|
As the Big East basketball season moves through its middle stages, many of the preseason predictions and storylines are playing out as expected – Villanova is really good. While many others are a complete surprise – Pittsburgh is really good.
The Big East was supposed to have slipped some with many top players gone from last year in a league that filled out three of the four No. 1 seeds in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
But with a couple of surprise teams and a new crop of players on the rise, the Big East is back on top again, putting four teams in the top 10, and six teams in the top 25 this week. Both numbers lead all conferences.
With this week marking the halfway point for almost the entire league, the time has come to give some midterm honors and some predictions for the second half of the Big East season.
 |
|
Harangody appears poised to claim all-Big East first-team honors for a third consecutive season to close his collegiate career.
|
We’ll see how these hold up when the postseason awards are handed out after the season.
Player Of The Year:
Scottie Reynolds, Sr., G, Villanova
Reynolds is every bit as clutch as he is talented, and he trying to play his way onto NBA Draft boards after returning for his senior season. Reynolds ranks fourth in the conference in scoring at 21.4 points a game. He’s also third in the league with a 59 percent field-goal percentage, a remarkable percentage for a guard. The 6-2 point guard is truly the heart and soul of this Final Four caliber team.
Newcomer Of The Year:
Wesley Johnson, Jr., F, Syracuse
An easy choice here, Johnson has busted onto the Big East scene after sitting out last season following a transfer from Iowa State. The 6-7 athletic forward ranks No. 12 in the conference in scoring at 17.5 points a game, No. 2 in rebounding at 10.6 per game, No. 6 in blocked shots at 1.9 per game, and he is considered a NBA lottery pick if he chooses to leave early after this season.
Rookie Of The Year:
Maalik Wayns, Fr., G, Villanova
The next on the assembly line of great guards at Villanova, Wayns would be starting on almost any other league team but he is buried behind Reynolds and Corey Fisher on the Wildcats. Wayns, 6-1, is averaging 8.6 points, 1.7 rebounds in 16.9 minutes and has been named the Big East Rookie of the Week three times in the last six weeks. Cincinnati guard Lance Stephenson and Syracuse guard Brandon Triche also considered here.
Coach Of The Year:
Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh
This was supposed to be a rebuilding season for Pittsburgh but the talented young coach doesn’t know the meaning of the word. With DeJuan Blair, Sam Young, Levance Fields and Tyrell Biggs all gone from last year, Dixon lost 63 percent of his scoring and 66 percent of his rebuilding. The Panthers were picked to finish ninth in the conference but instead are ranked No. 17 and alone in third place. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim gets a mention after being picked to finish sixth and sitting alone in second.
Defensive Player Of The Year:
Greg Monroe, So., C, Georgetown
The 6-11 Monroe fits this system perfectly and continues to improve after earning Big East Rookie Of The Year honors last season. Monroe is stuffing the defensive stat boxes, leading the conference with 7.9 defensive rebounds a game, while ranking No. 6 in steals at 1.8 per game and No. 9 in blocked shots at 1.6 per game. He is a disruptive force in the paint. Seton Hall junior forward Herb Pope leads the league in rebounding (10.7) and also deserves a mention here.
Most Improved Player:
Tim Abromaitis, Jr., F, Notre Dame
Ashton Gibbs, So., G, Pittsburgh
It’s impossible to take one without the other, because both have emerged as cornerstones for their teams with no previous warning. After averaging 4.5 points last season, Gibbs ranks No. 6 in the conference in scoring (18.7 points), and is fourth in three-pointers made (2.7). Abromaitis redshirted last season after averaging 1.7 points and 1.0 rebound as a freshman. He now ranks No. 7 in the league in scoring (18.7 points) and No. 2 in three-pointers made (3.1). The numbers for these two up-and-coming players are remarkably similar.
Sixth Man Award:
Kris Joseph, So., F, Syracuse
Joseph has fit nicely into his role with the Orange and perfectly complements a load of talented starters in front of him. The long and lean 6-7 forward often goes unnoticed with all the stars around him but he is third for Syracuse in scoring at 10.2 points a game and third in rebounding with 5.1 per game, coming off the bench for a team that was picked only sixth in the league but is starting to look like a Final Four contender.
First Team All-Big East:
(Big East ranks in parenthesis)
Jerome Dyson, Sr., G, Connecticut
• 17.8 points (T-10th), 6.2 assists (2nd)
Luke Harangody, Sr., F, Notre Dame
• 25.6 points (1st), 9.9 rebounds (3rd)
Jeremy Hazell, Jr., G, Seton Hall
• 25.1 points (T-2nd), 2.0 steals (4th), 3.4 3-pointers (1st)
Wesley Johnson, Jr., F, Syracuse
• 27.5 points (12th), 10.6 rebounds (2nd), 1.9 blocks (6th)
Dominique Jones, Jr., G, South Florida
• 25.1 points (T-2nd), 3.7 assists (12th), 1.7 steals (T-7th)
Scottie Reynolds, Sr., G, Villanova
• 21.4 points (4th), 59% FGs (3rd), 53% 3-pointers (5th)
Who’s Dancing?
The overall depth and strength of this conference makes the possibility of landing seven spots in the NCAA Tournament likely Eight bids might be a stretch for this 16-team league.
Here’s our prediction for who goes, and who’s left out:
Sure Bets
Villanova, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, West Virginia
Slipping In
Connecticut, Notre Dame
Outside The Bubble
Louisville, Cincinnati, Seton Hall
Outta Luck
Providence, St. John’s, South Florida, Marquette, DePaul, Rutgers
|
.jpg)
