March is only a week away, and the UConn men’s basketball team hasn’t yet found its full stride.
With five games to go, including a trip to Madison Square Garden to meet first-place St. John’s on Sunday and a matchup against Marquette in Storrs, the reigning Big East champs are one game back of third place in the league standings.
The Huskies’ three-year streak of having two players named All-Big East first team could come to an end when the league begins announcing its end-of-season awards on March 9. The second and the all-freshman teams will also be released that day, and will likely be where UConn sees most of its recognition this season, barring any breakouts over the final stretch.
The Big East individual awards – top player, coach, sixth man, defender and freshman – will be announced leading up to the start of the Big East Tournament on March 12.
Here is an early look at how the individual award races are shaking out:
Coach of the Year
Rick Pitino loves the transfer portal, and for good reason. It took him just two years to build St. John’s into a top-10 program and a real contender both in the Big East and on a national level. The Johnnies are ranked 10th in the nation with their 23-4 record, 13-2 in the league, and sit at No. 20 in the NET and No. 16 on KenPom, where their defense is ranked the second best in the nation. Pitino’s job, depending on how the Johnnies close out the season, could even land him the national honor.
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Creighton’s Greg McDermott may have the best shot. The Bluejays were picked to finish second in the league’s preseason coaches’ poll, but lost a starter in Pop Isaacs to injury early on in the season and have still managed to maintain their position in the league.
Player of the Year
There seems to be a clear top four for player of the year, which includes Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner, St. John’s RJ Luis and Kadary Richmond, and Marquette’s Kam Jones.
After UConn beat Creighton in Omaha on Feb. 12, Dan Hurley said Kalkbrenner would receive his vote. The 7-foot-1 defensive stalwart is averaging a career-best 18.7 points and 8.5 rebounds, along with his Big East leading 2.76 blocks per game.
Johnnies’ teammates Luis and Richmond could end up splitting some votes as the best players on the league’s best team. Luis leads St. John’s with 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, but Richmond, lured over from Seton Hall, has had a fantastic second half of the Big East season and is one of the best point guards in the league with his 12.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists. Jones is second in the league in scoring at 18.96 points per game and leads Marquette with 4.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.
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Freshman of the Year
This became a two-horse race very early on. And one of the horses was hurt coming out of the gate.
UConn’s Liam McNeeley, a possible lottery pick and the Huskies’ best player, suffered a high ankle sprain just three games into the Big East season and missed the next eight. He’s averaged 24.3 points in four games since returning, including a 38-point effort to beat Creighton, and could close the gap over the final stretch.
But it would take a lot to jump Georgetown’s Thomas Sorber. Averaging 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game, the Hoyas’ 6-foot-10 center has collected seven Big East Freshman of the Week awards to McNeeley’s five. He has also played in 13 of 15 Big East games, missing their last one against Providence with turf toe. If McNeeley continue his pace over the last five games it could become a compelling race.
Defensive Player of the Year
Kalkbrenner may have a four-peat in his bag.
He is one of the most effective defensive players in the nation, let alone the Big East, where he’s been named the top defensive player in each of the last three seasons. In his best all-around season, Kalkbrenner leads the league in blocks (2.76) and rebounds (8.52) per game, helping his team to the second-best defensive field goal percentage in the league (40.2%)
Marquette’s Stevie Mitchell is the best option to dethrone Kalkbrenner with his Big East leading 2.62 steals per game, but shot-blocking and rebounds always seem to hold more weight in DPOY conversations.
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Sixth-Man of the Year
Hassan Diarra was the clear choice for this award last season, and would likely be a favorite if Hurley’s original plan to leave him in the role had played out. But Diarra has had to step in as the Huskies’ starter, and the sixth-man award is completely up in the air.
UConn’s sixth-man contender this year would be Tarris Reed Jr. The transfer center showed why when he came one rebound shy of his seventh double-double of the season against Villanova on Tuesday. Reed might be a favorite for the award with his 9.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game on 65.3% shooting from the field.
Other contenders could include Creighton’s Isaac Traudt (5.2 points, 2.6 rebounds), Villanova’s Tyler Perkins (6.5 points, 3.9 rebounds) or Xavier’s Dante Maddox Jr. (7.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 40.2% from 3).
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