Big East Feast Week in Review
Posted by Justin Kundrat on November 29th, 2016There was plenty of Feast Week action involving Big East teams over the last week as a number of conference members took part in various events and tournaments. Four teams squared off in multiple games over a handful of days, gathering valuable experience and, in some cases, resume-enhancing wins. Below is a summary of Feast Week takeaways from Butler, Seton Hall, St. John’s and Providence.
Butler (Las Vegas Invitational)
Butler (USA Today Images)
Butler entered Feast Week as a borderline Top 25 team with a number of questions about production on the offensive end. In just two days in the desert, many of those questions were answered. A formerly shaky interior scoring team has completely revamped itself into one of the most efficient offensive squads in college basketball. The Bulldogs have outside shooters in Avery Woodson (45.7%) and Sean McDermott (38.9%), as well as a number of patient rim-attacking options in Kelan Martin, Andrew Chrabascz and Kamar Baldwin. Baldwin has been the biggest surprise for Chris Holtmann’s group, as the hyperactive freshman has been a crucial piece in generating turnovers and applying help defense in the zone to slow penetration. Most importantly, Butler has transformed from a positionally confined team to one that can size up or size down to match the opposition. The additions of 6’10” Nate Fowler and 6’11” Joey Brunk gave the Bulldogs enough frontcourt depth to match the Power 5 size of Arizona and Vanderbilt in holding both teams below 1.00 point per possession. The Bulldogs’ championship game win over #8 Arizona spells out a Top 25 ranking for Butler heading into December.
Seton Hall (AdvoCare Invitational)
The Pirates turned opportunities into shortfalls during its Feast Week. Few will fault Seton Hall for a marginal loss to Florida, but a 14-point loss to Stanford in a game in which they committed 23 turnovers and logged only five assists is difficult to fathom. While it is true that top defender Ish Sanogo was out of the lineup, the real question came on the offensive end where the Pirates scored just 0.79 points per possession. Seton Hall’s outside shooting was correspondingly abysmal (7-of-29 in the two losses) and its patented offensive rebounding fortitude failed to create many opportunities. But there’s an important takeaway in all of this: The Pirates struggle against similarly constructed teams (i.e., teams that feature interior size that can challenge shots around the rim and force opponents to become a jump shooters). Point guard Khadeen Carrington’s 55.6 percent three-point shooting has been a pleasant surprise this season, but Myles Powell (36.1%) and Desi Rodriguez (16.7%) are lagging behind, making it difficult for the offense to properly space the floor. Moreover, it’s alarming to see an experienced backcourt turn the ball over on nearly 20 percent of its possessions (201st nationally). On the plus side, the Pirates won’t face many more teams with the size of Florida and Stanford, and the defense will almost certainly return to form. The real question is whether the offense without Isaiah Whitehead can do the same.
St. John’s (Battle 4 Atlantis)
The Red Storm struck out with an 0-3 performance in what proved to be a loaded tournament bracket. The positive takeaway for St. John’s is that one of the youngest teams in the country hung with both Michigan State and VCU until the final minutes of each defeat. Freshman guard Marcus LoVett has demonstrated sensational scoring ability by getting to the line as well as connecting on 41.2 percent of his three-point attempts this season. Yet his outstanding efficiency has been even more impressively outdone by backcourt mate Shamorie Ponds, as the pair have combined to account for nearly 47 percent of the Red Storm’s points. Those notes are encouraging, but the rest of the team still lags on the offensive end. There is no true low post scoring threat on the roster and the team’s rebounding rates are lower than the national average. That said, Chris Mullin has to be excited about the pieces he has in place and it will be fun to measure this team’s progress.
Providence (Emerald Coast Classic)
Early season tournaments for teams coming off the losses of its two best players are usually difficult to endure. But the Friars held up at the Emerald Coast Classic, knocking off an aggressive Memphis team before falling to Virginia in the championship game. The biggest takeaway from this event wasn’t in the result but in the defensive tenacity that is typical of Ed Cooley’s teams. Providence managed to stick around for most of the game with Virginia, one of the most patient and purposeful offensive teams in the country, an encouraging sign for a team that was projected to finish ninth in the Big East. Junior Rodney Bullock has stepped up exactly how the team needed, averaging 19.7 PPG via perimeter shooting and off-the-dribble attacks while holding his own on the defensive end. Moreover, Indiana transfer Emmitt Holt has shored up any concerns around low post scoring, and junior guard Kyron Cartwright has stepped right into the fold as lead guard. Cartwright is averaging a remarkable 8.2 assists per game, which ranks third nationally. His presence on the ball has enabled Cooley to efficiently run offensive sets designed to get Bullock and Holt into scoring positions. The full cachet of Providence’s offensive firepower isn’t fully in place yet, but the Friars are already proving better than expected.
Villanova grad, patiently waiting another 10 years for season tickets. Follow Justin on twitter @JustinKundrat or email him at justin.kundrat@gmail.com
