College Basketball Conference Preview #32 - Big East Conference

The 2023-24 College Basketball Season will be one to remember for each team in the Big East Conference. Look for Marquette to set the pace and finish in 1st place in the Conference. The Golden Eagles bring back four starters and will be led by senior guard Tyler Kolek and senior forward Oso Ighodaro. Both players could easily wind up being 1st Team All Big East Players this season. They will get help from junior forward David Joplin and sophomore guard Chase Ross - both returning reserves. Look for junior guards Kam Jones and Stevie Mitchell - the final returning starters - to provide additional scoring and rebounding for the Golden Eagles this season. Creighton looks to pick up where they left off in 2022-23. The Bluejays return three starters and will be led by senior guard Baylor Scheierman and senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner. Creighton will need several returning reserves to play big roles including sophomore forward Mason Miller and sophomore center Fredrick King, along with junior guard Trey Alexander - the final returning starter. They will get assistance from several transfers - most notably senior guard Steven Ashworth (Utah State transfer) and freshman forward Isaac Traudt (Virginia transfer). I predict Creighton to finish in 2nd place in the final Conference Standings. Connecticut returns two starters in senior guard Tristen Newton and sophomore forward Alex Karaban. The Huskies will need several returning reserves to step up - most notably senior guard Hassan Diarra and sophomore center Donovan Clingan. Look for several transfers to play big roles - most notably senior guard Cam Spencer (Rutgers transfer). Freshman guard Stephon Castle and freshman forward Jayden Ross should provide immediate scoring off the bench for Head Coach Dan Hurley. I predict Connecticut to finish in 3rd place in the final Conference Standings. Villanova will challenge Marquette, Creighton, and Connecticut for the Big East Conference Title and will need a huge season from senior guard Justin Moore to win the Big East Conference Tournament. Moore is a leading candidate to be the Big East Conference Player of the Year this season and will get assistance from senior forward Eric Dixon and senior guard Chris Arcidiacono - the other returning starters. Head Coach Kyle Neptune did well in the Transfer Portal as the Wildcats added senior guard Hakim Hart (Maryland transfer), along with senior forwards Tyler Burton (Richmond transfer) and Lance Ware (Kentucky transfer). Sophomore guards Brendan Hausen and Mark Armstrong - both returning reserves - give the Wildcats two additional perimeter weapons off the bench. I predict Villanova to finish in 4th place in the final Conference Standings. St. John's should take a giant step forward this season but the Red Storm only bring back one starter in senior center Joel Soriano. Look for several newcomers including senior guards Jordan Dingle (Penn transfer) and Nahiem Alleyne (Connecticut transfer) to have huge seasons for the Red Storm as they try to stay out of the Big East Conference 2nd Division. The Red Storm also bring back sophomore forward Drissa Traore - the lone returning reserve - along with senior forward Chris Ledlum (Harvard transfer) and sophomore forward Zuby Ejiofor (Kansas transfer). Head Coach Rick Pitino has his work cut out for him in his inaugural season at the helm but he is up for the challenge. I predict St. John's to finish in 5th place this season. Xavier looks to cause problems in the Big East Conference in 2023-24 but it won't be easy. The Musketeers bring back two starters in senior forwards Jerome Hunter and Zach Freemantle. Look for several returning reserves including sophomore guards Desmond Claude and Kam Craft to play bigger roles this season for the Musketeers. Xavier also added senior forward Abou Ousmane (North Texas transfer), junior center Logan Duncomb (Indiana transfer), along with senior guards Quincy Olivari (Rice transfer) and Dayvion McKnight (Western Kentucky transfer) via the Transfer Portal to provide the Musketeers with additional scoring. Head Coach Sean Miller has the team headed in the right direction as he enters his 2nd season in his 2nd stint at the helm. I predict Xavier to finish in 6th place this season.

Providence is in search of their 3rd straight NCAA Tournament appearance this season. The Friars welcome back two starters in junior forward Bryce Hopkins and junior guard Devin Carter. Look for solid contributions from sophomore forward Rafael Castro and sophomore guards Corey Floyd Jr. and Jayden Pierre - all returning reserves. Senior forwards Josh Oduro (George Mason transfer) and Will McNair Jr. (Mississippi State transfer), along with senior guard Ticket Gaines (George Mason transfer) will team with freshman guard Garwey Dual to provide additional scoring and rebounding for the Friars. I predict Providence to finish in 7th place in the final Conference Standings. Seton Hall returns two starters in senior guards Kadary Richmond and Al-Amir Dawes. The Pirates will need senior forward Dre Davis and sophomore guard Jaquan Sanders - both returning reserves - to propel them to new heights this season. Look for senior center Jaden Bediako (Santa Clara transfer), junior center Elijah Hutchins-Everett (Austin Peay transfer), and senior guard Dylan Addae-Wusu (St. John's transfer) to provide additional scoring and rebounding as well. The Pirates may take their lumps this season as they continue to rebuild but they will most likely come back stronger. I predict Seton Hall to finish in 8th place in the final Conference Standings. Georgetown only returns one starter from their 2022-23 team in senior guard Jay Heath. The Hoyas will also rely on junior center Ryan Mutombo - the lone returning reserve. Expect contributions from junior guard Dontrez Styles (North Carolina transfer), sophomore guard Jayden Epps (Illinois transfer), along with senior forwards Ismael Massoud (Kansas State transfer) and Supreme Cook (Fairfield transfer) as well. New Head Coach Ed Cooley will have Georgetown back at the top of the Conference soon but their fans need to remain patient this season. I predict Georgetown to finish in 9th place this season. DePaul only returns one starter in senior guard Jalen Terry. The Blue Demons may need to give Head Coach Tony Stubblefield some more time as he only enters his 3rd season at the helm. Look for senior guard Chico Carter Jr. (South Carolina transfer), sophomore guard Elijah Fisher (Texas Tech transfer), and sophomore forward Jeremiah Oden (Wyoming transfer) to play big roles this season. Senior forward Da'Sean Nelson and senior guard Caleb Murphy - both returning reserves - should give the Blue Demons a spark off the bench in each Big East contest. I predict DePaul to finish in 10th place this season. Butler hopes to finish in the top half of the Big East Conference but knows it will be extremely difficult. The Bulldogs don't bring back any starters and will be led by senior forward Jalen Thomas and senior center John-Michael Mulloy - both returning reserves. Look for several transfers to play big roles - most notably senior guards Posh Alexander (St. John's transfer), Jahmyl Telfort (Northeastern transfer), and D.J. Davis (UC Irvine transfer) along with junior guard Pierre Brooks II (Michigan State transfer). Sophomore forward Connor Turnbull - the final returning reserve - will team with senior center Andre Screen (Bucknell transfer) to give the Bulldogs a formidable one-two punch inside. I predict Butler to finish in 11th place in the final Conference Standings. Regardless of which team wins the Conference Tournament it will be a great season in the Big East Conference. Enjoy all of the games!

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