Around the Big East: Two-Horse Race for First Headlines Weekend Ahead

Story posted February 25, 2021 in CommRadio, Sports by Charlie Murray

It was a pretty routine week around the Big East with only a handful of surprises.

The conference still lays claim to two top-15 teams in No. 13 Creighton and No. 8 Villanova.

Since its loss two weeks ago to Creighton, Villanova has been back on the main line playing two games in a row at the Pavilion. A strong performance and win against UConn was enough to get the Wildcats back on track after the prior 16-point loss to the Bluejays.

In a Tuesday revenge game against St. John’s, the Wildcats certainly had their way with the Red Storm, crushing them 81-58.

Villanova will take on Butler in Indianapolis on Sunday. Butler comes into this game after losing three of its last four games, but the Bulldogs did knock off Seton Hall on Wednesday to break that streak.

Butler has played well at home this year with a 7-4 record at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Guard Chuck Harris has led the way with 11.6 points, two rebounds and two assists per game. The Bulldogs will have to ask a lot of him to play exceptionally well against Villanova’s star duo of Collin Gillespie and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

Look for this one to be a competitive matchup, but Villanova should ultimately come away with the win.

The only other Big East team in the top 25, No. 13 Creighton, is on a tear right now, having won seven of its last ten games. In their last game against DePaul, the Bluejays easily handled the Blue Demons, downing them 77-53. Three players for Creighton led all scorers with 13-point performances: Marcus Zegarowski, Denzel Mahoney and Christian Bishop.

Creighton will take on Xavier this Saturday in Cincinnati. Xavier hasn't played well as of late, losing three of its last four. However, the Musketeers are still 12-5 on the year and are in fifth place in the Big East. Zach Freemantle and Paul Scruggs have led the way for Xavier, with Freemantle averaging almost 17 points per game and nine rebounds.

Although this will be a tough matchup for Xavier, it wouldn't be a surprise to see an upset in this game.

Other Big East teams in action this weekend include UConn, which hosts Marquette. Marquette has won two in a row coming into this game, including a win against North Carolina on Wednesday in Chapel Hill.

The Georgetown Hoyas will travel to the Windy City to take on DePaul. The Hoyas have won four of their last seven, while DePaul has only one win in its last seven games. This game will be a struggle for DePaul, as the Hoyas look to continue their good play as of late.

 

Charlie Murray is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email charliemurray175@gmail.com.

About the Contributors

Charlie Murray's photo

Charlie Murray

/