3MW’s All Conference Team:
Player of the Year: Markus Howard, Sr., Marquette
Coach of the Year: Greg McDermott, Creighton
Newcomer of the Year: Luwane Pipkins, R Sr., Providence
Freshman of the Year: Julian Champagnie, St. John's
Season Storylines:
Jays Usurp GQ Jay: No longer the ‘SuperNova’ of years past, the Wildcats’ Big East regular season title belt was ripe for the taking this year. Butler, Marquette and Xavier slowly bowed out of contention by mid-February, leaving Creighton and Seton Hall left with Nova in a three-team game of hot potato for the Big East regular season crown. No one delivered the necessary knockout punch to claim the outright conference title, but Creighton’s 3-1 record against Nova and Hall earned the Jays the top seed this weekend by virtue of a tiebreaker. Greg McDermott never imagined he’d ever see another team rival the offensive firepower his son’s 2013-14 squad possessed, but this year’s rendition is a special brew – Godspeed on your recovery, Zegs.
Friars Fixed: Excuse the repulsive comparison, but Providence is the Big East cockroach: you might think you’ve killed it after three vicious stomps, but it somehow still survives…
The Friars were as good as dead on multiple occasions this year, but Ed Cooley’s resilient bunch promptly hopped back off the mat and punched back every time their backs were against the wall. Veterans Luwane Pipkins, Alpha Diallo and Maliek White are shepherding a talented youth movement, as the Friars’ envious blend of proven experience and youthful upside is manifesting in a team no one wants to play right now.D.C. Circus: This section would lose all credibility if we failed to mention Georgetown’s season long soap opera. First was the exodus (James Akinjo, Josh LeBlanc, etc.). Then came the injuries (Mac McClung and Omer Yurtseven). The depleted roster explains how Jagan Mosely has played more minutes than any other player in the Big East this season.
Demon Curse: Soooo that #RankDePaul movement on Twitter aged well… Dave Leitao’s upgraded talent supply looked far from a farce in November, after racking up head-turning wins at Iowa, at Minnesota and over Texas Tech. Then, it all came unraveled when the Demons lost at home to Buffalo, allowing the Bulls to bully them on the glass for 40 straight minutes. From there, there was no stopping the bleeding and the Blue Demons nestled right back into their safe space at the bottom of the Big East totem pole.
Tournament Preview
Nothing beats the Big East Tournament at the Garden. Nothing…
*end of tournament breakdown*
Tournament Predictions
Villanova’s won this thing three years in a row, and the bracket sets up favorably for a fourth straight title. The Wildcats are a favorable matchup against Seton Hall in the Semis and a potential showdown with Creighton in the finals may not be in the cards if Marcus Zegarowski misses an extended period of time.
(8) Georgetown over (9) St. John’s
(7) Xavier over (10) DePaul
(1) Creighton over (8) Georgetown
(5) Butler over (4) Providence
(2) Villanova over (7) Xavier
(6) Marquette over (3) Seton Hall
(5) Butler over (1) Creighton
(2) Villanova over (6) Marquette
(2) Villanova over (5) Butler