The B.East Report: The players that make the teams

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As February draws closer to its end, the Madness of March quickly approaches. Good thing for me, since I’ve been studying the Big East intently. This year, my bracket will tear it up.

If only, if only. As if knowledge factors into bracket predictions. As if one can ever actually predict the Final Four. I love the NCAA Basketball Tournament for that very reason. Underdogs bite as No. 1 seeds realize how pointless their numbers really are.

But maybe a bit of education will help you all. This week, take a look at the most valuable guards and forwards/centers of the Big East. Maybe you’ll get lucky.

 

The Most Valuable Guards of the Big East

 

1. Senior Darius Johnson-Odom of the Marquette Golden Eagles

Darius Johnson-Odom is the spine of the Marquette Golden Eagles. He and forward Jae Crowder provide the field ammunition that has made the team No. 13 in the country and a deadly Big East force.

Johnson-Odom sinks 18.6 points per game, the highest for any guard in the conference. In fact, he hits 40 percent of his three-pointers. This has allowed Marquette to recover from huge deficits, such as an 18-point one against Villanova. Indeed, in three of Marquette’s five losses, the sniper was kept below 18 points.

Johnson-Odom is the adaptive gene of Marquette’s golden adaptability. He is a winner; when he wants the ball, he finishes.

Plus, he can dunk.

 

2.  Sophomore Sean Kilpatrick of the Cincinnati Bearcats

I simply respect this player. Even after the brawl suspensions, this young athlete stepped up to help Cincy to a seven-game winning streak immediately after the Xavier game. With Yancy Gates back, the Bearcats pursued a record of 9-5 in the Big East.

Kilpatrick throws up 15 points per game, making it his job to save the team. That especially shined in their upset of Connecticut, when the young guard sank a game-winning three within the final five seconds.

Kilpatrick also gets to the hoop with his five rebounds per game, earning his 43 percent shooting rate. As a senior, maybe we’ll see Kilpatrick lead this team to a Big East Tournament championship, or even to the Final Four.

 

3. Junior Maalik Wayns of the Villanova Wildcats

The Wildcats have only won four games in the Big East. That’s 4-10. Yet Maalik Wayns is the shining light of Villanova. He has done his damndest to rally the ‘Cats. Unfortunately, he has no consistent help from an experienced forward.

But look at the numbers. 17.8 points per game with 4.0 rebounds per game. Oh, and if he didn’t want to shoot the ball, he can just dish out his 4.5 assists per game.  And 90 percent from the charity stripe. In five different games, he shot for at least 25 points. Against Cincinnati, which the Cats still lost, he shot an incredible 55 percent from the field for 39 points. Those are NBA numbers right there.

He thrives under head coach Jay Wright’s guard-centric play. Good thing ‘Nova has him locked up for another year.

 

4. Senior Jason Clark of the Georgetown Hoyas

For a guard, defense is just as important as as offense. And Jason Clark, despite the fact that he plays on a team with premier forwards, shines in his shots and his steals.

With his 14.9 points per game, Clark also races around the court to thieve the ball away from opponents, acquiring 45 steals on the season. At 6-feet-2-inches and 180 pounds, this player’s patience and speed allows Georgetown’s forwards to easily move the ball to the perimeter in times of a collapsing defense.

These instances of superior play has allowed Georgetown to achieve a No. 9 ranking. The balanced play of Georgetown relies upon Jason Clark, and it will certainly serve them in the NCAA Tournament.

 

5. Senior Scoop Jardine of the Syracuse Orange

I can’t forget about Syracuse. Granted, Jim Boeheim excels at deepening his bench by relying on multiple guards and a big forward to confuse defenses and ultimately master the ball. However, for a team that ranks 11^th in the nation in assists (16.6 apg), the man who fires off the most should be recognized.

That player is Scoop Jardine, who appropriately “scoops” the ball 4.9 times a game. He does this while making 48.6 percent of his field goals. Granted, he shoots 8.4 points per game, but those assists should certainly count.

Guards must be able to shoot from the perimeter and establish shot opportunities on offense. Jardine does both effectively.

Indeed, assists define this team in more than one way. Syracuse is the very definition of a selfless team. Despite being No. 2 in the country, senior Kris Joseph is the most prolific scorer at 14 points per game. They don’t look to one leader; each member looks to each other as trustworthy equals.

Scoop Jardine, for throwing the most assists on this special team, deserves some recognition.

 

Honorable Mention

 

Sophomore Russ Smith of the Louisville Cardinals

Smith deserves a mention for his 55 total steals and 2.2 steals per game, one of the best in the Big East. As a sophomore, definitely look  for this number to only increase.

 

Junior Junior Cadougan of the Marquette Golden Eagles

The Golden Eagles pitch even more assists than Syracuse, with 17.5 per game (7^th in the NCAA). Junior Cadougan throws almost a third of those with his 5.6 apg. Again, this is another instance of unselfish play in the Big East, which translates into excellence. Marquette is 12^th in the nation. I’m detecting a pattern.

 

The Most Valuable Forwards/Centers

1. Senior Jae Crowder of the Marquette Golden Eagles

I mean, did anybody really not expect this? Jae Crowder and Johnson-Odom compose the essential skill of Marquette’s team. True, you have the glue of such players as Todd Mayo and Junior Cadougan and the size of Davante Gardner, but these all serve to supplement a great core. Crowder crowds the hoop, getting even more rebounds than Gardner or any other member of the team.

Crowder scores 16.7 points per game and grabs 7.7 rebounds a game. On the season, that’s 209 total, with forty-nine offensive. Plus the man can shoot his threes (38.5 percent from the arc), as you can see in his double-doubled upset of UConn.

He is a Michelangelo of the court; the speed of his hands visible through his 60 steals. He is a triple threat, for even if he can’t put up a lay-up or shoot the three, he can dish it to Johnson-Odom, Mayo, Jamil Wilson or Cadougan with his 2 assists per game.

Indeed, the team that seizes a grip down the stretch of March Madness has a high-scoring forward with an accurate sniper of a guard. Marquette has the makings of a Final Four team.

 

2. Senior Kevin Jones of the West Virginia Mountaineers

True, West Virginia is only .500 in the Big East. They are also only 1-5 against AP ranked teams. Yet Kevin Jones is the most prolific scorer in the Big East. He averages—yes, averages—double-doubles. 20.6 points per game, the most in the Big East, and 11.2 rebounds per game. Kevin Jones is a beast in the East, and he lives in the mountains.

Jones is bound for the NBA Draft with these numbers. Unfortunately, West Virginia may not even get a seed in the NCAA Tournament. Fact is, head coach Bob Huggins overworks Jones, who plays an average of 38.3 minutes every game. Nobody on the Mountaineers can match his skill, which makes this team over-reliant on their prized forward.

Plus, he’s not the best on defense with only 30 blocks. Syracuse’s Fab Melo has swatted away 74 shots, despite missing three games. Louisville’s Gorgui Dieng has racked up 90 blocks this season.

That may be West Virginia’s main issue: defense.

 

3. Senior Henry Sims of Georgetown Hoyas

Of course, the triple-forward team offers up one of the best centers in the Big East. Henry Sims takes number 3 here for his balance. Why Henry Sims? He’s not the top scorer on the team; he doesn’t even have the most rebounds.

Yet he puts up 11.5 points per game regardless, along with grabbing 5.5 rebounds per game and tossing 3.5 assists. He throws the most assists on the team as a center with 90 on the season. He also has grabbed the second-most offensive rebounds on the team at 41. That’s deadly force, considering Sims gladly will throw the brick to the perimeter without any hesitation.

At 6-feet-10 inches, he leads the team with 38 blocks. Sims literally is the keystone of the Hoyas as he serves every member of the team, whether they’re guards or forwards. I definitely believe that every Hoya looks up to this center, which is an apt description for both his position and role.

 

4. Junior Jack Cooley of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame surged from an unranked status to No. 18 inthe ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Did anybody see this coming? This is the only team that has defeated the Orange Tower of Syracuse. One of the factors of this success is Jack Cooley, who, yes, can dunk.

Cooley, first of all, shoots an incredible 61.8 percent from the field for 12.2 points per game. Of course, don’t let that distract you from his 242 rebounds, 104 of them offensive. That’s better than Jae Crowder. This from a junior?

Plus, his thirty-nine blocks certainly don’t scratch the gold off his uniform. Cooley is an essential force to this team, especially when he counted up a double-double against No. 2 Syracuse. Don’t underestimate Cooley, just as you shouldn’t underestimate the Fighting Irish. They have teamwork and a soul. They also do not have high expectations and nothing to lose coming into this season unranked.

 

5. Sophomore Gorgui Dieng of the Louisville Cardinals

Definitely can’t forget about Louisville. Dieng is the youngest forward on this list. Forget his 9.2 rebounds per game (248 on the season, including 101 offensive). Forwards need to defend with their long, stretching arms. It is just as important as the lay-up or the rebound.

Dieng leads the Big East with 90 blocks (3.3 bpg). Did you watch that video. Is that still a basketball, or just a dead fly? This may help explain the Cardinals’ No. 17 ranking. Having skilled forwards should provide an intimidation factor, especially in this behemoth of a conference. Dieng provides just that with his 6-feet-11-inch frame and 235 pounds.

If this forward can convert more of his rebounds into points, he may become the next Kevin Jones. He has two more years; keep your tabs.

 

Honorable Mention

 

Senior Yancy Gates of the Cincinnati Bearcats

Despite being suspended for six games, Gates has helped the Bearcats retain a 9-5 record in the Big East, along with a .500 win rate (3-3) against AP ranked teams. He puts up 12.6 points per game and grabs 9.3 rebounds per game. He is one of the four legs of the Bearcats with 186 rebounds on the season.

 

Sophomore Fab Melo of the Syracuse Orange

Frankly, if Melo did not miss three games due to academic issues, he may be tied with Gorgui Dieng for blocks. With 74 total blocks and 5.5 rebounds per game, Melo is still developing his play in this superior program. At 7-feet and 255 pounds, he will only further become an orange tree growing in the cold, New York paint.

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