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Big East Basketball 2016: Preview and predictions

By Chris Stone

Mar 26, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Villanova Wildcats head coach Jay Wright celebrates after beating the Kansas Jayhawks in the south regional final of the NCAA Tournament at KFC YUM!. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 26, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Villanova Wildcats head coach Jay Wright celebrates after beating the Kansas Jayhawks in the south regional final of the NCAA Tournament at KFC YUM!. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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The only things that seem like a safe bet in the Big East this season are that Villanova will finish atop the conference with Xavier not far behind. The Musketeers are talented enough to hold off the next group of competition, but with Jalen Reynolds leaving school last spring, it’s tough to imagine them topping the Wildcats.

Now the middle of the conference is where things get interesting as there are four teams — Butler, Creighton, Georgetown and Seton Hall — that all figure to be relatively equal competitors throughout the regular season. Here’s a look at how we project things to shake out:

  1. Villanova
  2. Xavier
  3. Creighton
  4. Georgetown
  5. Butler
  6. Seton Hall
  7. Marquette
  8. Providence
  9. St. John’s
  10. DePaul

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Creighton is our favorite to finish third in the conference behind the stellar backcourt play of Maurice Watson and Marcus Foster while Seton Hall could fall into the bottom half of the league without Isaiah Whitehead on the roster running the show. Marquette and Providence both figure to struggle with their best players off to the NBA while St. John’s and DePaul bring up the rear. Both schools are several years away from competing to be in the top half of the league standings.

Still, the Big East should earn several NCAA bids come March and put on one heck of a show for its fans this season.