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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL
- Villanova
- Creighton
- Providence
- UConn
- Seton Hall
- Marquette
- Xavier
- Butler
- Saint John’s
- DePaul
- Georgetown
BIG EAST MEDIA DAY PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Marcus Zegarowski – JR, G – Creighton
BIG EAST MEDIA DAY PRESEASON FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR – Dawson Garcia – FR, F – Marquette
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL BIG EAST 1ST TEAM
Charlie Moore – SR, G – DePaul
David Duke – JR, G – Providence
Sandro Mamukelashvili – SR, F – Seton Hall
Collin Gillespie – SR, G – Villanova
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl – SO, F – Villanova
PRESEASON ALL BIG EAST 2ND TEAM
Bryce Nze – SR, F – Butler
James Bouknight – SO, G – UConn
Mitch Ballock – SR, G – Creighton
Nate Watson – SR, C – Providence
Justin Moore – SO, G – Villanova
Paul Scruggs – SR, G – Xavier
NOTES FROM DAVID
Even in a down year, the Big East will routinely have half of their teams make the NCAA Tournament, which is something that no other league other than the Big 12 can really say. They have a new addition this year with UConn, which means fewer OOC games (although we would have had that this year anyway), and may make things even tougher in what was already one of the premier leagues in the country. I’m not saying UConn is not a good fit. They do make sense geographically and culturally. I am just saying that the league really did not need them to raise its street cred.
-Villanova has won two national titles since 2016, and with four starters back from what was a really strong team a year ago that tied for first place, the Wildcats could once again have a Final Four-caliber team. Collin Gillespie and Justin Moore make up a fantastic backcourt and they have really good post players as well. This team has all the ingredients to make a Final Four.
-Creighton also finished in first place and would have likely also been a protected seed a year ago had the NCAA Tournament been able to happen: they also have four starters back. Despite some of the great teams they have had, Creighton has not made it past the Round of 32 since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams. This team was playing so well at the end of last season that they really seemed poised to go on a deep run. I am glad they have four starters back so they can hopefully have that chance again this year.
-Providence finished last season with six straight wins and was playing so well that some of us were picking them to win the Big East Tournament. With three starters back as well as some guys who were big contributors coming off the bench last year, this Friars team will likely be dancing this March.
-UConn had a rather unspectacular season last year, but in the latter part of the season they were playing pretty well and were my pick to win the AAC Tournament. With four starters back this year, I think head coach Dan Hurley has this team positioned to safely make the NCAA Tournament and make quite a bit of noise in their first year back in the Big East.
-Seton Hall looked like a protected seed for much of last season and were 1 of the 3 teams that tied for first place. They only have two starters back so they will likely be in a bit of a rebuild mode but I still think they end up making the NCAA Tournament in March. I look for balance and depth and I think they have both of those things.
-Not quite sure what to make of Marquette this year. At times they looked fantastic last year, but completely fell apart in the latter part of the season losing six of their final seven games. With just two starters back I have more questions than answers.
-DePaul had an unbelievable non-conference run last year with a 12-1 record by Christmas. They actually got into the rankings and it looked like they were poised to make the NCAA Tournament. Then conference play started: the Blue Demons were competitive in game after game after game…but also seemed to lose game after game after game. There is not much buzz around the team for this year, but with three starters back, including Charlie Moore, I think this team has more pieces in place to be successful than what they got credit for during Media Day.
-For the last two years Xavier has been rather unspectacular until the month of February, but they have a tendency to really click late in the year. Unfortunately it has taken them so long that they were never really safely inside the bubble. With just two starters back this year it would not shock me if they once again got off to a slow start.
-No one was really excited about Butler in the preseason last year, but they played like gangbusters in the first two months of the season and climbed to as high as #5 in the nation. While they did not finish that high, they were still in a position to make the NCAA Tournament. With just two starters back, the Bulldogs look to be in rebuilding mode…but it kinda looked that way last year too.
-Georgetown did exceed expectations last year despite facing obstacle after obstacle after obstacle. While that could happen again this year, I am not exactly banking on it.
-The Johnnies could be in for a long year as well.
NOTE FROM CHAD
– I would disagree with the media and David about the Johnnies. While I am not saying they are a lock for the Tournament by any means, Mike Anderson’s strong defensive style should come into play even more this season than last. LJ Figueroa and Mustapha Heron are gone but Rasheem Dunn and Julian Champagnie give them plenty of scoring in the backcourt. The key will be just how well forwards Josh Roberts and Marcellus Earlington develop down low.