When the BIG EAST tips off conference play Wednesday night with a four-game slate, it will have been 268 days since Kris Jenkins’ miraculous three-pointer at the buzzer helped Villanova defeat North Carolina for the NCAA National Championship.
Now it’s back to work for the current No. 1 team in the country.
“We feel pretty good about where we are eight now,” Villanova head coach Jay Wright said Tuesday. “Not as much because of our national ranking but more it’s just that we feel like we’re progressing and getting better. So we’re excited to start the BIG EAST season.”
DePaul will have first shot at the Wildcats when the Blue Demons travel to the Main Line to take on a Villanova team that has not lost a game since last March 12 when they lost to Seton Hall in the BIG EAST Tournament championship game. Since then the Wildcats have won a national title and have reeled off 18 straight victories as they stand at 12-0 this season as conference play tips off.
The Villanova-DePaul tilt will be the first of Wednesday’s four games to tip off when it gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Other games Wednesday night include Providence at Xavier at 7 p.m., Seton Hall at Creighton at 8 p.m. and Georgetown at Marquette at 8:30 p.m.
St. John’s will host Butler Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Carnesecca Arena.
DePaul will arrive at Villanova with sophomore guard Eli Cain, who will enter the game tied for the scoring lead in the BIG EAST with Georgetown’s Rodney Pryor at 20.5 points per game. Cain will be a big part of the future for a Blue Demons team that comes in with a 7-6 record after a loss to Missouri State in Las Vegas.
But Blue Demons coach Dave Leitao knows he will have his hands full with the national champs on their home turf Wednesday night.
“As we face Villanova, it is the ultimate challenge,” Leitao said. “They are the number one team in the country who hasn’t lost since last year and plays with a ton of confidence. Playing them in their building is a challenge for our guys and I think they understand that and they know it. So we’re preparing to go in there and play our hearts out.”
Seton Hall, the defending BIG EAST Tournament champions, will face off against a Creighton team that comes in with a spotless 12-0 record and is currently ranked 10th in the nation. It should prove to be a challenging two-game homestand for the Bluejays, who will face Villanova in their second conference game on New Year’s Eve.
“Obviously I’m pleased with where we are today. I probably wouldn’t have guessed with a couple of the new pieces we had to fit into out lineup that we’d be sitting with an unblemished record,” Creighton head coach Greg McDermott said. “(But) we’re going to find out a lot about ourselves. Obviously there have been some games where we’ve had to pass some tests. Certainly Wisconsin in the second game of the season was a great rest for us and then going on the road to the Virgin Islands and playing Washington State, North Carolina State and Ole Miss on the heels of that Wisconsin win, the guys passed that test. Then going into Nebraska for the first time for a rivalry game and finding a way to get that done. So far so good. (But) this will be the stiffest test. Obviously Seton Hall is a great basketball team and Villanova is terrific. But our community is excited. We’ll have in excess of 36,000 people watch the two games combined this week so it should be a lot of fun in Omaha.”
The Pirates come into the game with a 10-2 record which includes a win over then-No. 16 South Carolina at Madison Square Garden. So Seton Hall will be looking to add another victory over a nationally-ranked program.
“The game against Creighton is a huge test,” Pirates head coach Kevin Willard said. “They’re one of the most talented teams we’ve seen top to bottom, inside and out. They’re experienced and they’ve added some tremendous players and the guy people aren’t talking about, Khyri Thomas, is probably the most improved player in the league. It’s a great challenge for us and we’re looking forward to getting out to Omaha.”
Xavier, another of the BIG EAST’s four ranked teams – the Musketeers are currently 17th in the nation – come into their home game against Providence sporting a 10-2 record. Coach Chris Mack thinks his team’s challenging non-conference schedule should help the Musketeers now that conference play has arrived.
“We’re happy to be 10-2. I thought we played a very difficult non-conference schedule but it also truly prepared us for the grind of the BIG EAST,” Mack said. “We kick it off with one of the toughest teams in our conference, at last it’s been that way since we entered the league four years ago. Coach Cooley’s teams always do a great job.”
The Friars (10-3), who lost both Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil to the NBA, are now led by Rodney Bullock and his 19.4 points per game. Providence’s opener at Xavier is the first half of a brutal two-game road trip to open the conference season as the Friars will face Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse on New Year’s Day.
That’s just life in the BIG EAST, according to Providence head coach Ed Cooley.
“Watching our league and seeing what it’s doing nationally, I think people still don’t understand how tough this league is night in and night out. I’m very, very impressed with what our league has been able to do (in the non-conference season).”
Providence comes into the game as the stingiest defensive unit in the league as the Friars are allowing just 58.9 points per contest.
“We got to hang our hat on something and right now we’ve definitely been trying to it on the defensive end,” Cooley said.
Georgetown will head to Milwaukee to take on a Marquette team that is second in the league in scoring at 86.4 points a game. Three different players average in double figures (Luke Fischer, Jajuan Johnson and Haanif Cheatham) while four others average nine points per game (Sam Hauser, Katin Reinhardt, Markus Howard and Andrew Rowsey).
“Obviously our team is excited about beginning the BIG EAST season. I think our team has shown through the non-conference (schedule) that when you talk about the best teams in the country, the BIG EAST begins the conversation,” Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowsi said. “Our guys know the challenges that are ahead. I think overall our team has progressed nicely. I’ve been pleased with our unselfishness and our ability to score the basketball. We’re excited to get going and we know the challenges that lie ahead starting with the Georgetown game. Georgetown is a team that has been really impressive to me. I think they are playing their best basketball of the season of late and when you talk about (L.J.) Peak and (Rodney) Pryor you’re talking about two of the better scorers, not only in our conference, but in the United States. It’s going to be a very difficult test for our guys but we’re excited to get going.”
Marquette’s wide array of offensive weapons makes for a pick-your-poison type of defensive strategy for the Hoyas.
“You look at them and they have multiple people that on any given night can go out and get 20, can explode,” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. “Across the board you have to make sure everyone is willing and ready to guard their man. They put pressure on you because of the shooters they have.”
Rounding out the conference openers we’ll see 11-1 Butler, ranked 13th in the country, travelling to Queens to take on Chris Mullin’s St. John’s team. And though the Johnnies won just one conference game this year, their talent cupboard is a bit more stocked this season with the likes of super frosh Shamorie Ponds, who has already landed conference Rookie of the Week honors twice this season.
And though the St. John’s roster remains on the young side, Butler coach Chris Holtmann knows there are no nights off once BIG EAST conference play commences.
“I think it’s a very physical league,” Holtmann said. “I think we all know what’s coming. It’s just an absolute grind every night.”