The Big East is one of the most historic conferences in then nation with it bringing college basketball to prominence in the 1980s when Georgetown, Syracuse, UConn, and other great teams provided some incredible teams. Last year was nothing like that, with just two teams over .500 in conference play. They got four teams into the tournament and only won one game between them, but the league wasn't great last year. This season, things look to be much better, with a lot of returning talent for most of the teams, so the conference could get back to its former glory.
Butler: Who is going to play center?
The Bulldogs are looking to bounce back after missing out on the tournament last season, and they have a nice returning core that should help them compete. They return seventh leading scorer in the Big East Kamar Baldwin, and along with point guard Aaron Thompson, more of a defender and facilitator, will give the Bulldogs a stout backcourt. On the wing, they have knockdown shooter Sean McDermott, defensive stopper Henry Baddley, and emerging junior Christian David, and Duke transfer Jordan Tucker, a stretch four who was very good in the second half of last season. However, they will be weak in the front court, with Nate Fowler graduating and Joey Brunk electing to transfer. They currently only have seldom used rising sophomore Bryce Golden and incoming freshman John Michael-Mulloy, both sub-200 players in their respective classes, as their front court depth. Coach LaVall Jordan is looking to the transfer market, and is in the final three for Valparaiso grad transfer Derrik Smits. The lack of an impact post player was often a problem last season for the Bulldogs on both ends of the floor, and they will be hoping to address that issue this season.
Butler: Who is going to play center?
The Bulldogs are looking to bounce back after missing out on the tournament last season, and they have a nice returning core that should help them compete. They return seventh leading scorer in the Big East Kamar Baldwin, and along with point guard Aaron Thompson, more of a defender and facilitator, will give the Bulldogs a stout backcourt. On the wing, they have knockdown shooter Sean McDermott, defensive stopper Henry Baddley, and emerging junior Christian David, and Duke transfer Jordan Tucker, a stretch four who was very good in the second half of last season. However, they will be weak in the front court, with Nate Fowler graduating and Joey Brunk electing to transfer. They currently only have seldom used rising sophomore Bryce Golden and incoming freshman John Michael-Mulloy, both sub-200 players in their respective classes, as their front court depth. Coach LaVall Jordan is looking to the transfer market, and is in the final three for Valparaiso grad transfer Derrik Smits. The lack of an impact post player was often a problem last season for the Bulldogs on both ends of the floor, and they will be hoping to address that issue this season.
Creighton: Can they play defense?
Under Greg McDermott, Creighton has consistently been one of the top offensive teams not only in the Big East, but the nation. The lowest mark they have had in adjusted offensive efficiency on KenPom during his tenure was 66th in his first season, and they have had three seasons in the top five during his nine years. They look poised to repeat that this season, with a roster stacked full of returning talent like TyShon Alexander, Mitch Ballock, and Martin Krampelj, along with breakout candidates like Damien Jefferson and Martin Zegarowski. They went toe to toe with teams like Gonzaga and Marquette on the offensive end, so they figure to be explosive on that end once more. The question comes defensively, which has always held the Blue Jays back from reaching their potential. They have only ranked in the top 50 of adjusted defensive efficiency twice, peaking at 46th in 2016-17. They were 83rd last season, and McDermott will have to figure out how to get this team playing well on the defensive end if they hope to reach their ceiling next season.
Under Greg McDermott, Creighton has consistently been one of the top offensive teams not only in the Big East, but the nation. The lowest mark they have had in adjusted offensive efficiency on KenPom during his tenure was 66th in his first season, and they have had three seasons in the top five during his nine years. They look poised to repeat that this season, with a roster stacked full of returning talent like TyShon Alexander, Mitch Ballock, and Martin Krampelj, along with breakout candidates like Damien Jefferson and Martin Zegarowski. They went toe to toe with teams like Gonzaga and Marquette on the offensive end, so they figure to be explosive on that end once more. The question comes defensively, which has always held the Blue Jays back from reaching their potential. They have only ranked in the top 50 of adjusted defensive efficiency twice, peaking at 46th in 2016-17. They were 83rd last season, and McDermott will have to figure out how to get this team playing well on the defensive end if they hope to reach their ceiling next season.
DePaul: Will they actually be good?
The Blue Demons have been the laughing stock of the Big East for years now, failing to get above seventh ever since the conference realigned, and failing to make the tournament since 2004. However, they were sneaky good last season, finishing with a winning record and winning seven Big East games, including sweeping tournament teams Seton Hall and St. John's before making the CIT finals. They will lose their three leading scorers in Max Strus, Eli Cain, and Femi Olujobi, but there is a solid core in place, led by Paul Reed. The rising junior stretch four had a breakout year last season, and he could be an All-Big East level player next season. Guard Devin Gage has the tools for a breakout season of his own, and he and Justin Coleman-Lands will be a solid backcourt along with highly regarded Australian Flynn Cameron, who will be more comfortable as a sophomore. Add in some talented newcomers with the third best recruiting class in the Big East, headlined by four star big man Romeo Weems and guard Markese Jacobs, and transfer Darious Hall from Arkansas and Carte'Are Gordon from Saint Louis, who should both make immediate impacts. The talent should be there, but the question is if it can translate to success on the court.
The Blue Demons have been the laughing stock of the Big East for years now, failing to get above seventh ever since the conference realigned, and failing to make the tournament since 2004. However, they were sneaky good last season, finishing with a winning record and winning seven Big East games, including sweeping tournament teams Seton Hall and St. John's before making the CIT finals. They will lose their three leading scorers in Max Strus, Eli Cain, and Femi Olujobi, but there is a solid core in place, led by Paul Reed. The rising junior stretch four had a breakout year last season, and he could be an All-Big East level player next season. Guard Devin Gage has the tools for a breakout season of his own, and he and Justin Coleman-Lands will be a solid backcourt along with highly regarded Australian Flynn Cameron, who will be more comfortable as a sophomore. Add in some talented newcomers with the third best recruiting class in the Big East, headlined by four star big man Romeo Weems and guard Markese Jacobs, and transfer Darious Hall from Arkansas and Carte'Are Gordon from Saint Louis, who should both make immediate impacts. The talent should be there, but the question is if it can translate to success on the court.
Georgetown: How good of a coach is Patrick Ewing
The Hoyas made a bold move by hiring Patrick Ewing to be their head coach in 2017 despite having no experience as a head coach or on a college sideline. He has helped bring more talent into the program, with three straight top 50 recruiting classes, and the results have been good on the court, with a record improvement in both seasons. The program will have the most talent since Otto Porter was on the court, and it will be up to Ewing to get the most out of it. With heightened expectations, we will see if he is actually a good coach. These first two years have been built on a changing of styles and utilizing the players in new ways, and his skill with the whiteboard will be the deciding factor. With the talented sophomore backcourt of James Akinjo and Mac McClung, breakout candidates Jamorko Pickett and Josh LeBlanc, and top 150 recruit Qudus Wahab and North Carolina State transfer Omer Yurtseven, the players on the court will be more than enough to win games.
The Hoyas made a bold move by hiring Patrick Ewing to be their head coach in 2017 despite having no experience as a head coach or on a college sideline. He has helped bring more talent into the program, with three straight top 50 recruiting classes, and the results have been good on the court, with a record improvement in both seasons. The program will have the most talent since Otto Porter was on the court, and it will be up to Ewing to get the most out of it. With heightened expectations, we will see if he is actually a good coach. These first two years have been built on a changing of styles and utilizing the players in new ways, and his skill with the whiteboard will be the deciding factor. With the talented sophomore backcourt of James Akinjo and Mac McClung, breakout candidates Jamorko Pickett and Josh LeBlanc, and top 150 recruit Qudus Wahab and North Carolina State transfer Omer Yurtseven, the players on the court will be more than enough to win games.
Marquette: What happened at the end of last year?
The Golden Eagles looked poised to compete for a Final Four last season at the end of February. They were sitting at 23-4 on February 23, having just defeated Providence by 18, and they had a lot of reason for optimism. Markus Howard was tearing up everybody, the Hausers were providing good shooting, and Theo John was an imposing rim protector. With one of the top scorers in the nation, the Golden Eagles looked poised to go on a run in March. They then lost six of seven including the postseason, and all of their last four regular season games, begging the question, what the hell happened? The main reason for their struggles were Howard not receiving a ton of help as defenses keyed in on him more. They should get another scoring boost with Utah State transfer Koby McEwan, a high scoring guard, who should help spell some of the ball handling duties from Howard, and possibly Symir Torrence, a 2020 point guard who has looked into reclassifying. They need to find a more consistent second scoring option behind Howard, and it will likely come from one of the Hausers.
UPDATE: After writing this, both Hauser brothers announced they were going to transfer from the program. That will significantly hurt this team, and they will have to reinvent themselves. I'm still somewhat shocked and evaluating this team, but it will make things so much harder for them to succeed. McEwan will need to establish himself as another high volume scorer to get them back to where they were last season.
The Golden Eagles looked poised to compete for a Final Four last season at the end of February. They were sitting at 23-4 on February 23, having just defeated Providence by 18, and they had a lot of reason for optimism. Markus Howard was tearing up everybody, the Hausers were providing good shooting, and Theo John was an imposing rim protector. With one of the top scorers in the nation, the Golden Eagles looked poised to go on a run in March. They then lost six of seven including the postseason, and all of their last four regular season games, begging the question, what the hell happened? The main reason for their struggles were Howard not receiving a ton of help as defenses keyed in on him more. They should get another scoring boost with Utah State transfer Koby McEwan, a high scoring guard, who should help spell some of the ball handling duties from Howard, and possibly Symir Torrence, a 2020 point guard who has looked into reclassifying. They need to find a more consistent second scoring option behind Howard, and it will likely come from one of the Hausers.
UPDATE: After writing this, both Hauser brothers announced they were going to transfer from the program. That will significantly hurt this team, and they will have to reinvent themselves. I'm still somewhat shocked and evaluating this team, but it will make things so much harder for them to succeed. McEwan will need to establish himself as another high volume scorer to get them back to where they were last season.
Providence: Was last year an outlier?
Ever since Ed Cooley has taken over at Providence, the Friars have been a model of consistency. Heading into ever season, you would expect them to be a 7-10 season every season. For the five season before last year, they were a 6-11 seed every year. However, they really struggled last season, and finished tied for last in the Big East. It remains to be seen whether or not that was an aberration, and I think the Friars will bounce back. They return pretty much everyone, with Alpha Diallo and Nate Watson coming back in the front court, and rising sophomore standouts AJ Reeves and David Duke, plus UMass grad transfer guard Luwane Pipkens and top 60 wing Greg Gantt. I think that last year was more of a rebuilding year, and they will bounce back in the upcoming season, although some of the lineup decisions Cooley made last season were concerning.
Ever since Ed Cooley has taken over at Providence, the Friars have been a model of consistency. Heading into ever season, you would expect them to be a 7-10 season every season. For the five season before last year, they were a 6-11 seed every year. However, they really struggled last season, and finished tied for last in the Big East. It remains to be seen whether or not that was an aberration, and I think the Friars will bounce back. They return pretty much everyone, with Alpha Diallo and Nate Watson coming back in the front court, and rising sophomore standouts AJ Reeves and David Duke, plus UMass grad transfer guard Luwane Pipkens and top 60 wing Greg Gantt. I think that last year was more of a rebuilding year, and they will bounce back in the upcoming season, although some of the lineup decisions Cooley made last season were concerning.
St. John’s: Who will they hire?
The biggest story around the Red Storm right now is their job opening. They fired head coach Chris Mullins this offseason after one tournament in four seasons. They were already going to lose star guard Shamorie Ponds, and players like LJ Figueroa, Bryan Trimble, and future recruits Cam Mack and Nate Tabor announced they were going to leave the program, especially after assistant coach and lead recruiter Matt Abdelmassih left to rejoin Fred Hoiberg at Nebraska. As of now, the two main contenders are current assistant Greg St. Jean and Iona head coach Tim Cluess. Bobby Hurley was a candidate, but he signed an extension at Arizona State. There are rumors that AD Mike Cragg wants Duke assistant Jon Scheyer, but it looks like Cluess is the current favorite after his great job at nearby Iona. I think he'd be good fit, and I believe that's where they are leaning at the moment.
The biggest story around the Red Storm right now is their job opening. They fired head coach Chris Mullins this offseason after one tournament in four seasons. They were already going to lose star guard Shamorie Ponds, and players like LJ Figueroa, Bryan Trimble, and future recruits Cam Mack and Nate Tabor announced they were going to leave the program, especially after assistant coach and lead recruiter Matt Abdelmassih left to rejoin Fred Hoiberg at Nebraska. As of now, the two main contenders are current assistant Greg St. Jean and Iona head coach Tim Cluess. Bobby Hurley was a candidate, but he signed an extension at Arizona State. There are rumors that AD Mike Cragg wants Duke assistant Jon Scheyer, but it looks like Cluess is the current favorite after his great job at nearby Iona. I think he'd be good fit, and I believe that's where they are leaning at the moment.
Seton Hall: Can they find a second option?
The Pirates exceeded expectations last season, with Myles Powell emerging as one of the best scorers in the nation to lead the Hall to the tournament. They got really hot down the stretch when they made their tournament push, making the Big East final. That run was fueled by the players around Powell playing much better. The major question still remains if one of those players can step up and be a consistent second scoring option to take some of the load off of Powell's shoulders. The two frontrunners right now are Myles Cale and Sandro Mamukelashvili. Cale is a rising junior who has shown a ton of flashes with his athleticism and shooting ability, but has never but it all together, despite averaging the second most points on the team with 10.2. Sandro is a stretch four who has shown the ability to score inside and out and could have a breakout junior year. Incoming freshman forward Tyrese Samuel has generated a lot of buzz as well, and they have Florida State transfer big Ikey Obiagu as well, so the depth will be better, but a good second scorer will be a big need.
The Pirates exceeded expectations last season, with Myles Powell emerging as one of the best scorers in the nation to lead the Hall to the tournament. They got really hot down the stretch when they made their tournament push, making the Big East final. That run was fueled by the players around Powell playing much better. The major question still remains if one of those players can step up and be a consistent second scoring option to take some of the load off of Powell's shoulders. The two frontrunners right now are Myles Cale and Sandro Mamukelashvili. Cale is a rising junior who has shown a ton of flashes with his athleticism and shooting ability, but has never but it all together, despite averaging the second most points on the team with 10.2. Sandro is a stretch four who has shown the ability to score inside and out and could have a breakout junior year. Incoming freshman forward Tyrese Samuel has generated a lot of buzz as well, and they have Florida State transfer big Ikey Obiagu as well, so the depth will be better, but a good second scorer will be a big need.
Villanova: Can they win the Big East?
The Wildcats experienced a down year by their lofty standards last season, receiving their lowest seed in the tournament since 2013. However, they bring back a lot of their players, with the exception of Phil Booth and Eric Paschall, but replace them with four stud freshmen. McDonald's All-Americans Bryan Antoine and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl will make immediate impacts, and four stars Justin Moore and Eric Dixon should make immediate impacts as well. Add in talented returners like Collin Gillespie, Saddiq Bey, Jermaine Samuels, and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, so they should be very good. They will have to figure out a way to get all that talent to work together if they want to win the Big East, which they haven't done in the regular season either of the last two years. They will face competition in an improved league, but they have the talent to make it happen.
The Wildcats experienced a down year by their lofty standards last season, receiving their lowest seed in the tournament since 2013. However, they bring back a lot of their players, with the exception of Phil Booth and Eric Paschall, but replace them with four stud freshmen. McDonald's All-Americans Bryan Antoine and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl will make immediate impacts, and four stars Justin Moore and Eric Dixon should make immediate impacts as well. Add in talented returners like Collin Gillespie, Saddiq Bey, Jermaine Samuels, and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, so they should be very good. They will have to figure out a way to get all that talent to work together if they want to win the Big East, which they haven't done in the regular season either of the last two years. They will face competition in an improved league, but they have the talent to make it happen.
Xavier: Can they build on their late season momentum?
The Musketeers struggled to start off the post-Chris Mack era. They started off 11-13 and 3-8 in the Big East, but turned things around late. They won 6 of their last 7 regular season games, beat Creighton in the Big East Tournament, and earned a three seed in the NIT, winning a game before losing to eventual champion Texas. They will have big expectations for their 2019-20 season, with all of their four leading scorers returning in Naji Marshall, Paul Scruggs, Tyrique Jones, and Quentin Goodin. While they lose almost everyone else of note either to graduation or transfer, they have reinforcements coming. They add Ohio grad transfer Jason Carter to fill in the hole in the starting lineup, and they have a top 20 recruiting class with four top 150 recruits that can make an immediate impact. KyKy Tandy and Dahmir Bishop look likely to contribute in the backcourt with Zach Freemantle and Daniel Ramsey in the front court, and if what they showed late in the year is for real, then they can be a borderline top 25 team.
The Musketeers struggled to start off the post-Chris Mack era. They started off 11-13 and 3-8 in the Big East, but turned things around late. They won 6 of their last 7 regular season games, beat Creighton in the Big East Tournament, and earned a three seed in the NIT, winning a game before losing to eventual champion Texas. They will have big expectations for their 2019-20 season, with all of their four leading scorers returning in Naji Marshall, Paul Scruggs, Tyrique Jones, and Quentin Goodin. While they lose almost everyone else of note either to graduation or transfer, they have reinforcements coming. They add Ohio grad transfer Jason Carter to fill in the hole in the starting lineup, and they have a top 20 recruiting class with four top 150 recruits that can make an immediate impact. KyKy Tandy and Dahmir Bishop look likely to contribute in the backcourt with Zach Freemantle and Daniel Ramsey in the front court, and if what they showed late in the year is for real, then they can be a borderline top 25 team.
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