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Big East Basketball: 5 biggest takeaways from 2019 Gavitt Games

By Tristan Freeman

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - MARCH 21: Myles Powell #13 of the Seton Hall Pirates reacts in the second half against the Wofford Terriers during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on March 21, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - MARCH 21: Myles Powell #13 of the Seton Hall Pirates reacts in the second half against the Wofford Terriers during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on March 21, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – NOVEMBER 13: Koby McEwen #25 of the Marquette Golden Eagles reacts in the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at the Fiserv Forum on November 13, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – NOVEMBER 13: Koby McEwen #25 of the Marquette Golden Eagles reacts in the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at the Fiserv Forum on November 13, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

4. Koby McEwen will be almost as important as Markus Howard

Marquette was on the same track as Villanova at one point against Purdue, down by nearly 20 points with no one helping out Howard in the scoring department. However, it was Koby McEwen in the second half who came up huge, erasing the deficit and helping carry the Golden Eagles to a comeback win. The Utah State transfer led all scorers with 23 points while chipping in with five rebounds and four assists.

This is the kind of performance that will have to happen multiple times this season for Marquette. The primary question this offseason for the team was going to be who replaces the production of the Hauser brothers after they each transfer. McEwen, who averaged over 15 ppg at Utah State before leaving for Marquette was going to be the answer but the consistency will be key going forward.

It’s just two but already only Howard and McEwen are the only Golden Eagles the team seems to be able to rely on the offensive end. That’ll make for a fair amount of low-scoring and close games. The defense will absolutely be key going forward along with the top two scorers.

5. Myles Powell had his big moment

Coming into the Michigan State-Seton Hall game, it was almost a sure thing that Myles Powell wouldn’t be able to take part. He suffered an ankle injury in the previous game and the initial prognosis was that he would be out for possibly weeks. Turns out it was just “days”, as he was able to play against the Spartans last night. And was he fantastic, going for a game-high 37 points on 12/23 shooting. If there was any pain, Powell didn’t show it.

The battle of top-15 teams was arguably the game of the week and it more than delivered. It ended up being the battle between All-American stars Powell and Cassius Winston and the Pirate guard solidified himself as a national star on primetime television. And the pre-game injury concerns and you have an early contender for story of the year.

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As a team, Seton Hall looked promising. The interior defense was imposing and Myles Cale’s shooting was solid. The Pirates could very well be the frontrunner to win Big East Basketball and if Powell continues to excel, make a deep run in March.

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