One more week left of the regular season.
The Big East regular season ends on Saturday, with the Big East Tournament beginning a week from Wednesday. The road to Manhattan is almost over, but the bracket is not set.
According to Matt Hackman, three teams are still in contention for the No. 2 seed in the tournament. Those teams are Creighton, Marquette and UConn, the latter two facing each other on Wednesday night.
Creighton and Marquette have clinched first-round byes. The Bluejays can be as low as No. 4, while the Golden Eagles can be as low as No. 5.
UConn has a 3% chance to fall out of the top 5, but anything can happen in March. Xavier is a game behind the Huskies and will be in the 4-6 seed range. The same can be said for Villanova, but they are more likely to fall in the 5-6 spot.
Georgetown has an 89% chance to finish seventh in the conference, but without Thomas Sorber, they could find themselves as low as ninth. Butler and Providence are in the same range and look to be virtual locks for the 8-9 game in the first round.
Lastly, Seton Hall and DePaul are battling one another in the standings to avoid finishing dead last.
This week’s Big East Baller Update will look at the final week of the regular season, as well as some incredible performances in the past week.
Weekly Awards
Player of the Week: Eric Dixon, F, Villanova (33 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 60.5 FG%, 53.3 3P%, 80 FT% in two games)
Dixon is quickly running away with the Division I scoring title for the 2024-25 season, with a week that could see him become the national player of the week. His most impressive effort came in a road win over Seton Hall on Wednesday night, where he scored 32 points including 18 straight in the second half. Along with grabbing 10 rebounds, it is hard to find a better game from Villanova’s star forward. On Saturday, the 6-foot-8 senior was incredible yet again, scoring 34 points in a 10-point win at home against Butler.
Freshman of the Week: Liam McNeeley, F, UConn (15.5 ppg, 3.5 apg, 3 rpg, 1 spg, 50 FG%, 45.5 3P%, 85.7 3P% in two games)
In a 2-0 week for UConn, McNeeley helped out the Huskies as they turned the calendar to March. His best performance came in the XL Center season finale against Georgetown, scoring 17 points in what was the most comfortable win for Connecticut in months. He followed that with a 14-point outing at Providence on Saturday afternoon. He should be everyone’s pick for Big East Freshman of the Year.
Best game in the past week
No. 7 St. John’s clinches No. 1 seed in Big East Tournament, defeating Seton Hall 71-61
For the first time in 40 years, the St. John’s Red Storm are the outright Big East regular season champions. It has been a long road, but in head coach Rick Pitino’s second season with the Johnnies, he has led them to the top of the conference. Even though Seton Hall is a bottom-feeder team this season, the game was knotted up at 49 points with 10:01 left. However, St. John’s proved why they are one of the best defensive teams in the country, outscoring the Pirates, 22-12, from that point on.
Best games of the week (excluding No. 20 Marquette at UConn)
Villanova at Georgetown (8 p.m., Peacock)
These two Big East rivals go way back. This edition of the rivalry can determine each team’s seeding in the Big East Tournament. With Dixon red-hot, he can take advantage of the Sorber-less Hoyas. The highest seed Georgetown can be is No. 7, while Villanova has a 9% chance to claim the No. 4 seed. Georgetown’s backcourt must carry the load as they avoid finishing as low as No. 9 in the conference (2% chance).
No. 6 St. John’s at No. 20 Marquette (Saturday, noon, FOX)
Despite having the No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament, St. John’s can still improve its seeding for the NCAA Tournament. They will travel to Milwaukee, Wis. to take on a dangerous Marquette team, including Big East Player of the Year candidate Kam Jones. This could very well be the game that decides who wins that award.