Big East Basketball: Projecting the 2019-20 all-conference teams
By Brian Foley
Second-Team All-Big East
G Collin Gillespie, Villanova
Stats: 15.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.4 apg, 41/35/81 percent shooting
Gillespie was the near-miss from the first-team, but he still put together an excellent season as VU was recovering from a mass exodus to the NBA over the previous two seasons. With his underclassmen teammates still learning the ropes of the Big East, Gillespie has done incredibly well to lead Villanova to some huge wins, such as at home over Kansas, at Creighton, and – most recently – at Seton Hall.
G Quincy McKnight, Seton Hall
Stats: 11.8 ppg. 3.8 rpg, 5.5 apg, 41/34/85 percent shooting
In his second year in the Big East, McKnight found his footing as a bulldog defender, quality passer, and scoring spark plug. The fifth-year senior’s scoring, three-point percentage, and assist rate have all ticked upwards in 2019-20, which he did while still maintaining his stellar defensive reputation and piloting the Pirates through injuries to Powell and Sandro Mamukelashvili.
McKnight is the only player to finish in the top-five in the Big East in both steal rate and assist rate.
F Tyrique Jones, Xavier
Stats: 13.7 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 1.1 bpg, 55/0/60 percent shooting
F Naji Marshall, Xavier
Stats: 16.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.8 apg, 45/31/71 percent shooting
Xavier looked DOA in January when the Musketeers went 2-5 with four of those losses coming by double-digits. But led by its two frontcourt stars in Jones and Marshall, Xavier has managed to claw its way back into the NCAA tournament field.
Since Xavier jump-started its season in February, Jones’ production has ticked up another level. The physical senior has averaged 14.7 ppg and 13.3 rpg over Xavier’s latest 6-3 stretch, highlighted by a 19 & 18 outing on 9-10 shooting in a road win against Seton Hall. Marshall has gone to another level in Big East action and is essentially posting a 20/8/5 stat line over the Musketeers last six games. With the way Jones and Marshall are playing of late, I could envision a mini-run for the Muskies in the Big East tournament, even if they don’t receive the top-six bye into the quarterfinals.
F Paul Reed, DePaul
Stats: 14.9 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.6 apg, 51/31/74 percent shooting
Reed finished the 2018-19 campaign with a flurry and continued to build on that success for the Blue Demons as a junior. Reed has been a consistent scoring threat for DePaul this year, but his versatility in other areas is what separates the 6-foot-9 forward. Reed is one of two players in the country to average at least 10 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.5 blocks, and 1.5 assists per game, and is the first Big East’er to do so since Rutgers’ Rashod Kent in 2001-02.
HM: Omer Yurtseven, Georgetown & Alpha Diallo, Providence
Yurtseven was a potential first-team honoree before his season was clipped short by injury, while Diallo gets the nod since Providence’s remarkable turnaround deserves at least one mention here. Luwane Pipkins is also red-hot for the Friars, but his ghastly start to the season leaves him just off the final cut list.