Villanova saw multiple pieces honored early when the initial wave of Big East awards were announced.
On Wednesday, the conference announced the major awards, and while Villanova was in the mix, did not receive either Freshman of the Year or Coach of the Year honors.
Seton Hall’s Shaheen Holloway was unanimously selected as the Big East Coach of the Year. The Pirates will enter the conference tournament as the No. 4 seed after going 10-10 in Big East play. This is an eight-game improvement from last season’s 2-18 mark. The Pirates also saw a 13-game improvement overall.
There were thoughts that Kevin Willard might compete for this honor, but Holloway was selected unanimously after leading such a major turnaround at Seton Hall. For what it’s worth, Holloway reportedly said he voted for Willard, who was the last Pirates’ head coach to win this honor before Holloway.
Acaden Lewis was also in the mix for Big East Freshman of the Year. The award ended up being given to Marquette guard Nigel James Jr, who was named Big East Freshman of the Week five times.
James Jr. finished the regular season as the second-leading scorer in conference play at 19.3 points per game. This is the highest average from a first-year player since Carmelo Anthony at Syracuse.
It has been a record-setting campaign for Lewis as well. He set the program record for a freshman in assists and steals. Lewis ranks second in the Big East at 5.3 assists per game, quickly becoming a major facilitator and lead for the Villanova offense.
2025-26 Big East Conference Awards
- Big East Player of the Year: Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s
- Big East Coach of the Year: Shaheen Holloway, Seton Hall
- Big East Freshman of the Year: Nigel James Jr., Marquette
- Big East Defensive Player of the Year: Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s
- Big East Most Improved Player: Tyler Perkins, Villanova
- Big East Sixth Man Award: Devin Askew, Villanova
- Big East Sportsmanship Award: Josh Dix, Creighton
2025-26 All-Big East Teams
First Team
- Michael Ajayi, Butler
- Silas Demary Jr., UConn
- Alex Karaban, UConn
- Tarris Reed Jr., UConn
- Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s
- Tre Carroll, Xavier
Second Team
- Solo Ball, UConn
- Jaylin Sellers, Providence
- Bryce Hopkins, St. John’s
- Budd Clark, Seton Hall
- Acaden Lewis, Villanova
Third Team
- Finley Bizjack, Butler
- KJ Lewis, Georgetown
- Nigel James Jr., Marquette
- Dillon Mitchell, St. John’s
- Duke Brennan, Villanova
- Tyler Perkins, Villanova
All-Freshman Team
- Braylon Mullins, UConn
- Nigel James Jr., Marquette
- Jamier Jones, Providence
- Stefan Vaaks, Providence
- Acaden Lewis, Villanova
All-Defensive Team
- Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s
- Budd Clark, Seton Hall
- Dillon Mitchell, St. John’s
- Silas Demary Jr., UConn
- Chase Ross, Marquette