2017-18 Big East Conference Men’s Basketball Prediction
October 12, 2017
Welcome to a new segment where I will write conference predictions for major conferences in the NCAA this upcoming season. As the NBA season nears so does the College Basketball season. I am in love with March Madness, as many sports fans are, and I am extremely excited about the upcoming season as the talent continues to pour into College Basketball. One of my favorite conferences to watch and follow is the Big East. I not only love the competitive play that this conference brings but I also love my hometown Providence Friars and am always rooting for them and the Big East for success in the tourney. Last season the Big East sent 7 teams out of 10 to the NCAA Tournament and that is outstanding. Not only did it carry the number 1 overall seed in powerhouse Villanova, but it also had 11 seed cinderella story Xavier, as they made a run into the Elite 8 before being eliminated by the Zags. I think that the recruiting that has been done in the Big East is above expectations for this season and for the Class of 2018 as well. The Big East is on the rise, and with good reason, as they have played extremely well. Look for them to have 7 or 8 teams in this year’s tournament come March!
| Rank | School Name | Overall Record | Conference Record |
| 1 | Villanova | 25-4 | 15-3 |
| 2 | Providence | 24-6 | 14-4 |
| 3 | Xavier | 24-6 | 13-5 |
| 4 | Seton Hall | 22-8 | 12-6 |
| 5 | Butler | 22-7 | 12-6 |
| 6 | Marquette | 16-12 | 9-9 |
| 7 | Creighton | 15-14 | 7-11 |
| 8 | Georgetown | 12-17 | 3-15 |
| 9 | St. John’s | 9-19 | 3-15 |
| 10 | DePaul | 7-21 | 2-16 |
Here are a few quick notes on reasons why I have wins and losses the way they are.
#1 Villanova Wildcats
Coach: Jay Wright
Villanova was the number 1 overall seed in the tournament last year and while they did graduate Josh Hart, Kris Jenkins and Darryl Reynolds, this team still has some NBA draft talent in their scoring leader G Jalen Brunson and F Mikal Bridges. They will get some help from G Phil Booth and one of the nation’s great talents down low in C Omari Spellman, who had to sit out last season for academic issues. This talent combined with Jay Wright’s coaching ability is a sure fire to take the conference.
#2 Providence Friars
Coach: Ed Cooley
Providence lost a play-in game they had no right being in. Providence had earned a better ranking by the selection committee and didn’t get the benefit of the doubt losing to USC in the First Four In stage. Good news is Providence not only had two solid recruits in G Makai Ashton-Langford and F Nate Watson, but they also have returned their whole team from an extremely successful 2016-17 campaign. They have returned stars G Kyron Cartwright, who was top 5 in the nation in APG with 6.7, and their two scoring big men in C Emmitt Holt and F Rodney Bullock. The Friars were great defensively under Coach Cooley last year and were top 50 in the nation but their lackluster offensive scoring hurt them. Look for them to bounce back this year strong.
#3 Xavier Musketeers
Coach: Chris Mack
Xavier year in and year out is a great program regardless of wins and losses. They had a tremendous run in March Madness as an 11 seed in the Elite Eight and will try to continue that success this year. While they did have G Edmond Sumner go pro, they return their top scorers in guards J.P. Macura and Trevon Bluiett. They also added F Kerem Kanter via transfer from Green Bay and that will hopefully not only help their scoring but their rebounding as well. Xavier added 3 great recruits, all 4 star per ESPN rankings, and those guys will look to come in and help out big time on a well coached Xavier program.
#4 Seton Hall Pirates
Coach: Kevin Willard
Seton Hall made the tournament as a 9 seed last year but were knocked out in the first round. The good thing is Seton Hall will return almost its entire starting lineup. The biggest and most important returner is C Angel Delgado. He ranked #2 last year in rebounds in the nation. He brought in 13.1 Rebounds per game and was also a big scorer for them with 15.2 points per game. They brought back top guard Khadeen Carrington and added two passing guards in their recruiting class, as they struggled to move the ball last year. They also gained a JUCO transfer and big man F Romaro Gill and Seton Hall is bound to dominate the Big East in rebounding and the nation as well.
#5 Butler Bulldogs
Coach: LaVall Jordan
Butler ended the season last year ranked 21 in the final AP Top 25 poll and 19 in the final USA Today Coaches Poll. They made a Sweet 16 run in the tournament last year but ultimately fell to National Champion North Carolina. Butler will have a new head coach in LaVall Jordan this season seeing that Coach Chris Holtmann has left for Ohio State. They have graduated stars F Andrew Chrabascz and G Tyler Lewis, but retain good pieces in G Kamar Baldwin and F Kelan Martin and will also get to see G Paul Jorgensen, transfer from George Washington, who had to sit out the 2016-17 season due to transfer rules.
#6 Marquette Golden Eagles
Coach: Steve Wojciechowski
The Golden Eagles had a tough matchup in the first round of last year as a 10 seed squaring off against cinderella story South Carolina. Of course they lost, since South Carolina made the Final Four, but the Golden Eagles were a solid team last season. They return a majority of their team and especially lead scorer G Markus Howard. Marquette was the best scoring team in the Big East last year, but they had some defensive problems as they were one of the worst rebounding and defensive teams in the nation last year. They added a top guard in Jamal Cain and picked up a transfer from SMU in F Harry Froling. Those guys will look to help the Golden Eagles make another run at the tournament this season.
#7 Creighton Blue Jays
Coach: Greg McDermott
Creighton, another very exceptional team last season, was put in as a 6 seed in the tournament but squared off against Sweet 16 clinching Rhode Island who almost beat Oregon to advance to the Elite 8. Creighton is a well coached team but will miss some of their key pieces in the graduation of G Maurice Watson Jr. and C Justin Patton to the Chicago Bulls. They do retain top scorer, G Marcus Foster, and gain 3 talented freshman recruits. They pick up Division II transfer C Manny Suarez, who will try to fill the void of Patton. Suarez averaged 16.9 ppg and 9.4 rpg last season and will need to help out the young Blue Jays this season. Creighton has a shot on the tournament and will most likely be a bubble team come March.
#8 St. John’s Red Storm
Coach: Chris Mullin
With Mullin steering the ship, The Red Storm will look for a better season from last year, but I think it is nowhere to be found. This season their roster has 0 Seniors and 3 Juniors who will lead the way for Sophomores and Freshmen. Last season St. John’s missed the tourney by maybe one or two wins. The tough thing is they not only graduated F Darien Williams but also lost G Federico Mussini and F Richard Freudenberg to the pros. The flip side is that they did return 4 starters and their three top scorers in G Shamorie Ponds, G Marcus LoVett, and G Bashir Ahmed. Aside from that, St. John’s will need a lot of offense to counter their struggling defense. Last year they actually allowed more points defensively than they scored offensively, and if that continues, it will not help the Red Storm this season.
#9 Georgetown Hoyas
Coach: Patrick Ewing
Yes that is correct you, did read that correctly. Patrick Ewing will return to Georgetown, this time at the helm looking to flip around a lost Georgetown Hoyas program. They lost leading scorers G Rodney Pryor and G L.J. Peak and that will be a tough one to bounce back from, as those two guys were responsible for 34.3 ppg for the Hoyas. Returning C Jessie Govan will be the focal point of the offense and the Hoyas will struggle with the inexperience and lack of talent right now. For a team that is extremely young I hope this season will be a step in the right direction.
#10 DePaul Blue Demons
Coach: Dave Leitao
Let’s just go out right and say it, DePaul was absolutely atrocious last season. They struggled everywhere and are a program looking for help big time. They added two freshman F Jaylen Butz and G Justin Roberts along with Northern Illinois transfer C Marin Maric. They return leading scorer G Eli Cain, but this season will be another struggling year for the Blue Demons. It will be a while before we see DePaul contending anytime soon.
Written by Nick Kazandjian
