NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Finley Bizjack of Butler and Nigel James Jr. from Marquette were selected to earn BIG EAST Weekly Honors. Bizjack averaged 26.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in a pair of wins for the Bulldogs. James Jr. posted 26.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 2.0 steals in a 1-1 week for the Golden Eagles.
BIG EAST Player of the Week
Finley Bizjack, Butler, G, Jr.
Bizjack shined in a pair of wins for Butler, averaging 26.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.0 steal per game. The 6-4 guard connected on 54.2% (13-24) of his shots from the floor, including 7-of-15 from beyond the arc and 19-of-21 from the free throw line. Bizjack scored 24 points in a home win over DePaul, connecting on 7-of-11 shots and three 3-pointers. Last time out against Marquette, he poured in a game-high 28 points to go with five rebounds and four assists. The junior guard made 12-of-13 shots from the foul line in the win. Bizjack has tallied at least 24 points in each of his last three outings and ranks third in the BIG EAST in conference scoring, at 19.0 points per game.
BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Nigel James Jr., Marquette, G, Fr.
James Jr. shined for Marquette this past week, posting 26.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game in a 1-1 week. The 6-0 guard connected on 64.5% of his shots from the floor, including 5-of-9 from the perimeter. James Jr. poured in 38 points to go with three boards eight assists, and two steals in an overtime win over Providence on Jan. 19. The 38-point performance is the most in a single-game in the BIG EAST this season. Last time out at Butler, the freshman from Huntington, N.Y. tallied 15 points, four boards, eight assists, and two steals. At the halfway point of the conference season, James Jr. leads the BIG EAST with 19.6 points per game in league contests. He is one of four freshmen nationally to lead his respective league in conference scoring.
BIG EAST Honor Roll
Solo Ball, UConn, G, Jr.
Ball led all scorers with 24 points in UConn’s lone game of the week – an overtime win against Villanova. The junior guard knocked down five 3-pointers, while also tallying five rebounds and three assists in 38 minutes of play.
Austin Swartz, Creighton, G, So.
Swartz scored 16 points and grabbed four rebounds in Creighton’s win over Xavier on Jan. 21. The 6-4 guard corralled a missed free throw and scored the game winner high off the glass at the buzzer to propel the Bluejays to their sixth win in BIG EAST play.
KJ Lewis, Georgetown, G, Sr.
Lewis averaged 19.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game in a 1-1 week for Georgetown. His best performance came at Providence, pouring in 21 of his game-high 26 points in the second half – including a key 3-pointer with 27 seconds left – to complete the Hoyas’ comeback.
Dillon Mitchell, St. John’s, F, Sr.
Mitchell shined in a pair of wins for St. John’s, averaging 17.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 3.0 steals. He had a double-double – 17 points and 11 rebounds – in a win over Seton Hall, before tallying 17 points, seven boards, six assists, and four steals at Xavier.
Tre Carroll, Xavier, F, Gr.
Carroll averaged 30.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 blocks for the Musketeers last week. The 6-8 forward had 29 points and four rebounds at Creighton and scored a career-high 31 points to go with three boards, two assists and four blocks versus St. John’s.