Busting Brackets
Fansided

Big East Basketball: 2018-19 preseason all-conference and awards predictions

By Lukas Harkins

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 10: The Villanova Wildcats celebrate their overtime win over the Providence Friars during the championship game of the Big East Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 10, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 10: The Villanova Wildcats celebrate their overtime win over the Providence Friars during the championship game of the Big East Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 10, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 9
Next
PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 7: Shamorie Ponds #2 of the St. John’s Red Storm dribbles. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 7: Shamorie Ponds #2 of the St. John’s Red Storm dribbles. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

First Team All-Conference

Shamorie Ponds, Saint John’s: Arguably the best returning player in the conference, Shamorie Ponds is a dangerous player on both ends of the floor. In addition to clearly being a top-tier scorer, Ponds is also extremely opportunistic defensively as he comes away with plenty of steals. If he is able to carry SJU to a strong season while experiencing an uptick in efficiency, Ponds is a POTY candidate.

Kamar Baldwin, Butler: Now that Kelan Martin is gone, Kamar Baldwin will take over as the top offensive option for Butler. He is a superb scorer around the basket and uses his quickness to consistently create for himself. In addition, he is a developing playmaker and arguably the best perimeter defender in the conference. All-around stud.

Markus Howard, Marquette: An elite scorer with unreal range to go with a sniper’s mentality, Howard projects as possibly the favorite to lead the conference in scoring this season. Although not a tremendous defender, Howard is a threat to drop 30+ in any game. He is a special offensive player.

Eric Paschall, Villanova: After spending the last couple of seasons as a “role player” of sorts within Villanova’s starting lineup, Paschall will return to the role of primary offensive option that he played in as a freshman at Fordham. He might not exhibit the same efficiency he did a year ago but Paschall is a darkhorse to win POTY.

Sam Hauser, Marquette: There might not be a better pure shooter in the conference than Sam Hauser. An unbelievably efficient player, Hauser is extremely dangerous offensively because of his shooting and size. In addition, his athleticism and length allow him to be a solid defender.

Jessie Govan, Georgetown: In my opinion, Jessie Govan is the best big man in the conference. While this might not be saying much because there are not many elite centers, Govan is a force to be reckoned with no matter the competition. He could eat up the glass and post some huge scoring numbers this season.

Home/Big East