Big East Basketball: Top 5 storylines heading into 2020-21 season

MILWAUKEE, WI - JANUARY 07: The Big East logo logo on the court before a college basketball game between the Marquette Golden Eagles and the Providence Friars at the Fiserv Forum on January 7, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 16: The Big East logo before the Championship game (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images) /

With the addition of UConn and the departure of many of the league’s best players, Big East Basketball is going to look very different in 2020-21.

Big East Basketball was one of the best conferences in the country last season. Seven teams had a high probability of having their name called on Selection Sunday, and all but DePaul were within shouting distance of the Big Dance as late as February. Creighton, Seton Hall, and Villanova all had teams built for serious runs at a Final Four. We all know what happened next.

The cancellation of the Big East Tournament and then the impending NCAA tournament this past March ended high aspirations for players, teams, and a conference that was ready to make some noise. Since then, the entire complexion of the Big East has changed. The whole All-Conference First team is gone, and 75 percent of the league’s top scorers are no longer there.

There are, however, some really good players returning, a couple of loaded freshman classes and the league did benefit from some big-time transfers- Caleb Daniels (Tulane->Villanova) and Jared Bynum (St. Joseph’s>Providence) to name a couple.

While the Big East won’t be the juggernaut it was in 2019-20, it’s still going be really good, and there are some fascinating storylines to keep an eye on. Let’s do a deep dive into the top-5.

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