As the 2022-23 men’s college basketball season approaches, ESPN.com’s panel of experts predicts the standings of the nation’s top conferences. We’ve already seen mid-major American and Pac-12, so it’s time to shift our focus to Big East.
During the offseason, surprising news sent shockwaves through college basketball when Jay Wright announced he was retiring and would be replaced by former Villanova assistant Kyle Neptune, who was Fordham’s head coach for a year. Villanova’s pedigree under Wright has changed the public’s perception of the Big East, making him one of college basketball’s longtime leaders each season.
But what does Wright’s absence mean? Will Villanova come out on top without him? Or will a team like Clayton become the new leader of the flock? are the frontrunners to win the Big East for the first time since joining the league.
Elsewhere, two familiar faces have returned to the program that first established their credentials as head coaches. Thad Matta returns to Butler and Sean Miller takes over as Xavier. Meanwhile, Shaheen Holloway headed the historic elite St. Peters in his Eight before seton he returned to the hall and worked as a player.
Learn more about preseason analysis here.
Big East 2022-23 Superlative
Player of the Year
Medcalf: Adama SanogoUConn
Borzero: Adama Sanogo, UConn
Gasway: Adama Sanogo, UConn
Runaldi: Adama Sanogo, UConn
New face award
Medcalf: Cam WhitmoreVillanova
Borzero: Cam Whitmore, Villanova
Gasway: Cam Whitmore, Villanova
Runaldi: Cam Whitmore, Villanova
Big East 2022-23 Roundtable
Villanova has won at least one in every NCAA tournament since 2014, and has won two titles in that time. Can Kyle Neptune keep up Jay Wright’s winning streak?
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Villanova’s commit gives Cam Whitmore a good move into the bucket of McDonald’s All-American games.
Gasway: Of course, there is always the possibility of upsets in the round of 64, but yes, Neptune thinks they have room for one of the best 32 teams in the country this season. Eric Dixon, Brandon Slater When Caleb Daniels We’re back and joined by potential 2023 lottery picks and (more importantly!) Jeff Bozero’s Fantasy Draft selection Cam Whitmore. Whitmore could miss season start due to thumb surgery Justin Moore In rehab for an Achilles tendon rupture.
Borzero: I accept. Whitmore’s long-term health is less of a concern than Moore, who suffered an Achilles tendon injury in the final minutes of last season’s Elite Eight win over Houston.I expect him to be back in the second half of the season, but will he return to last year’s All-Big East form anytime soon? was a fan Mark Armstrong.
Medcalf: Wright said he had been thinking about retiring for several years. That means he’s been thinking about his next step for a while, too. I don’t think he put Neptune in this spot unless he believes he can maintain a comparable level of success.Easier said than done, but Moore will be fit and healthy in time for his NCAA Tournament. There must be And the Wildcats could look like a Week 2 team even before he’s healthy. This is not to say that Lincoln Riley will go to his USC and take all the top talent from the University of Oklahoma with him. Wright continued his winning streak in his first year with Neptune in excellent position.
Runaldi: I run into Villanova fans all the time (occupational hazards, if you will). The obvious question I get is, “Is Kyle as good as Jay?” The only reasonable answer, it seems to me, is that it’s extremely unlikely. This is not Neptune’s knock. It’s a question of probability. Jay Wright was John Wooden in the post-restructuring era. In one of her five years, Villanova has been the No. 1 seed three times, the No. 2 seed twice, and of course he won the national championship twice. Incidentally, the Wildcats have never lost two games in a row during that time. In the “off” years, Wright amassed a fourth 1 seed and two more Final Four appearances. This is truly an incredible resume for his non-FBS school in modern times.
Villanova will certainly go on to win NCAA Tournament games, including this season. But it’s inhumane to expect his decade of programs to match what Wright left for the mainline.
Clayton appears to have talent for another NCAA Tournament in 2023 and will be back. Ryan Nemhard, Ryan Kalkbrenner When Trey Alexanderand added transfers for South Dakota Baylor ShiremanWhat to expect from the Blue Jays?
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Baylor Scheierman’s move to Creighton lets us relive some of his best plays from last season.
Medcalf: In his more than 20-year career as Division I head coach, McDermott won two conference championships (one in the Missouri Valley Conference and one in the Big East) and one in the Week Two NCAA Tournament (2021). has participated twice. Expectations make sense when a team adds a player like Shireman. Clayton has what it takes to win the Big East and advance to the Final Four. But if McDermott fails to lead this team to its peak, his streak of postseason slump will continue for his longtime head coach.
Gasway: Clayton had the league’s worst turnover rate (21%) while playing in the Big East. By the way, this offense he couldn’t make a 3 (31%). But somehow this same team played Kansas in Round 32 and he played 40 minutes despite missing two starters. It’s a tough group that sticks to the paint and denies the three-point look. Speaking of those looks, last season Schererman drained 46% on Jackrabbit.
Runaldi: Despite Clayton’s success under Greg McDermott, the postseason hasn’t been kind to the school’s Big East era. , currently 4-5 in the NCAA Tournament and 0-4 in Big East Tournament title game appearances. However, Doug McDermott was National Player of the Year in the school’s Big East debut season, so this is Clayton’s best team. should be considered.
Borzero: Big East regular season title. The Blue Jays are a top 10 team in the preseason and, combined with Villanova’s coaching changes and injuries, should be big his East favorites in the preseason. Realizing those expectations will require a huge leap from last season when he finished 50th domestically in the KenPom-adjusted efficiency margin, and in stark contrast to past teams, the offensive Defensively, we struggled, but played at a high level. But he’s one year older now on the nation’s youngest team, and Shireman adds significant pop as a shooter and passer.don’t forget Arthur Karmaalso; the sophomore is a likely NBA draft pick.
Providence enter 2022-23 without the five starters who won the Friars The League title last season. What does Ed Cooley have to do for repeats in the short and long term?
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Jared Bynum scored 27 points, including a Dagger 3-pointer, in Providence’s third overtime win over Xavier.
Borzero: Repeat feels like a lot of work, but the Friars were also the No. 7 pick in the Big East last preseason.Cooley massively reloaded via transfer portals and added Noah Rock (Louisville), Devin Carter (South Carolina), Moore, Bryce Hopkins (Kentucky) and Corey Floyd Jr. (UConn). From day one he had at least three participants, Jared Bynum ――Who was selected for the lead role? In the short term, Providence will inevitably set back, but in the long term, Cooley is rummaging through this program.
Medcalf: Last season, Providence exceeded expectations with a Big East title win. It also ended a notable winning streak for Cooley, the first time since 2014 that one of his Providence teams failed to finish in the top five in defensive efficiency in league play. important here. Because it shows Cooley has succeeded in leading his one of the best defensive teams in the Big East, despite personnel changes over the years.to add Clifton Moore (2.8 BPG last season at La Salle) should once again serve title ambitions. And Cooley’s reputation for shaping a group of veterans into a grimy competitive unit will help him identify and attract those players on transfer portals, helping Providence thrive in the future.
Gasway: Last year’s Providence was probably the oldest team we’ve ever seen – in a good way. Conversely, even his 23-year-old players like Bynum, Rock and Moore look a little younger this year. A 2022 Magic re-enactment may not happen anytime soon, but Cooley has shown the veteran how to build the ultimate roster with his roster.
Runaldi: Every season seems to start with a bubble in Providence, but we’re back here. Throughout the summer and fall, the monks moved between ‘last for in’ and ‘first for out’ groups. But I’ve learned not to bet on him Ed Cooley. Providence haven’t won a Big East regular season race, but they could certainly defy an NCAA Tournament bid by replenishing their veteran transfer roster. If I were a Providence fan, I would block the First Four dates in Dayton.
Who or what is the undertold story in the Big East?
Gasway: It’s rare to have a day where we don’t talk enough about Sean Miller, but we don’t talk enough about Sean Miller. (It’s not even Thad Matta’s first season on Butler. Interesting!) No matter what this season is called, Miller will inherit Jack Nanji, Zach Fremantle When colby jonesYes, this team did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Also, the former coach is now in Miami, Ohio. Still, as of early February, Xavier is projected as the No. 5 seed with his 16-5 record. We may hear from Miller and the Musketeers in 2023.
Borzero: I’m assuming Gasaway read my biggest question going into the 2022-23 season last week. Miller has proven himself to be one of the best coaches in the country during his time at Arizona and the Xavier before that, and he’s one of the best big man duos in the country, Nunge and Freemantle, with Jones’ It inherits a talented group that includes breakout candidates. Miller produced a string of high-level defenses in his previous stops. If he can get this group to guard like those teams, Xavier can push him near the top of the league.
Medcalf: Yeah, I think it’s Sean Miller too. It will be interesting to see how the NCAA’s handling of his case changes the story around him. The IARP process seems to have proven Penny Hardaway’s innocence. If the same process gave Miller a slap in the face for alleged cheating in Arizona, the storyline would be gone, especially in a world where athletes are signing multi-million dollar NIL contracts. It will be easy to see that Miller has put together a strong team with potential for the second weekend while positioning himself to return to the highs he enjoyed in his first stint in Cincinnati. At the time, all the veterans on the team that won the NIT could have left. they stayed it means something
Runaldi: Put me in Danny Hurley’s UConn camp. Ever since Big’s return to the East, I always thought the Huskies would be the team that would eventually take Villanova’s place. They are arguably better equipped for the long term than any other Big East school. UConn is 24-12 in his first two Big East seasons, with the NCAA seed in his single digits. So breakthroughs are coming soon, both in the conference races and in March, if not this year, and unless Harley gets in his way, he could give Storrs his fifth national (men’s) championship. A coach that can bring.
Big East 2022-23 Conference Champion Predictions
