Battle for first continues
Creighton’s loss at Xavier Saturday and Villanova’s win over Marquette Sunday placed the Wildcats one game ahead of the Bluejays for first place in the Big East.
Each team has two games remaining before the Big East Tournament. Both have to face 7-9 Georgetown, which will be searching for last-minute hope for better seeding in the conference tourney. Villanova has to play 10-6 Xavier, while Creighton battles 9-7 Providence. Creighton lost to Providence in their first meeting in January.
Creighton swept the season series against Villanova, including a 28-point win in Philadelphia Jan. 20. The Bluejays made 21 3-pointers, setting a new conference record.
Regardless, Creighton and Villanova have secured the top two spots and will have excellent seeding next week. In all probability, these two Goliaths go at each other in the conference championship.
Draft stocks rising
Creighton’s Doug McDermott is a projected late lottery pick in the NBA Draft, and there is still ample time for him to crack the top 10 in the combine and in interviews. Along with McDermott, Seton Hall’s Fuquan Edwin is slated to be a mid- to late-second round choice. Edwin has averaged 15.1 points and 3.7 rebounds, but he may miss time with a sprained thumb.
Xavier sophomore Semaj Christon is shaping up to be an early second round pick. He averages 16.6 points and 4.1 assists while shooting 49 percent from the field. Christon scored in double figures in his last 17 games. He has plenty of opportunities coming up to improve his chance of being a potential first round selection. If he somehow falters in the coming weeks, a wise decision would be to stay with the Musketeers for one more season.
Players who go undrafted certainly have the opportunity to sign with teams during the season or right before it begins. It is expected that several more Big East players will try their hand in the NBA Summer League to compete for roster spots.
This year’s draft is scheduled for June 26 in New York.
Game of the Week — Villanova at Xavier — Thursday 6 p.m. CST
Xavier is enjoying a successful first season in the Big East, entering at 10-6 and coming off an important win against Creighton that essentially guaranteed a tournament ticket. Although the Musketeers cannot finish better than third, they will still unleash everything they have to boost their NCAA Tournament position.
The Wildcats would certainly not suffer a “bad” loss by any standards if they cannot hold off Xavier, but they are enjoying their best season in years. Thinking ahead to the tournament will be something to avoid for Jay Wright and his crew.
Player of the Week — Justin Martin — Junior Forward — Xavier
Martin scored 19 points and brought down 16 rebounds in Xavier’s upset over Creighton Saturday. Martin averages only 5.2 rebounds per game this year.
He redeemed himself after scoring just three points and tallying three rebounds in 28 minutes last week against St. John’s. He has been averaging a respectable 11.4 points per game en route to helping the Musketeers make plenty of noise in their inaugural Big East campaign. He has done particularly well against Marquette this season, averaging 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
