NCAA Basketball: 5 early Bracketology storylines for 2022-23 season
5. The Atlantic 10 and Big East should have better postseasons
After what could be considered a disappointing NCAA Tournament considering they had eight entrants between the two conferences, I expect both the Atlantic 10 and Big East to rebound and have better March performances this season. Last season the A10 had Richmond and Davidson go 1-2 and the six entrants from the Big East went just 7-6, highlighted by a Final Four run by Villanova.
The Big East had some high-profile coaching changes at Villanova, Seton Hall, and Xavier that saw Jay Wright, Kevin Willard, and Travis Steele depart and Kyle Neptune, Shaheen Holloway, and Sean Miller enter respectively. Those three teams shouldn’t take much of a step back, in fact, Villanova and Xavier should be top-25 teams. In addition, both Creighton and UConn have top-15 potential with Providence not far behind the top four in the conference, despite the loss of stars Nate Watson and Al Durham.
The Atlantic 10 went out and added Loyola-Chicago to their mix this summer and boasts one of the youngest rosters in the country with the Dayton Flyers. But, the favorite in the conference should be the St. Louis Billikens who return every one of consequence from their 23-12 team and welcome back lead guard and leading scorer two seasons ago, Javonte Perkins who missed last season with an ACL injury. Two other teams who could make some noise in the conference are a revamped VCU squad and a veteran-laden experienced George Mason Patriots team under second-year head coach Kim English.
Preseason top-25 power rankings for 2022-23. dark. Next
No matter how many teams from the Atlantic 10 and Big East make the NCAA Tournament, their performances should be much better and they better be because the expectations will be much higher for both groups as a whole.