Player of the Week
Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton)
Ryan Kalkbrenner has been a workhorse all year for Creighton, but even more so as of late. In the triple overtime victory over Seton Hall, Kalkbrenner logged 54 minutes, 28 points, nine rebounds and an astounding seven blocks. Just three days later, the 7-foot-1 senior added 16 points and nine rebounds in 38 minutes of playing time against Xavier. Its no doubt impressive for a guy that large to play that many minutes and still be effective at the collegiate level — something Kalkbrenner hopes scouts take notice of as his career with the Bluejays nears an end. This Creighton team moves as the Florissant, Missouri, native, and he must continue to play at his very best if the team wants to make a deep run in not only the Big East, but in the NCAA Tournament.
Who’s Hot
Oso Ighodaro (Marquette)
The word to describe Oso Ighodaro’s play as of late is efficient. The forward has shot 80 percent or better in his last three games, and has been scoring above his average on the year. On Saturday against St. John’s, Ighodaro added 17 points, 5 rebounds and three blocks on 8-of-10 shooting from the field. In Wednesday’s matchup against Depaul, the Chandler, Arizona, native shot 8-for-9 with 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. The senior will look to continue his consistency on the court with bouts against Seton Hall and Villanova on the horizon.
Trey Alexander (Creighton)
If you’ve read a few of these blogs, you might see Trey Alexander’s name a couple times. This is because he has simply been that good for Creighton this year. The junior is averaging 16.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists on the year, and has recovered very well from a couple of off games as of late. On Saturday against Seton Hall, Alexander flirted with a triple-double, scoring 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists along with three blocks. The guard followed up the performance with 27 points, nine rebounds and four assists against Xavier on Tuesday. The Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, native will need to continue his stellar play if Creighton wants to catch UConn for the top spot in the Big East this season.
Who’s Not
Villanova Wildcats
For the second time this season, Villanova is on a three-game losing streak. After a one-point loss to UConn that was a hard-fought game, the Wildcats got blown out on the road by St. John’s, losing 70-50 in Madison Square Garden. Villanova sits at 4-4 in conference play and 11-8 overall, but its lack of consistency under coach Kyle Neptune has raised concerns for this team’s ability to make a run. After a four-game win streak, the Wildcats have lost four of their last five games. Villanova’s struggles come on the offensive end, as they average just 72.5 points per game — ranking 260th in the country. The squad also struggles moving the ball as they only average 11.8 assists per game, sitting at 357th in the nation — not a stat one would expect to see when thinking about Villanova basketball.
DePaul Blue Demons
Its been a rough season for Depaul basketball fans and players. Sitting at just 3-16 on the year, the Blue Demons fired coach Tony Stubblefield earlier in the week. Depaul is still searching for its first conference win, sitting at 0-8 with some tough matchups against Creighton and Seton Hall upcoming. While this year may seem like a lost cause, the Blue Demons can hope to string together a few wins and potentially play spoiler to opponents looking to make it to March. Depaul will need to snap its seven-game losing streak first in order to do so.
Top 5 teams in Conference Play
With March approaching fast, conference play has continued to heat up. Here are how the top of the Big East standings look through Jan. 25
1. UConn Huskies (7-1)
UConn, the defending national champions, has been the team to beat in the conference all year, and its lived up to the hype thus far. The Huskies are 17-2 overall, haven’t lost a home game and currently ride a seven-game win streak as the nation’s No. 1 team.
2. Creighton Bluejays (6-3)
Creighton overall has been playing well this year, but have a few stumbles along the way. Losses to Colorado State and UNLV put the Bluejays legitimacy in question, and failing to put up 50 points against UConn may be a glimpse of how the conference could shake out. However, Creighton is 15-5 over and the No. 17 team in the country.
3. Seton Hall Pirates (6-3)
Due to its loss by three to Creighton, Seton Hall sits at three in the standings with the same record as the Bluejays. The Pirates have lost their last two games after a hot stretch, so they will need to get back on track sooner than later if they want to make a run at the title.
4. Marquette Golden Eagles (5-3)
Marquette has appeared to be turning things around after a shaky start to conference play, but despite being ranked No. 14 in the nation, it sits at fourth in the Big East. Part of the reason for this standing was the loss to Seton Hall.
5. St. John’s Red Storm (5-4)
After a three-game losing streak, St. John’s got back into the win column with a win over Villanova on Wednesday. Consistency will be key for the Red Storm if they want to climb up the standings, sitting 2.5 games out of first currently.