Which Villanova Basketball Rookie Will Win Big East Freshman Of The Year?

Happy Tuesday Nova Nation! Yesterday it was announced that Justin Moore was named the Big East Freshman of the Week. If you feel like you’ve heard that before, it’s because you have. This was Moore’s fourth freshman of the week honor, and the only reason he hasn’t won more is that his running mate Jeremiah Robinson-Earl has won six. That’s right, a Villanova Wildcat has won Big East Freshman of the Week in 10 out of 16 weeks. Needless to say, the Big East Freshman of the Year award will be on its way to the Main Line.

But who is it going to go to? These two players have played different yet vital roles for the team this year, and statistically they both lead in different areas. Points are usually king for these type of awards, so to give us some perspective, here are the stats of the Top 5 freshman scorers in the Big East this season per Sports Reference.

As you can see, it’s Nova’s award to lose at this point. So let’s look at each player and see where they have the advantage with just four regular season games remaining on the schedule.

Justin Moore is currently the leading freshman scorer on the season in the Big East. He’s only shooting 40.3% from the field, but he makes up for that by shooting 38.7% from deep. He’s an above average free throw shooter and does a good job at defending without fouling. He’s also tied for the most assists among Big East freshman... with Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. If there’s one knock on Moore, his turnover rate is the second highest among Villanova guards and wings.

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is first in rebounds, tied for first in assists, and second in scoring among all Big East freshman. He’s not shooting great from beyond the arc, but his free throw numbers indicate that he’s probably a better shooter than those numbers indicate. He doesn’t get a lot of blocks for a starting forward, but his steals are up there. Oh, and this bears repeating, he’s first in rebounds by A LOT. Robinson-Earl’s biggest weaknesses are two fold though. First is the fouling, something that’s been coming into play more and more as the season progresses. While the big man leads all other freshman in minutes, he’s spending more and more time on the bench in the first half of games with two fouls and that clearly cuts into his production. He’s also first among freshman in turnovers, an issue that stems from trying to take on multiple defenders in the paint.

I know I’m being overly critical to find flaws in these two players because they’re clearly the best two freshman in the Big East this season. And on a side note, imagine how good this Nova team could be when the other half of their recruiting class (Bryan Antoine and Eric Dixon) gets to take the court in earnest next season. But back to the point, I’m putting the decision in your hands Nova Nation. Who’s getting your vote for Big East Freshman of the Year?

In other “news”, Villanova prepares for the Red Storm, Josh Hart is thriving in New Orleans, and an update from the recruiting trail. Enjoy!

Villanova Men’s Basketball

Bey and Moore Earn Weekly Honors From BIG EAST., Big Five | Villanova University Athletics
Bey and Moore picked up weekly awards on Monday.

Villanova HC Jay Wright would love to coach in NBA someday | 247 Sports
Jay Wright really loves Villanova and Villanova loves him. The longtime men’s basketball head coach seems to always get better with the Wildcats.

No. 12 Villanova on roll as it awaits St. John's | Big News Network
Villanova will be searching for its fifth consecutive victory when it hosts St John on Wednesday

Recruiting

Offers Pour In and 4-Star Wing William Jeffress Names A Top 10 | Pittsburgh Sports Now
It was anticipated that after re-classifying to the Class of 2020, Erie McDowell 4-star wing William Jeffress would instantly receive a bunch of interest from major programs–and that’s exactly what’s happened.

Elite recruit William Jeffress places Pitt in top 10 | Cardiac Hill
The four-star small forward is considered one of the top 75 recruits in the nation

NBA Wildcats

Hart and Soul: Josh Hart has emerged as New Orleans Pelicans best reserve and he’s a keeper | The Bird Writes
Hart has been thriving. It’s time to not only applaud him but think about his future.

Ex-Warriors big Omari Spellman dominating for T-Wolves' G League team | NBCS Bay Area
The 22-year-old simply is too good for the G League, and he should be with Minnesota 100 percent of the time

Mavericks’ Jalen Brunson to remain out for next few games with right shoulder sprain | Dallas Morning News
Jalen Brunson will miss at least five games, including Monday, with the right shoulder sprain the backup point guard suffered on the opening possession...

Brunson out at least a week and other Maverick news and notes | The Official Home of the Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks will have to play at least four more games without backup point guard Jalen Brunson.

Villanova Women’s Basketball

Philly Women’s College Basketball Week in Review & Awards | Philly College Sports
Villanova Takes Down the Top of the Big East Standings; Drexel Winning Streak Reaches 13 Games: Penn Sweeps Ivy Weekend; Temple, La Salle, and Saint Joseph’s Post Victories, Harry Perretta Coached His Final Regular Season Home Game.

NCAAW top 25: Top 7 stay same, then upheaval with upsets | Yahoo! Sports
Seven ranked teams fell to unranked squads on Sunday. There's one weekend left until the conference tournaments.

Mary Gedaka Honored by BIG EAST and Big Five | Villanova University Athletics
Villanova University senior forward Mary Gedaka (Mullica Hill, N.J.) has been named both the BIG EAST Player of the week and the Philadelphia Big 5 Co-Player of

Villanova Athletics

Gordon Graceffo Earns BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll | Villanova University Athletics
NEW YORK – Villanova's Gordon Graceffo was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll following his performance against Campbell on Saturday night. This is the third

Moro Named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week | Villanova University Athletics
NEW YORK – Sophomore goalkeeper Alexa Moro was named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week after an impressive outing in Villanova's 12-9 win over No.13/16 Navy on Saturday.

Kirst and Kennedy Earn BIG EAST Honors | Villanova University Athletics
New York, N.Y. -Senior Connor Kirst and redshirt junior Patrick Kennedy earned BIG EAST Weekly Honors after helping the Wildcats to a 2-0 week. On Tuesday Villanova

Rauch Earns BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week, Jones on Honor Roll | Villanova University Athletics
NEW YORK – Gretchen Bowie of St. John's has been named the latest BIG EAST Player of the Week while Villanova's Paige Rauch earns her second consecutive Pitcher

Villanova Throwers Record Personal Best Marks at Princeton Invitational | Villanova University Athletics
PRINCETON, N.J.—Four members of the Villanova throwing group competed at Princeton Invitational on Sunday morning and had success in the shot put and the weight

Bracketology

The NCAA bracket tip to help you pick a 2019-20 men's national champion | NCAA.com
Take a good look at how many points a team's starters average to pick a national champion in this season's NCAA bracket and you might get an edge on winning your bracket game.

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Sporting News unveils its latest March Madness bracket projections after a week in which several of college basketball's top teams lost.

Bracketology - Why San Diego State remained a No. 1 seed | ESPN
San Diego State's home loss to UNLV was damaging, but not enough to move the Aztecs off the No. 1 line.

Bracketology: The last week of regular season is here for some conferences and it could impact the bracket | CBSSports.com
Don't look now, but Jerry Palm has Villanova as a 2 Seed.

College Basketball

College basketball rankings: Kansas is new No. 1 team in Coaches Poll, Dayton moves up to No. 3 | CBSSports.com
College basketball coaches voted to make Kansas the new No. 1 team in the country

Oregon star Sabrina Ionescu makes Division I history hours after speaking at Kobe Bryant memorial | CBSSports.com
Ionescu incredibly hit the mark on the same day she helped eulogize Kobe and Gianna Bryant in Los Angeles