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Player of the Week

(chosen from a team that played at least two games from Nov. 29 – Dec. 3)

Myke Henry – DePaul (F, Jr., 6-6, 226, Chicago, Ill.)

DePaul forward Myke Henry led the Blue Demons to two consecutive convincing victories this week over Stanford and Northern Illinois. The Big East Conference’s second leading scorer averaged 22.0 points on 56 percent shooting, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 3.0 blocks and 1.5 steals. He also shot 50 percent from the three-point line.

The Blue Demons’ upset win over Stanford was fueled by a strong defensive effort, forcing the Cardinal into 21 turnovers. Henry spearheaded the team’s pressure defense with three blocked shots and two steals to go along with his 29 points on 12-for-18 shooting from the field and six rebounds. Henry’s dunk toward the end of the first half helped spark a 25-12 run for DePaul, putting the Blue Demons up 41-30 at the break and never looking back. He scored 16 of his 29 points in the second half. The fourth-year junior followed up that performance with 15 points and five rebounds against Northern Illinois.

After playing his first two collegiate seasons at the University of Illinois, Henry transferred to Depaul in July 2013. Under NCAA transfer guidelines, he was forced to sit out the 2013-14 season. In his first five games in a Blue Demons uniform, Henry has scored in double-figures in each game, averaging 18.4 points on 55 percent shooting and 6.4 rebounds.

Who’s Hot?

Duane Wilson – Marquette (G, Fr., 6-2, 185, Milwaukee, Wi.)

The point guard helped the Golden Eagles put together their most complete performance of the season so far, a 67-59 victory over Tennessee in the third-place game of the Orlando Classic. Wilson, a redshirt freshman, scored a career-high 30 points on 9-for-17 shooting from the field and 5-for-9 shooting from the three-point line. He also went 7-for-8 on free throws. The Milwaukee, Wi., native helped Marquette pull away with four big second half three-pointers, including consecutive long range shots from NBA distance to spark an 11-2 run and put his team up 50-43 with nine minutes remaining. Tennessee pulled within six points in the final three minutes, but the freshman knocked down another three-pointer to seal the victory.

Matt Stainbrook – Xavier (C, Sr., 6-10, 270, Bay Village, Oh.)

Albeit in a three-point loss to Long Beach St., Xavier center Matt Stainbrook continued his torrid start to the season. Stainbrook dropped 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting, 12 rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block. He picked up his first double-double since going for 14 points and 11 rebounds against Villanova on Feb. 3, 2014. The senior was named to the Wooden Legacy All-Tournament Team after averaging 14.7 points and 9.0 rebounds in Xavier’s three games, including his 19-point outing against LBSU. Although Xavier lost to LBSU, he came up with a few clutch plays to keep his team in the game. He scored four points in an Xavier 7-0 run that gave the Musketeers a 61-60 lead with 4:31 left in the game. After a LBSU turnover, the center scored a layup to make it a one possession game, 73-70, with five seconds remaining.

Tommy Hamilton – DePaul (C, So., 6-11, 281, Chicago, Ill.)

The sophomore put together two solid games in DePaul’s wins over Stanford and Northern Illinois. Hamilton averaged 13.5 points on 55 percent shooting, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 blocks, 1.5 steals, and 85 percent shooting from the charity stripe through both victories. The 6-foot-11 center contributed 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds against Stanford. Hamilton helped seal DePaul’s unexpected victory over the Cardinal with clutch free throws that were apart of a 10-2 run late in the second half. He was one of five players to reach double-figures against Northern Illinois, scoring 13 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots.

D'Angelo Harrison – St. John’s (G, Sr., 6-4, 204, Missouri City, Tx.)

Senior guard D’Angelo Harrison helped St. John’s improve its record to 5-1 with a 13-point win over Niagara. Nine different St. John’s players scored for the Johnnies, but it was Harrison’s 16 points on 6-for-13 shooting and nine rebounds that made the most difference. The Red Storm led 27-14 with 4:37 remaining in the first half, before taking a 35-24 lead into the break thanks to a three-point shot by Harrison in the closing minutes. He hit 5 of 8 shots in the first half. The senior surpassed the 1,700-point milestone in the game and now has 1,706 total points in his career.

Who’s Not?

Rysheed Jordan – St. John’s (G, So., 6-4, 185, Philadelphia, Pa.)

Overall, the sophomore is having a good season with averages of 16.4 points on 44 percent shooting, 4.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists. However, he turned in his worst shooting performance of the young season against Niagara. He effected the game in other areas (two rebounds, four assists, one block, two steals, free throws to help cushion St. John’s lead), but he was held in check scoring wise for much of the night. Jordan attempted just three shots and only made one of them in 26 minutes of action. He didn’t look much like his normal aggressive self and was bench by head coach Steve Lavin at the start of the second half in favor of senior backup, Jamal Branch. Maybe it was just a bad outing as good players tend to have once in a while. Expect a better performance from him in St. John’s rivalry game against Syracuse on Saturday, because they’ll need it.

Ryan Arcidiacono – (G, Jr., 6-3, 195, Langhorne, Pa.)

Prior to the start of the season, Villanova guard Ryan Arcidiacono was named to the Big East All-Preseason Second Team. Unfortunately, the junior has not lived up to the billing so far this season. Arcidiacono has season averages of just 8.4 points on 29 percent shooting and 21 percent shooting from beyond the arc, 2.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals. His scoring average has dipped every year since his freshman season. Despite the Wildcats owning a 7-0 record, he has not made the impact that was expected of him heading into the season. That trend has continued this week with two Villanova wins against LaSalle and Delaware, while Arcidiacono struggled. Through both games, he averaged 5.5 points on 33 percent shooting from the field and 16 percent shooting from long range, 2.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 2.0 steals. The Wildcats have enough pieces to make up for his lack of production, but it would be nice to see him find his groove as the season progresses.

Providence Friars Shooting – (Lost to No. 1 Kentucky 58-38)

Maybe it’s unfair to the Friars to put them on this list, given that they played the country’s No. 1 team, Kentucky Wildcats, in Lexington, Ky. Providence had a productive first half and kept the game tight in the second, as they trailed Kentucky by just five points with 15:58 remaining in the game. However, the Wildcats used an 18-4 run to blow the game open and the Friars could not overcome their horrid shooting struggles en route to a 20-point loss. The Friars allowed the Wildcats to shoot 45 percent from the field compared to their 28 percent. They got 10 points each from forwards Carson Desrosiers and Tyler Harris, combining for 6-for-12 shooting. Together, both players made more field goals than the rest of the team combined (5-for-27, 28 percent from the field and 25 percent from deep). Last week’s Big East Player of the Week, LaDontae Henton, scored three points on 1-for-8 shooting from the field and 1-for-4 shooting from the three-point line for the Friars.

Top Five Big East Rivalry Games to Watch This Weekend

1. St. John’s (5-1, 0-0 away) at Syracuse (5-2, 4-0 home): After holding off a young and inexperienced Niagara team for a 70-57 victory at Carnesecca Arena Tuesday night, the Red Storm will head to Syracuse for a big rivalry game against the Orange Saturday evening. Senior guard D’Angelo Harrison scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds in St. John’s win over Niagara. The Johnnies look to snap a nine-game losing streak against its one-time Big East rivals. Syracuse is an unranked team with a 5-2 record, including a defeat at the hands of No. 19 Michigan in their previous game, but is 4-0 at home. The Red Storm have an opportunity to add a solid win to their NCAA Tournament resume. Ironically, St. John’s has played its best basketball against its toughest opponents so far, Gonzaga and Minnesota.

2. #2 Wisconsin (7-1, 4-1 home) at Marquette (4-3, 2-1 home): The Golden Eagles open a season-long five-game home stand when they face rival Wisconsin Saturday morning. Reigning Big East Rookie of the Week Duane Wilson is coming off a career-high 30 points in a Nov. 30 victory against Tennessee. Senior guard Matt Carlino scored an Orlando Classic Tournament record 38 points three days prior in a win over Georgia Tech. Marquette will try to hand Wisconsin its second straight loss. The Badgers suffered their first loss of the season to No. 4 Duke on Wednesday night. The Golden Eagles will have their hands full with Wisconsin big man Frank Kaminsky, who totaled 17 points and nine rebounds against the Blue Devils.

3. St. Joseph’s (4-3, 1-1 away) at #10 Villanova (7-0, 3-0 home): The “Holy War” is set to take place for 72nd time, as Villanova prepares to face rival St. Joseph’s Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats lead the all-time series 46-25, including a 35-25 record as members of the Big Five. Villanova enters the game coming off an 84-70 Big Five victory over LaSalle. Guards Darrun Hilliard and Dylan Ennis combined for 30 points in the win, scoring 15 points each. The Wildcats have a 3-0 home record and will look to keep a perfect record overall. The Hawks are coming off a 58-56 Big Five victory of their own against Temple. Junior forward Isaiah Miles had 20 points and nine rebounds.

4. Creighton (6-2, 0-1 away) at Nebraska (5-1, 4-0 home): Creighton will make its first ever trip to Pinnacle Bank Arena to take on rival Nebraska Sunday night. The Blue Jays have won 12 of the past 15 regular season match ups, but the Cornhuskers own a 25-22 all-time lead in the series. Creighton will try to make amends for losing its first true road game of the season after a disappointing 77-64 loss at Tulsa Wednesday night. Junior guard James Woodard scored a career-high 23 points. Senior guard Austin Chatman tied his career-high with 19 points and a team-leading seven rebounds and six assists. The Cornhuskers have won three straight, with their last win coming in the form of a 70-65 road victory against Florida State. Junior guard-forward Shavon Shields scored 21 points and junior forward Terran Petteway scored a game-high 25 points.

5. Providence (6-1, 0-1 away) at Boston College (3-3, 2-0 home): The Friars will tip-off the Big East’s weekend rivalry games when they travel to Silvio O. Conte Forum to face rival Boston College Friday night. The Friars have been idle since Sunday, when they were defeated by No. 1 Kentucky 58-38. They shot just 28 percent from the field and 25 percent from the three-point line. Forwards Carson Desrosiers and Tyler Harris were the only two players in double-figures scoring with 10 points each on 50 percent shooting. Graduate transfers Aaron Brown and Dimitri Batten led the Eagles to a win in their previous game, a 79-61 victory over Marist. Brown scored 19 points and Batten had 17.