The power vacuum in the Big East for men’s basketball is wide open for the 2022-23 season. Villanova didn’t take long to nose-dive following Jay Wright’s retirement. The Wildcats are off to a 5-5 start and are 0-5 in road and neutral games.
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But this hasn’t been a typical season for the league that has produced so much excellent basketball since the league started in the early 1980s. Creighton, which fought its way to the top 10 in the early-season polls, suffered a five-game losing streak to tumble out of the rankings entirely. Patrick Ewing looks like he may be getting terminated after Georgetown has continued its struggles this season.
Here’s a look at the top three teams that may be able to survive the NCAAB schedule and win the Big East.
Hurley’s Huskies have juice
UConn, which -110 to win the Big East, have been carrying the flag for the league all season. The Huskies have impressed during their 11-0 start to the year, winning each game by double figures. UConn’s best win came over then-No. 18 Alabama.
But the Huskies have collected wins over Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Florida and Oregon as well. UConn has a balanced and experienced lineups. Four Huskies average in double figures scoring.
Adama Sanogo, a forward for the Huskies, has been putting up 18.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Jordan Hawks is second the team by averaging 14.4 points per game. Connecticut ranks 13th nationally by putting up 85 points per game.
Connecticut is also a vicious defensive team. The Huskies limit opponents to 58.5 points per game and are 10-0-1 against the spread. Connecticut will be difficult to ebat.
Creighton desperate to snap out of slump
The BlueJays opened the season by wowing the general public by making a run to the Maui Invitational final. At the Maui Invite, Creighton dropped a two-point loss to No. 14 Arizona in the tournament final, but looked like a team destined to pile up vicotories.
Not much seems to be going right for Creighton, which is +215 to win the Big East, since it returned from Hawaii. The Bluejays have taken five losses, which range from the understandable, a five-point loss to No. 2 Texas, to the bizarre, like a 10-point loss to in-state rival Nebraska.
What Creighton hopes is that center Ryan Kalkbrenner can get back into the lineup quickly. He has missed the past few games with an illness. Kalkbrenner has put up 15.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game when healthy.
Creighton has plenty of scoring options with five players averaging in double figures. The Bluejays will need to get healthy and tighten up on defense to stay in the chase for the conference title.
Musketeers ready to break through
Xavier, which is +850 to win the Big East, hasn’t shied away from tough competition during the non-conference schedule. The Musketeers are 8-3. All three of Xavier’s losses have come against ranked opposition.
While the Musketeers don’t necessarily have a standout win, they do have some notable names on their result. Xavier has taken down West Virginia, Cincinnati and Florida. The Musketeers also took Indiana and Gonzaga down to the wire before losing.
Souley Bourn leads Xavier in scoring, putting up 17 points per game. Forward Jack Nunge has also been a major contributor, putting up 15.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. The Musketeers have shined on offense, ranking 19th nationally in points per game, sixth in field goal percentage and eighth in 3-point field goal percentage.
Xavier has struggled on defense. The Musketeers have allowed 72.5 points per game while allowing opponent’s to knock down 38.1 percent of their 3-pointers.