Big East basketball: Way-too-early power rankings

It’s August, but it’s never too early to take a look at how the conferences will shake out.

The Big East is a conference that always seems to fly under the radar. Even after Villanova won the national title in 2015, it still feels like a lot of people look at the Big East as a second-rate league.

Spoiler alert, it’s not. From top-to-bottom, the Big East is a top-notch conference that has a shot at having seven NCAA Tournament teams.

Villanova

This is Jalen Brunson’s year, ladies and gentleman. Take out your pen and write it down; he’ll be the best point guard in the country. After another stellar year leading the Wildcats’ offense in which he averaged 14 points and four assists, the highly touted recruit from Illinois is ready for a breakout junior year.

Villanova beat teams by almost 15 points per game last season and had far and away the best scoring defense in the Big East.

So, couple their defense with Brunson, fellow junior Mikal Bridges, and three freshmen in the Rivals top-150 on the offensive side, and Jay Wright has another Big East champ on his hands.

Xavier

Xavier’s Elite Eight run last season was this team just starting to scratch the surface.

The Musketeers developed a go-to one-two punch in their starting lineup with Trevon Bluiett and J.P. Macura.

Bluiett scored more than 18 a game last season, and Macura put up 14.4. Additionally, both players are far from one-dimensional scorers. Blueitt grabbed 5.7 boards per game, and Macura averaged 4.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.4 steals.

There’s not a coach in America who wouldn’t want their two best players to be seniors who can affect the game in multiple ways. Also, Xavier snatched up four Rivals top-150 players, including two in the top 50.

Look out for the Musketeers, because this team will give the Big East fits offensively and defensively this season.