This Week in the BIG EAST - Weekly Overview of NCAA College Basketball's Top Conference

#TWITBE Ep. 8.7 - Guests Tyler Kolek, Jay Wright and Jeff Goodman

February 18, 2022 John Rooke & Kevin McNamara Season 8 Episode 7
This Week in the BIG EAST - Weekly Overview of NCAA College Basketball's Top Conference
#TWITBE Ep. 8.7 - Guests Tyler Kolek, Jay Wright and Jeff Goodman
Show Notes

NEW YORK – This Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One is in its eighth season as the official podcast of BIG EAST basketball. The seventh episode of the season welcomes Marquette sophomore guard Tyler Kolek, Villanova head coach Jay Wright and basketball analyst Jeff Goodman.

TWITBE welcomes Marquette sophomore Tyler Kolek in the BIG EAST Spotlight, ahead of Sunday’s tilt against Creighton. A central theme regarding the 2021-22 season has been the experienced level of play on the floor as a result of more seasoned student-athletes. However, a pair of sophomores are leading the way at Marquette, including the 2021 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, Kolek, who transferred from George Mason to Marquette in the offseason. Earning the start in all 26 outings, Kolek leads the BIG EAST in assists per game (6.0) and has helped lead the Golden Eagles to a 17-9 (9-6 BIG EAST) mark.

The BIG EAST Focus shines on Villanova head coach Jay Wright fresh of the Wildcats statement win on the road against Providence. Currently sitting in second in the league standings (20-6, 13-3 BE), the Wildcats are riding a four-game winning streak and sit just a game back in the loss column to the conference leading Friars (21-3, 11-2 BE). Battle tested all season long, Wright takes some time to talk about his 2022 squad as they continue work toward their great objectives for the season.

Basketball analyst Jeff Goodman gives a view on the national perspective. As the February frenzy continues and still two weeks until the start of March Madness, Goodman gives his thoughts on how the BIG EAST will play out and how many teams he foresees dancing into the NCAA Tournament.

The episode’s “Who’s Hot” segment continues to feature “Blast from the Past” a segment reliving the greatest moments of 40 years at Madison Square Garden. This week, return to the 2006 BIG EAST Tournament where senior guard Gerry McNamara led Syracuse on an unprecedented four game run at MSG to capture the BIG EAST Tournament and become the first team to win four games in four days.

The returning hosts for This Week In The BIG EAST (#TWITBE) are John Rooke, a longtime BIG EAST play-by-play voice, and Kevin McNamara, BIG EAST radio host, columnist and author. Rooke and McNamara give a comprehensive look at the teams, coaches, players and storied tradition of the top basketball conference in America in each episode.

To join the conversation and send questions to Rooke (@JRbroadcaster) and McNamara (@KevinMcNamara33), use #TWITBE on Twitter. Fans may submit questions to be featured on the show. 

Please subscribe, rate and review to keep #TWITBE top of the podcast charts.  

The show will air on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 11 a.m. ET on Sirius 137, XM 201 and Online 964, leading into the UConn broadcast of Xavier @ UConn.