2020-2021 Big East Preseason Power Rankings

[Xuperman]

So to finish up, Nova/CU unquestionably at the top and IMO the Red Storm will be the best of the bottom 4.
Not familiar enough with the Huskies to really comment only that I'm not buying the hype.
(jbarajas pretty much posted all that needs to be said)

VU
CU
PC
SHU
XU
MU
UCONN
SJU
BU
DU
GTown

10 wins will be hard to come by for most of us.

[Xuperman]

Found myself with a little extra time so I'll throw in the "homer" version of the book on Xavier.
Obviously we lost A LOT, however I believe we can be the deepest team in conference nonetheless.

I can't wait to see our 3 incoming freshman hit the hardwood. These guys are overwhelmingly CONFIDENT and all 3 have BEast ready size and talent. They expect to contribute immediately but man the competition is fierce!

Scruggs is the only for sure starter IMO but Tandy and Free are basically a given. They both did more than enough last year to prove they can effectively produce in this league. In fact, there is high probability that they both explode.

Talk about unknowns, here is where it gets muddled. Other than Carter (who underachieved by most metrics), you have the aforementioned frosh along with 2 redshirts. One of which is a 6'11" athletic freak in Dieonte Miles. He put the redshirt to good use by adding 25 lbs of sorely needed muscle. He can play with the big boys...proved that in Spain this time last year. Can you say Marcus Patton? The other RS Ramsey is a muscular 6'8" PF but he has struggled with nagging injuries.

On to the 3 transfers. Ben Stanley is a baller now! One of the top scorers in the country last year destroying the Big South competition at a 23.3 ppg clip. He has 2 years of eligibility left and should get a waiver to play immediately. Griffin is a STUDLY 6'8" blue collar guy that loves cleaning glass...the top D2 rebounder at 14+ per. Johnson is just a solid glue guy. A hard nosed experienced grad transfer and 3 point sniper that shoots north of 40% from distance.

So when you put it all together, that's TEN guys in good position to make significant contributions. If Coach Steele can properly orchestrate this roster while keeping everybody motivated/happy, we're gonna be really good!

BTW, Steele can not continue to be scorched by the plethora of elite coaches in this league....easier said than done.

[gtmoBlue]

Hey fellas. Sorry about not putting the link to Bluenotes here last Saturday. My bad.

Good to see the discussions here, even if it is heavily leaning on X and Prov. As for your questions to me...well.

1. It's only predictions/opinion. Everyone has 'em and mine are merely mine.

2. On Prov... It's plain to see that I don't follow them well. I am not a Cooley fan and mayhaps I have undervalued
the Friars. I am not familiar with all their transfers, so I went with the players I knew of and the new class of recruits.
My bad. Let's see what ole Ed can do. His returning troops have the ability to compete (and I had forgotten about Nate...even with his injury history).
The Friars seem to play better with a chip on their shoulders though. I just can't see them placing 3rd in the conference this season.

3. I am "all in" on Marquette and The Hall. Both did an excellent job with transfers and incoming frosh. Both have the good returning base to work with
and the leadership and production of both Carton (Marq) and Aiken (SHall) will transform these teams into better versions of themselves than last season.
Carton and Aiken may both be All-Big East players. I'm sold on both PG's.

4. Perhaps all the other predictions are spot on and I am the outlier here. However, I just - my gut says - not to overlook Xavier,
regardless of last seasons' results. The Muskies have the bodies, the talent, and perhaps the motivation (based on last years' dismal finish)
to rebound as a league contender. The guard corps is very good and Miles, Hanson, and transfer Johnson should immediately help to offset the loss upfront.
I don't think the sit 1 guys will receive waivers though. While tempted to leave them in the bottom tier, my gut said they will return to competitive form this
season.

5. Perhaps UConn is too high in my picks? They have a great talent-base and a great frosh class. Jbarajas' take may be the most accurate
I've seen to date. Hats off to you. I too think they will have an adjustment period...I just think they will weather it better than some expect. Jbarajas thinks the
"BE grind" will be too much for UConn to handle after 7 years in the AAC. He's probably correct. We shall see.

6. AND FINALLY! BUTLER. Over the course of these last 7 years, Kmacker69's Bulldogs have defied the odds and predictions of ole git,
the Coaches, and the professional pundits. Butler has avg'd 5th over that span, with two 2nd Place finishes. And that is with 3 different coaches. Yep...the Dogs have
lost a ton of senior talent, their class wouldn't overwhelm in "the Valley or the Horizon leagues", and Coach Jordan hasn't lit the world on fire with his coaching, Yet.
Having said all that - let me say this: I have learned NOT to discount nor discard the Butler Bulldogs - they have had the knack for "Finding a Way to stay relevant" (Adoraz)
over these last 7 seasons. If history is our guide, the Bulldogs will scratch, claw, and fight their way into the top half of the standings by season's end. It wouldn't surprise
me if they finish 5th.

To the Providence Friar contingent here on HLOH: My apologies to you if I offended you. I am just not as well versed with the team as you, and thus far it seems that Prov has become
CU's rival in conference play. Here's hoping the Friars well this season. WE shall see which among these many predictions hold true.

gtmoBlue

[Friarsfan94]

Haha, I wasn’t directing it specifically at you, Git. Just seems to be a yearly occurrence for everyone to put PC 6th-8th in the preseason predictions, and they always finish 10-8 and tied for 2nd-4th lol. I’ll take a crack at predictions, but I can 99% guarantee there will be a 3-4 team tie for 2nd or 3rd place.

1. Nova
2. Creighton
3. Providence
3. Marquette
3. Seton Hall
6. Xavier
6. UConn
8. Butler
8. St. John’s
10. DePaul
11. Georgetown

[Xudash]

If you told me seven years ago that seven years from then when putting preseason prognostications together, that Georgetown would be at the bottom of the barrel, I would’ve given you a strange look.

[Novachap]

If you told me seven years ago that seven years from then when putting preseason prognostications together, that Georgetown would be at the bottom of the barrel, I would’ve given you a strange look.

No kidding Dash... just crazy. That said, as a Nova old timer, I would have bought that person a drink!

[Friarsfan94]

I actually still believe in Georgetown to an extent. I don’t think they’ll be a traditional DePaul-type last place team. (Sorry Demon fans lol ) But seriously, I just think their departures, even if some claim to be addition by subtraction, will be tough to overcome for this season at least in this conference.

[jbarajas0490]

Thanks xuperman and gtmo, sometimes you just have to call it like it is. If these UCONN fans think that they're just going to waltz in and walk all over Nova, Creighton, Providence, The Hall, X, and Marquette, they're just delusional. This isn't womens basketball, even the crappy teams played well through out the season and stole games from the top of the league. It just bothers me that every media outlet places Uconn 3rd just because "well they're uconn". It's like they're throwing out all the progress that schools like the Hall and Providence have made since the split. I know yall east coast might say they have always been our rivals, seems to me like it's always going to be a one way relationship with them.... And please don't mention Theo John's name again everyone, lol he's probably the worst center in the league... Anyways I'll believe the UCONN hype until I see them beat the good teams.

[Xuperman]

Thanks xuperman and gtmo, sometimes you just have to call it like it is. If these UCONN fans think that they're just going to waltz in and walk all over Nova, Creighton, Providence, The Hall, X, and Marquette, they're just delusional. This isn't womens basketball, even the crappy teams played well through out the season and stole games from the top of the league. It just bothers me that every media outlet places Uconn 3rd just because "well they're uconn". It's like they're throwing out all the progress that schools like the Hall and Providence have made since the split. I know yall east coast might say they have always been our rivals, seems to me like it's always going to be a one way relationship with them.... And please don't mention Theo John's name again everyone, lol he's probably the worst center in the league... Anyways I'll believe the UCONN hype until I see them beat the good teams.

Go jabar Go. EVERYONE loves having the Huskies back in the fold but let the transition simmer a bit. That AAC stink can not be covered up with one wash.

IMO, you're wrong on TJohn....if he can focus on JUST BBALL and not....you know....he's havok!

[gmoser1210]

Thanks xuperman and gtmo, sometimes you just have to call it like it is. If these UCONN fans think that they're just going to waltz in and walk all over Nova, Creighton, Providence, The Hall, X, and Marquette, they're just delusional.

Interesting choice of programs to list. You include a program that hasn't been to a sweet sixteen since the tournament expanded beyond 25 teams but left off the program that your team played in the national championship game. Granted, I'm still waiting on my bulldogs to show up for that game...