Player of the Week
Trey Alexander (Creighton)
Trey Alexander started the New Year with a bang against Georgetown on Tuesday, scoring 25 points on 64.7 percent shooting from the field, including shooting 60 percent from beyond the arc. The junior guard also brought in five assists and four rebounds in the Bluejays victory. Prior to the 25-point outing, Alexander played the entire game against Marquette on Dec. 30, scoring 18 points, six rebounds and six assists. The Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, native is averaging 16.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists on the year thus far, and has reached at least 15 points scoring in each of his last four games.
Who’s Hot
Villanova Wildcats
Villanova has been one of the most inconsistent teams in the nation this year, but a four-game win streak it is riding makes it hard to keep it out of the “hot” category this week. After dropping three-straight games, the Wildcats turned things around, taking down the likes of UCLA, No. 12 Creighton, a 36-points disarray of Depaul and a win over Xavier on Wednesday night. While this is not the typical Villanova team from years past, they have shown they can compete with anyone when all things are clicking — the challenge is how often the squad can do that on a game-to-game basis. As conference play began, so far, so good for the Wildcats, jumping out to a 3-0 start and improving their overall record to 10-4.
Josh Oduro (Providence)
Josh Oduro has been heating up for the 11-3 Providence Friars over the last couple of games. The senior tallied 19 points, 14 rebounds and six assists to close out 2023 against Butler on Dec. 23. Although the year changed, Oduro’s prominent play continued to begin 2024, scoring 23 points against Seton Hall on Wednesday. The Gainesville, Virginia, native has been playing above his season average of 14.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and two assists in his recent outings. While the 6-foot-9 forward is still looking to improve on his outside shooting, he has proven that he can still impact the game and put the ball in the hoop at a high percentage from within the arc.
Who’s Not
Georgetown Hoyas
After defeating a sluggish Notre Dame team on the road, Georgetown has lost three-straight games, all against Big East opponents. With an 0-3 start to conference play, the Hoyas will have their work cut out for them as the rest of the season rolls on. Sitting at 7-7 overall, Georgetown will look to get its record above .500 and jump Depaul in the Big East standings when they face off on Saturday. The Hoyas rank 261st in the nation in points per game, 227th in rebounds per game and 249th in assists per game this season. Getting inside the top 200 in all of those categories will be one of the first steps that need to be taken to be improved on if Georgetown wants to turn things around the rest of the way.
Butler Bulldogs
After an impressive seven-game win streak, Butler has dropped back-to-back games — both by double digits. The Bulldogs fell to a tough Providence team 85-75 and then lost by 16 to St John’s to drop below .500 in Big East play at 1-2. While it’s still early, Butler needs to go back scoring the ball at an efficient rate while holding its opponents on the defensive side of the court. With matchups against No. 4 UConn and No. 7 Marquette on the horizon, the Bulldogs need to get back to their winning ways sooner than later if they want to compete for the Big East title.
Top 5 Big East Rebounders
Joel Soriano (St John’s)
Joel Soriano has been a rebounding machine for the Red Storm this year, averaging a Big East-best 10.4 rebounds per game. In his last five games, the 6-foot-11 senior has grabbed double-digit rebounds four times.
Byrce Hopkins (Providence)
Bryce Hopkins comes in at No. 2, as he is averaging 8.6 rebounds on the season thus far. The Friars’ forward brought in 13 rebounds against Butler and eight against Seton Hall most recently. However, Hopkins was diagnosed with a torn ACL against Seton Hall and thus will be out the remainder of the season, a big loss for Providence.
Supreme Cook (Georgetown)
Just as the name would suggest, Supreme Cook has been cooking on the glass this season. The 6-foot-9 senior is averaging 8.4 rebounds on the year for a struggling rebounding team in the Hoyas.
Devin Carter (Providence)
As a 6-foot-3 guard, Devin Carter is averaging an impressive 8.1 rebounds for the Friars this year. Carter will need to continue his rebounding abilities with the loss of Hopkins as the season continues..
Chris Ledlum (St Johns)
Another guard, Chris Ledlum is averaging eight rebounds for St Johns this season. Ledlum grabbed 11 boards in the victory over Butler on Tuesday and eight against UConn on Dec. 23.