Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Big East Breakdown: Villanova, St. John’s, Georgetown Ranked; Smith-Rivera, Delgado Earn Weekly Honors; Season Tips Off Wednesday With 5 Games
Here are a few quick hits on the Big East Conference with league play set to start Wednesday:
THREE RANKED
No. 6 Villanova, No. 15 St. John’s and No. 25 Georgetown are the three teams ranked in the latest AP Poll released Monday.
FIVE GAMES WEDNESDAY
The Big East Conference season tips off Wednesday with five games on Fox Sports 1. Here is the schedule:
St. John’s @ Seton Hall Newark, N.J. FOX Sports 1 12:00 PM ET
Butler @ Villanova Villanova, Pa. FOX Sports 1 2:30 PM ET
Marquette @ DePaul Chicago, Ill. FOX Sports 1 5:00 PM ET
Creighton @ Providence Providence, R.I. FOX Sports 1 7:30 PM ET
Georgetown @ Xavier Cincinnati, Ohio FOX Sports 1 10:00 PM ET
FIVE QUOTES & NOTES:
Here are five quotes from today’s conference call:
1. “I think the Big East as a whole has done a fantastic job in the non-conference part of the year.” – Xavier’s Chris Mack
2. “The conference schedule is going to be an 18-game absolute grind.” — Seton Hall’s Kevin Willard
3. Willard also said that St. John’s is “arguably the best team in the Big East right now.”
4. Willard said freshman guard Isaiah Whitehead will have two weeks of “absolute rest” from his stress fracture. On Jan. 7, he’ll get his boot removed and then have another MRI. In a worst-case, Whitehead could miss four weeks, putting him back in late January.
5. “I’m pleased with the development of our team yet we realize we have to continue to improve.” – St. John’s Steve LavinWEEKLY HONORSBIG EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEKD’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Georgetown, G, Jr.
Smith-Rivera poured in a game-high 29 points, including seven in overtime, to help Georgetown defeat Indiana at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. He made 5-of-7 from beyond the arc, had four assists and did not commit a turnover in 42 minutes of playing time. It was the Hoyas’ only game of the week. Smith-Rivera owns a 14.7 scoring mark.
BIG EAST ROOKIE OF THE WEEKAngel Delgado, Seton Hall, F, Fr.
Delgado scored 10 points on 5-of-7 seven shooting and added six rebounds and four blocked shots in a 72-43 victory over Maine on Saturday. It was the Pirates’ only contest of the week. Delgado ranks second in the BIG EAST in rebounding with an 8.8 average.
BIG EAST Honor RollKellen Dunham, Butler, G, Jr.
Averaged 15.0 points and shot 50 percent from 3-point range in wins over UT-Martin and Belmont.
Jajuan Johnson, Marquette, F, So.
Averaged 16.0 points, 4.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds in victories against North Dakota and Morgan State.
LaDontae Henton, Providence, F, Sr.
Recorded a game-high 25 points and shot 10-of-19 in a 76-62 win over Miami, Fla. He also grabbed five rebounds.
Sir’Dominic Pointer, St. John’s, F, Sr.
Averaged 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 4.5 steals and 2.5 blocks in wins over Long Beach State and Tulane.
Sterling Gibbs, Seton Hall, G, Jr.
Scored a game-high 18 points and dished five assists in a 72-43 win against Maine.
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
Here are a few quick hits on the Big East Conference with league play set to start Wednesday:
THREE RANKED
No. 6 Villanova, No. 15 St. John’s and No. 25 Georgetown are the three teams ranked in the latest AP Poll released Monday.
FIVE GAMES WEDNESDAY
The Big East Conference season tips off Wednesday with five games on Fox Sports 1. Here is the schedule:
St. John’s @ Seton Hall Newark, N.J. FOX Sports 1 12:00 PM ET
Butler @ Villanova Villanova, Pa. FOX Sports 1 2:30 PM ET
Marquette @ DePaul Chicago, Ill. FOX Sports 1 5:00 PM ET
Creighton @ Providence Providence, R.I. FOX Sports 1 7:30 PM ET
Georgetown @ Xavier Cincinnati, Ohio FOX Sports 1 10:00 PM ET
FIVE QUOTES & NOTES:
Here are five quotes from today’s conference call:
1. “I think the Big East as a whole has done a fantastic job in the non-conference part of the year.” – Xavier’s Chris Mack
2. “The conference schedule is going to be an 18-game absolute grind.” — Seton Hall’s Kevin Willard
3. Willard also said that St. John’s is “arguably the best team in the Big East right now.”
4. Willard said freshman guard Isaiah Whitehead will have two weeks of “absolute rest” from his stress fracture. On Jan. 7, he’ll get his boot removed and then have another MRI. In a worst-case, Whitehead could miss four weeks, putting him back in late January.
5. “I’m pleased with the development of our team yet we realize we have to continue to improve.” – St. John’s Steve Lavin
WEEKLY HONORS
BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK
D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Georgetown, G, Jr.
Smith-Rivera poured in a game-high 29 points, including seven in overtime, to help Georgetown defeat Indiana at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. He made 5-of-7 from beyond the arc, had four assists and did not commit a turnover in 42 minutes of playing time. It was the Hoyas’ only game of the week. Smith-Rivera owns a 14.7 scoring mark.
BIG EAST ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Angel Delgado, Seton Hall, F, Fr.
Delgado scored 10 points on 5-of-7 seven shooting and added six rebounds and four blocked shots in a 72-43 victory over Maine on Saturday. It was the Pirates’ only contest of the week. Delgado ranks second in the BIG EAST in rebounding with an 8.8 average.
BIG EAST Honor Roll
Kellen Dunham, Butler, G, Jr.
Averaged 15.0 points and shot 50 percent from 3-point range in wins over UT-Martin and Belmont.
Jajuan Johnson, Marquette, F, So.
Averaged 16.0 points, 4.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds in victories against North Dakota and Morgan State.
LaDontae Henton, Providence, F, Sr.
Recorded a game-high 25 points and shot 10-of-19 in a 76-62 win over Miami, Fla. He also grabbed five rebounds.
Sir’Dominic Pointer, St. John’s, F, Sr.
Averaged 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 4.5 steals and 2.5 blocks in wins over Long Beach State and Tulane.
Sterling Gibbs, Seton Hall, G, Jr.
Scored a game-high 18 points and dished five assists in a 72-43 win against Maine.
