We have reached the final weekend of the regular season. The season has been full of excitement, especially in the mighty Big East. The conference is, as always, having a very strong season overall and could get as many as 7 teams in the NCAA Tournament. There are plenty of candidates for this season’s Big East Player of the Year award. However, there are four who stand above the rest.
Big East Player of the Year Candidates
Main Candidates
Devin Carter
Devin Carter has to be the favorite for Big East Player of the Year. It is really close between him and Baylor Scheierman, but what Carter has done is incredible. For starters, he has kept his Providence team afloat after Bryce Hopkins was lost for the season due to injury. Carter has put the Friars on his back and might lead them to the NCAA Tournament. He is top 5 in the conference in points, rebounds, and steals per game, and is 12th and 13th in rebounds and blocks respectively, and has the fifth-highest player efficiency rating. Oh, and need I remind you all that this is in Kim English’s first year as head coach of the program. Considering how good Carter has been statistically combined with the circumstances should make him the favorite, especially if he and the Friars upset UConn on Saturday.
Baylor Scheierman
Baylor Scheierman is really neck-and-neck with Devin Carter for Big East Player of the Year. The super senior was good last year after transferring in from South Dakota State, but the former Jackrabbit has been awesome this season. He is second in scoring average and second in rebounding average. Creighton’s roster lacks impactful depth, but Scheierman’s brilliance has helped to mask that. When he is on the Bluejays can beat anyone in the country. They are a top-10 team, and I currently have them as a 3 seed. They have been that good in large part because of him. If you count wins as a factor for Player of the Year awards then Scheierman is your man.
Tristen Newton
Arguably the best player on arguably the best team in the nation, Tristen Newton has been great this year. The super senior has shattered his previous career-high averages in both rebounds and assists per game, and is averaging over 15 points per game. Like Scheierman, Newton didn’t really miss a step last year when transferring in from ECU and has been even better this year. He is second in the conference in assists per game, trailing only one of the best point guards in the nation in Marquette’s Tyler Kolek. With Newton leading the way, UConn heads into their season finale as the #2 ranked team with a 26-3 record, one of the projected top 3 overall seeds (positioning depends on who you ask), and looking like clearly one of the best team’s in the country, and arguably the best.
Kadary Richmond
I wrote back in January that Kadary Richmond is Big East Player of the Year material. He has continued to prove me right. Seton Hall was picked to finish 10th in the Big East this season, below Georgetown and just barely above perennial cellar dweller DePaul. Instead, Richmond has led the Pirates to wins over both UConn and Marquette and by the end of Saturday could finish the regular season tied for second place. Richmond is one of only two players (the other being Devin Carter) that is top 12 in the conference in points, rebounds, assists, and steals per game (he is second in the conference overall in steals). The senior has finally had the breakout year that he was capable of.
Honorable Mentions
Tyler Kolek, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Oso Ighodaro, Joel Soriano, Trey Alexander, and Quincy Olivari are all players whose names could come up in the conversation for Big East Player of the Year.
