John Fanta
University Basketball and Reporter Resert
After the UCONN male basketball team captured all the headlines in the Big East and throughout the country last year with a historical record of 37-3 and a second consecutive national championship, the conference has more intrigued at the top this season.
Going to the weekend, there are four teams with seven or more victories at the conference, which has been a competitive title race of the regular season, and at least one more Tournament team of the NCAA. Last season, only three teams from Big East, Uconn, Marquette and Creighton, made the Big Dance, and the three advanced to the second weekend.
With a non -conference season that felt quite similar to that of last year, things seemed to be in a similar direction this season, but the recent streak of six games of Six Games in Creighton and a curriculum with a victory over Kansas and a Victoria on the road on UConn puts the Jays in a good place, along with No. 9 Marquette, No. 15 St. John’s and No. 25 UConn.
The attention at the conference is at this time in New York City, where St. John’s’s basketball hummed in the year 2 of the Rick Pitino era. The Johnnies have 18-3 in general and 9-1 in Big East Play, well for their best start in the conference game since 1984-85. That year, Lou Carneecca took the program to his last final Four Fur.
How has this transformation happened so fast? The year 2 of the Pitino era along the four decades of the career of the Hall of Fame, has brought great jumps from the moment he was at the University of Boston to Providence, when he took the program to the final Four in 1987, Kentucky to Louisville and even Iona.
“Many people ask me what is the secret about the second year of being really successful in my holdings and thinks it was a kind of special science,” Pitino told Fox Sports. “It really is just a matter of the boys fully understand what it is, to have that year to their credit and that they understand how much you have to hate losing to play for me.”
The Johnnies have shown that the urgency during this season, especially in the defensive wing of the floor, where they occupy the fourth place in the country in efficiency and have been the best defensive team of the conference, allowing only 63.3 points per game and forcing 17 losses for each contest. The shoulder injury of Deivon Smith, who has lost three of the last four competitions, could end up being a blessing disguised, whenever he returns healthy, because he has allowed the transfer of Seton Hall Kadary Richmond to find his balance without looking over of shoulder . Combine Smith and Richmond with RJ Luis and the great Zuby Ejiofor man, and the Johnnies are defensive teams and can reach the edge and bounce at a high level, wearing teams in the second half.
The red storm sits at the top of the league with 9-1, tied with a marquette team that should not be considered. It is surprising what Shaka Smart has done in four years in Milwaukee, taking the program to his first Sweet 16 since 2013 and with a 40-10 record in the last 50 Big East games of the Golden Eagles.
Marquette is the only high program in male university basketball that does not lose anyone or take anyone out of the transfer portal in the last three seasons.
The continuity of the list has led the Golden Eagles to strong actions without a conference, publishing victories about Purdue, Wisconsin, Maryland and Georgia. While many other teams are trying to discover what they have, Marquette knows who he is and plays with his strengths. This team also has an All-American in Kam Jones, which has been sensational, averaging 19 points, six assists and five rebounds per game, while Stevie Mitchell is one of the most indispensable players in the league and personifies a lot of what it is intelligent is about.
Kam Jones ends a cunning disposition, extending Marquette’s leadership over Villanova
The beginning of 6-0 of the Golden Eagles in the conference game was the best since 2008-09, and now they are in search of a second crown of the regular Big East season in three years.
That takes us to the Bluejays of Creighton to the red red, which began the 4-3 season and lost one of its best scorers, Pop Isaacs, due to a hip injury that ends the season. But the 15 -year -old coach Greg McDermott has once again demonstrated why he is one of the best in the country, with Ryan Kalkbrenner carrying the jays inside, Steven Ashworth directs the ship to the shipowner and Jamiya Neal discovering how to be a constant wing.
But the most convincing question in this league: what is the rest of the year for Dan Hurley and Uconn?
The Huskies have been inconsistent, going 4-3 without the outstanding first-year student Liam McNeeley, who is out with an ankle injury. The team’s schedule is about to really accelerate with a confrontation among the top 25 in Milwaukee against Marquette on Saturday (8 pm et in Fox and the Fox Sports application) before receiving St. John’s on Friday, February 7 (8 pm ET in Fox and the Fox Sports application).
The Huskies have gone from being a defense of the 10 best of Kenpom in each of the last two years to be a sub-20 team in that column, while Alex Karaban and Hassan Diarra look a bit worn at this time. Only Ball has made a good jump and the transfer of Michigan Tarris Reed has seemed promising sometimes, but Connecticut is closer to 7 or 8 seeds at this time than to a top-4 seed on the support. Huskies could land somewhere in the range of 5 or 6 seeds, but they need McNeeley to return to have a photo of making something happen.
Here are some tribute of fast fire and other great things to see:
Crazy NCAA tournament: Market, Uconn, San Juan’s
It should be except for something extreme: Creighton
Bubble: Xavier
The musketeers do not have a bad loss in their curriculum and have victories in Marquette and at home against Uconn, but that victory in Milwaukee is their only victory in Quad 1. That said, this team correctly scheduled and has nothing in its curriculum that is A great negative. They can only afford a loss of February depending on their league calendar, if so. Next: Georgetown at 8:30 pm et on Tuesday in FS1. That is mandatory.
Player of the year: Kam Jones, Market
He has had the best season of any player in the League and the Golden Eagles are the best classified team at the conference due to the senior guard.
Dark Horse for the player of the year: RJ Luis, San Juan’s
With an average of 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game, the 6 feet 7 wing is a two -way player so dynamic that it embodies what Rick Pitino is about.
First year student of the year: Thomas Sorber, Georgetown
He leads all first -year students with seven double doubles and is the first first -year student of Georgetown since Othella Harrington led the program at points, rebounds and blocks.
Defensive player of the year: Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
“It changes its whole game plan due to its presence,” Dan Hurley told me about the three -time defensive player of the Big East year. The 7-1 center can join Patrick Ewing as the only other player to win the honor four times.
Coach of the Year: Rick Pitino and Shaka Smart
Did you know what Pitino has never did you win the award? What his team is doing is magical, but Smart lost Tyler Kolek and Beefish and somehow is the coach of one of the 10 best teams in the United States. And do not sleep in McDermott to be in the mixture, especially if Creighton challenges the crown of the conference.
The next Big East dates to mark the calendar:
February 1: uconn @ marquette (fox)
February 4: Marquette @ St. John’s (FS1)
February 7: St. John’s @ uconn (fox)
February 8: Marquette @ Creighton (Fox)
February 11: Uconn @ Creighton (CBS Sports Network)
February 16: Creighton @ St. John’s (FS1)
February 23: Uconn @ St. John’s (Fox)
March 5: marquette @ uconn (FS1)
March 8: St. John’s @ Marquette (Fox)
John Fanta is a national university basketball station and writer of Fox Sports. It covers the sport in a variety of capabilities, from calling the games in FS1 to serve as the main host in the Big East digital network until providing comments in the 68 Network field. Follow it in @John_fanta.
[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]
Get more university basketball Follow your favorites to obtain information about games, news and more