TWITBE: Shaka Smart, Austin Swartz and Bill Raftery

SEGMENT 1 – John & Kevin welcome you to Season 12, Episode 4 of This Week in the Big East! It’s still Connecticut’s world and we are all still living in it! As we near the midway point of the Big East schedule, the Huskies go into this weekend unbeaten at 8-0 followed by 7-1 St. John’s and 6-2 Villanova. Creighton, after squeaking by Xavier at home this week, also has six wins. Kevin and John discuss who if anyone is poised to make a run at UConn during the second half of Big East play.
SEGMENT 2 (@6:01) – Big East Spotlight: Marquette Head Coach – Shaka Smart: John and Kevin welcome coach Smart back into This Week in the Big East. In his fifth season as head coach of the Golden Eagles, Smart has taken his teams to four NCAA Tournaments and won a Big East regular season and tournament title. He joins John and Kevin to discuss his unique coaching style, demeanor, and leadership skills that have garnered him attention as one of the Top 40 Most Admired People in Sports by the Athletic.
SEGMENT 3 (@18:25) – Who’s Hot: John and Kevin run through the weekly awards for the Big East Conference as well as the Big East Honor Roll! In our Big East “Blast from the Past”, we turn back the clock to January 25th, 1988 when Pittsburgh’s Jerome Lang made Bill Raftery famous with his thunderous, backboard-shattering dunk against Providence in the Panthers’ win over the Friars.
SEGMENT 4 (@23:00) – Big East Focus: – Creighton Sophomore Guard – Austin Swartz: John and Kevin welcome Big East newcomer, Austin Swartz to This Week in the Big East. Austin joined the Creighton program through the transfer portal via the University of Miami. He talks about what made Omaha his preferred destination and how it’s taken time for him to adjust to the physicality of the Big East Conference. Swartz averages 11.6 points per game and hit a clutch game winner this week in a buzzer-beating win over Xavier.
SEGMENT 5 (@32:00) – The National Perspective: CBS & Fox Color Analyst – Bill Raftery: Kevin and John are joined by “The Governor” himself, Bill Raftery. Raf joins This Week in the Big East as one of the most beloved college basketball voices in the game for both CBS and Fox. The one-time Seton Hall head coach now TV analyst extraordinaire remembers “send it in Jerome!” just like it was yesterday at the old Fitzgerald Fieldhouse in downtown Pittsburgh.
SEGMENT 6 (@42:20) – Who’s Got Next? John & Kevin wrap up the fourth episode of This Week in the Big East for the 2025-26 season by previewing the best games coming up this weekend including taking a look at an action packed Big East Conference slate of games on Saturday featuring Villanova visiting UConn.