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As we near Feast Week, two important tournaments for Big East teams tip off on Thursday. Seton Hall plays in an always fun Charleston Classic, starting against a really good VCU team (5 pm). St. John’s takes on a highly-ranked Baylor team (7 pm), which could be the coming out party for this St. John’s team on the national scale.
Baha Mar Hoops Invitational
We’ll start with the Baha Mar Invitational which features three ranked teams. St. John’s and Baylor will meet in a highly anticipated matchup, with Virginia and Tennessee tipping off thirty minutes after this game ends.
The Johnnies play a tough Baylor team, led by star transfers Norchad Omier (13.3PPG, 10RPG) and Jeremy Roach (12PPG, 4.5APG). Omier and Roach both have big-time NCAA Tournament experience, with Omier being on the Miami team that made a run to the Final Four and Roach being on last year's Duke team, which made an Elite Eight.
Baylor has a very balanced scoring attack, with seven players averaging between 13.3PPG and 8.8PPG, with Omier leading this team. Although Omier is leading the team in scoring, the Baylor Bears will go as far as their loaded guard group takes them. Jeremy Roach will play both on and off the ball for the Bears, as more of a tweener guard. Former VCU Ram Jayden Nunn leads this backcourt in scoring, averaging 13PPG and two steals per game while shooting a blistering 48% from beyond the arc. Nunn is a career 41% shooter from three, so I wouldn’t expect him to cool off anytime soon.
Another name to monitor is five-star freshman VJ Edgecombe. Edgecombe has yet to play up to his sky-high ceiling, though did have this dunk all over Mark Few’s son in Baylor’s blowout loss to Gonzaga.
Edgecombe averaged 16.5PPG for the Bahamian National Team in Olympic Qualifying, playing next to NBA players Buddy Hield, Eric Gordon and Deandre Ayton. Edgecombe has yet to round into that form for Baylor, though averages 11.3PPG and 7.5RPG, showcasing some of his dominant athleticism. He is still growing as a jump shooter, but he’s likely one of few freshmen who can push around or outrun these athletic St. John’s backcourt.
I would have called them an excellent guard trio, but freshman Rob Wright III has been great for the Bears in this young season. Wright was expected to play a smaller role for the team this season but has made it very tough to keep him on the bench. Wright, who played for the same AAU team as UConn’s Ahmad Nowell and Georgetown’s Thomas Sorber, is averaging 11PPG and a team-leading 5.8APG. Wright has shown flashes of his ability to be that next elite Baylor Guard, while also logging double figures in scoring in every game this season, headlined by his 12-point and 9-assist performance in a dominant win over Tarleton State.
For St. John’s to win this matchup, the keys are the same as they have been all season. Use that swarming defense to keep Baylor out of the paint, and keep the Bears off the offensive glass. Making this Baylor team shoot over the top of you, while always monitoring where Jayden Nunn is, will go a long way to coming out on top.
We’ve yet to see the best version of Kadary Richmond on this Johnnies' team (though he is leading the team in assists and is their second-leading rebounder), as RJ Luis has been taking over. Through four games, Luis is averaging 17.5PPG and 7.8RPG, both leading the team. Luis was spectacular in St. John’s win over a very competitive New Mexico team, where he finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
Simeon Wilcher has also shown flashes of his breakout, averaging a very efficient 11PPG on this short season, including a 17-point performance in their debut victory over Fordham. Another player who has stood out for the Johnnies is Utah transfer Deivon Smith, who does just about everything. Smith is averaging 10.5PPG, 4.5RPG and 5.5APG, including a 13-point 10-assist performance in a win over Quinnipiac.
One thing St. John’s has struggled a bit with, sans sharpshooter Brady Dunlap, is three-point shooting. Brady Dunlap is shooting a scorching 57.1% from long distance, but besides him, nobody on the roster is shooting above 33.3% (sans Lefteris Liotopoulos, who is 1/1 on the season).
Gonzaga, in their dominant season-opening win over Baylor, used their big men's elite passing ability and skill, along with a barrage of shots from long distance, to beat a Baylor zone that looked unprepared. The Bulldogs shot 13/31 from long distance against the Bears, while St. John’s has hit a combined 10 threes in their last two games, after knocking down 19 in their first two contests.
This game is going to be an excellent one. KenPom has this as a one-point win for Baylor, showing just how evenly matched these two teams are.
The winner likely takes on an excellent Tennessee team, who laid an absolute smackdown on Louisville in their home gym, while the loser may match up with a Virginia team that has managed to stay undefeated despite Tony Bennett retiring just a couple of weeks ago.
Names to Watch on Those Teams
Tennessee:
Zakai Ziegler (15.5PPG, 7.8APG): Undersized PG, but incredibly skilled. Really shifty, in your face defensively and annoying PG. Does everything well, and is a true pest defensively.
Chaz Lanier (13.8PPG, 50% 3PT): Sharpshooting wing
Jamai Maishack and Felix Okpara: Two excellent defensive players, Maishack at guard and Okpara on the interior
Jordan Gainey: Spark plug scorer off the bench
Virginia:
Isaac McKneeley (16PPG, 1.7SPG): Sharpshooting guard, dynamic scorer
Jacob Cofie (13PPG, 7.7RPG): Skilled stretch big man, impressive freshman
Elijah Saunders (10.3PPG, 5.3RPG): Hard-nosed forward, very physical player
Prediction: St. John’s loses a thriller to Baylor, then bounces back with a solid win over Virginia
Charleston Classic
The Charleston Classic is an Eight Team Tournament, taking place over four days, from November 21-24. Seton Hall meets up with VCU in their first games as a part of this tournament.
VCU have been impressive in their first few games, including a dominant 80-55 win over Boston College. This matchup will be between two teams with Top-15 defenses according to KenPom, as the Rams have the eighth-ranked defense, while the Pirates are 12th.
VCU is only giving up an average of 54.8PPG this season while winning each of their four games by at least 19 points. The Rams are led in scoring by Guard Joe Bamisile, who is averaging 19.5PPG on the season. Bamisile is a true three-level scoring guard and has done his best work around the bucket this year. He is shooting a ridiculous 77.8% inside the arc, a number that Seton Hall will surely put to the test in this contest.
Phillip Russell is another name to watch for VCU, a sharpshooting guard who has made 45.5% of his three-point attempts this season. Lastly, the Rams have one-time Villanova commit Max Shulga, who returned to VCU after spurning the Wildcats in portal season. Shulga is a perfect do-it-all guard for Ryan Odom’s Rams, and averages 13PPG, 7.5RPG, 5APG and 2.8 steals per game, while shooting an effective 46.9% from the field and 36.8% from long distance.
Those are the three most dynamic offensive pieces for the Rams, though Swiss Army Knife Forward Jack Clark has put up the best numbers of his long college career through four games, averaging 12.8PPG and 7.3RPG, while proving his elite defensive switchability. He’s the perfect glue guy on this team and will be tasked with guarding the opposing team's best wing in just about every game.
VCU has an elite defense and a surging offense. While Seton Hall’s defense has proven to be of similar caliber, their offense is… struggling, to put it lightly. Chaunce Jenkins has proven to be an effective offensive piece for the Pirates but has been their only shot-creator. Jenkins is averaging 14.8PPG, shooting 45.7% from the field and 52.9% from long distance. Where Jenkins has thrived offensively, nobody else on the Pirates is averaging over 8.3PPG.
Seton Hall has four guys averaging between 8.3 and 6.0PPG, and unless their defense can stifle a surging VCU offense, this game could be a struggle. VCU is a team I have in my personal Top 25 and I think they will show why.
Seton Hall will then match up with either Vanderbilt or Nevada, two undefeated teams. Nevada has been impressive in this young season, led by soon-to-be All-MWC First Team big man Nick Davidson (18PPG, 8RPG), and impressive point-forward Kobe Sanders. Sanders, a 6’9” PG, has been excellent this season averaging 16.8PPG and 4.8APG, though has yet to face a defense that could get in his grill like Seton Hall’s, which would make for an interesting matchup.
Vanderbilt meanwhile is 4-0, including an impressive victory over California earlier this year. The Commodores have been very effective inside the arc offensively, limit turnovers and force you to turn the ball over. They are led by guard Jason Edwards (17.5PPG) and big man Devin McGlockton (16PPG, 10RPG). The Commodores also have former Michigan State G AJ Hoggard, who leads the team in assists with 4.3APG.
One quick note and player to watch on each team in the other half of the bracket, in case they match up with Hall:
Miami: Nigel Pack (14.7PPG, 6.7APG) Awesome lead guard, dynamic offensively
Drake: Bennett Stirtz (18.7PPG, 5APG, 46.2% 3PT) New Coach, from an esteemed D2 Program. Great shooting team, slow pace, have struggled with turnovers
Oklahoma State: Bryce Thompson (14.3PPG) New Coach, expected bottom of Big 12, still working out roles. Former Xavier big Abou Ousmane now plays here
Florida Atlantic: Niccolo Moretti (12.8PPG, 5APG) Another new coach, only other team in the field with losses (at UCF and Charleston in a heartbreaker)
The bottom half of this bracket (Seton Hall’s half) is much better than the top. Hall got a tough draw.
Prediction: Seton Hall goes 1-2 in Charleston
We will have more very detailed coverage of other Feast Week tournaments the closer we get to Thanksgiving here at Road to the Garden
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