It has been a weird season for the Big East Conference. UConn was picked to win the Big East regular season title. Now, they are not even considered a lock for the NCAA Tournament.
Marquette is a lock, but they have lost four of their last six games, with the only wins coming against teams not even ranked in the top 130 on KenPom (DePaul and Seton Hall). Their most recent game was a blowout loss to Villanova on Friday night, where Eric Dixon, the nation’s leading scorer, led the way with 22 points.
It is panic time for a lot of teams in the Big East. The only trend is that St. John’s is on the cusp of its first regular season title in decades.
In this week’s Big East Baller Update, we will look at our weekly awards and two pivotal games in the conference.
Weekly Awards
Player of the Week: Micah Peavy, G, Georgetown (25 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 5.5 apg, 5 spg, 44.2 FG%, 61.5 3P%, 50 FT% in two games)
Despite a 1-1 week for Georgetown, Peavy was spectacular for the Hoyas. In a 93-72 win over Providence, the Cibolo, Texas native became the first Division I player to finish a game with 30 points (career-high), seven rebounds, seven assists and six steals since 2014. The fifth-year senior is averaging 16.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.6 steals per game while shooting 46.3% from the field, 36.6% from deep and 64.4% from the free throw line. He has had an immediate impact on head coach Ed Cooley’s team after spending his first four seasons in the Big 12 (freshman year at Texas Tech, last three seasons at TCU).
Freshman of the Week: Liam McNeeley, F, UConn (17 ppg, 8 rpg, 2.5 apg, 28 FG%, 9.1 3P%, 90.5 FT%)
McNeeley shot the ball poorly in a 1-1 week, with most of his points coming from the free-throw line. However, there was no real contender for this honor as the next-best scoring average from a freshman in the Big East was eight points per game. In the Huskies’ win over Villanova, McNeeley put up a strong effort with 20 points and seven rebounds. However, he did not look his best on Sunday, posting a 14-point, nine-rebound performance at St. John’s.
Best games of the week (excluding both UConn games)
Creighton at Xavier (Saturday, 4:30 p.m., FOX)
This is an important game for both teams. Xavier is surging, while Creighton is regarded as one of the best teams in the Big East. Jamiya Neal and Ryan Conwell are coming off Big East Honor Roll-caliber weeks. Neal posted a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double along with nine assists in Creighton’s 80-69 win over Georgetown. He is the first Big East player to post that stat line with one turnover or less in conference play since the 2005-06 season. On the other hand, Conwell has been red-hot for the Musketeers. In the past week, he has averaged 18 points, three rebounds, two assists and 1.5 steals per game. He was tied for a team-high 14 points in a 76-63 win over Butler, but his best performance came at Seton Hall with 22 points.
No. 21 Marquette at Georgetown (Saturday, 8 p.m., Peacock)
I already reiterated the fact that Marquette is on the downfall right now, but a game at Georgetown could prove what kind of team they are. As we enter March, this game will come down to the guard play between Marquette’s Kam Jones and Stevie Mitchell, and Georgetown’s Micah Peavy and Malik Mack. Marquette will struggle to contain Thomas Sorber in the paint with Ben Gold being a mismatch. Expect a fun one in Washington, D.C. on Saturday night.