Player of the Year
Markus Howard, Marquette
The Big East’s top scorer has led Marquette to the five seed in the NCAA tournament and the two seed in the Big East. He had a special year averaging 25 points per game while also finishing sixth in assists per game with 3.9.
He’s been one of college basketball’s most dangerous scorers this season. Howard was on a scoring tear this season. He set the Big East record with 53 points against Creighton. He also scored 45 points against both Kansas State and Buffalo, who were four and six seeds in the NCAA tournament. He hit the 30-point mark 10 times this season. While he didn’t play very well in the final game against Murray State, he was playing with a wrist injury and that doesn’t overshadow the spectacular season that he had.
Coach of the Year
Jay Wright, Villanova
The coach of the Wildcats has managed to do it again. Despite losing four of their key players from last year’s championship team, he still managed to produce wins. The Wildcats were 26-10 this season, including a 13-5 record in the Conference and they were the top seed in the Big East tournament. He has two NCAA titles and is Villanova’s all-time winningest coach. The Wildcats have won three of the last four Big East Tournament titles.
Defensive Player of the Year
Justin Simon, St. John’s
This season Justin Simon solidified himself as the best perimeter defender in the Big East conference. He became the third player in the program’s history to win Defensive player of the Year. He ranked third on the team seventh overall in steals with 1.4. Even though his steals dropped from last year, his perimeter defense took a huge leap forward. Simon also lead the team in blocks with 19. He defended the other team’s best perimeter player and answered the challenge. He helped hold Markus Howard to just over 12 points per game, on 21.8 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from the 3-point line in the two games against Marquette. Against Villanova, he helped hold Eric Paschall and Phil Booth to 4-22 shooting as they won 71-65. St. John’s as a team ranks 33rd in turnovers forced per game and 12th in steals per game.
Biggest Surprise
Last year Marquette was sixth in the Big East, this season they jumped all the way up to second behind the play of Markus Howard. They finished 9-9 against Big East opponents last season, this year they were 12-6 against the conference. The team’s defense got a lot better, jumping from 312th in points allowed per game, all the way to 123rd. Their offense took a step back this season, but they managed to add more wins to and get a #5 seed in the NCAA tournament. Look for them to continue to improve as they look to go even further in next year’s tournament.
Biggest Disappointment
Providence
Before the season began, Providence was picked to finish the season fourth in the Big East. They finished the season second to last in the conference with an 18-16 record and a 7-11 record against the rest of the conference. After finishing the regular season last year 21-13, there was expectations that even if they didn’t take a leap and surpass the better teams in their conference such as Creighton, Villanova, and Xavier. They weren’t supposed to take a big step back like they did this year. They had a winning record against their conference last season, this year they struggled. They had the lowest offensive rating of all the teams in the Big East. Although to their credit they had the second lowest defensive rating of the conference. Overall however, Providence took a big step back this past season.
Most Improved Player
Paul Reed, DePaul
After averaging 3 points and 3 rebounds per game last season in limited minutes, Paul Reed became the first DePaul player to win Most Improved Player. He improved on his stats across the board. In conference games, he raised his game even further, averaging 13 points and 9 rebounds per game. Last season in conference games, he only averaged 5 points and 4 rebounds and struggled with his efficiency from the 3point line and the free throw line.
All Big East
First Team
Myles Powell, Seton Hall
Markus Howard, Marquette
Shamorie Ponds, St. John’s
Phil Booth, Villanova
Eric Paschall, Villanova
Jessie Govan, Georgetown
Second Team
Kamar Baldwin, Butler
Max Strus, DePaul
Sam Hauser, Marquette
Alpha Diallo, Providence
Naji Marshall, Xavier
Power Rankings
1.Villanova
2.Marquette
3.Creighton
4.Georgetown
5.Xavier
6.DePaul
7.Seton Hall
8.St. John’s
9.Butler
10.Providence
