Busting Brackets
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Big East Basketball: 5 biggest takeaways from 2019 recruiting classes

By Tristan Freeman

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 14: James Farr #2 of the Xavier Musketeers and Daniel Ochefu #23 of the Villanova Wildcats jump for the opening tip during the championship game of the Big East basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 14, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 14: James Farr #2 of the Xavier Musketeers and Daniel Ochefu #23 of the Villanova Wildcats jump for the opening tip during the championship game of the Big East basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 14, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – FEBRUARY 12: Head coach Dave Leitao of the DePaul Blue Demons looks on during the game against the Marquette Golden Eagles at Wintrust Arena on February 12, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – FEBRUARY 12: Head coach Dave Leitao of the DePaul Blue Demons looks on during the game against the Marquette Golden Eagles at Wintrust Arena on February 12, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /

5. “Mostly” good news for DePaul

While Villanova and Xavier had the top two recruiting classes in the Big East, DePaul came in at third for a nice surprise. The Blue Demons have been trying to escape the conference basement and become a nationally relevant program. Based in Chicago which is filled with quality young basketball players, it’s almost inexcusable not to be.

They got some good news though, including getting three-star point guard Markese Jacobs after he originally committed to Kansas. Being a local prospect, it was key for DePaul to keep him around and rebuild a lost recruiting pipeline. Joining him are fellow three-star commits Oscar Lopez and Nick Ongenda.

But the star of the group is Romeo Weems, a power forward ranked No. 60 overall and is one of the top players ever to join DePaul straight out of high school. He figures to be an instant impact player to replace the production of Max Strus and Femi Olujobi from last season. The hope is that he’s the first of a string of top-100 players joining the program in the future.

It’s been a nice past year recruiting-wise for head coach Dave Leitao, also landing transfers Charlie Moore and Carte’Are Gordon, a pair of former top-100 recruits as well. There’s a real chance that both will be able to play next season.

Next. Offseason questions facing each Big East team. dark

But all good things must come to an end, with Leitao suspended for the first three games of next season for several NCAA infractions that involved an ineligible player. The program also is under probation for the next three years. Even when the Blue Demons finally has things going right for them, something bad always seems to occur.

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