The Big East has several teams that with intriguing storylines for the 2017-18 season. Here are five questions concerning the teams in this league.
1. Does Villanova run away with the regular season title?
In basically every preseason poll involving the Big East, the Wildcats have been dubbed as the team to beat. Is it that sure of a bet? Part of it may be the respect given to Jay Wright and Villanova’s recent push to be a top-ten national program. The other part is a lack of respect towards the other top contenders in the league.
2. What are the ceilings for Seton Hall and Providence?
Both programs have only recently been going to the NCAA Tournament, and, while we may not admit it, perception of a program does play into how we view certain teams. The Wildcats deserve to be the favorites coming in, but the Friars and Pirates are not too far behind.
Providence returns just about everyone from a year ago, and, while they don’t have a nationally known star, collectively, they’re a team that can compete with the best of them. The year of All-American Caleb Swanigan of Purdue overshadowed Seton Hall’s Angel Delgado, who was a double-double machine himself. Add Khadeen Carrington on the perimeter and the Pirates are a dark horse final four threat.
3. Where does Saint John’s need to finish for Chris Mullin to feel safe?
After a couple of underwhelming seasons, the Red Storm of Saint John’s are looking to breakthrough to the top half. They bring back what might be the best backcourt in the conference, and have solid role players for a good lineup.
But this is the same program who wasn’t satisfied with the previous head coach Steve Lavin. Former alum Mullin certainly has a longer leash, but, at some point, it starts to shorten. The Preseason Media Day Poll had them finishing sixth. Being part of the bubble conversation is the minimum for the coaching staff to not be sweating bullets.
4. Can Marquette play defense this year?
The Golden Eagles didn’t beat anyone last season, rather just outscored them. They were the best shooting team last season from distance but lose a few key players. Marquette got away with a lack of defense last time, but likely won’t be as lucky this year.
5. Can Patrick Ewing keep the bottom from coming out?
Georgetown will be having a fierce battle with DePaul this season…to avoid last place. The Hoyas will get some wins in the non-conference, mainly due to the cupcake-fest schedule they set up. Big East action is a different story, and the drop off in talent between Georgetown and the other teams have never been greater.
Next: Big East rankings for 2017-18
It’s great to see Ewing finally get a head coaching gig, and, for basketball fans, the sooner the historic Hoyas are back the better. But it’s been a while since Georgetown has been nationally relevant, and for upcoming recruits the history isn’t as known. A horrible year filled with embarrassing blowouts could do even more damage to a struggling program.