After what everyone can admit to be a down past year for Big East Basketball, the conference looks to have made moves all over to collectively get better. The early returns throughout the first half of October’s preseason exhibition results show more positives than negatives, including some unexpected results.
What’s to make of the Big East to this point of October? Here are some early takeaways from what’s happened so far.
1. St. John’s a work in progress
With Quinn Ellis fully eligible and multiple seniors getting to play via lawsuits, St. John’s roster looks to be fully set. After handling Drexel, the Red Storm played a preseason version of a thriller, winning 104-99 in four overtimes to beat Rutgers. Ian Jackson and Keyshawn Hall each had 24 points but it was far from a smooth game, including being down by 18 points in the first half. This team still has a very high ceiling but more work must be done.
2. Najai Hines breakout candidacy underway
UConn is the other top team in the Big East to watch, bringing back two starters and adding multiple key transfers and freshmen. One of them was Hines, who put up 6.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg as a freshman at Seton Hall. But he’s already off to a great start in his sophomore breakout campaign, producing 17 points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes against Syracuse. If Hines can be a consistent 15+ ppg scorer, the Huskies frontcourt won’t have much of a drop-off compared to last year.
3. Providence makes big opening statement
The Friars received bad news with former G League Ignite star Dink Pate being ruled ineligible. But the Bryan Hodgson era is off to a good start, winning 87-64 over Pittsburgh at home. Among those who were eligible to play included Miles Byrd, a transfer from San Diego State who had 17 points. Providence was already viewed as a top-4 candidate in the conference and that performance was more evident of it.
4. Devin Royal an early POY contender
Royal put up 13.7 ppg at Ohio State last year as a third option. Now at Villanova, there’s a real chance he’s the go-to guy now. He had 20 in the win over Rutgers, followed by 25 points and eight rebounds to beat George Mason. The Wildcats bring back Tyler Perkins, who led them in scoring last year. But the addition of Royal to give them a consistent option in the frontcourt, along with Kwame Evans from Oregon, should be a big boost to the offense overall.
5. Butler’s Jalen Jackson’s health concerns
In Butler’s 81-74 win over Indiana State, Jalen Jackson, who played just six games for the team last year, led them with 19 points. However, he suffered what looked to be a serious lower body injury and couldn’t finish the game. This was a roster that already had plenty of questions heading into the season and if their potential best player is unavailable, that’s a major loss for the Bulldogs.
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