The 2020–21 Big East Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October 2020, followed by the start of the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. Conference play began in January 2021.
| 2020–21 Big East Conference men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | NCAA Division I |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Number of teams | 11 |
| TV partner(s) | CBS, CBSSN, FOX, FS1, FSN |
| Regular Season | |
| Season champions | Villanova |
| Season MVP | Collin Gillespie, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Sandro Mamukelashvili |
| Tournament | |
| Champions | Georgetown |
| Runners-up | Creighton |
| Finals MVP | Dante Harris |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 Villanova | 11 | – | 4 | .733 | 18 | – | 7 | .720 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 Creighton | 14 | – | 6 | .700 | 22 | – | 9 | .710 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UConn | 11 | – | 6 | .647 | 15 | – | 8 | .652 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. John's | 10 | – | 9 | .526 | 16 | – | 11 | .593 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seton Hall | 10 | – | 9 | .526 | 14 | – | 13 | .519 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Providence | 9 | – | 10 | .474 | 13 | – | 13 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Xavier | 6 | – | 7 | .462 | 13 | – | 8 | .619 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgetown † | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 13 | – | 13 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marquette | 8 | – | 11 | .421 | 13 | – | 14 | .481 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Butler | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 10 | – | 15 | .400 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DePaul | 2 | – | 13 | .133 | 5 | – | 14 | .263 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2021 Big East tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Head coaches
editCoaching changes
editCoaches
edit| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years at school | Overall record | Big East record | Big East titles | NCAA Tournaments | NCAA Final Fours | NCAA Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler | LaVall Jordan | Milwaukee | 4 | 50–32 | 17–20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| UConn | Dan Hurley | Rhode Island | 3 | 42–30 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Creighton | Greg McDermott | Iowa State | 10 | 217–111 | 56–52 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| DePaul | Dave Leitao | Tulsa (asst.) |
8 | 118–117 | 46–74 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Georgetown | Patrick Ewing | Charlotte Hornets (asst.) | 3 | 49–46 | 19–35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marquette | Steve Wojciechowski | Duke (asst.) |
6 | 107–72 | 43–48 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Providence | Ed Cooley | Fairfield | 9 | 170–116 | 72–73 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Seton Hall | Kevin Willard | Iona | 10 | 179–131 | 70–90 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| St. John's | Mike Anderson | Arkansas | 1 | 11–3 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Villanova | Jay Wright | Hofstra | 19 | 457–177 | 203–105 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 2 |
| Xavier | Travis Steele | Xavier (asst.) |
2 | 29–18 | 9–9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
- Years at school includes 2020–21 season.
- Overall and Big East records are from time at current school and are through week nine of the 2019–20 season.
- McDermott's MVC conference records and Hurley's AAC records not included since team began play in the Big East.
Preseason
editPreseason poll
editPrior to the season, the Big East conducted a poll of Big East coaches. Coaches do not place their own team on their ballots.[1]
| Rank | Team | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Villanova (9) | |
| 2. | Creighton (2) | |
| 3. | Providence | |
| 4. | UConn | |
| 5. | Seton Hall | |
| 6. | Marquette | |
| 7. | Xavier | |
| 8. | Butler | |
| 9. | St. John's | |
| 10. | DePaul | |
| 11. | Georgetown | |
| (first place votes) | ||
Preseason All-Big East teams
edit| Honor | Recipient |
|---|---|
| Preseason Player of the Year | Marcus Zegarowski, Creighton |
| Preseason Freshman of the Year | Dawson Garcia, Marquette |
| Preseason All-Big East First Team | Charlie Moore, DePaul |
| David Duke, Providence | |
| Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall | |
| Collin Gillespie, Villanova | |
| Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Villanova | |
| Preseason All-Big East Second Team | Bryce Nze, Butler |
| James Bouknight, UConn | |
| Mitch Ballock, Creighton | |
| Nate Watson, Providence | |
| Justin Moore, Villanova | |
| Paul Scruggs, Xavier | |
| Preseason All-Big East Honorable Mention | D. J. Carton, Marquette |
| Bryce Aiken, Seton Hall |
*Schedule Source:[2]
Regular season
editRankings
edit| Increase in ranking | ||
| Decrease in ranking | ||
| Not ranked previous week | ||
| () First place votes |
| Pre | Wk 2 |
Wk 3 |
Wk 4 |
Wk 5 |
Wk 6 |
Wk 7 |
Wk 8 |
Wk 9 |
Wk 10 |
Wk 11 |
Wk 12 |
Wk 13 |
Wk 14 |
Wk 15 |
Wk 16 |
Wk 17 |
Wk 18 |
Wk 19 |
Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Creighton | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| DePaul | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgetown | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Marquette | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Providence | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Seton Hall | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| St. John's | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Villanova | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Xavier | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C |
Conference matrix
editThis table summarizes the head-to-head results between teams in conference play.
| Butler | UConn | Creighton | DePaul | Georgetown | Marquette | Providence | Seton Hall | St. John's | Villanova | Xavier | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Butler | – | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| vs. UConn | 0–2 | – | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 |
| vs. Creighton | 1–1 | 0–2 | – | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| vs. DePaul | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | – | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| vs. Georgetown | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | – | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 |
| vs. Marquette | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | – | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. Providence | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | – | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| vs. Seton Hall | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | – | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 |
| vs. St. John's | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | – | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| vs. Villanova | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | – | 0–0 |
| vs. Xavier | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | – |
| Total | 8–12 | 11–6 | 14–6 | 2–13 | 7–9 | 8–11 | 9–10 | 10–9 | 10–9 | 11–4 | 6–7 |
Player of the week
editThroughout the season, the Big East Conference named a player of the week and a freshman of the week each Monday.
| Week | Player of the week | Freshman of the week |
|---|---|---|
| November 30, 2020 | Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Villanova | Dawson Garcia, Marquette |
| December 7, 2020 | Zach Freemantle, Xavier | Justin Lewis, Marquette |
| December 14, 2020 | David Duke, Providence | Dante Harris, Georgetown |
| December 21, 2020 | Paul Scruggs, Xavier | Posh Alexander, St. John's |
| December 28, 2020 | Myles Cale, Seton Hall | Chuck Harris, Butler |
| January 4, 2021 | Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall | Dawson Garcia (2), Marquette |
| January 11, 2021 | Tyler Polley, Connecticut | Colby Jones, Xavier |
| January 18, 2021 | Julian Champagnie, St. John's | Dawson Garcia (3), Marquette |
| January 25, 2021 | Jermaine Samuels, Villanova | Posh Alexander (2), St. John's |
| February 1, 2021 | Marcus Zegarowski, Creighton | Posh Alexander (3), St. John's |
| February 8, 2021 | Sandro Mamukelashvili (2), Seton Hall | Posh Alexander (4), St. John's |
| February 15, 2021 | David Duke (2), Providence | Adama Sanogo, Connecticut |
| February 22, 2021 | Charlie Moore | Colby Jones (2), Xavier |
| March 1, 2021 | R. J. Cole, Connecticut | Chuck Harris (2), Butler |
| March 7, 2021 | Julian Champagnie (2), St. John's | Adama Sanogo (2), Connecticut |
Honors and awards
editBig East Awards
edit| 2021 Big East Men's Basketball Individual Awards[3] | ||||||
| Award | Recipient(s) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player of the Year | Sandro Mamukelashvili, F., Seton Hall Collin Gillespie, G., Villanova Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, F., Villanova | |||||
| Coach of the Year | Mike Anderson, St. John's | |||||
| Defensive Player of the Year | Isaiah Whaley, F., Connecticut Posh Alexander, G., St. John's | |||||
| Freshman of the Year | Posh Alexander, G., St. John's | |||||
| Most Improved Player of the Year | Julian Champagnie, G./F., St. John's Zach Freemantle, F., Xavier | |||||
| Scholar-Athlete of the Year | Ike Obiagu, C., Seton Hall | |||||
| Sixth Man Award | Tyler Polley, F., Connecticut | |||||
| Sportsmanship Award | Mitch Ballock, G., Creighton | |||||
| 2021 Big East Men's Basketball All-Conference Teams[4] | ||||||
| First Team | Second Team | Honorable Mention | All-Freshman Team | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Marcus Zegarowski – Creighton |
Damien Jefferson – Creighton |
Denzel Mahoney - Creighton |
Chuck Harris* – Butler | |||
| * - denotes unanimous selection † - Due to a tie in the voting, an additional position was added | ||||||
References
edit- ^ "Villanova Selected For First Place in Coaches' Preseason Poll". Big East Conference. October 28, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
- ^ "Creighton's Zegarowski Named Big East Preseason Player of the Year". Big East Conference. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
- ^ "Mamukelashvili, Robinson-Earl, Gillespie Share BIG EAST Player of the Year" (Press release). Big East Conference. March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
- ^ "Seton Hall's Mamukelashvili, Villanova's Robinson-Earl Named Unanimously To All-BIG EAST First Team". Big East Conference. March 7, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2020.