Four BIG EAST standouts were unanimous selections to the 2015-16 All-BIG EAST First Team. The league announced the All-BIG EAST First and Second Teams, Honorable Mention and the All-Freshman Team. The conference’s head coaches choose the all-conference teams and are not permitted to vote for their own players.
The BIG EAST Player of the Year will come from the All-BIG EAST First Team. The conference will announce Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Freshman of the Year and the BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Wednesday, March 9. The announcement will be made on the first day of the BIG EAST Tournament Presented by the Jeep Brand at Madison Square Garden at 4:30 p.m. ET. The other league individual awards will be announced Monday, March 7.
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Dunn and Bentil have been one of the most productive duos in college basketball this season. A 6-3 junior guard, Dunn is ranked fourth in the BIG EAST in scoring with a 16.3 average and second in assists at 6.4, and first in steals at 2.7. Bentil, a 6-9 sophomore forward, led the BIG EAST in scoring in all games with a 21.2 average and won the league scoring crown with a 22.9 mark in conference play. He was fourth in rebounding with a 7.8 average in BIG EAST play. Dunn was the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year.
Whitehead has been the key contributor to Seton Hall’s breakout season. He is second in the league in scoring with a 17.9 average and third in assists at 4.9. The sophomore guard ranks second in the league 3-pointers made with 74. The Pirates ended the regular season by winning nine of their last 11 games and finishing 22-8 overall and 12-6 in the BIG EAST.
Hart has been a leader behind Villanova’s stellar campaign. He leads the Wildcats with a 15.3 scoring average and ranks sixth in the BIG EAST in rebounding with a 7.2 mark. Also considered a top-notch defender, Hart helped Villanova finish the regular season with a 27-4 record and a 16-2 BIG EAST mark. The 6-5 junior has been part of the Wildcats’ three-straight regular season crowns.
Bluiett has been the top scorer in Xavier’s outstanding season. The 6-6 sophomore is averaging 15.2 points and 6.4 rebounds for the Musketeers, who will be the No. 2 seed in The BIG EAST Tournament after compiling a 14-4 record in league play and a 26-4 mark overall. He is shooting 38.7 percent from 3-point range. Bluiett was a BIG EAST All-Rookie Team pick last season.
Ellenson is the first freshman to earn All-BIG EAST First Team honors since Syracuse’s Carmelo Anthony in 2002-03. Ellenson finished third in the BIG EAST in scoring with a 16.8 average and also first in rebounding at 9.8. He won the league rebounding crown with a 9.7 mark in conference games.
The All-BIG EAST Second Team has three seniors, one junior and one sophomore. Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono has been a team leader for four seasons. The 6-3 senior guard is averaging 11.7 points and 4.5 assists and has helped guide the Wildcats to three straight BIG EAST regular-season titles and a BIG EAST Tournament crown last year. He is shooting 81.8 percent from the foul line. Last year, Arcidiacono shared BIG EAST Player of the Year honors with Dunn. Georgetown’s D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera also has been a four-year standout and became the only Hoya player ever to score over 1,000 points in BIG EAST play. For the season, Smith-Rivera is third in the league in scoring with a 16.3 average.
Butler has two All-BIG EAST Second Team picks, guard Roosevelt Jones and forward Kelan Martin. Jones is one of the league’s most versatile players. The senior is averaging 14.3 points, ranks fifth in assists at 4.7 and second in steals at 1.5. Martin, a sophomore, averaged 16.2 points, shot 38.5 percent from beyond the arc and averaged 6.7 rebounds.
In his first season at Creighton, Maurice Watson, Jr. has been a catalyst at point guard. The 5-10 junior led the Bluejays with a 14.5 scoring average and led the BIG EAST in assists with a 6.6 mark. In league play, he also finished first in assists at 6.7.
Three players received BIG EAST Honorable Mention recognition: Kellen Dunham of Butler, Angel Delgado of Seton Hall and Daniel Ochefu of Villanova.
The BIG EAST Freshman of the Year will come from the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team. There was a tie in the voting, so extra selections were added. Marquette’s Ellenson was a unanimous pick along with a pair of guards, Villanova’s Jalen Brunson and Xavier’s Edmond Sumner. Also selected were Georgetown’s Jessie Govan, Marquette’s Haanif Cheatham, and St. John’s Kassoum Yakwe.
Brunson served as the starting point guard for the first-place Wildcats. He averaged 10.5 points and 2.8 assists. Sumner also was an effective point guard, averaging 11.0 points and 3.3 assists for the second-place Musketeers. Cain thrived in his first season for DePaul, averaging 10.2 points. Govan impressed as a center for Georgetown, averaging 7.0 points and 4.1 rebounds. Cheatham helped Marquette with his 11.5 scoring average and 3.5 rebounding mark. St. John’s Yakwe led the BIG EAST in blocked shots with a 2.6 average.
ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM
Henry Ellenson, Marquette, F, Fr., 6-11, 245, Rice Lake, Wis.
*Ben Bentil, Providence, F, So., 6-9, 235, Wilmington, Del.
*Kris Dunn, Providence, G, Jr., 6-3, 205, New London, Conn.
*Isaiah Whitehead, Seton Hall, G, So., 6-4, 210, Brooklyn, N.Y.
*Josh Hart, Villanova, G, Jr., 6-5, 202, Silver Spring, Md.
Trevon Bluiett, Xavier, G, So., 6-6, 208, Indianapolis, Ind.
ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM
Roosevelt Jones, Butler, F, Sr., 6-4, 225, O’Fallon, Ill.
Kelan Martin, Butler, F, So., 6-6, 235, Louisville, Ky.
Maurice Watson, Jr., Creighton, G, Jr., 5-10, 170, Philadelphia, Pa.
D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Georgetown, G, Sr., 6-3, 215, Indianapolis, Ind.
Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova, G, Sr., 6-3, 195, Langhorne, Pa.
BIG EAST HONORABLE MENTION
Kellen Dunham, Butler, G, Sr., 6-6, 200, Pendleton, Ind.
Angel Delgado, Seton Hall, F, So., 6-9, 245, Bajos De Haina, Dominican Rep.
Daniel Ochefu, Villanova, F, Sr., 6-11, 245, Baltimore, Md.
BIG EAST ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM^
Eli Cain, DePaul, G, Fr., 6-6, 202, Willingboro, N.J.
Jessie Govan, Georgetown, C, Fr., 6-10, 270, Queens Village, N.Y.
Haanif Cheatham, Marquette, G, Fr., 6-5, 190, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
*Henry Ellenson, Marquette, F, Fr., 6-11, 245, Rice Lake, Wis.
Kassoum Yakwe, St. John’s, F, Fr., 6-7, 205, Bamako, Mali
*Jalen Brunson, Villanova, Fr., G, 6-2, 199, Lincolnshire, Ill.
*Edmond Sumner, Xavier, G, Fr., 6-6, 183, Detroit, Mich.
*Denotes unanimous selection.
^Due to a tie in the voting, additional positions were named.
