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Big East Basketball: Observations of league heading into late stretch of 2020-21

By Elliott Geller

NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 01: The Big East logo on the floor before a college basketball game between the Xavier Musketeers and the Seton Hall Pirates at the Prudential Center on February 1, 2020 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 01: The Big East logo on the floor before a college basketball game between the Xavier Musketeers and the Seton Hall Pirates at the Prudential Center on February 1, 2020 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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NCAA Basketball
Big East Basketball UConn Huskies James Bouknight Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports /

Connecticut, Xavier, St. John’s, Seton Hall

Danny Hurley has done a fantastic job since taking over for the Huskies. They play the type of basketball the ‘old’ Big East used to play. It’s gritty basketball, playing for the name on the front of your jersey, not the back.

UConn beat a good USC team early in the season and have taken care of business in the Big East, minus one hiccup verse St. John’s. That loss doesn’t look too terrible either. The Huskies are 8-3, but are on pause and missing their best player. James Bouknight is having a tremendous season averaging over 20 points per game. UConn is dangerous with him healthy, but him out indefinitely leaves a big question mark for the Huskies moving forward.

Another team on pause, again, is the Xavier Musketeers. They are the definition of unclear. Paul Scruggs is another guy who seems to be in school forever, but he’s awesome. He’s a leader and Travis Steele relies on him to be in control and provide stability.

Xavier is 11-2, but it’s tough to judge them with how their season has started and stopped multiple times. They caught Oklahoma before they got insanely hot, ousting them by 22. It’s hard to grasp how good, or how bad this team could be. The Musketeers have probably been hit the hardest with COVID-19.

St. John’s is the hottest team in the country. Winners of five straight, including wins against Villanova and Connecticut, instantly put the Johnnies back on the bubble. Mike Anderson has the Red Storm peaking at the right time. Their up-tempo style is providing fits for a conference that struggles offensively.

The combination of Julian Champagnie and Posh Alexander is bringing the hard-hitting brand of basketball back to New York. They dominated the second half against Villanova, so confidence should be at an all-time high. That being said, a hot St. John’s team traveling to a laboring Providence team is a humongous letdown spot. They have to take care of business to remain on the bubble. With a loss, the Red Storm are who we thought they were.

Lastly, Seton Hall is another team that is hard to figure out. For me, the Pirates are another team that I think is great on paper. There’s experience, there’s a star player, and there’s depth. However, your record is what your record says.

Kevin Willard’s bunch is 10-8. You can argue that they don’t have any bad losses, but at some point, you have to win a game against a good team. It’s been a struggle for Sandro Mamukelashvili and company to play with consistency.

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