Player of the Week:
Liam McNeeley, UConn
5 star does as 5 stars do. McNeeley has been a monumental freshman playmaker for the Huskies this season, and over the last 2 weeks has shown why him and Cooper Flagg were the most dynamic and destructive senior duo in high school hoops last year. It started with his flawless performance against Gonzaga, where Liam cashed in for 26 points and made big shot after big shot to hold off the Zags, fittingly icing the game by making 2 free throws with 20 seconds on the clock. Then in the two nailbiters following, he scored 14 and 17 respectively. Overall, he’s averaged 19 points a game with 5 assists over the last 2 weeks. His numbers are clearly great but what pushes his performance over the edge for me is that the Huskies average margin of victory over these three games is 5. They haven’t been blowing teams out and every shot McNeeley has taken has been huge, because a few misses in a row could mean losing the lead or the game. Apparently, those scenarios don’t scare this guy though, his splits are a cool 47/88/60 over the last three games. As I said, this is exactly what 5 star recruits are expected to do.
Who’s Hot?
Georgetown Hoyas
I haven’t discussed the Hoyas much this season, but what Ed Cooley is doing with the program in just his second season is phenomenal. The Hoyas are 10-2 and are playing their best basketball of the season over the last couple of weeks. After a close loss away against West Virginia, the Hoyas had to travel to one of the hardest places to play in college basketball: the Carrier Dome, against the Syracuse Orange. They came out with a win. Then they followed it up with a pummeling of a floundering Creighton team. Then they executed in crunch time to win a close one against Seton Hall. They’ve been full of key performers, and they’re a young team at that; of their top 5 scorers only 1 is a senior. Jayden Epps has been fantastic all season and hung 27 against the Orange. Thomas Sorber is a frontrunner for freshman of the year alongside the aforementioned McNeeley and put up 19 points with 4 blocks against Seton Hall. As a team they allow the second-least points per game in the conference and are the 4th most efficient shooting the ball. A recipe for success, and a fantastic resurgence after the tumultuous twilight years of Patrick Ewing’s tenure.
Saint John’s Red Storm
This would be a 12-0 team if not for a halfcourt miracle and one or two missed shots. This junior and senior-laden team is playing experienced, calmly, and dominantly. It’s seriously no joke to say that they might be the most dominant team in the Big East right now. You’ve got RJ Luis leading the offense, getting downhill and into his spots with ease. Then you see Zuby Ejiofor (who’s averaging 20 a game over his last 4) nailing buzzer beaters on opposing conference rivals’ floors. They play fast, average the second most points per game in the conference while grabbing the most rebounds per game. That’s a sign of a team that can play fast effectively. The amount of points the give up per game isn’t a sign of how effective their defense is, the rebounds are, and boy is Saint John’s grabbing a lot of them. They rank 40th in the country in possessions per game, by far the highest in the Big East as well. With how reachable UConn and Marquette have looked this season, it’s not a crazy idea to place some bets on Saint John’s winning the Big East.
Who’s Not?
Butler Bulldogs
Two weeks ago, I told you all that we might see Butler lose 4 straight after their terrible defeat at the hands of North Dakota State. Well, I was wrong. They’ve lost 5 straight now. They have the second worst point differential in the conference, and haven’t been able to win any of the big games they’ve been handed so far. They haven’t been getting blown out (besides their ugly loss at Houston), they lost to UConn by 4, Marquette by 10, and Wisconsin by 9, but they just can’t get over the hump. A couple weeks ago after their Mississippi State win, Bulldog fans were looking forward to this stretch to show the country what their team was made of. Now, they’re just praying for it to be over. Playing Nova and Saint John’s to start the new year isn’t great either, 7 losses consecutively could be on the horizon.
Xavier Musketeers
The Musketeers are two sides of the same coin as Butler. Big games, just can’t win them. Except their woes might be even more heartbreaking. Their last three games have all been losses to Cincinatti, UConn and Marquette. All ranked teams, by a combined total of 10 points. They’ve had players post huge performances in these games as well. 23 points out of junior guard Ryan Conwell against UConn in the overtime loss. Zach Freemantle, the leading scorer, has been injured since the loss to Cincinatti, a game where he put up 17. His presence might have been a difference maker in the two following L’s, but you can’t play the hypothetical game here. Truth of the matter is, they can’t win the close ones. Their late game execution hasn’t been good enough, they haven’t had an explosive enough offense, and they don’t wow in any one aspect. They’re just an OK team who has a lot of heart. Hopefully that heart can translate to wins soon.
Power Rankings:
5. Villanova Wildcats
Giving the Cats the nod over Creighton here for two reasons: Nova is actually fun to watch for the first time in a while, and I’m just so disappointed in the Blue Jays.
4. Georgetown Hoyas
“If you’re not physical or tough, you’re not coming to Georgetown.” – Ed Cooley
3. Saint John’s Red Storm
I really wanted to put them ahead of Marquette, but with no ranked wins I can’t just yet.
2. Marquette Golden Eagles
Marquette continues to look great and drop a few here and there, they survived some scares the last few weeks. Again, Stevie Mitchell is so fun to watch on defense, and Kam Jones is unreal on the other end.
1. UConn Huskies
6 in a row, it’s eat or be eaten time for Hurley and the boys.