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

2. Marquette and Seton Hall: Life without Markus Howard and Myles Powell

This is one of the more fascinating storylines in the country. Howard and Powell were the two most recognized players in the Big East the last couple of seasons and had their respective programs and the conference in the spotlight. Not only are Marquette and Seton Hall not totally sure who they are without them, but with the loss of two All Americans, it’s possible the Big East takes a step back too. The cupboard is not bare in either Milwaukee or Newark, however.

Marquette

Something unexpected happened last week for Head Coach Steve Wojciechowski, and it’s going to cause ripples around the conference. Ohio State transfer and former 4-star point guard DJ Carton was granted an unexpected waiver and is immediately eligible for the Golden Eagles in 2020-21. That will go a long way in an attempt to replace Howard’s 27 points per game. They really needed a true point guard and Carton provides that. This will allow Greg Elliot (5.1 Pts, 2.5 Reb, 1.3 Ast) and Koby McEwen (9.5 Pts, 5.0 Reb, 3.2 Ast) the opportunity to play almost exclusively off the ball and make them more dangerous scorers, something that wouldn’t have been possible if one or both had to spend a lot of time bringing the ball up the court.

Wojo also landed the potential preseason pick for freshman of the year in the Big East in Dawson Garcia. The 6’11” power forward out of Minnesota will benefit immensely in his rookie campaign from having an adequate distributor on the floor in the form of Carton. Additionally, a pair of experienced forwards in Jamaal Cain (5.2 Pts, 4.2 Reb, 0.8 Ast) and Theo John (5.1 Pts, 5.2 Reb, 0.7 Ast) are back to help Garcia in the paint.

The loss of Howard, as well as two more of Marquette’s top scorers (Sacar Anim and Brendan Bailey) had the rest of the Big East looking at them as potential doormat but the Carton news changes a lot. The Golden Eagles will still struggle to replicate 2019-20, what would have been its fourth straight postseason appearance under Wojciechowski, but they are definitely no longer a shoo-in to finish at the bottom of the Big East standings and may press for a spot on the bubble.

Seton Hall

Five seasons in a row Kevin Willard and Seton Hall have won 20 or more games. When you do that while facing a top 40 schedule each of those seasons, you know you’ve got an excellent basketball coach, and that is something Seton Hall can lean on in year one of life without Big East POY Myles Powell. Even better than relying on Willard’s coaching prowess, he signed about as good a replacement for Powell as you could possibly find this past March. The commitment of former top 100-recruit and Harvard transfer Bryce Aiken (16.7 Pts, 1.9 Reb, 1.7 Ast) changes everything and keeps the Pirates in the conversation for a second consecutive Big East Championship.

Aiken alone, however, is not going to take Seton Hall where it wants to go in 2020-21. Sandro Mamukelashvili (11.9 Pts, 6.0 Reb, 1.4 Ast) is an all-conference caliber player, and he will have the opportunity to put Seton Hall on his back this year if he decides to return to school after testing the NBA draft waters. The expectation is that he is back. Aiken and Mamu will both have legitimate chances to be First Team All-Big East, and there isn’t another team in the conference with a better 1-2 punch.

The beauty of Myles Powell was that he was one of those guys who was going to leave a legacy. Much of Willard’s success is due to him and he’s laid the groundwork for consistency at Seton Hall. While the Pirates may not have seen the success in March that they had hoped for in the Powell era, he leaves behind guys who are hungrier for that success and paves the way for top recruits, especially in the basketball talent-rich New Jersey area, to want to play for Seton Hall (Aiken is from nearby Elizabeth).

Jaren Rhoden (9.1 Pts, 6.4 Reb, 1.1 Ast), Myles Cale (6.0 Pts, 3.7 Reb, 0.9 Ast), Shavar Reynolds, Anthony Nelson, and Ike Obiagu all saw significant court time last season and return to further help the Pirates’ cause. Despite the expected emergence of Creighton as the Big East’s clear #2 next season, I am riding with Seton Hall- as long as Mamu is back- and Villanova as the class of the 2020-21 Big East and expect only better things to come in Newark as long as Willard is at the helm. Myles Powell’s lasting mark on this program is a big reason for that.