We are a week into the conference schedule in the Big East. As it stands now, Syracuse, Georgetown and UConn sit at the top of the standings at 2-0. The most surprising result of conference play so far is Pittsburgh sitting at the bottom of the league. The Panthers have lost three in a row including an embarrassing home loss to Wagner. Feel free to insert your own joke about how they’re playing like an ACC team already. From a fantasy perspective, the most interesting game of the year may have already taken place. Double-double machines Herb Pope and Kevin Jones met on December 30 with Pope’s Pirates beating West Virginia 67-49. Still, with two months of the season left, we have plenty of fun games to look forward too. I could probably list about 20. Perry recommended we do five, but since I’m such a nice guy, I’ll give you six.
Wednesday, Jan. 4, Notre Dame at Cincinnati
We get our first look at Cincinnati with Yancy Gates, Cheikh Mbodj, and Octavius Ellis returning from suspension. Out of necessity, Mick Cronin has gone to a four- guard offense and the Bearcats have responded reeling off six consecutive wins since their infamous loss at Xavier. In particular, guard JaQuon Parker has flourished in Gates’ absence averaging 12 points with an eFG% of 68.4 this season. It will be interesting to see if Cronin sticks with the smaller lineup or if he prefers to have more size on the floor to help combat the glass cleaning ability of Notre Dame’s Jack Cooley.
Thursday, Jan. 5, Pittsburgh at DePaul
If you like points, and more specifically contrasting styles, you should probably tune into this one. At 63 possessions per game, the Panthers play at one of the slowest tempos in the country (number 314 in the country according to KenPom to be exact). They are also top ten in the country in offensive efficiency going against a DePaul team near the bottom in the Big East allowing almost a point per possession. On the other hand, Oliver Purnell’s squad plays at the fastest tempo in the league (72 possessions) and with Cleveland Melvin and Brandon Young, they could give a Pitt team that ranks dead last in the conference allowing 1.04 points per possession much trouble. Add in that this is as close to a must-win for Pitt as you can possibly have just five days into the New Year, and I’ll certainly be watching.
Saturday, Jan. 7, Seton Hall at Providence
On paper this matchup doesn’t offer much, but in the wake of conference realignment, I’m a sucker for a game between two old Big East schools like these. It does give us a look at two of the best players for fantasy production in the country: the aforementioned Pope and Vincent Council. For a NCAA Tournament hopeful like Seton Hall, this is the kind of game they have to win. It’s on the road, and they’re coming off a big home game against UConn, so it is a tough spot. Lastly, an interesting note about Providence: Council, LaDontae Henton, Gerard Coleman, and Bryce Cotton each play over 85% of all available minutes. That is a lack of depth Thad Matta would be proud of.
Wednesday, Feb. 8, Georgetown at Syracuse
In case you were wondering if I would profile a game that wasn’t being played this week, here you go. It’s the most famous of all Big East basketball rivalries and it’s one of your last chances to enjoy it before Syracuse leaves for the ACC. Will Syracuse still be undefeated going into this game? Outside of a home game against Marquette and a road tilt at Cincinnati, I don’t see the Orange getting challenged with how efficiently they’re playing both offensively and defensively. The Hoyas continue to defy preseason expectations with a 12-1 record and a pair of strong road wins (against Alabama and Louisville). They’re playing almost as well as Syracuse now, but with the tougher schedule ahead, I’m doubtful that will still be the case a month from now.
Monday, Jan. 16, Louisville at Marquette
This should be a pivotal game between two rivals who have struggled recently. Louisville lost back-to back games to Georgetown and at Kentucky while Marquette has lost two out of their last 4 and found it difficult to put away Villanova at home New Year’s Day. With St. John’s, Providence, Notre Dame, and DePaul on the schedule, Rick Pitino’s squad come into this game with a four-game win streak. Marquette’s schedule is immensely tougher with road games against Georgetown, Syracuse and then home games against St. John’s and Pittsburgh. A potential Jae Crowder-Chane Behanan matchup should be fun to watch. That is if Behanan can stay out of foul trouble unlike the game against Kentucky. Also, I mixed up the dates. I am aware this is out of chronological order.
Monday, Feb. 20, UConn at Villanova
Since I tried not to use the same team twice, it was hard finding a game to fit the Huskies in. This matchup features two of the best fantasy centers around with Andre Drummond and Mouphtaou Yarou and while Villanova probably isn’t an NCAA Tournament team this year, it is still one of the classic Big East rivalries I hold dear. Even though the game is over a month away, it is hard to see how Villanova can win seeing how they’re shooting. Obviously circumstances can change (e.g. injuries, players improve over the season), but I don’t see how Nova can score consistently. The Huskies don’t give up points in the paint and no matter how hard Villanova tries; they can’t make perimeter shots. Nova ranks next to last in the Big East in three-point percentage (30.3%) and first in the Big East in three-pointers attempted (300). It would be nice if Jay Wright’s young team could be on the bubble by the time Valentine’s Day rolls around and make this game matter more, but I’m skeptical.