Player of the Week
Eric Dixon, Villanova Wildcats
There’s not much left to say about the burly, 255 pound forward’s start to the year for the Wildcats. He’s having one of the best starts for a Nova player in a number seasons, putting himself in the NPOY conversation. He’s become one of the most dominant offensive forces in college hoops. Dixon scored 31 in a huge win for the Wildcats over number 14 Cincinnati this week, one of the biggest wins that the Nova home crowd has seen in a while. I think it’s important to note for this team as well that their three losses have come via an average of 6 points. They have yet to really get blown out, and they’re competitive. If they’re to get in the same stratosphere as the 2010’s Nova teams we saw dominating, they’ll need Dixon to keep doing what he’s doing. The 5th year senior is now averaging 26 a game with 6.6 boards and he’s well on pace to being Big East Player of the Year.
Who’s Hot?
Creighton Bluejays
For the second straight season (and second time this calendar year) the Blue Jays have toppled the Jenga tower and brought down the top ranked team in the country. Was Kansas slightly overrated? In my opinion, yes. However, that doesn’t discredit what Creighton did at all. To drop three straight games this early in the season and then follow that by beating the number one team in the country is not just a testament to the players, but to the culture that head coach Greg McDermott has built in Omaha over the years. They got everything they needed and more from their stars in the game, with Pop Isaacs going off for 27 points with 6 three-pointers, the ever-steady Kalkbrenner getting 17 with 10 boards, and Steven Ashworth chipping in 17 of his own. I also want to highlight Mason Miller with his two three-pointers off the bench. Creighton might not be deep enough to compete deep into March, but if their starting lineup produces three guys putting up 15 points or more in any game, they have a chance to win. Doesn’t matter who. Coach McDermott said it best, Omaha is where number one teams go to die.
UConn Huskies
Are they back? It’s hard to say after one win, but Baylor is an excellent team. Dan Hurley was as electric as ever on the sidelines, hyping Saint Mary’s transfer Aidan Mahaney up after a three. McNeeley has continued to live up to his hype and looks very NBA ready off the dribble and around the rim. Solo Ball continued his impressive play and seems to be a guy the Huskies can go to down the stretch. The narrative seems to be flipped, maybe the Huskies needed a reality check after two years of dominance. Some forget that Hurley’s start as a coach was not two years ago, he’s built the program out of dark times, and for now the Huskies seem to be far away from returning to those times. Home-court advantage in Storrs is huge, and that’s another storyline to watch as the season goes on. Three games overseas might be losses, but will the Huskies lose after hopping off a flight to Wisconsin? I guess we’ll wait and see. For now, the ‘skies are rolling once more.
Who’s Not?
Saint John’s Red Storm
The Red Storm just won their last game against Harvard, which isn’t a great win but it’s still a win. My concern from this roster comes from streakiness. Take their close loss against Baylor, where the Storm hung 98 points before losing to a miracle, they shot 58% from three. Of course, that number isn’t sustainable or normal, so let’s look at another win. They beat Wagner in their third game of the season by 21, and scored 66 points there. In that game, they shot 35% from three, which is a solid number. Now let’s look at their last two games, a loss to Georgia and the aforementioned win: 10% and 21%. Are you seeing what I’m seeing? There’s no correlation here to wins and losses! Shooting 10% from three and 57% from three in both of your losses is insane. The lack of correlation is not necessarily a good thing in my eyes, some may see it as a “they can win in multiple ways” kind of thing. I disagree. This indicates a talent or consistency issue in my eyes, the Storm need to find their niche. Currently, they’re in the middle of the pack in conference metrics in about every offensive statistic, which isn’t a model of consistency, it’s actually the opposite. Their minimum and mode are stretching their stats to a middle of the road average. I guess the best way to put it is this: this team is confusing me, and I want them to find an identity. Lucky for them, they have one of the most experienced basketball coaches ever at the helm.
Kam Jones, Marquette Golden Eagles
Oof. Kam was one of my top prospects for Big East Player of the Year this season, and even despite this past game he is very much still in the running. In my opinion, he’s second right now behind Dixon in a very tight race thus far. However, his performance against Iowa State was not the Kam Jones we know, by far his worst game of the season. ^ of 21 from the field can’t happen in top 10 matchups from your best player. The good thing? He knows all of this. He still found a way to impact the game, dishing out 9 assists and still getting into double figures for the night. Also, playing in Ames is one of the toughest places in the country. Those Cyclone fans are a doozy.I also don’t think this is going to be a reoccurring theme, we know Kam Jones as an experienced gamer, who rises to the occasion. I expect to see that the rest of the season from him, but this game does show that if he’s not on, Marquette is very vulnerable.
Power Rankings
5. Butler Bulldogs
Big win for Butler over Mississippi State this past week, who was ranked 25th at the time. Jahmyl Telfort has been great this year, and I do admit I haven’t talked about him enough. The senior is averaging 18 a game and balled out in the battle of the bulldogs.
4. Saint John’s Red Storm
Inconsistency? Yes. I remain faithful in Pitino.
3. UConn Huskies
Inconsistency? No. I think it was jetlag. I remain faithful in Hurley.
2. Creighton Blue Jays
The biggest win of the season thus far for any team. A bounce-back that many didn’t see coming. Their starting line-up can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the country.
1. Marquette Golden Eagles
Despite the loss, this team is excellent. They were Kam Jones playing average away from being undefeated, I wouldn’t sweat a loss away at a top 10 school. They kept it close with their best player shooting poorly, that’s gotta stand for something.