The Way-Too-Early 2017-18 Big East Hoops Prediction Thread

[Jet915]

Can't really take this seriously given the fact that they failed to mention Simon, a 5* recruit transfer from AZ who is a 6'5 guard coming in. They also didn't mention Marvin Clark, the 6'7 Michigan St. big transfer who can help tremendously on the boards and on defense. If everything goes right, this is a team that can finish #3 in conference which I believe is their ceiling. Most realistic is probably finishing 5th but IMO 7th would be a failure unless it meant a tourney bid. If Ponds and Lovett were that good offensively as freshman, wouldn't you expect them to be even better with a full year under their belts? SJ has lost the benefit of the doubt from the college hoops world...time to overachieve and show that we actually have top 25-30 level talent, because we do. We will go as far as our coaches take us. This season will tell us a lot about Mullin as a coach. Years 1 and 2 we didn't have the horses but this year we absolutely do. Between Simon, Ponds, and LoVett plus Owens, Clark, Ahmed, etc. there is more than enough experience and talent to win.

I agree SJU will be better but most of the Big East will be be the same or better next year. It's just that stacked. SJU will fight out for 5-8 w/Creighton, Marquette and Butler IMO.

[Hall2012]

This year, I think Seton Hall will go as far as Khadeen Carrington takes them. He struggled last year in his move over to the point guard position and his success there in year 2 is going to be the biggest factor for the Hall. From what I hear, he's been putting a lot of work into improving at the position as it's where the team needs him and - perhaps more importantly - he knows it's the only position that gives him any sort of shot at the NBA - he won't make a roster as a 2 guard.

So best case scenario - he shows the same year 1 to year 2 improvement at PG that Isaiah Whitehead did. The rest of the roster takes a step forward with being a year old as well, which likely keeps the Pirates in the top 25 all year and gives them a great shot to win for the league (including that secondary regular season title ) and enter the NCAA Tournament with a strong seed.

Worst case (barring any injuries, of course) is that Carrington's performance at the point is similar to last year and the team's results are equally similar. 3rd-5th in the league, NCAA Tourney bid, unlikely to get out of the worst weekend.

My expected scenario - Carrington will improve at the point significantly, but likely not enough to get himself drafted. I think Myles Powell will have a big year with more game to game shooting consistency, Angel will be Angel, Desi will be Desi, and a sneaky good recruiting class will give this team a lot more depth than last year, allowing Willard to give his starters some more rest without risking a big run against. They'll challenge Nova and Xavier at the top of the league, but will likely need a break or two to actually win it. BET is too tough to call, but there's no reason they can't win at MSG, and an NCAA exit any earlier than the sweet 16 would be very disappointing.

[Red Rooster]

Can't really take this seriously given the fact that they failed to mention Simon, a 5* recruit transfer from AZ who is a 6'5 guard coming in. They also didn't mention Marvin Clark, the 6'7 Michigan St. big transfer who can help tremendously on the boards and on defense. If everything goes right, this is a team that can finish #3 in conference which I believe is their ceiling. Most realistic is probably finishing 5th but IMO 7th would be a failure unless it meant a tourney bid. If Ponds and Lovett were that good offensively as freshman, wouldn't you expect them to be even better with a full year under their belts? SJ has lost the benefit of the doubt from the college hoops world...time to overachieve and show that we actually have top 25-30 level talent, because we do. We will go as far as our coaches take us. This season will tell us a lot about Mullin as a coach. Years 1 and 2 we didn't have the horses but this year we absolutely do. Between Simon, Ponds, and LoVett plus Owens, Clark, Ahmed, etc. there is more than enough experience and talent to win.

I agree SJU will be better but most of the Big East will be be the same or better next year. It's just that stacked. SJU will fight out for 5-8 w/Creighton, Marquette and Butler IMO.

We're almost thinking similarly, jet. But, I have St. John's between 5th-7th. The talent is there, but it's all about how the newcomers (Simon, Clark, Wilson, and Trimble) mesh, and if the team will competently defend and share the basketball on a consistent basis. If they don't do those things, then a 7th place finish is likely. If they do those things, then a 5th place finish, if not slightly higher, will probably be in the cards.

An imperative season for the Johnnies.

[MullinMayhem]

This year, I think Seton Hall will go as far as Khadeen Carrington takes them. He struggled last year in his move over to the point guard position and his success there in year 2 is going to be the biggest factor for the Hall. From what I hear, he's been putting a lot of work into improving at the position as it's where the team needs him and - perhaps more importantly - he knows it's the only position that gives him any sort of shot at the NBA - he won't make a roster as a 2 guard.

So best case scenario - he shows the same year 1 to year 2 improvement at PG that Isaiah Whitehead did. The rest of the roster takes a step forward with being a year old as well, which likely keeps the Pirates in the top 25 all year and gives them a great shot to win for the league (including that secondary regular season title ) and enter the NCAA Tournament with a strong seed.

Worst case (barring any injuries, of course) is that Carrington's performance at the point is similar to last year and the team's results are equally similar. 3rd-5th in the league, NCAA Tourney bid, unlikely to get out of the worst weekend.

My expected scenario - Carrington will improve at the point significantly, but likely not enough to get himself drafted. I think Myles Powell will have a big year with more game to game shooting consistency, Angel will be Angel, Desi will be Desi, and a sneaky good recruiting class will give this team a lot more depth than last year, allowing Willard to give his starters some more rest without risking a big run against. They'll challenge Nova and Xavier at the top of the league, but will likely need a break or two to actually win it. BET is too tough to call, but there's no reason they can't win at MSG, and an NCAA exit any earlier than the sweet 16 would be very disappointing.

Seton Hall is my darkhorse to win the Big East. Nova reloaded with lots of talent but they also lost a ton. Not only do I expect Seton Hall to go deep in the tourney (Sweet 16 or better), but I expect to see them in the top 25 for much of if not the entire season. Delgado is an absolute monster already, can't imagine what he does as a senior. All the pieces are there, all the experience is there, and you have stability for a while now at head coach. I'm hoping Seton Hall will be that team to take the big leap forward if Butler/PC/Marquette have disappointing seasons. A good SHU also increases the intensity of the SJ rivalry and gets the metro area talking. Great for local buzz and great for the conference.

[Hall2012]

Seton Hall is my darkhorse to win the Big East. Nova reloaded with lots of talent but they also lost a ton. Not only do I expect Seton Hall to go deep in the tourney (Sweet 16 or better), but I expect to see them in the top 25 for much of if not the entire season. Delgado is an absolute monster already, can't imagine what he does as a senior. All the pieces are there, all the experience is there, and you have stability for a while now at head coach. I'm hoping Seton Hall will be that team to take the big leap forward if Butler/PC/Marquette have disappointing seasons. A good SHU also increases the intensity of the SJ rivalry and gets the metro area talking. Great for local buzz and great for the conference.

I agree with you on the SHU/SJU rivalry thing - though Hall fans in general are pretty split on it. A lot of people think SJU getting good again is bad for the Hall because it makes you guys harder to beat both on the court and in recruiting. In my opinion, we'll both win and lose our share of games and head to head recruiting battles regardless - but what both schools being good at the same time does is increase the profile of those events. I want to see SHU v SJU BET Finals and semifinals at the Garden and the schools consistently battling for top local recruits a la Whitehead. In the current era of cbb recruiting, I don't think either school is capable of consistently getting top local talent to stay home - but a high profile rivalry might be.

[GumbyDamnit!]

Seton Hall is my darkhorse to win the Big East. Nova reloaded with lots of talent but they also lost a ton. Not only do I expect Seton Hall to go deep in the tourney (Sweet 16 or better), but I expect to see them in the top 25 for much of if not the entire season. Delgado is an absolute monster already, can't imagine what he does as a senior. All the pieces are there, all the experience is there, and you have stability for a while now at head coach. I'm hoping Seton Hall will be that team to take the big leap forward if Butler/PC/Marquette have disappointing seasons. A good SHU also increases the intensity of the SJ rivalry and gets the metro area talking. Great for local buzz and great for the conference.

I agree with you on the SHU/SJU rivalry thing - though Hall fans in general are pretty split on it. A lot of people think SJU getting good again is bad for the Hall because it makes you guys harder to beat both on the court and in recruiting. In my opinion, we'll both win and lose our share of games and head to head recruiting battles regardless - but what both schools being good at the same time does is increase the profile of those events. I want to see SHU v SJU BET Finals and semifinals at the Garden and the schools consistently battling for top local recruits a la Whitehead. In the current era of cbb recruiting, I don't think either school is capable of consistently getting top local talent to stay home - but a high profile rivalry might be.

I think if Mullen can get the Johnnies to defend, then top half of the league is definitely possible. They can undoubtedly score but can they make tough stops when they need them.

SHU reminds me a bit of Nova last year. They've got a really solid starting 5 with 4th year "men" leading the way. But like Nova last year who really only went 7 deep you worry about their legs by tourney time. I really think Hart and Jenkins and co. got worn down by logging so many minutes. You hope some of the supporting cast on SHU can spell their horses so Willard isn't forced to play them too much. Last year each Desi, KC and Angel played 32+ mins per game on average. That's a lot of minutes.

[DemonBaby]

Pretty excited to see there's a new doormat. Thanks JT3!

[BEXU]

X could finally jump into the top tier fray this year (barring no injuries)

https://twitter.com/XavierMBB/status/900814953841647616

[gtmoBlue]

X could finally jump into the top tier fray this year (barring no injuries)

https://twitter.com/XavierMBB/status/900814953841647616

I'm guessing that u r talking Nationally? X is always considered top tier in conference.
Only 4 obstacles standing in the way of that dream: 1 LV Invitational, 2 Villanova, 3 Seton Hall, and 4 Creighton.

[gtmoBlue]

someone here...a year or so back, said Creighton had a chance to become the BE's new Syracuse (without the cheating).
Doing an article and I'd like to give proper credit to the source person.
- gtmo