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NCAA Basketball Roundtable: Is Villanova still the best team in Big East?

By Tristan Freeman

Dec 12, 2021; Waco, Texas, USA; Villanova Wildcats head coach Jay Wright reacts to a call against the Baylor Bears during the second half at Ferrell Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 12, 2021; Waco, Texas, USA; Villanova Wildcats head coach Jay Wright reacts to a call against the Baylor Bears during the second half at Ferrell Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports /
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NCAA Basketball Wisconsin Badgers guard Johnny Davis Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Basketball Wisconsin Badgers guard Johnny Davis Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Who is the current National Breakout Player of the Year?

Mauro

This may sound a little bit out there but I am going to go with David Roddy from Colorado State.  Roddy is the go-to guy for an undefeated and ranked Rams team.  The guard was always a good player but he was never the star for Colorado State and no one really expected him to be.  He is a fantastic rebounder, gets to the rim, hits a ton of shots from deep, and anchors the defense.  He is going to get consideration for the Wooden Award this year.

Burgess

It has to be Johnny Davis right? We expected the Badgers’ sophomore to have an increased role, but I’m not sure who could see 20 points, six boards, and leading the 8-2 Badgers in assists and steals.

Melton

Iowa forward Keegan Murray. One of the top scorers in the country, Murray has jumped from 7.2 PPG last season to 22.2 PPG now and has cemented himself in year two as one of the top overall players in the Big Ten.

Heiser

Given that Jaden Ivey was pegged by most preseason projections as a breakout candidate, the true surprise star of the season has been Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis. The sophomore guard has exploded onto the scene, averaging 20.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game to start the year.

The Badgers were expected to be Brad Davison and a bunch of dudes, but Johnny Davis came out of nowhere and made this his team. Davis has fueled Wisconsin’s strong start to the season, with six of their eight wins coming against KenPom top-100 teams.

Zacher

You think we would learn to not bet against Scott Drew’s ability to keep Baylor at the forefront of college basketball – and I don’t think that is necessarily out of line, considering just how much the Bears lost from last season’s national championship team.  But if you had told me that LJ Cryer would be the Bears’ leading scorer with six double-digit performances – all the while coming off the bench for nearly every game this year – after averaging 3.4 points past year, I would’ve told you that you were insane.

Add onto the fact that the Bears are now the number one team in the nation, and I would’ve told you that you were doubly insane.  That’s nothing against Cryer at all, but the guard struggled shooting the ball last year – and is now one of the best shooters in the country at 60.5% from inside and 47.2% from outside the arc.  I figured his numbers would improve given the departures of Baylor’s four-guard lineup from last season, but I didn’t think it would be this extreme.

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