Winners and losers from the NBA Draft declarations

Winners and losers of the NBA Draft declarations

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 23: Head coach Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts to a play against the Auburn Tigers during their game in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 23, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

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JACKSONVILLE, FL – MARCH 21: Myles Powell #13 of the Seton Hall Pirates is introduced before the First Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament against the Wofford Terriors at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on March 21, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Winner: Seton Hall

The Big East didn’t have a ton of success in 2019, sending only four programs to the NCAA Tournament, with only one — Villanova — picking up a win. The biggest surprise of the group was certainly Seton Hall, however, which morphed into a serious threat in the latter half of the season.

The Pirates gelled late in the year, scoring huge wins over Marquette and Villanova down the stretch to get all the way to the Big East tournament final, where they lost to Villanova.

Seton Hall was buoyed by star Myles Powell, who averaged 23.1 points per game, and got a No. 10 seed with a rough draw against sweet-shooting Wofford.

Powell did his best to keep the Pirates alive, but they were eliminated by the Terriers and many assumed Powell’s college career was over. The star junior declared for the draft and tested the waters, but he made legions of Pirates’ fans very happy by opting to return for his senior season.

The return of Powell means the Pirates will lose only one player off of last year’s team, meaning Kevin Willard could be coaching a potential top-10 team next season. Seton Hall also added a pair of impact players in former Florida State big man Ike Obiagu and four star wing Tyrese Samuel.

The Big East is ripe for the taking with the Hauser twins transferring away from Marquette and Villanova losing the last remnants of its title squad with Eric Paschall and Phil Booth graduating. With Powell back in the saddle, Seton Hall is well positioned to take advantage.