Melodies of Joy and Struggles: A Holiday Harmony

Why is it advisable to consistently monitor the Big East? The reason is that the conference has yielded four of the last eight national champions, which is four more than the combined total of the Big Ten and SEC. Additionally, there have been some lively occurrences recently. As college basketball pauses for Christmas, the state of the Big East resonates with a holiday melody.

It’s starting to appear quite a bit like Connecticut . . .

Twenty-six days ago, the Huskies returned from Maui with three consecutive defeats, grappling with the weight of sudden inquiries and uncertainties. They were a mere shadow of their national championship identity. However, they have since bounced back, currently standing at 6-0, having triumphed over ranked Baylor and Gonzaga and achieving a victory in Texas. The latest progression in their December resurgence occurred Saturday when they led Butler for 39 minutes and 20 seconds, ultimately clinching a 78-74 victory despite being outscored by 10 from the free throw line. Just three days prior, they had narrowly edged past Xavier in overtime.

No, UConn isn’t the overwhelmingly talented juggernaut of the previous two seasons. Winning now demands more arduous effort, and the margin for mistakes or an off-day is significantly shallower, but the 10-3 Huskies have mastered the ability to find a route to victory, a lesson they had yet to grasp in Hawaii. Consider the Butler matchup. With the Bulldogs surging in the final minutes and a raucous crowd behind them, Connecticut attempted eight field goals or free throws in the last 2:35. They successfully made seven of those attempts, with seasoned player Alex Karaban demonstrating his veteran prowess and Liam McNeeley showing up as the dependable freshman star he has developed into. That’s what it means to remain composed.

REWINDING: An exhilarating Saturday filled with non-conference men’s basketball

The Big East and the broader nation must now ponder: Is Connecticut back in contention?

“November was tough for us,” coach Dan Hurley expressed following Saturday’s victory. “It’s something that has given this team an edge. The external chatter was exceedingly loud. There was much commentary about the program, the team, and myself. I’m just incredibly proud of how they responded. I’m not so sure how many people at that point in Maui would have predicted that we’d be 10-3. Not every podcast is foolish, just a few of them are.”

“Last year’s squad would stretch a lead to 14, and then blink and it would balloon to 22. Last year, we’d get the game to 11, and it would inflate to 18. This year’s team lacks that killer instinct for now. Our quality isn’t fully there yet. We’re poised for significant improvement throughout the year. We’re far from where we want to be, but while we’re in the process of figuring things out, we just need to find ways to win matches and execute effectively in crucial moments.”

Which Creighton team is this? . . .

It’s been difficult to discern from game to game. The Bluejays soared to a 4-0 start, significantly supported by Ryan Kalkbrenner, who scored 49 and 24 points in their opening two contests. However, after that, they lost three consecutive matches while Kalkbrenner managed just 24 points in total over those games. Suddenly, the No. 14 team in the country found themselves scrapping to maintain a winning record. They rebounded, winning three additional matches, including a 13-point rout of No. 1 Kansas. Then, they suffered two more losses, highlighted by a 24-point blowout at Georgetown, followed by an 86-79 sprint past Villanova on Saturday when Kalkbrenner contributed 23 points, along with two other starters who each scored 20.

What explains this inconsistency?

“It’s the Big East,” coach Greg McDermott remarked. “Occasionally, you’re going to experience some rough outings, but then you’ll also have games where you perform quite well, so it’s crucial not to lose your perspective in either scenario.”

The Twelve Games of Dixon . . .

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Villanova. Do you remember their performance against Columbia or the sluggish 3-4 start? — and their defense has been quite inadequate. Nonetheless, what has kept the 8-5 Wildcats progressing forward is their sixth-year senior anchor, Eric Dixon. He has led the team in scoring throughout all 12 games and contributed no less than 24 points over the last five consecutive games. Dixon is leading the nation with a 25.8 scoring average, shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc. However, if the Wildcats fail to enhance their defense, will that achievement be wasted?

Baby, it’s Kam Outside . . .

When Marquette needed to stabilize itself on Saturday after squandering a 15-point lead in five minutes against Xavier, they had just the right player to handle it. Kam Jones tallied seven points in the final two minutes to carry Marquette to an 11-2 season record and 2-0 in the Big East. Jones boasts numbers worthy of a league player-of-the-year contender: a scoring average of 20.3, shooting 54 percent, and an 83-20 assist-to-turnover ratio. But there’s also Dixon and Kalkbrenner to consider. That should make for an exciting competition.

Check the walls . . .

At Georgetown, do they still have the portraits of their past outstanding Hoyas teams facing the wall? Alright, maybe they never did, but they could have. Georgetown has recorded just one winning season in nine years, and over the past three seasons, their Big East record stands at a dismal 4-55. However, things have shifted in the second year of the Ed Cooley era with a surge of new talent. Top rebounder Thomas Sorber is a freshman, and steals leader Micah Peavy is a grad student from TCU. Jayden Epps, in his second year at Georgetown after transferring from Illinois, is the leading scorer. The other Hoya who is reaching double digits, Malik Mack, transferred from Harvard.

Take note of the accomplishments of this new group. The Hoyas edged past Seton Hall 61-60 on Sunday to improve to 10-2 and achieve their first 2-0 conference start in nine seasons. Earlier in the week, they had overwhelmed Creighton by 24 points, recording 12 steals, seven of which were made by Peavy. The defense is back in style at Georgetown. The Hoyas are currently ranked 31st in the nation for scoring defense and 35th for field goal percentage defense. Last season, they finished 328th and 360th. Cooley was named Big East coach of the year in 2022 at Providence, and if this momentum continues, he may achieve that honor again at a different school in the league.

Looie, does he know?

Lou Carnesecca, the beloved figure of St. John’s basketball, passed away at 99 on the last day of November, but is he watching down happily as the Red Storm stands at 10-2? If St. John’s aims to dedicate this season to Looie, their start couldn’t possibly have been more promising. The Red Storm achieved five straight victories, with their only two losses being by a total of just four points. They’re 2-0 in the Big East after decisively defeating DePaul 89-61 — having made only three 3-pointers — and dramatically coming from 16 points down to beat Providence by two at the buzzer. That was their first win of the season decided by fewer than 13 points.

Rick Pitino’s squad often improves with each passing game. St. John’s is averaging 44.8 points in the second half and outscoring opponents by an average of 10.9 in the latter periods.

If we manage to get through December . . .

That’s a song by Merle Haggard. Butler’s coach Thad Matta, presumably a fan of country music, mentioned it earlier this month while the Bulldogs were preparing for a grueling schedule of four ranked opponents in a span of 15 days, in addition to a challenging matchup against dangerous North Dakota State. Butler ended with an 0-5 record, although the Bulldogs put forth a formidable fight against Connecticut on Saturday.

“I recall in August, once the schedule was revealed… I placed a piece of paper on my desk with the calendar, noting the games at Houston, Wisconsin, and UConn, three back-to-back Saturdays,” Matta reflected. “I went home and slept like a baby — waking up every two hours to start crying.”

And now?

“We’ve certainly been tested, that’s for sure. We’ve failed every test so far. Players must be more accountable to prepare themselves for games. We need to coach them better.
 
“We’ve encountered everything.”

Sean Miller echoes that sentiment at Xavier. The Musketeers stood at 7-1 when they traveled to TCU on December 5 and lost by four points. Over the last week, spanning eight days, they faced No. 22 Cincinnati, No. 11 Connecticut, and No. 9 Marquette. They lost by three to Cincinnati, then by five to UConn in a tense overtime encounter that saw 22 lead changes, followed by a two-point defeat to Marquette after rallying from 15 points down. They led during the last five minutes of all four losses, yet executing in the closing moments proved troublesome. In their previous two matches, they were without their injured leading scorer and rebounder Zach Freemantle.

“At this point, I don’t even know if we’re trying to find positives as much as we just need a break,” Miller mentioned after the loss to Marquette. “We’re playing shorthanded, and I wish I could support the guys more.”

The month hasn’t been any more enjoyable at DePaul, where Chris Holtmann’s impressive 7-0 onset as coach has come to a halt with four losses in five contests, the last two being by 28 and 20 against St. John’s and Northwestern. Providence and Seton Hall have faced similar struggles, each losing six of their last eight.

It sounds like they could also benefit from a break. Well, it’s Christmas.