Big East basketball played well in the non-conference portion of their schedule but it is now time to beat up on each other. What questions still remain?
Conference play is getting underway in the Big East and it is time to see what questions are still hovering around the 10 teams in the league. The Big East proved a lot in non-conference play but facing off against each other night in and night out is an entirely different animal. Let’s take a look at what I believe to be the five biggest questions facing the conference entering league play.
1. Can anyone catch Villanova at the top?
This is easily the most-asked question surrounding the Big East at the beginning of every season. Villanova has won the Big East in each of the last four seasons and looks poised to do it again. The Wildcats are led by one of the best guards in the entire nation in Jalen Brunson. Not only is Brunson excellent in getting his own shot but his efficiency is other-worldly. Brunson is shooting 65.8% from inside the 3-point arc and splashing home 53.1% of his triples. For the year, he is dropping 18.1 points and 5.0 assists per game.
In addition to Brunson, Mikal Bridges is a projected lottery pick in the NBA Draft this summer. The 6’7″ junior wing is off to a great start this season, averaging 17.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while making a high percentage of his shots. Omari Spellman (11.3 points, 7.8 rebounds), Phil Booth (12.2 points) and Donte DiVincenzo (12.2 points) round out the top of head coach Jay Wright’s roster.
As for if anyone can catch them, I think the answer is no. Xavier and Seton Hall look to be the main contenders but each of them has shown signs of weakness in non-conference while Villanova has been perfect and is winning by an average of over 20 points per game. Nonetheless, this will be a storyline to watch.