing in a bigger position for the Pirates. His name seems to be mentioned every week on this blog and that is for a good reason. He is going to remain in contention for the Big East player of the year all season.
#2 Justin Lewis (Marquette)
Lewis was easily one of the most impressive freshman last year. Former teammates Dawson Garcia, D.J. Carton and Theo John left Marquette, which gave Lewis the opportunity to step it up for the Golden Eagles. He is averaging 15.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game with three double-doubles. He has struggled a bit in his last two games shooting 36% from the field, but Lewis will use his athleticism to get himself going in the next game.
#1 Julian Champagnie (Saint John’s)
No brainer, right? His elite skillset at this height has been entertaining to watch. Unlike some others on this list, Champagnie leads his team in both rebounding and scoring. He has scored 20+ points in five of Saint John’s first eight games. The biggest being 32 points on the road at Indiana. He is going to continually do this at a consistent level after accomplishing practically the same last year.