It is the last week of February, with March beginning on Friday. UConn currently has a two-game lead over Marquette in the Big East standings. The Huskies can clinch at least a portion of the regular season title if they beat Seton Hall on Sunday. If Creighton beats Marquette on Saturday, the title is all theirs.
In this edition of Big East Baller Update, we recap the last full week of February, where teams continue to fight for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Player of the Week: Kam Jones, G, Marquette (34 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, 2 SPG, 71.9 FG%, 70 3P%, 88.9 FT%)
In a 105-71 win over DePaul on Wednesday, Jones finished with a career-high 34 points, shooting 80% from the floor while drilling eight 3-pointers. The Memphis, Tenn. native matched his point total, hitting six 3-pointers and shooting 64.7% overall as the Golden Eagles beat Xavier 88-64 on Sunday. He became the first Big East player to score at least 34 points in back-to-back league games since former Marquette guard Markus Howard recorded 35 points against Xavier and 42 points at Georgetown.
Freshman of the Week: Stephon Castle, G, UConn (12 PPG, 4 RPG, 1 APG, 33.3 FG%, 100 FT%)
Death, taxes and Castle being named the Big East Freshman of the Week. The Covington, Ga. native had 14 points and six rebounds as the Huskies earned a bounce-back win from a brutal loss at Creighton. When the conference released its weekly awards on Monday, Castle collected his ninth honor as Big East Freshman of the Week, one short of the Big East record, belonging to Syracuse legend Carmelo Anthony.
Top Games
St. John’s bounces back by defeating Georgetown 90-85
St. John’s needed to bounce back following a gut-wrenching loss to Seton Hall on Feb. 18. Penn transfer guard Jordan Dingle led the team in a game where the Red Storm never trailed. The Valley Stream, N.Y. native had 22 points, shooting 8-13 from the floor. Three of head coach Rick Pitino’s players scored at least 15 points, with RJ Luis scoring 19 and Daniss Jenkins scoring 15. Jenkins scored 11 of his 15 points in the first half. Luis scored 15 in the second half. For Georgetown, former Illinois guard Jayden Epps led the way as one of the best scorers in the conference. The Norfolk, Va. native posted 31 points, while sophomore guard Rowan Brumbaugh finished the game with 15 points and seven assists.
Providence erases 9-point deficit in first half to beat Xavier, 79-75
Xavier dropped to 13-13 following the Musketeers’ loss to Providence on Wednesday night, ending any possibility they could sneak into the NCAA Tournament as a bubble team. Big East Player of the Year candidate Devin Carter had a near triple-double in Cincinnati, Ohio, finishing the game with 22 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and a whopping four blocks. Providence’s guards played well on both ends of the floor. Jayden Pierre had 17 points, shooting 50% from the floor, along with three steals. Xavier had three players finishing with at least 16 points. Desmond Claude, trying to make a case for himself as an All-Big East player, scored 22 points. Quincy Olivari had 19 points. Dayvion McKnight had the best all-around game, finishing with 16 points, six assists and four steals.
Georgetown ends losing streak at DePaul, 77-76
It was a battle between the two teams with the worst records in the Big East as the Hoyas visited Chicago, Ill. Epps was back as the top scorer for head coach Ed Cooley’s squad, scoring 33 points and five assists, including a team-high 15 points in the second half. He knocked down two free throws with eight seconds left in the game as the Hoyas took the lead against DePaul. Brumbaugh showed out again with 14 points, shooting 5-11 from the field. DePaul has lost 15 games in a row, but the scoring distribution was there for the Blue Demons. Elijah Fisher, Da’Sean Nelson and Jalen Terry all finished with 16 points.
Upcoming Games
Providence at No. 5 Marquette (Wednesday, 7 p.m., FS1)
It will be a battle between two of the best guards in the Big East as Carter and Marquette’s Tyler Kolek battle in Milwaukee, Wis. Providence had the Golden Eagles’ number at the Amica Mutual Pavilion on Dec. 19, upsetting Marquette 72-57. Marquette head coach Shaka Smart and his team are seeking revenge and come into the game with Jones leading the team in scoring in the past three games. If Providence were to complete the sweep and upset Marquette, it would tremendously help their resume for the NCAA Tournament. However, only Butler has come into Fiserv Forum and taken down the Golden Eagles this season.
Seton Hall at No. 12 Creighton (Wednesday, 9 p.m., FS1)
It will be back-to-back must-watch games in the Midwest region in the Big East. Following Providence and Marquette’s showdown, Seton Hall looks to improve its tournament resume as they visit Omaha, Neb. to take on Creighton. For Creighton, they had a bittersweet week. Last week, the Bluejays made history as they upset then-No. 1 UConn, the program’s first win against an AP No. 1 team. They could not spoil St. John’s Senior Day as the Red Storm took down Creighton by 14 points on Sunday. On Jan. 20, the two teams faced off at the Prudential Center in what was a Big East classic, with Creighton winning in triple overtime.
No. 5 Marquette at No. 12 Creighton (Saturday, 2:30 p.m., FOX)
One of the most anticipated games in Big East play is almost here as two of three ranked teams go head-to-head for the first time since a thriller on Dec. 30. This game features arguably the two best backcourts in the conference. Marquette wants to stay alive as they try to catch up with UConn in the standings, but it won’t be easy. Only Villanova has upset the Bluejays at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb.