Busting Brackets
Fansided

Big East Basketball: 3 bold predictions for the 2019-20 season

By Brian Rauf

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 08: Myles Cale #22 and Myles Powell #13 of the Seton Hall Pirates reacts after Powell's basket putting Seton Hall ahead of the Kentucky Wildcats in the final seconds of regulation of a college basketball game at Madison Square Garden on December 8, 2018 in New York City. Seton Hall defeated Kentucky 84-83 in overtime. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 08: Myles Cale #22 and Myles Powell #13 of the Seton Hall Pirates reacts after Powell's basket putting Seton Hall ahead of the Kentucky Wildcats in the final seconds of regulation of a college basketball game at Madison Square Garden on December 8, 2018 in New York City. Seton Hall defeated Kentucky 84-83 in overtime. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 4
Next
VILLANOVA, PA – DECEMBER 05: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats and the bench react in front of Nate Pierre-Louis #15 of the Temple Owls after a turnover by the Temple Owls in the first half at Finneran Pavilion on December 5, 2018 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
VILLANOVA, PA – DECEMBER 05: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats and the bench react in front of Nate Pierre-Louis #15 of the Temple Owls after a turnover by the Temple Owls in the first half at Finneran Pavilion on December 5, 2018 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Big East Basketball is as strong as it has been since realignment with many teams poised for breakout seasons, which could lead to some unexpected results.

Big East Basketball has been dominated by Villanova since conference realignment in 2013 and, while other teams have had great seasons – Xavier won the league title in 2018 and both Providence (2014) and Seton Hall (2016) have Big East titles – the conference is projected to be as deep and strong at the top as it has been since realignment.

Three teams (Villanova, Seton Hall, Xavier) are ranked in the preseason AP top 25 poll with four others (Marquette, Georgetown, Creighton, Providence) receiving votes.

All seven of those teams are projected to make the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, which would be the second time the “New Big East” had sent seven teams dancing.

That is great for the depth and prestige of the conference, but could also lend itself to some more chaos and craziness than normal – and there are star players that could play a role.

Seton Hall’s Myles Powell and Marquette’s Markus Howard were both named AP first-team All-Americans. Villanova has two potential first-round NBA Draft picks in Bryan Antoine (who is dealing with a shoulder injury that could cause him to redshirt) and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. Xavier, Georgetown, Creighton, and Providence return virtually their entire rotations from a season ago.

So, what crazy things are the most likely to happen in Big East play in 2019-20? Here are three bold predictions:

Home/Big East