The first Big East Baller Update of the 2024-25 season was about how the Big East could exceed their disappointing three bids in the NCAA Tournament last season. Many of the coaches were confident in the league’s ability to have a better season this year. However, the first week of the season was so disappointing for the Big East that half of this article will talk about the poor performances.
Let’s start with Nov. 4, the first day of the college basketball season. Marquette and St. John’s got through their opening games with no trouble, defeating Stony Brook and Fordham, respectively. The rest of the league was disappointing. While every Big East team won on opening night, they did not look like they improved from last season. While DePaul is under a new head coach in Chris Holtmann, there is no reason that the Blue Demons should only win by two in overtime to Southern Indiana. Central Connecticut is one of the best teams in the Northeast Conference. However, even though Providence was missing Bryce Hopkins, they are talented enough to blow the Blue Devils out of the Ocean State. Seton Hall is expected to have a down year, but they should not win by just two possessions versus Saint Peter’s. And, for the rest of the league that played on opening night––Villanova, Xavier and Butler––you all should be winning by at least 20 points against your season-opening opponents.
UConn did their job on Wednesday night by routing Sacred Heart thanks to an impressive performance by Alex Karaban, named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll for his impacts on offense and defense. However, Villanova lost by ten to Columbia. Columbia had a 13-14 record last season. Head coach Kyle Neptune should know his seat is getting hotter every game and he cannot afford a poor loss to one of the worst teams in the Ivy League. Georgetown beat Lehigh, but it was close for most of the game. That should not happen against a team just inside the top 300 on KenPom. Ed Cooley is a talented coach, but his first two years at Georgetown are not going exactly according to plan.
Austin Peay State beat Butler on Friday night. Austin Peay cannot even break the top 200 on KenPom. Fans should be excited about what Iowa transfer Patrick McCaffrey can bring to Indianapolis, but losing to Austin Peay is egregious.
Almost every team on Saturday met their expectations, except for Seton Hall, who lost on a buzzer-beater to Fordham. The Rams went 13-20 last season and are not even among the top 150 teams in the country according to KenPom.
Overall, it is fair to sound the alarms on the Big East through even the first week. These games are going to hurt if teams are on the bubble in March. It could determine if they are dancing or not.
On the bright side, there seems to be an established top four teams in the Big East: UConn, Creighton, Marquette and St. John’s. All four teams made the AP Poll on Monday afternoon. Some of the Big East’s players shined during the first week.
Weekly Awards
Player of the Week: Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton (36.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 3 bpg, 90.6 FG%, 100 3P%, 92.3 FT% in two games)Â Â
There is not a debate about which Big East player deserves this honor. The preseason Big East Player of the Year was elite offensively in Creighton’s first two contests, shooting 29-32 from the floor and 12-13 from the free throw line. In the Bluejays’ 99-86 win over the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), the Florissant, Mo. native had a 49-point, 11-rebound double-double, breaking the Big East record for most points in any double-double.
Freshman of the Week: Thomas Sorber, F, Georgetown (22.5 ppg, 11 rpg, 2 bpg, 2 spg, 55.2 FG%, 75 FT%)
UConn’s Liam McNeeley would have won this week had Thomas Sorber not existed. Sorber, a freshman from Trenton, N.J., scored 20 points and 13 rebounds in his college debut, with three steals and two blocks in addition to the double-double. The former four-star recruit (per 247Sports) led the Hoyas to victory over Fairfield with 25 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
Best games coming up
Virginia vs. Villanova (Friday, 5 p.m., TNT)Â Â
Two of the best programs in the 2010s go head-to-head in Baltimore, Md. Both programs are in weird spots right now. Neptune is on the hot seat as Villanova’s head coach. Virginia’s legendary coach Tony Bennett just retired, leaving Ron Sanchez to run the team. Virginia’s offense in past years has been compared to Iowa’s offense in college football. The similarity between those two programs is that they love low-scoring games. However, Virginia has been shooting the ball well, so it is up to Villanova’s defense, which has not defended well, to revert the Cavaliers to the offense under Bennett.
No. 15 Marquette at Maryland (Friday, 8 p.m., FS1)Â Â
Down the Old Line State is a massive Big East-Big Ten showdown between Marquette and Maryland. Despite losing guard Tyler Kolek and big man Oso Ighodaro to the NBA, the Golden Eagles offense has thrived thanks to guard Kam Jones. It should be exciting to see freshman star Derik Queen go up against Ben Gold, who is trying to fill in the shoes left by Ighodaro.
Wake Forest at Xavier (Saturday, noon, FS1)Â Â
This is the most anticipated game this week, with both teams capable of cracking the AP Top 25. The Skip Prosser Classic includes numerous players who can find themselves having All-American seasons. For Wake Forest, look no further than guard Hunter Sallis, considered one of the best guards in the ACC. While the backcourt of Ryan Conwell and Dayvion McKnight is fearsome, the frontcourt might be even more frightening with Jerome Hunter and Zach Freemantle back after missing last season.