Busting Brackets
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Big East Basketball: Way-too-early 2019-20 preseason Power Rankings

By Brian Foley

VILLANOVA, PA - FEBRUARY 27: Collin Gillespie #2 of the Villanova Wildcats drives to the basket against Markus Howard #0 of the Marquette Golden Eagles in the first half at Finneran Pavilion on February 27, 2019 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
VILLANOVA, PA - FEBRUARY 27: Collin Gillespie #2 of the Villanova Wildcats drives to the basket against Markus Howard #0 of the Marquette Golden Eagles in the first half at Finneran Pavilion on February 27, 2019 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – MARCH 21: Myles Powell #13 of the Seton Hall Pirates reacts in the second half against the Wofford Terriers during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on March 21, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – MARCH 21: Myles Powell #13 of the Seton Hall Pirates reacts in the second half against the Wofford Terriers during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on March 21, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

4. Seton Hall Pirates

Last season: 20-14, 9-9 (10 seed NCAA tournament, first round)
Key departures: F Michael Nzei (9.0 ppg)
Key additions: C Ike Obiagu
Recruiting Class (6th): F Tyrese Samuel, G DaShawn Davis
2019-20 National Projection: 34th
Joker Says: “Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I’m an agent of chaos.“

Even amidst all the perceived inconsistency around the Pirates, Seton Hall has managed to finish third in the Big East for four years running. And with star guard Myles Powell expected to return to South Orange for his senior season despite entering the NBA draft, the Pirates should once again finish in the top half of the conference.

Powell (23.1 ppg) is obviously the straw the stirs the drink for Seton Hall, but juniors Myles Cale and Sandro Mamukelashvili and redshirt senior Quincy McKnight are certainly capable secondary playmakers as well. The Pirates are also adding 7-foot-1 Florida State transfer Ike Obiagu, who was a shot-blocking machine in limited minutes during his one season with the Seminoles. Obiagu, a Georgia native, was a top-75 recruit out of high school, though SHU did struggle to integrate Taurean Thompson in 2018-19, a similarly well-regarded transfer big man.

Seton Hall will roll out one of the oldest rotations in the Big East, which means it’s time to officially nip the up-and-down play in the bud. The Pirates collected wins over Kentucky, Maryland, Marquette (twice), and Villanova last season, but also struggled through spells of utter dysfunction, including a pair of prolonged losing streaks in conference play and a sweep at the hands of DePaul.

Part of SHU’s problem stemmed from its relative inefficiency from the field (209th in effective field goal percentage), though the Pirates were able to withstand those issues with an improved turnover rate during their thrilling stretch to end the season. Seton Hall is already a pesky team to play, something that should hold true in 2019-20 with McKnight antagonizing opponents 70 feet from the hoop, Obiagu protecting the rim, and Powell nailing pull-up treys from the parking lot.

If they can clean up some of their miscues and reign in their shot selection ever so slightly, the Pirates should be a fringe top-25 team next season, especially with the expected continuity on the coaching staff.

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