On Wednesday night, No. 6 UConn did not just beat No. 15 St. John’s; the Huskies beat them by 32 points. Add Providence beating Creighton on Saturday, Connecticut can take the No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament this week.
One last week of the regular season to decide the seeding in next week’s tournament. Stakes are high in every game as we dive into this week’s Big East Baller Update.
Weekly Awards
Player of the Week: Tarris Reed Jr., center, UConn (15 ppg, 11 rpg, 2 apg, 3.5 bpg, 2 spg, 54.5 FG%, 60 FT% in two games)
Last week’s Big East Baller Update had St. John’s Bryce Hopkins as the Big East Player of the Week after back-to-back double-doubles. Well, Reed did that this past week, so despite some incredible scoring outings, Reed gets the award this week. His best game in a UConn uniform came in that beatdown over St. John’s, finishing the night with 20 points, 11 rebounds, six blocks, three assists and two steals. To follow that, the Michigan transfer made his Senior Day one to remember with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Freshman of the Week: Jamier Jones, forward, Providence (14 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.5 spg, 41.7 FG%, 72.7 FT% in two games)
Like last week, Marquette’s Nigel James Jr. was a contender for this week’s honor, but Providence is on a three-game winning streak at the right time. That is partly due to Jones’s recent impact. In a 94-84 win over Xavier, the Sarasota, Fla. native had 19 points and seven boards on 6-of-15 shooting. His shooting was not remarkable in both wins this past week, but he is still shooting 57.1% on the season. He only had one turnover in the last two games, a significant improvement after recording four in a close win at DePaul.
Best game last week
Sellers’ 27 points lead Providence over Creighton, 79-76
Boy, what a thriller in Omaha, Neb., Providence’s Jaylin Sellers dropped 27 points, with 20 coming in the second half. It was a remarkable performance considering he had a season-low 4 points in the first meeting against the Bluejays. Jason Edwards has not gotten enough credit for his play after returning to the Friars from his injury. He was terrific in this one, adding 18 points. Creighton’s Josh Dix and Austin Swartz each had 18 points in the contest, with Dix shooting 4-of-8 from the 3-point line. Jasen Green flirted with a triple-double with 12 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. The Friars controlled most of the first half, leading for all but roughly two minutes and leading by as many as eight points. Creighton started to chip away late in the opening frame, with back-to-back 3-pointers from Hudson Greer and Dix tying the game at 28 points. Ryan Mela, who had 11 points and six rebounds for Providence, put Creighton at arm’s length with a floater with 1:11 left in the game. Creighton got within one point, but Sellers drove and made a layup with 15 seconds remaining to hold a 3-point lead. Swartz had a chance to force overtime as time expired but missed as Creighton has now lost eight of its last 10 games.
Best games this week
Creighton at Butler (Wednesday, 6 p.m., FS1)
Remember how I said UConn can clinch the No. 1 seed this week? A Creighton loss can help the Huskies achieve that goal. The struggling Bluejays visit Hinkle Fieldhouse to face Thad Matta and Butler, a team looking for momentum heading into next week’s NCAA Tournament. Both teams are looking for a clearer picture of conference tournament seeding, and this is a pivotal game that can shake the standings up. Creighton is 1.5 games ahead of Butler, but this one will be more important for UConn, St. John’s and Providence fans.
No. 18 St. John’s at Seton Hall (Friday, 9 p.m., FS1)
Six days after Seton Hall nearly upset UConn in Storrs, Conn., the Pirates celebrate Senior Day by welcoming St. John’s from across the Hudson River. The Red Storm, assuming they beat Georgetown earlier in the week, will have a chance at a share of the Big East regular season title with a win in Newark, N.J. That has not been done since the Lou Carnesecca era. With a win, the Pirates could give Shaheen Holloway a better shot at Big East Coach of the Year. With their stifling defense, no team should want to see Seton Hall in March.