Big East basketball preview: Elevated expectations for Marquette and Creighton

They keep moving the goalposts on the Big East. Ten years ago, when the league reformed, cynics questioned the ability of a football-less conference to compete with football-funded teams. Three national championships in seven years seem to have settled that argument.

But now comes the league’s window to renegotiate its TV deal, and the same skeptics are wondering if the basketball-centric conference can get anything at the bargaining table. Fox has paid a king’s ransom for college football, and while schools without pigskin need less to survive (teams make around $4.6 million right now), they need something. What can the Big East offer for the future?

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Perhaps commissioner Val Ackerman can pull out the preseason polls. More teams in the top 10 (three) than any other conference, and four in the top 25. Mix in a Hall of Fame coach whose return to the league has his team threatening in the wings and an injection of new energy at Georgetown, and this year looks like the perfect storm for the Big East to showcase its brand, impact and possibility.

The big question: Can it deliver the goods?

Two dominant storylines

Can (relative) new blood add to the Big East lore?

Asked last year about his team being picked ninth in the preseason poll, Marquette’s Tyler Kolek memorably responded: “F— em.’’ The Golden Eagles sort of feel the same about being chosen to win the conference after a regular-season and tournament title.

“People like to put labels on things in the preseason,’’ coach Shaka Smart says. “That’s fine. But who we are deep down is going to depend on a whole lot more than a couple of preseason polls.’’

Ditto for Creighton. The Bluejays shrugged off the weight of expectation as the No. 2 pick in the league and a No. 8 preseason AP ranking. They are all too familiar that none of that counts for much in the fickle, and occasionally cruel, NCAA Tournament. Bluejays’ players still haven’t watched the game film from their crushing loss in the Elite Eight, when San Diego State’s Darrion Trammell sank a free throw with 1.2 seconds to win it. “No. No way,’’ says senior guard Baylor Scheierman. “Why would I?’’ And Greg McDermott only cued up the film in July, in the quiet of a flight home from a recruiting trip.

If those two teams live up to their early billing, it will only add more to the Big East’s street cred. Of the 11 current schools, three (UConn, Georgetown and Villanova) have won national titles, while three more (Providence, Seton Hall and St. John’s) have reached a Final Four as league members.

Have you heard? Rick Pitino is back

A little before 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Rick Pitino walked onto the Madison Square Garden court for the league’s media day. “It’s like Elvis,’’ one Big East staffer quipped. It wasn’t far off. Everywhere Pitino went, someone followed, and the media mob around the St. John’s table grew so thick that it was impossible to ascertain that Pitino was, in fact, sitting there.

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It’s a sideshow for now, but anyone who thinks the Red Storm won’t become a main attraction hasn’t been paying attention. The same program with one winning season since 2016, that a year ago conjured a 7-13 conference record, is picked to finish fifth this year. There is legit interest in an entirely revamped roster heavily stocked with transfers, but coaches casting their votes most assuredly were thinking more about the 71-year-old on the sideline than the 20-somethings on the court. Pitino is one of just two active coaches with more than one national title, and the only man to have taken three different teams to the Final Four.

Reinvigorating St. John’s has long been on the must-do list for the Big East; the school finally has the man to do it.

Three players to watch

Donovan Clingan, UConn: The parade barely ended before Dan Hurley started singing the praises of his big man. “He could be one of — if not the — best players in the country,’’ the UConn coach said back in May. Hefty praise when a certain other large man in college basketball already owns that title. But Clingan’s per-40 minutes production (21.7 points, 17.1 rebounds and five blocks) nearly matched Zach Edey’s. The difference is last season, Clingan did not have to do it nearly as frequently, with the gift of Adama Sanogo to eat up minutes. If Clingan, who was still in a walking boot at media day after suffering a foot strain, can exhibit the sort of stamina needed to be a true impact player, the Huskies’ hopes of following up their title with another deep March run get significantly better.

Bryce Hopkins, Providence: No one is talking much about Providence — as a team, that is. The Friars, jilted by their former head coach, are the subject of much dramatic intrigue. But by season’s end, people might be talking a lot about Hopkins. Count him among a handful of players (including Kolek, the preseason pick) who have a shot at player of the year. He averaged 15.1 points and 8.5 rebounds as a near one-man wrecking crew for He Who Will Not Be Named (Ed Cooley) a year ago, and is more than enough for Kim English to build around in Year 1.

Trey Alexander, Creighton: When Ryan Nembhard transferred to Gonzaga, McDermott searched the transfer portal for a specific type of guard: “He had to be someone who fit with Trey,’’ McDermott says. That’s how important Alexander is to the Bluejays’ success. The answer came in the form of Steven Ashworth, from Utah State, whom McDermott says already has great chemistry with Alexander. Though he says he’s more comfortable as an off-guard, Alexander knows he needs to play on the ball more. That came through loud and clear from NBA execs, after the junior tested the waters at the end of last year, which is why Alexander spent as much time working on ball-screen reads as he did shooting this offseason. “I’m very anxious to get going,’’ Alexander says. “I know what kind of player I am.’’

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Top newcomer

Stephon Castle, UConn: The Huskies welcome a top recruiting class to Storrs to join the defending national champs, and Castle is the star. The composite 10th-best player in his class, he’s one of just two freshmen (along with Baylor’s Ja’Kobe Walker) named to the preseason Jerry West list, though considering him only as a two-guard does the Covington, Ga., native a disservice. He can get to the rim and score, but he’s also a terrific playmaker and defender. He won’t be around for long. Enjoy him while he’s here, Husky fans.

Coach who needs to win

Kyle Neptune, Villanova

This is probably a little unfair. Neptune is in just Year 2, but this is also the reality of taking over a Cadillac like Villanova. An injury to Cam Whitmore and Justin Moore’s ongoing Achilles’ recovery offered plenty of rationale to the Wildcats’ definition of struggling — a 17-17 record — last season. This season, though, Villanova is reloaded. Neptune went deep into the transfer portal, adding T.J. Bamba (Washington State), Tyler Burton (Richmond), Lance Ware (Kentucky) and Hakim Hart (Maryland) to bolster the program’s familiar backstop of returning elder statesmen. The result is a team that includes four grad students, two traditional seniors and one redshirt senior.

There’s zero chance the rational administration does anything to Neptune if the results aren’t as glowing as expected, but fans will get itchy. Do recall, they wanted Wright fired after Year 2, too.

Predicted order of finish (based on Big East coaches’ poll)

1. Marquette: Olivier-Maxence Prosper left for the NBA. That’s all the Golden Eagles lost. Hence Smart’s squad, with their league hardware from a season ago, is positioned here. That and Kolek, a preseason All-American who led the league in assists and assist/turnover ratio a year ago, while scoring 12.9 per game. He, along with Kam Jones and Stevie Mitchell, make for a downright sinister backcourt that nearly tailor-made for how Smart likes to play.

2. Creighton: Were it not for Nembhard moving to Gonzaga and Arthur Kaluma transferring to Kansas State, the Bluejays might have challenged Kansas for preseason No. 1. As it is, they are still pretty imposing. Ryan Kalkbrenner anchors a defense that finally has matched Creighton’s long-explosive offense (the Jays were 14th a year ago in adjusted defense, per KenPom) and both he and Alexander could wind up as All-Americans. Scheierman proved a year ago how well he fits into McDermott’s system. Creighton isn’t deep — McDermott says he will be comfortable with an eight-man rotation that could stretch to nine — but that’s one of the few questions that need to be answered.

3. Connecticut: Much of the Huskies’ hopes are lodged in Clingan’s foot. Presuming he recovers promptly and entirely, there’s every reason to expect UConn to be in the mix again in the league and nationally. Castle is a big part of the lofty expectations, but don’t forget about the returns of Alex Karaban and Tristen Newton. Hurley also picked up a red-hot shooter in Cam Spencer from Rutgers. Hurley will need some of his touted freshmen to jump in and add depth, but otherwise there’s not much to dislike about UConn.

4. Villanova: Before he blew his Achilles in the NCAA Tournament two years ago, Moore was one of the best players in the league. He’s finally healthy. Is it that simple? Kind of. Stop me if you’ve heard this, but Villanova tends to have really good guards who do really good things, which makes for a really good team historically. Combine a healthy Moore with an old roster, and you’ve got the basic recipe for Wildcat success. The only caveat: Much of this year’s experience comes from the portal, and how well they adjust to playing “Villanova basketball” and “hard, smart and together” will determine just how good the Cats can be.

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5. St. John’s: So should we talk about the actual players? Since the 71-year-old isn’t suiting up? Probably. Pitino made no bones about his intent when he took over the Red Storm, essentially saying publicly he would be showing the better part of the roster the door. True to his word, Pitino now has one returning player in Joel Soriano, a 15 and 12 guy a year ago. Everyone else is new, including Nahiem Alleyne who made the move after averaging 17 minutes for national champion UConn. He had 19 in a double-overtime exhibition win against Rutgers.

6. Xavier: Someone asked Sean Miller at media day if he expected to pick up where he left off a year ago — that is to say in the Sweet 16. “We have 10 new players. Three of them are international,’’ he said. Expected returnees Zach Freemantle (foot) and Jerome Hunter (undisclosed injury) may not play this season, which doesn’t make the reboot any easier. Miller is excited about transfers Quincy Olivari (from Rice) and Dayvion McKnight (Western Kentucky), but tempered enthusiasm about the Musketeers is more than fair.

7. Providence: What’s the best way to start your first power-conference job? With Hopkins and Devin Carter to work with. English takes a big leap from George Mason, jumping into a firestorm of Friar fans desperate to stay good after Cooley bolted for another league school. English has never lacked confidence, not even back in his playing days at Missouri, but with Carter running point and Hopkins pretty much doing everything else, he has good reason to expect a smooth transition.

8. Georgetown: Cooley is not shy about his first-year task on the Hilltop. “This is not,’’ he says, “the year to be taking a new job in this league.’’ The Hoyas dug into the portal for immediate help — Dontrez Styles (North Carolina), Jayden Epps (Illinois) and Ish Massoud (Kansas State, though he’s out for a month with a broken hand) — so there’s reason to expect a boost from the dregs of the last two years. But progress will be incremental, not immediate.

9. Seton Hall: Shaheen Holloway at least has players who understand him now. Kadary Richmond, Al-Amir Dawes and Dre Davis all logged big minutes for the Pirates last season, and should help close a learning gap that led to a 10-10 league record. The big question: Can Seton Hall score? The Pirates ranked 133rd offensively per Ken Pomeroy a year ago, and ranked next-to-last in the league at 69.4 points per game.

10. Butler: Posh Alexander, among the St. John’s castaways, landed with Thad Matta’s squad. He’s one of five transfers who averaged double figures last season, but whether those players replicate those results remains to be seen. Only Alexander and Pierre Brooks II (Michigan State) come from power schools.

11. DePaul: As sure as the sun rises, DePaul will be picked last in the Big East. The promise of big things to come at least has something to grab hold of now — the university is constructing a new practice facility, with the hopes of opening it by summer 2025. To say it is desperately needed would be an understatement. Tony Stubblefield has six transfers who potentially could make a little noise, but the Blue Demons remain very much a show-me team.

(Top photo of Tyler Kolek: Greg Fiume / Getty Images)

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