MullinMayhem wrote:I agree with both of you. As a SJ fan, we've had several recent years where we had Sweet 16 level talent and our high water mark seems to be barely making the tourney and then putting up a stinker and bowing out immediately. We almost always underperformed expectations except that 2011 year which was magical until injuries killed us in tourney. I feel like we're so crazy overdue for a major, major season where we are shockingly good and make the tourney easily as a good seed with a real shot to advance. We will see but we must prove it. So I kinda get us not being in preseason top 25. But Xavier is a veteran team bringing a lot back. They have made Sweet 16's and Elite 8's recently. They should absolutely be given the benefit of the doubt. I agree it should be a minimum of 3 BE teams in top 25 every yr, especially ones where we are pretty loaded. We definitely don't get the respect we deserve, but I think a large part is that Nova has been pulling 95% of the weight. Once we can prove we have 3-4 teams who can make deep March runs regularly, hopefully we get the notoriety.
On October 18, 2021, Xuperman wrote:
Check out the predictions of guys that KNOW what they're doing!
https://barttorvik.com/
As the countdown continues to the start of the 2021-22 college basketball season on Nov. 9, ESPN.com's panel of experts is making its predictions for all of the nation's top leagues. After taking a look at Gonzaga and the best teams from the mid-major conferences (Atlantic 10, C-USA, Ivy, MAC, Missouri Valley, Mountain West, SoCon, Sun Belt and WCC), followed by Memphis, Houston and the AAC, we continue this week with the Big East Conference.
The Villanova Wildcats, whose hopes of a fourth national title were dealt a serious blow when Collin Gillespie suffered a season-ending knee injury late last season, are back with Gillespie in tow, and Jay Wright and Co. are again thinking big. But the rest of the league may be getting closer. UConn reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in the Dan Hurley era in March, Creighton was a second-weekend team for the first time in school history, and others including St. John's, Seton Hall and Providence are coming in with high expectations after some struggles down the stretch last season.
With that in mind, ESPN.com's writing team of Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, John Gasaway, and Joe Lunardi made their predictions and weighed in on all the conference's top issues.
Big East 2021-22 predicted order of finish:
1. Villanova
2. UConn
3. Xavier
4. Seton Hall
5. St. John's
6. Butler (tie)
6. Providence (tie)
8. Creighton
9. Georgetown
10. Marquette
11. DePaul
GumbyDamnit! wrote:This coaches poll just proves my point Git. Lil Ol OCU (Omaha Catholic Univ.) got “rep” votes. On paper, not a Top 50 team this year. But in reputation, the Jays have some street cred.
Jet915 wrote:GumbyDamnit! wrote:This coaches poll just proves my point Git. Lil Ol OCU (Omaha Catholic Univ.) got “rep” votes. On paper, not a Top 50 team this year. But in reputation, the Jays have some street cred.
To me it says we are more respected nationally then in the league. We are picked 8th this year in the league and almost every year we do better than what the Big East coaches predict. Just sayin'.
Villanova is at the top again, but the big question is can the Big East rebound after one of its worst seasons in two decades?
The Big East is coming off, statistically, its weakest season since, well, maybe the 1990s. It's not just the barely acceptable four bids to the NCAA Tournament (matching lowest the league's had in three-plus decades). Beyond that, if you go by KenPom.com's algorithmic evaluation, the Big East ranked No. 6 in 2020-21, matching its lowest standing dating back to the 2001-02 season, when the then-14-team, two-division conference at least sent six teams dancing.
Are we in for another four-bid run? History suggests no. Since realigning with the Catholic 7 in 2013, the league averages 5.3 NCAA bids, and it's been the fourth-best league on average in that span. We'll see. The good news is Villanova should still be elite, giving the conference a bona fide national title contender yet again. In fact, here are my top five Big East storylines heading into the season:
1. Jay Wright, fresh off his Hall of Fame induction, aims for eighth league title in nine-year span
2. Xavier and UConn vying for No. 2 status
3. Georgetown's curious follow-up to magical Big East Tournament title
4. Shaka Smart tries to reboot Marquette -- and his career
5. Expansion on the horizon with Gonzaga? Wichita State?
That last one would be a biggie if it came to pass during this season. No indication the league definitely will expand (and you can make the argument it shouldn't), but it's at least earnestly considering that as an option as we speak. Now let's get to the awards and predictions.
Predicted Order of Finish
1 . Villanova
2. Xavier
3. Connecticut
4. St. John's
5. Butler
6. Seton Hall
7. Creighton
8. Providence
9. Marquette
10. Georgetown
11. DePaul
Most Overrated Team: Butler
Underrated Team: Providence
Big East Expert Picks:
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