For two consecutive years, the Villanova Wildcats have imposed their will on the Big East. They’ll be striving to continue their supremacy again this 2015-16 college basketball season but things are expected to be a little more challenging this time around.
The No. 24 Butler Bulldogs and the much-improved Georgetown Hoyas are going to be in title hunt as well and the Wildcats would be smart not to get overconfident. That said, let now take a look at their chances of a three-peat while also previewing the rest of their competition in the conference. Just read on below.
And while you’re at it, you might as well check out our other conference previews: ACC, Pac-12, SEC, Big Ten and Big 12.
[sc:MarchMadness ]2015-16 NCAA Season Big East Conference Preview
Villanova Wildcats
2014 Record: 16-2
Predicted Record: 15-3
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Even without the trio of Jayvaughn Pinkston, Darrun Hilliard, and Dylan Ennis, the Villanova Wildcats are still the team to beat in the Big East. They’re the reigning conference champions after all and they’ll still have a handful of talented veterans returning this season. That includes Ryan Arcidiacono and Josh Hart, who both averaged double-figures in their junior campaign. It’s safe to expect that the two will improve further with the offense revolving around them.
But the biggest question, though, is whether the Wildcats fail to advance past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the third-consecutive time.
Butler Bulldogs
2014 Record: 12-6
Predicted Record: 11-7
Coming off a top-25 season under the guidance of head coach Chris Holtmann, the Butler Bulldogs are expected to at least reach that mark once again. They lost the productive pair of Alex Barlow and Kameron Woods but still have their best three scorers from last year in Kellen Dunham (16.5 PPG), Roosevelt Jones (12.7 PPG) and Andrew Chrabascz (11.2 PPG) to carry them. The Bulldogs also added true freshman Nate Fowler, whose 6-foot-10 frame could serve as the perfect replacement for Woods especially at the defensive end.
Georgetown Hoyas
2014 Record: 12-6
Predicted Record: 14-4
This is going to be D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera’s year and it could also be the year when the Georgetown Hoyas advance beyond the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Smith-Rivera’s game is so good that he can single-handedly lead this team to victories. He averaged 16.3 PPG, 4.2 RPG and 3.2 APG last season and those numbers are going to ascend further this 2015-16 season. But he’s not the only player that opposing teams need to worry about as the Bulldogs still have former top-25 recruit Isaac Copeland as his backcourt mate. Without a doubt, this team will be making a lot of noise. Watch out.
Providence Friars
2014 Record: 11-7
Predicted Record: 8-10
The Providence Friars are going to be a bit unpredictable this year. They’ve lost a lot of talent with the departures of LaDontae Henton and Tyler Harris, who combined for 29.6 PPG in 2014. Despite that, they still have a good chance to at least make it to the field of 68 because they still have one of the best players in the nation with Kris Dunn. Dunn, the multi-skilled point guard, posted 15.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG and 7.5 APG last season. He’ll need some help, though, if the Friars wish to make a big step forward.
St. John’s Red Storm
2014 Record: 10-8
Predicted Record: 4-14
The Chris Mullin era begins this season and the St. John’s Red Storm roster has a lot of new faces. There are exactly nine new arrivals—five recruits and four transfers—which Mullin will be trying to utilize. Chemistry is going to be an issue from the very beginning and it’s the main reason the expectations are low for this squad. The lack of familiarity and the adjusting process are going to be a very tough hurdle to overcome.
Xavier Musketeers
2014 Record: 9-9
Predicted Record: 11-7
The Xavier Musketeers have put on their dancing shoes in nine of the last 10 seasons and that trend is expected to continue this year even without the services of Matt Stainbrook. The dynamic duo of guard Trevon Bluiett and rising star center Jalen Reynolds will make them good enough to hang around and beat stronger teams. But their main issue could be in the backcourt as they only have the pair of Myles Davis and Remy Abell to work with.
Seton Hall Pirates
2014 Record: 6-12
Predicted Record: 6-12
The loss of Sterling Gibbs (16.3 PPG per game last year) is a tough one to swallow for the Seton Hall Pirates. Their chances of making a leap forward this season have lessened. But the addition of a solid veteran in Derrick Gordon was a good move. Gordon could work really well with Isaiah Whitehead, who was the team’s second-leading scorer with 12.0 PPG last year, in the backcourt. Now it all depends on how head coach Kevin Willard will utilize the team’s other key pieces.
DePaul Blue Demons
2014 Record: 6-12
Predicted Record: 5-13
The DePaul Blue Demons are still bad but it’s worth noting that they took a small step forward last season, finishing better than last place for the first time since 2008. The only thing positive that they accomplished in the off-season was bringing their former coach Dave Leitao, who had some glorious moments with the team in the past. Leitao will be working with three double-figure scorers in his return, Billy Garrett Jr. (12. 3 PPG), Myke Henry (12.0 PPG) and Tommy Hamilton IV (10.0 PPG).
Creighton Bluejays
2014 Record: 4-14
Predicted Record: 6-14
Seven players—including three starters—are gone for the Creighton Bluejays. It seems like they have no choice but to go on rebuilding mode this season. Head coach Greg McDermott will have a lot of work to do; however, he should be a little optimistic about building around some new promising talents in top-50 recruit, Justin Patton, and a pair of transfers in Maurice Watson Jr. (Boston University) and Cole Huff (Nevada). The future looks bright, but the present will be a challenge to say the leastf.
Marquette Golden Eagles
2014 Record: 4-14
Predicted Record: 9-9
The Marquette Golden Eagles could soar high this upcoming season. The addition of an excellent recruiting class headlined by five-star power forward Henry Ellenson is the main reason for it. The team will expect him to immediately make an impact and lead them to a better finish this time around. He should get some help from center Luke Fischer, who tallied 11.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG and 2.2 BPG during his sophomore campaign. The two will make Marquette’s starting frontcourt extremely solid and intimidating in both sides of the court.
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