The holidays are here and you know what that means: conference season is just around the corner! With the start of the Big East season only a couple of weeks away, let's take a quick step back and reflect on some things that have transpired during non conference play.
Can anyone stop Kemba Walker?
Perhaps the biggest individual story this year in college basketball is Kemba Walker. Walker came into this season as one of the favorites to capture Big East Player of the Year honors, so the fact he looks well on his way to doing so hasn't come as a surprise. However, no one expected him to be crushing the competition the way he has thus far. Last year, as a sophomore, Walker put up very strong fantasy numbers of 14.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists. While his rebounds and assists numbers have stayed relatively the same (rebounds are up to 5.4 and assists are actually down to 4.0), he has nearly doubled his points per game to 28.1. In eight games, Walker has yet to score less than 18 points (and his 18-point game was the opener). Since then, he hasn't scored less than 21 points and has poured in 30 or more in four games with his best effort a 42-point performance against Vermont on November 17. The question on everyone's mind is whether or not Walker can keep it up come conference play. Perhaps Walker's most impressive stats are his field goal and three-point percentage numbers. He is shooting at an astounding 54% from the field and 43% from three-point land, while averaging just about 17 shots a game. If he can stay relatively close to those percentages, not only will he capture Big East conference player of the year honors, but will likely be the frontrunner for national collegiate player of the year as well.
Providence 's Dynamic Duo
Another player who has been nearly as dominant as Walker so far this season is Providence wing Marshon Brooks. Brooks has come a long way from his freshman season, showing steady improvement each year and is the biggest reason as to why Providence is off to its best 12-game start in many years at 10-2. He is putting up gaudy numbers all across the fantasy spectrum. Through twelve games, the senior forward is posting averages of 22.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.8 steals. In his last six games alone, Brooks has not scored less than 26 points and has reached 33 points twice. Brooks isn't alone though. Fellow friar, Vincent Council, has also been a pleasant surprise. The sophomore point guard is seventh in the nation at 7.0 assists to go along with 16 points and 4.6 rebounds a night. His best performance of the season came on December 4 against Brown, when he scored 19 points and dished out 16 dimes. If these two can keep up this level of play, look for Providence to finish in the top quarter of the conference and possibly make a run to the sweet 16.
A Look at some of the Big East's Bigs
It's time to take a look at some of the conference bigs. Let's start with some of the disappointments. West Virginia power forward Kevin Jones was expected by many (yours truly included) to move into the upper echelon of the Big East and burst onto the national scene this year. So far though, Jones has had a rough go of it. Perhaps defenses are more focused on him this year with the likes of Da'Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks having moved on, but Jones' numbers are actually down slightly all across the board. If West Virginia has any hopes of postseason play, they will need Jones to become the true number one option Mountaineer fans were expecting prior to the season.
Another disappointment so far has been the play of South Florida forward/center duo Augustus Gilchrist and Jarrid Famous. As recently as a couple days ago, after having missed the Bulls last two games, Augustus Gilchrist is apparently done at South Florida, at least according to head coach Stan Heath. Their production had been down this year as well but in the last game Famous had his best game of the season going for 15 points and six rebounds. Perhaps better things are yet to come for the senior big man.
DePaul junior center Krys Faber has finally started to blossom a bit this season. Last year, Faber averaged just 2.4 points and three rebounds a game. This year, Faber has upped those totals to nine points and 5.4 rebounds in 25 minutes a night. How will he fair in the rugged Big East?
Villanova sophomore center Mouphtaou Yarou is finally healthy and is playing a lot more minutes this season, and as a result his production has nearly doubled. Last year, in fifteen minutes a game, Yarou averaged 4.5 points and 3.7 rebounds a game. So far this season, in 25 minutes a contest, Yarou has upped his output to 8.4 points and 8.8 boards a game. Look for even more improvement from Yarou as the season goes along as he continues to get more experience under his belt.
Terrence Jennings of Louisville and Julian Vaughn of Georgetown are both having solid seasons as well, putting up totals of 9.6 points/5.9 rebounds and 9.4 points/7.1 rebounds respectively.
During the offseason, it wasn't even clear if Seton Hall forward/center Herb Pope would ever step foot on the court again. After collapsing at practice in the offseason due to heart related issues, Pope's workload has been reduced to start the season. Down to 22 minutes a game, from 30 last season, his numbers have taken a slight hit, but as the season progresses, look for him to play more minutes, and eventually get back to the double double average of nearly 11 points and 12 boards that he put up last season.
Finally, we get to the two individuals who have not only made the biggest jump this season as far as conference big men are concerned, but also may just be playing the best of any big men in conference. Sophomore center Alex Oriakhi of Connecticut and power forward Rick Jackson of Syracuse have been huge keys to their respective teams early season success. Through eight games, Oriakhi is averaging 11.4 points and 10.4 rebounds a game. He is also averaging 2.8 blocks per contest. This is what UConn fans were hoping for when Oriakhi arrived last season. Look for his dominant play to continue throughout the conference season.
Jackson has been an absolute beast this season. In a November 16 win over Detroit, Jackson grabbed an amazing 22 rebounds. As far as big men go, few put up better numbers across the board than Jackson has thus far. If Jackson can stay anywhere near his averages of 14 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.4 steals a game, he is a a sure-fire lock for first team all Big East.
It's been an exciting non conference season. If even some of the above mentioned players can keep up their production, it looks as though we've got another great season of Big East basketball ahead of us!