Successful college basketball teams need quality point guards. This we know. Even as we have seen a number of big men staying longer in college basketball as the pro game has evolved away from them (as well as increased NIL and the extra Covid year lingering), teams without quality point guard play have limited ceilings. When reviewing the Big East schools, it is hard not to notice that most of the schools have new players at the point. Some are younger players getting their shot, and a number are transfers. Almost every school has talent at this position, but much of it is untested at this level. Following will be a team-by-team review of the point guard position, using the preseason ranking as a guide.
Marquette
It is convenient that Marquette, the team with projected 1st team all-American Tyler Kolek at the point, is projected to finish first in the conference. I will gladly admit that I thought he could be a solid Big East player, but never saw him to be an elite point guard. His value was shown when he played injured against Michigan St and Marquette struggled. As long as he is comparable to last year, Marquette will be in good shape.
Creighton
I may be in the minority, but I believe Creighton is in better shape this year despite losing highly sought after point guard Ryan Nembhard. Nembhard’s numbers were fine (12 ppg, 4.8 assists, 2:1 assist to turnover ratio), but I think newcomer Steve Ashworth will fit better with Trey Alexander, Baylor Scheierman, and Ryan Kalkbrenner. Ashworth is as good a shooter as there will be in the league and isn’t as ball dominant as Nembhard was. This will help Alexander and Scheierman, who both like to have the ball in their hands. Ashworth is also a solid defender and a major reason I expect Creighton to be the top team in the league.
Connecticut
My belief in April and early May was that Connecticut was going to be a disappointing team this season. Then, Tristan Newton returned for a fifth season, and late portal entrant Cam Spencer transferred to Storrs (Thanks, Ed). The current plan for Dan Hurley is to give most of the time at point guard to highly rated freshman Stephon Castle. Having Newton move to the off-guard spot gives UConn a security blanket, and Spencer is versatile enough to provide more cover in case Castle goes through growing pains. This changed the position from a major risk to one with a high ceiling and manageable floor.
Villanova
Everyone is extremely high on Villanova, and while I recognize that they have talent, I also see question marks, specifically at the point guard position. Mark Armstrong struggled as a freshman, with 34 assists and the same number of turnovers, as well as shooting below 30% from three. The alternative appears to be playing Justin Moore at the point where I thought he had problems last year, with the caveat that he was returning from injury. The hope for Villanova returning to the NCAA Tournament will rest in large part on these two filling this role.
St. John’s
Another school that has a new point guard, but they have 12 newcomers and a new coach, so that’s to be expected. Rick Pitino has been extremely vocal in mentioning that Iona transfer Daniss Jenkins has been the best player on the team during practices. With Pitino it is difficult to tell how much of this is reality and how much is psychological, but Jenkins did make a huge leap from his time at Pacific to last year in New Rochelle. He will be backed up by highly rated freshman Simeon Wilcher. Given Pitino’s history of having great college point guards, I suspect it will work out for the Red Storm.
Xavier
The Musketeers brought in Souley Boum from UTEP last year, and he became one of the top players in the Big East. Dayvion McKnight appears to be ready to step up from CUSA to the Big East (as Boum did last year) and will have another CUSA player Quincy Olivari (Rice) next to him. The biggest problem will be the long-term absences of Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter due to injuries and will affect Sean Miller’s plan to run even more than last year. McKnight made all conference the past two seasons but had turnover issues. It will be interesting to see how his game translates to a higher level.
Providence
The Friars are another team with talented but unproven players waiting to step up at the point guard position. Jayden Pierre showed flashes of exciting play last season but did not pick up major minutes even when starter Jared Bynum missed time to injuries. The other player is highly rated and top 40 freshman Garwey Dual, who has been mentioned in some sites as a one-and-done candidate due to his elite athleticism. The part that constantly comes to my mind is that Dual was coming off the bench for a local high school in Indiana and is now being mentioned as a potential lottery pick next year. There’s no doubt that these two are talented but very untested. Providence might have the highest potential gap between their floor and ceiling in
the league. Kim English’s success in his inaugural season will depend in large part on how close to their ceilings they end up.
Georgetown
Once again we have a team with relatively untested newcomers at this key position. Georgetown lost 7 of their top 8 scorers and roughly 80% of their assists from last year’s 2-18 conference team. Transfers Jayden Epps and Ryan Brumbaugh (redshirt) were highly rated in high school and will get plenty of opportunities on Georgetown’s thin roster. My guess is that Epps spends most of his minutes on the wing, leaving Brumbaugh to show he’s ready to compete at this level.
Seton Hall
Seton Hall is the other team besides Marquette that is returning their best player at the point guard position. Kadary Richmond showed off his high level of talent, but it was tempered be bouts of streaky play. His best game was against Providence, with 28 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. He shot over 40% in limited attempts from three and seemed to become steadier down the stretch until his season ended prematurely. Assuming he is fully healthy, I could see him fulfilling his promise when he transferred to Hall from Syracuse.
Butler
I am one of the few people who thinks the Bulldogs will be competitive this year, and St. John’s transfer Posh Alexander is a significant reason why. I think he is the poster child for players needing a fresh start through the portal. He’s never going to be a major threat from three, but he can still be a high-level point guard and an elite defender. Butler coach Thad Matta has been effusive in his praise for Alexander, and mentioned how he is finally in good shape with a lower body fat than previous years (as an aside, Rick Pitino said the same thing about Joel Soriano and Shaheen Holloway mentioned that Dylan Addae-Wusu lost weight, so maybe conditioning wasn’t emphasized in Queens).
DePaul
To be totally honest, I am not sure who will be playing where for DePaul this year. They added Chico Carter to holdovers Jalen Terry and Caleb Murphy, but all three are at best combo guards who can fill in at the point. Maybe Jaden Henley will join the others in a point guard by committee. This is why I cannot see much improvement from DePaul this year despite a number of additions. My guess is that Murphy starts off as the point guard and they try to figure it out as they go along. This may explain why they are a near consensus pick for last place.
Among the teams expected to compete for NCAA bids, my pure guess is that Marquette and Creighton have nothing to worry about, UConn, St. John’s and Providence will be pleased with their point guard play, and Villanova and Xavier will have their struggles there. For the other teams, I believe Posh gives Butler the best chance to break into the top seven and will be surprised if DePaul can vault into the top nine.