Big East Basketball looks poised for a major resurgence this season. Where does each program stand in the preseason pecking order for 2019-20?
Big East basketball struggled a bit compared to normal expectations during this past season but the conference looks poised for a major resurgence in 2019-20. With stars like Markus Howard and Myles Powell returning for their senior seasons and highly-touted freshmen joining the fray, this has the makings of a special campaign for the entire conference. Almost every single team in the Big East got better this offseason and there are high expectations for each.
At this point, it seems as though the Big East might be the most competitive league in the entire nation in 2019-20. Even though there does not seem to be a clear-cut national title contender in the bunch, there are eight teams that have NCAA Tournament potential heading into the season. That is absolutely remarkable for the league as this might be the deepest that it has been since realignment. It seems likely that 2-4 teams in the conference will be ranked in the preseason top-25 and several others will have their shot at big wins to move up as well.
To put it simply, Big East games will be must-watch television this year. Just about every game should be hotly-contested and it will be nearly impossible to win on the road. With how competitive the league looks to be, it seems likely that there will be several ties in the standings by the time the season ends. For now, though, we can only project where each team might fall in the conference.
This article will breakdown my preseason power rankings for the Big East based on expectations for this coming season. In my opinion, there are four tiers for the league (1, 2-5, 6-8, 9-10) and those groups can be manipulated in a variety of ways. 2019-20 has the makings of a potentially special season for the conference and it will be fun to follow as a result.
Now, without any further ado, let’s dive into my preseason rankings for the league.