Talent show
A midsummer’s look at what will be a ‘loaded’ Big East
Yes, college football is right around the corner.
Yes, Jim Mora seems to have UConn on the right trajectory.
No, this isn't college football territory (Shhhh!, don't tell that to the Big 12 or ACC or whoever!)
This is Big East country, home of the defending national-champion UConn men's basketball team. In fact, this league has spawned three of the last seven national champs. Go back a little further and it's provided five of the last 12 champions, though that would have to include Louisville, which UConn fans might be loathe to do, and wouldn't include the 2014 UConn national champs who came out of the AAC (another sore spot with Husky fans).
Either way, the Big East is as strong as its been since perhaps its halcyon days of the mid-1980s, when three of the teams in the 1985 Final Four hailed from the league. Or at least in the past decade.
“I was around when there were 11 teams that got in the (2011) NCAA
Tournament,” Rick Pitino recalled. “And I see it happening all over again.”
Ah yes, Pitino. He's back for his third and, presumably, final goround in the league, taking over an ailing St. John's program. Ed Cooley is still in the league, but he's skipped over from Providence, his hometown school where he seemingly had a contract for life, to Georgetown.
Both figure to pump life into their respective programs, who happened to be two of those three Final Four contestants in 1985. Most would argue the Big East is better when St. John's and Georgetown are strong and relevant. Pitino doesn't necessarily agree.
“Certainly, when more teams are competitive, it makes for a better league,” the Hall of Famer noted. “But last year, with three teams in the (Sweet 16) and the national champion coming out of the conference, I don’t think you can get better than that. St. John’s and Georgetown were not good at all.”
UConn, Creighton and Xavier reached the Sweet 16 last season, tied for the most of any league, and Creighton nearly joined UConn in the Final Four but for a heartbreaking Elite Eight loss to San Diego State. UConn avenged that loss on the conference’s behalf.
And yet, it was Marquette that was the best team in the conference during the regular season and Big East Tournament. And the Golden Eagles have just about everybody back.
“This league,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott promised, “will be loaded.”
The Big East should have three teams ranked in the preseason top-15 (Marquette, UConn, Creighton). The league could easily match or even top seven NCAA tourney bids, the most it’s had so far since the “new Big East” took shape.
Some of the best big men in the country (Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner, UConn’s Donovan Clingan, St. John’s Joel Soriano) reside in the league. And, of course, some of the best coaches.
Not bad for a league left for dead a little over a decade ago, when the Catholic 7 broke away, Syracuse, Louisville, Rutgers & Co. scattered to Power Five leagues and UConn was left in the AAC.
“Requiem for the Big East?” Hardly.
“It makes you extremely proud to be part of it,” McDermott said, “because, obviously, we had to navigate a very difficult time. Jay Wright’s leadership from the start was really important to get this league on the right foot and making sure that all the coaches understood we might have to make some decisions that, while they might not be in the best interests of each individual program, if they’re in the best interest of the league, we all have to be on board with that. I think that’s continued the last decade.”
And so, let’s take a midsummer’s look at what a powerhouse the Big East should be this season.
Penthouse
UConn: We all know the situation. Three cornerstone players — the Final Four Most Outstanding Player, an NBA lottery pick and a second-round pick — are gone. One of the country’s best five-man recruiting classes is here. Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle could be lottery picks. Alex Karaban could be a first-rounder. Tristen Newton could be the team’s leading scorer. Cam Spencer could be next-level Joey California. Samson
Johnson could have wall potential. If all (or most) of the above fall into place, these Huskies could repeat. But it won’t be easy. Just ask Pitino. Or Billy D. or Coach K.
Marquette: The Golden Eagles won the Big East regular season by a full two games. They won their first Big East Tournament in program history, beating UConn and Creighton along the way. They went 2-1 against the national champs last season.
Marquette has the reigning Big East Player of the Year (Tyler Kolek), Coach of the Year (Shaka Smart) and Sixth Man Award winner (David Joplin) back in the fold. It’s got four of its five starters back, including leading scorer Kam Jones and talented big Oso Ighodaro. The Golden Eagles’ only loss was a big one — Olivier-Maxence Prosper, a first-round draft pick by Dallas. But Joplin could step into the starting rotation and fill the gap rather seamlessly.
UConn was the best team in the country last season, but Marquette was the best in the Big East. If that makes any sense. There’s no reason why the Golden Eagles shouldn’t be picked to win the league again.
Creighton: Everyone had the Bluejays winning the Big East and rumbling to the Final Four last season. An illness to Kalkbrenner and an ensuing six-game losing streak thwarted those plans, but maybe those predictions were just a year early? In Kalkbrenner, Trey Alexander and Baylor Scheierman, the Bluejays have arguably the top trio in the league. And for the second straight year, they’ve brought in perhaps the league’s best portal pick-up. Last year it was Scheierman, this year it’s Steven Ashworth, a point guard who was top-10 nationally in 3pointers made (111) and percentage (43.4) last season for a very good Utah State team. He should ease the surprise transfer of Ryan Nembhard to Gonzaga. If Mason Miller or Virginia transfer Isaac Traudt can alleviate the departure of Arthur Kaluma to Kansas State … watch out.
Upper-middle class
Villanova: The Wildcats had a change of residency last year following Wright’s retirement. It took first-year coach Kyle Neptune a while to find his groove, and a first-round NIT loss to Liberty ensued. Not good. But ‘Nova has the talent to get back into the upper tier of the league. Eric Dixon has been one of the league’s best bigs (and a UConn-killer) for a while now. Justin Moore is presumably much more healthy after coming back from a torn Achilles last season. Sophomore Mark Armstrong’s got game. And Neptune has brought in perhaps the league’s best batch from the portal in high-scoring TJ Bamba (Washington State), Tyler Burton (Richmond) and Hakim Hart (Maryland).
“I mean, that roster’s going to be loaded,” said McDermott. “And they were playing very
good basketball at the end of the year.”
Xavier: The Musketeers were the only team that played and never lost to UConn last season, but they’ve lost a lot of talent. Jack Nunge, the 7-footer, is gone, and his 6-6 brother Bob, a walk-on, isn’t a suitable replacement. Leading scorer Souley Boum and second-round draft pick Colby Jones are also gone. But program stalwart Zach Freemantle is back, a host of talent has been brought in through the portal, and Sean Miller can coach a little bit. Freshman Reid Ducharme, Caroline’s little brother, could be key as a freshman shooter. But the lynchpin to it all could be New Haven’s own Desmond Claude, who may be handed the keys to the car as a sophomore starting point guard.
St. John's: Pitino has to be good for at least a few spots up in the standings. He may be the greatest coach of his generation, even if he doesn’t always do it in the most pristine of ways. For instance, booting all but two players from last year’s squad and bringing in more players from the portal than he has scholarships for. Apparently, that’ll be taken care of through name, image and likeness money. Ew. Still, you can’t deny the talent, from the return of Soriano to the arrival of the nation’s second leading scorer ( Jordan Dingle of Penn), the Ivy League’s leading rebounder (Chris Ledlum of Harvard) and four-star prospect Simeon Wilcher, a North Carolina decommit. And let’s not forget old pal Nahiem Alleyne, who helped UConn win last year’s title despite apparently battling an eye issue all season, and exFairfield Warde star Sean Conway, a grad transfer from VMI.
Mid or major?
Providence: The Friars have one of the best returning combos in the league in a pair of AllBig East players, unanimous first-teamer Bryce Hopkins and defensive whiz Devin Carter. Old pal Corey Floyd Jr. could be ready to emerge after not getting
much run last season from Cooley. New coach Kim English has jumped in with great energy and enthusiasm and is saying all the right things. He’s brought a few good players along with him from George Mason. But English didn’t exactly set the world on fire in his two seasons as GMU’s head coach. And he’s just 34, in a league with sharks like Pitino and Hurley and Smart and McDermott and Miller … and Cooley … lurking about. He may wind up being the perfect hire, but it may take some time to get his bearings in this league.
Meh
Seton Hall: Pirates are a real enigma. There’s talent in AlAmir Dawes, Husky-killer Kadary Richmond and Dre Davis. The defense should be stout again, and Shaheen Holloway certainly proved his coaching chops two years ago at Saint Peter’s. But there’s not a lot of offensive firepower here. Dylan Addae-Wusu, an interconference transfer from St. John’s, is an intriguing addition.
Lower level
Georgetown: Cooley’s road trips won’t always be fun this season. His return to Providence, which reportedly will be when students are still on campus and on a weekend, will be the event of the winter in Friartown. And would it surprise
anyone if Gampel Pavilion has dollar beer night this season when the Hoyas come to town? While Cooley’s decision to depart PC remains odd, he’s probably the right man to turn the Hoyas around. “Oh, definitely,” Pitino said. “I think Ed’s a terrific recruiter and a very good coach. He wouldn’t have left Providence if he didn’t believe Georgetown could be something special.”
But it certainly won’t happen overnight. He’s brought in some talent via the portal (Illinois’ Jayden Epps) and high school (Drew McKenna), but anything above a ninth-place finish would be a shock. Oh, and apparently he’s lost Akok Akok.
Outhouse
DePaul: The Blue Demons have finished 10th in the Big East in Tony Stubblefield’s first two seasons at the helm, and a third straight such finish seems about right. Maybe Zion Cruz becomes a star. Maybe not. Who knows? Who cares? Certainly not Chicago sports fans.
Butler: Hard to know exactly what Thad Matta has here. Five of his departing players averaged double figures scoring last season. But then, so did five of his portal additions, including St. John’s transfer Posh Alexander, who should keep things fun, if nothing else. Too bad director of basketball operations Greg Oden can’t suit up.