2021-22 Preview: Big East

Villanova is still the cream of the crop, but a lot of movement elsewhere makes this a fascinating conference to watch

The college basketball season is around the corner and starting before you know it. At this point, rotations are pretty well set, the transfer window is done and games will soon be underway. Through our years of scouting and watching far too many college games and clips, and the last four years as a college coach on the recruiting trail, we’ve seen so many of these players come up through the years.

Put the NBA Draft aside: what college basketball teams are poised for a big year? We go through the best conferences in America one by one to break down exactly what lies ahead in the 2021-22 season.

We move onto the Big East now, where Jay Wright gets to reap the benefits of upperclassmen leadership and sustained culture to be the heavy favorites. Last year was topsy-turvy everywhere, and the Big East was no exception, with Georgetown storming through the conference tournament for the automatic bid. Challenges at Creighton (both with roster turnover and coaching controversy), new leaders at Marquette (welcome, Shaka Smart) and a lack of top teams elsewhere mean this could be another wild ride in the conference.

Predictions:

11. DePaul Blue Demons

10. Georgetown Hoyas

9. Creighton Blue Jays

8. Butler Bulldogs

7. Providence Friars

6. Marquette Golden Eagles

5. Seton Hall Pirates

4. St. John’s Red Storm

3. Connecticut Huskies

2. Xavier Musketeers

1. Villanova Wildcats

DePaul Blue Demons

Head coach: Tony Stubblefield

The losses of Romeo Weems, Charlie Moore and Kobe Elvis really emptied the pantry for new head coach Tony Stubblefield, joining the fold after a successful run at Oregon. If the Oregon offense arrives, it will be a positive initially, as the Blue Demons were in desperate need of organization on that end a year ago and featured the worst offense in high-major hoops. Expect a Princeton approach, one that will raise their ceiling and maximize their talent.

In order for the Princeton offense to work, they’ll need a facilitating big atop the key, and this roster doesn’t seem to feature that right now. What they do have is Nick Ongenda, a really solid shot blocker and defender in the paint. The roster is older than it is young, so this most likely will mean small organizational gains with this group but the necessity for long-term overhaul. Expect the Blue Demons to be overhauled in year two and barely more competent than the 5-14 record they boasted a year ago.

Georgetown Hoyas

Head coach: Patrick Ewing

Hoya saxa! Ewing removed himself from the hot seat with four wins in the Big East tournament, toppling Marquette, Villanova, Seton Hall and Creighton in consecutive days before getting pounded by Colorado in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Ewing’s old-fashioned approach with true interior bigs and aggressive hard-hedging PNR defense got picked apart often during his tenure until it suddenly worked like a charm in March.

Ewing’s tenure has been marked by talented players transferring out early, like James Akinjo and Mac McClung. Star freshman Aminu Mohammed is the biggest name to come to DC yet, and his happiness and production will really dictate if the Hoyas overachieve. Their defense is changing: big man Qudus Wahab, a strong post scorer, who shot 59% from the field, will now be spelled by Tim Ighoefe, a more rim protecting big. Not only does that change the impact of their inside-out offense but makes Ighoefe a strange fit in a defense that primarily moves him away from the basket. We’ll see if Ewing adjusts enough to cater to his personnel, something he’s yet to do as a head coach.

Creighton Blue Jays

Head coach: Greg McDermott

No team in the Big East lost more than the Jays. Damien Jefferson, Mitch Ballock and Marcus Zegarowski were all prolific offensive threats that worked beautifully together in McDermott’s brilliant offense. Now, Creighton only returns 12.6 points per game. We can discuss why the mass exodus took place on another occasion, but the bottom line is that most of the talent is gone.

Arthur Kaluma, the 6’7” freshman utility forward, is the new top guy in town. He may not be ready for that role right away though, which will damage Creighton’s readiness to compete in the Big East this year. Flanking Kaluma are four other former elite recruits: 6’1” point guard Ryan Nembhard, 6’9” forward Mason Miller, 6’4” combo Trey Alexander and 6’4” redshirt freshman Rati Andronikashvili. Talent isn’t the issue, experience is. Nembhard can create, Miller and Alexander can shoot, and Rati fills in the gaps if he does what he’s proven capable of.

McDermott has the galaxy brain to maximize this group tactically, but there’s no substitute for experience. The Blue Jays should take their chops, lose a few games they shouldn’t and have enough to talent to win one or two against top-tier teams. Look out for them next year, though…

Butler Bulldogs

Head coach: LaVall Jordan

Big LaVall Jordan fan. An immense amount of in-state talent is available for Butler. The whole roster is returning from an 8-12 conference run, with five who averaged double-figure scoring. Sprinkle in productive 6’8” forward Ty Groce, the Eastern Michigan transfer, and the Bulldogs have a lot to like.

The backcourt features two lead guards in Aaron Thompson and Chuck Harris, both of whom bring different traits to the table (Thompson and as a facilitator, Harris as a scorer). Bryce Nze and Bryce Golden, two seniors on the interior, feature little rim protection but solid overall production. Therein lies the conundrum with this Butler team: they have a lot of returners and solid scorers, but little in the way of excellence on defense. They were in the 13th percentile in half-court defense last year (only five power conference teams were rated lower) and were already a pretty experienced bunch.

We aren’t too optimistic on a Butler boon this year as a result. They’re a half-step higher than the young Blue Jays (who are more talented) but a half-step behind everyone else.

Providence Friars

Head coach: Ed Cooley

David Duke Jr. was the engine that stirred the drink, as Charles Barkley would say, and he’s gone. But the Friars may not be that much worse off. Duke was wildly inefficient at the rim and took a good deal of mid-range shots. Replacing Duke is Aljani Durham, the former Indiana Hoosier who is capable of scoring far more than he demonstrated in Archie Miller’s broken offense.

Up front, Ed Cooley keeps the band together. Stud center Nate Watson is back to finish his career, and Noah Horchler has size at the 4. With them and South Carolina transfer Justin Minaya coming to town, the Friars have size, and a return to Cooley’s favorite Flex offense might be in store.

AJ Reeves can drill shots, Jared Bynum can live in the lane as a distributor, and neither fit well within a Flex scheme. Cooley is usually a toughness and defense coach, and he’ll need to bring both to the table to win games this year. The Friars have a fair amount of talent, just a strange fit within the systems Cooley generally favors.

Marquette Golden Eagles

Head coach: Shaka Smart

One of my two dark horses in the Big East is Marquette, a team we believe has NCAA Tournament potential. Their issue under Wojo was never talent, just organization and consistency. Shaka’s teams have always played hard, been solid on defense and feature organization. If Nevada Smith, former G-League head coach who designs high-octane offenses, is given the keys to this offense, their havoc on D and tempo on O could suffocate some teams.

Like any other first-year head coach, it all comes down to talent. Losing DJ Carton to the pros, Dawson Garcia to North Carolina and Theo John to Duke guts a lot of their quality talent. But the cupboard isn’t empty. Forward Justin Lewis is a great energy forward, and Oklahoma transfer Kur Kuath can anchor them at the 5 on defense. 6’3” sniper Tyler Kolek showed he’s the real deal at George Mason and was a nice pickup if they play fast. Darryl Morsell is a do-it-all wing and excellent defender who will pair nicely with Greg Elliott, another long-armed menace. Good luck scoring on them.

The Golden Eagles will play inspired defense, and have two strong freshmen commits in scoring guard Stevie Mitchell (big fan and great kid; I coached his younger brother) and 6’5” Emarion Ellis. This year they may sneak up on some teams with their toolsy defense, but the offense is a work in progress. Pace may be their saving grace.

Seton Hall Pirates

Head coach: Kevin Willard

The Pirates had two straight years with NBA talent in Myles Powell and Sandro Mamukelashvili. They’ve played hard and made their way into national rankings each year. But the Pirates only went 10-9 in Big East play last year — it’s not like they’ve set the world on fire. Losing Mamu, arguably the most unique player in the league, makes them far less difficult to gameplan for.

There are some intriguing pieces, though, starting with Syracuse transfer Kadary Richmond. A huge point guard at 6’5”, he’s really toolsy, incredibly impactful on defense and an unbelievable passer. Richmond doesn’t shoot it, though, and I worry about him handling a scoring load as the top option. Seton Hall will be huge though, with four guys 6’5” or taller playing 1 thru 4 and 7’2” shot-blocker Ike Obiagu patrolling the paint.

Offensive production is key for a group that has enough size, length, athleticism and experience to be fairly elite defensively. Expect the Pirates to play with a little more share-the-wealth approach to offset the fact they don’t have one guy who can go get his own shot, unless transfer guard Jamir Harris turns into their savior.

St. John’s Red Storm

Head coach: Mike Anderson

Full-court press! Posh Alexander and Julian Champagnie! This Red Storm team is fun, and probably as talented as any group the Johnnies have had since the Marcus Hatten days. That’s why they’re our other Big East sleeper and a group we have circled for an at-large berth. Two combo guards, Stef Smith (Vermont) and Montez Mathis (Rutgers) fit perfectly as guys who can score, shoot and pressure the ball. Playing the Red Storm is going to suck for teams without multiple handlers.

It’s hard to overlook what the return for Champagnie means. He’s their only reliable source of creation in the half-court and can score against any type of defense or defender. The key to relieving that heavy burden on Julian isn’t through others stepping up, but the defense doing its part to create turnovers and play in transition. Posh is as good of an on-ball defender at the point as you’ll find in the country. Dylan Addae-Wusu rounds out the backcourt rotation and brings a similar mentality.

The half-court offense will take a step forward thanks to the spacing of Smith, 6’9” Aaron Wheeler (Purdue transfer) and 6’5” Tareq Coburn (Hofstra transfer). Now, the Johnnies have real wing and forward depth. Wheeler, in particular, will strange teams who try to match to Champagnie by drilling shots from deep. If they can cobble together anything in the way of consistency up front, look out: the Johnnies will storm their way into March.

Connecticut Huskies

Coach: Dan Hurley

With four competent guys 6’9” or bigger, the Huskies figure to have the most dominant half-court defense in the Big East. They apply perimeter pressure because there’s always size behind them to clean up the mess. Adama Sanogo and Isaiah Whaley (2.6 BLK) are terrors in the frontcourt. Athlete Andre Jackson has all the tools to be a menacing perimeter defender, and he’s so good in the open floor that encouraging him to pressure benefits everyone.

Guard RJ Cole moves into the primary offensive creation spot, and we’re really curious to see how he fares. For a long time, we’ve been big fans of Cole, just not certain if running an offense with few excellent scorers around him is great casting on Hurley’s part. How Hurley navigates the frontcourt minutes will be interesting: they have a ton of rim protection and defense, but might need the offense that Tyler Polley provides at the 4. I’m also high on freshman point guard Rahsool Diggins — he may need a few months under his belt, but he’s going to be a killer for the Huskies long-term.

All in all, they have an identity and a ton of returners from an NCAA Tournament appearance. Sure, losing lottery talent James Bouknight hurts their offense in many ways and they’ll have speed bumps on that end. But there’s far too much talent here to keep out of the NCAA Tournament once again.

Xavier Musketeers

Head coach: Travis Steele

Sometimes, programs load up to be good once every few years. This is Xavier’s moment, and the Big East couldn’t be more wide open for this type of ascent. Experienced lead guard Paul Scruggs paces the Musketeers, coming back as a super senior who averaged 14.0 points and 5.7 assists last year. 6’6” sophomore Colby Jones is ready to take the next step and ascend into an alpha role on offense. Over his last seven games, Jones averaged 9.4 points and shot 39% from deep. He’s a competent defender and playmaker who will be a tough matchup.

Their most unique player, and best pro prospect, is Zach Freemantle, the budding stretch-5 who averaged 16 and 9 a year ago. He and Iowa transfer stretch big Jack Nunge provide Travis Steele with a unique arsenal to stretch defenses out at the 5 or play both together, letting Freemantle feast inside without sacrificing perimeter spacing.

Upperclassmen role players flank this four-man group. Indiana transfer Jerome Hunter is super athletic and a Swiss Army Knife defender who is perfect for the 4. Fifth-year senior Nate Johnson averaged double-digits in the backcourt, and Adam Kunkel is a good spot-up threat (and defensive liability). Steele has more talent than he’s ever coached before, now he just needs to mold it and let the pieces work together. There’s a way to do it and be successful with this much size, scoring and experience. This is their year.

Villanova Wildcats

Head coach: Jay Wright

Was there any doubt?

The Wildcats lost Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to the NBA but are still stacked. Collin Gillespie could be in the National Player of the Year race. Jermaine Samuels is as good of a mismatch option as you’ll find in the country. Justin Moore averaged 13, 4 and 3 a year ago as a sophomore and is an elite #2 option. Getting Dhamir Cosby-Rountree back to patrol the middle changes their defensive toughness.

The exciting part for the Wildcats is that their young talent is so damn good. Jordan Longino is a great shooter with pro-level upside. Angelo Brizzi is confident and can score with the best of them. Local big man Eric Dixon can be dominant physically, and Trey Patterson is the most athletic guy on their roster. Sprinkle in some Nnana Njoku, the long-term answer at the 5 and the next generation of great Wildcats is already in the pipeline.

The question then becomes who of that young group is ready to fill in the gaps off the bench for this ‘Nova team. They’ll go seven deep with veterans that can help push the Wildcats towards championship contention (don’t sleep on Bryan Antoine and Caleb Daniels as role players). Beyond them, one or two of the young kids needs to be ready to provide a spark.

Villanova is Role Player University, the most well-coached team in the nation. They all buy in, get stronger off the court, are fundamentally sound, don’t beat themselves, play modern games, defend their asses off, share the ball, stretch the floor and exploit opponent weaknesses. It’s hard to envision anyone in the Big East catching them right now.