Big East Basketball Power Rankings: DePaul, Butler exceeding expectations

Arguably the most impressive team in the conference (compared to preseason expectations) thus far, Butler has started extremely hot out of the gates. Even while dealing through a ton of injuries/illnesses, the Dawgs have been impressive in every single contest while consistently raising their efficiency profile on both ends of the floor. They have trailed in just 3.3% of their total minutes played so far. Butler currently sits at No. 22 in the KenPom rankings, as a result, and the time to admit that most people were wrong about slotting this team in the bottom-3 of the league is quickly approaching. They are an exceptionally disciplined squad on both ends of their floor and have fixed many of their holes from last season.

Transfer forward Bryce Nze is right at the core of this early success as he has immediately shown that he is a perfect fit for this roster. Nze is a bruising forward with the ability to switch on the perimeter, rebound at a high rate, finish inside, and showcases remarkable passing vision/ability. Butler does not need him to be a go-to frontcourt scorer but he is averaging 13.0 points to go with 8.0 rebounds per game to begin this season. Nze is definitely someone that everyone should know as the season progresses. The difference in Butler’s frontcourt contributions from last year to this one is impossible to miss. It’s tremendous.

Additionally, though, Butler’s upperclassman backcourt has also been tremendous. Aaron Thompson has clearly taken the next step with regard to his leadership and assertiveness on the offensive end while continuing to be a hard-nosed defender. He has dished out 29 assists to just six turnovers so far this season. Kamar Baldwin has also made strides, especially in regard to his decision-making. KB is reading defenses better and displaying an improved level of trust in his teammates. He is still the go-to offense weapon for the team (averaging 25.0 ppg when healthy in 2 GP), but is picking his spots more effectively.

Butler has a murderous non-conference slate of games approaching so we will quickly learn just how “for real” this team is. For now, though, the Dawgs look like a vastly improved team from a year ago as they are emphasizing discipline, ball movement, and really locking in defensively. They are experienced and feature plenty of leaders.

Futhermore, it is worth mentioning that top-100 freshman Khalif Battle is just starting to get his feet under him as a potential rotation piece moving forward. 7-foot-1 graduate transfer Derrik Smits is another play to monitor as he is yet to take the court due to injury.