BIG EAST: Jones’ 46 points helps Bulls to victory

 Player of the week: 

Dominique Jones

Dominique Jones, the junior guard for South Florida, may be having the best Big East season that no one is talking about. Jones, a Lake Wales, Fla. native, is forced to play in relative obscurity with his Bulls firmly planted near the bottom of the Big East standings with no way out.  But after a dazzling week during which he set a school record for points in a game and the second highest point total in a regular season Big East game, opponents and fans will now take notice. 

In the Bulls' most recent matchup on the road, Jones lit up the Dunkin' Donuts Center for 46 points, only two shy of the conference record, in an overtime win against Providence. He added 10 rebounds and eight assists to a final stat line that will be hard to top by any player in the near future. 

Jones never saw the bench, playing in all 45 minutes, and helped spark an incredible Bulls comeback. South Florida trailed by five with only 11 seconds left in regulation before Jones cut the deficit to three. The Bulls then stole the inbounds pass and nailed a 3-pointer for the tie. In overtime, Jones continued to play with a hot hand, scoring nine of the team's 14 points to put the finishing touches on a victory Bulls fans won't soon forget. 

That performance came after a 21-point outing in a loss to Cincinnati on the road. Jones' scoring average of 33.5 points in the two games was good enough to earn him Big East Player of the Week honors for the second time this season. The conference's third-leading scorer is quickly making himself known and will be the one guy opposing defenses will need to stop. 

Team of the week: 

Syracuse Orange

Jim Boeheim's Orange gave no indication this past week that they are ready to let Villanova take control of the conference. The No. 4-ranked team in the country, which surprised most considering it was picked to finish sixth in the Big East preseason poll, proved to anyone who still had doubts that this team is equally as talented and nearly as deep as the Wildcats. The Orange notched home victories against Marquette and rival contender Georgetown to improve their conference record to 7-1 and 20-1 overall.

Against the Golden Eagles, Syracuse found a way to win without its second-leading scorer Andy Rautins making a basket. Wes Johnson continued to make a case for conference Player of the Year, picking up the lack of scoring from Rautins with 22 points and 15 rebounds.  

Rautins wouldn't be shut out again, bouncing back to lead the team in scoring in a blowout victory against the No. 11-ranked Hoyas. The victory over Georgetown brought Syracuse's season record against ranked teams to 5-0.

The Orange should be able to breathe easily with games against DePaul and Providence next on the schedule before traveling to Cincinnati. Needless to say, Boeheim and Syracuse are in a very nice position to finish on top of the conference by season's end.

Judgement week: 

Marquette Golden Eagles 

Losing is difficult. But losing close games may be worse. Just ask Marquette Head Coach Buzz Williams. The Golden Eagles are floundering with the bottom feeders in the Big East, posting a less-than-stellar 2-5 record. Yet in those five losses, Marquette has gone down by only a combined 11 points, its largest defeat coming at the hand of Syracuse 76-71. If the Golden Eagles hope to make a return to the NCAA tournament, it's safe to say they need to start winning those close games.