Around the Big East: Week 1

College basketball is back this week after a seven-month hiatus. With the return of college basketball comes the return of one of the most historic conferences in all college hoops, the Big East.

This year, the conference is loaded with spectacular teams, and it already features three teams in the top 10 including reigning national champions Connecticut, No. 5 Marquette and No. 8 Creighton. Villanova is also ranked inside the top 25 at No. 22.

Week One Recap

No. 6 Connecticut 95, Northern Arizona 52

The Huskies are in prime position to make another national championship run under head coach Dan Hurley. Many of last year's starters are gone for Connecticut, but they should still be an impressive team throughout the season.

Senior guard Tristen Newton will be the main catalyst for the Huskies' offensive sets. In the game against Northern Arizona, Newton logged 30 minutes and in that period, he scored 14 points and had seven rebounds.

Donovan Clingan will also be a key part of Connecticut's success this season. The seven-footer is a monster in the paint, and he has the potential to average a triple-double this season for the Huskies.

Seton Hall 70, Saint Peter’s 59

Once again, Seton Hall enters the season as a team projected to be on the bubble come NCAA tournament time. Head coach Shaheen Holloway faced off against his former team Saint Peter’s this week and his Pirates struggled early.

At halftime, the Peacocks held a one-point lead and extended that lead to six halfway through the second half.

Seton Hall finally figured it out and pulled away in the end, but it was a lot closer than a lot of people thought it would be. The Pirates leaned on guard Kadary Richmond, who had 18 points, six rebounds and seven assists.

No. 8 Creighton 105, Florida A&M 54

The Blue Jays look like one of the more dangerous teams in all of college basketball this year, mainly because of senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner.

Kalkbrenner and Creighton made it to the Elite Eight last season, but they fell short against San Diego State, the national champion runner-ups.

In the game against Florida A&M, the Blue Jays offense looked unstoppable. They shot 47.7 percent from three-point range and 56.7 from the field.

Coach Greg McDermott’s squad this year will be a tough out for anyone who has to face up against them.

No. 22 Villanova 90, American 63

After the 2021-22 season, coaching legend Jay Wright retired after 21 seasons with Villanova. This led to the hire of Kyle Neptune, a long-time assistant under Wright.

It was not pretty for Neptune’s squad at the beginning of last year, but as the season progressed, the Wildcats began to figure it out.

This year, Villanova comes in with the national championship aspirations that it had in the past, and it has the capabilities of winning it all.

Senior forward, Eric Dixon will be the leader of this team, and his performances in games will determine how the Wildcats do this season. Against the Eagles, Dixon had 15 points and six rebounds.

Georgetown 94, Le Moyne 57

The Patrick Ewing experiment did not work in Washington D.C. for the Hoyas, so now they bring in former Providence head coach Ed Cooley.

In his first-ever game, Cooley led the team over Le Moyne, and this came off of an excellent performance by Supreme Cook.

From the floor, Cook was sensational, shooting an impressive eight for nine from the field for a total of 19 points. He was also great on the glass, securing 13 boards.

The Hoyas were once a huge basketball brand, but they have been mediocre as of late. Hopefully, Cooley can bring Georgetown to what it once was in his tenure.

Ethan Bell is a third-year majoring in public relations. To contact him, email epb5391@psu.edu.