Player of the Week:
Eric Dixon (Villanova)
Villanova hasn’t had an ideal start to the season, but credit must be given to Eric Dixon. He has stepped up in an indescribable way doing everything he can to help his team win. Last year Dixon averaged 9.1 points per game. In four games to start this season, he’s averaging 19.8 points per game coming off a 24-point career tying high against Michigan State. He also hit three shots beyond the arc which set his career high for most made threes in a game. Continuing this production would be huge for the Wildcats especially when the roster becomes fully healthy. Villanova will cause so many matchup nightmares.
Who’s Hot:
Creighton Blue Jays
The Blue Jays look like a final four team. For the first time in program history, they began the season ranked inside the AP top 25 college basketball poll and they are playing like it. Their starting lineup has so much talent and transfer Baylor Scheierman was the greatest addition they could have added in the transfer portal. He’s known to be a three-point sniper, yet his veteran experience offers more than just his diversified scoring abilities. Four returning starters with the addition of Scheierman is a recipe for success. They’ll look to capitalize on three straight ranked wins against a tough Arizona squad tonight playing to take home the Maui Invitational title.
Saint John’s Red Storm
Mike Anderson’s squad is 6-0 to start for the first time since the 2018-2019 season with already some big time wins. Even though they lost elite scorer Julian Champagnie from last season, they returned several core players and brough in some impactful transfers. Saint John’s is coming off two huge back-to-back wins against Temple and Syracuse. Both games they trailed early but clawed back with their pesky full court press. Illinois Transfer Andre Curbelo earned the Empire Classic tournament MVP after averaging 18.0 points, 5.0 assists and 3.5 steals in two games. He currently leads the Big East in steals per game after teammate Posh Alexander led the conference last year.
Who’s Not:
DePaul Blue Demons
After a 3-0 start, the Blue Demons were looking to dominate their nonconference slate just as they did last year with just one loss before Big East play. A monstrous 16-point win over Minnesota had DePaul set for what looked like another strong start to the season until they reached the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship. They dropped two games to Santa Clara and Oklahoma State, but both losses were close games. Although they didn’t get in the win column this week, Oklahoma transfer Umoja Gibson is making an immediate impact averaging 17 points and 6.4 assists a game.
Providence Friars
Reigning Big East coach of the year Ed Cooley lost all five starters from his team last year that won Providence’s first ever Big East regular season title. The Friars played in so many close games in the 2021-22 season and they will surely be competitive again, but can they do it consistently? Against Miami they trailed the entire game and couldn’t mount a comeback. The next day, they started off strong against a solid Saint Louis team with a 13-point lead early in the second half. Providence was unable to hold on and lost by three points dropping their record to 3-2.
Top five freshman:
#1 Cam Whitmore (Villanova)
Mentioned in last week’s blog, Whitmore is almost ready to play. He’s the highest ranked recruit coming into the Big East by a landslide, and everyone is asking the same question. When will Whitmore make his debut? The word is just a few more weeks and Villanova is hopeful that he is back sometime mid-December. The Wildcats have had past former five-star recruits who had a lot of hype but failed to reach expectations. Whitmore’s fate is soon to be determined.
#2 Alex Karaban (UConn)
The New Hampshire Gatorade player of the year in 2020-21 joined the team last year on Jan. 7 as a redshirt. This early exposure to the system gave him an advantage in preparation for this season. He has started the last four games for the Huskies and is averaging 11 points a game, the most out of all Big East freshman. The 6-8 forward poses as a deep threat shooting 36% from deep but can also you dice you up with his inside game.
#3 Donovan Clingan (UConn)
Teammate to Karaban, Clingan is the highest rated recruit for UConn from the 2022 class and couldn’t be a better big man to come off the bench behind Adama Sanogo. Standing at 7’2, he has the size to be a top big man in the Big East once Sanogo’s time is finished in Connecticut. In the team’s recent game against Delaware State, Clingan score his new career high 16 points. On the season he is averaging 9.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
#4 Tae Davis (Seton Hall)
Coming out of Indianapolis, Davis had an elite college debut against Monmouth where he scored 11 points in just 16 minutes of play. This performance earned himself more playing time as he continues to step off the bench for the Pirates averaging 22 minutes a game. While he hasn’t scored as much recently, his size and length make him a great defensive player for this team.
#5 Sean Jones (Marquette)
This list has consisted of all forwards, but let’s give some love to a smaller freshman. Sean Jones is a quick, flashy guard who showed a lot of confidence in Marquette’s loss to Mississippi State. Going into the game, he went 4/4 from the field in just 13 minutes with some clutch baskets down the stretch to keep his team in the game. He will develop into a solid point guard for Shaka Smart.