Big East: Do's and don'ts for each team

The Big East is in an era where there has been a lot of struggle from the middle-of-the-pack teams while the top-of-the-line teams are some of the best in the country. The depth of the conference is nowhere near where it was just a couple of years ago.

UConn Do: Carry the momentum from the championship teams

The Huskies have won the last two championships and have had rosters that show that of a championship team. However, this year seems to be a lot different.

They lost many pieces to the NBA and may not be able to withstand all of the losses, but if they can use the momentum from the past two years, some magic could be made.

Don’t: Let the three-peat pressure overtake the team

Similar to the do’s, this is a fairly inexperienced team and with high expectations can come a lot of pressure. It will be key to see how the team deals with these expectations and see if UConn can overcome it or let it overtake the play of the team.

Creighton Do: Let Ryan Kalkbrenner be the star

Kalkbrenner showed he can be one of the best players in the country when he put up 49 points in the team’s opening matchup. If the Blue Jays continue to feed Kalkbrenner the ball, they could be a force to be reckoned with throughout the season.

Don’t: Become One Dimensional

Although Kalkbrenner is the do for the team throughout the season, you need more than just him to produce. He can still be the go-to guy, but other players are going to have to step up to ensure the offense continues to flow properly.

Xavier Do: Fly under the radar

This team has the chance to be really good and be towards the top of the Big East standings. However, if the team doesn’t fly under the radar there may be a target on the back of the Musketeers throughout the end of the season that could really affect the play of the team.

Don’t rely on just one player

Currently, Xavier has four players averaging in double-digits for points. The team needs to continue to have multiple players contribute for success during the rest of the season.

Marquette Do: Let Kam Jones be the star

Jones has shown that he can be one of the best players in the Big East and Marquette needs to let him continue to prove that. He’s currently averaging 22.7 points per game on the season. His ability to score at all three levels is something special and they need to continue to utilize his scoring abilities.

Don’t expect other scorers to lead the way

When Marquette has had another scorer lead the way, it has been a close game. The Golden Eagles only defeated Central Michigan by eight points and Jones only had 12 points. Also, his number of shots was around the same as a couple of other players. For total success, Jones needs to be the star.

St. John’s Do: Rely on the three guards

A trio of guards across the entire country has had a ton of success throughout the whole season and into March. The guards are why teams have won championships. The trio for St. John’s is a very talented group and has the ability to take over games.

Don’t back down on defense

The Red Storm have scored a lot of points so far this season. So far, they have handled every team pretty well but if they let up on defense because of the focus on offense, it may not work in the favor of St. John’s.

Providence Do: Figure out life after Devin Carter

Carter singlehandedly won games last season for the Friars. This season, they have struggled with teams that they should not be struggling with. If they can figure out how to score points without relying on Carter, the team may find some success this season.

Don’t let teams hang around

Providence has won two very close games to Central Connecticut and Hampton. These teams should not be anywhere close to the Friars. They need to run away with these games or at some point they are going to falter to one of the mid-majors.

Villanova Do Fire Kyle Neptune

The team has no trace of anything that Jay Wright built and the teams don’t even have the same play style. Villanova was consistently one of the best teams in the nation under Wright and now has turned into a team that may or may not beat the mid-majors they play. Villanova is already 2-2 on the season with losses to Columbia and St. Joseph’s.

Don’t continue down the path they are on

It is not looking good for the future of Villanova basketball. A big part of the problem is definitely Neptune, but there are other issues that need to be addressed. The level of play needs to step up this season for the Wildcats to continue to not fall.

Butler Do: Let Patrick McCaffrey shoot

McCaffrey is shooting 52.5% from the three-point line. The Bulldogs need to let him fire away for the team to have success. Three-pointers can completely flip games and when you have a sharpshooter as one of your top players, you need to let him shoot it often.

Don’t let opposing stars takeover

In the lone loss of the season to Austin Peay, guard LJ Thomas scored 29 points. That can not happen throughout the rest of the season against teams a lot better than Austin Peay.

Georgetown Do: Let the new players go to work

Micah Peavy and Thomas Sorber are two of the top three scorers on the team and are both in their first year as Hoyas. These players can play a big part in the rise of the Georgetown program.

Don’t let losses amount

It was not a great year last season for Georgetown and the team let losses amount. If the Hoyas can avoid that this year, it will be a step in the right direction.

Seton Hall Do: Let Shaheen Holloway find the magic from St. Peter’s

It was initially a massive signing when the Pirates got Holloway from St. Peter’s after some successful seasons. If he can find that magic again this team is going to take a massive jump.

Don’t: Continue on the same trend

Seton Hall was supposed to take a massive jump, but it appears it might be taking a step back. The Pirates need to find some magic before they remain at the bottom of the Big East.

DePaul Do: Let Chris Holtmann build the program

This is not just for this season. Hotlmann is known for building up programs. DePaul has been one of the worst Power Five programs in recent history but with Holtmann now at the helm things can definitely change.

Don’t: Filing through coaches

Holtmann looks to be the guy. Even if this season is not too successful, just trust the process and let him do his thing to make DePaul a respectable program.

Andrew Deal is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email asd5765@psu.edu.