Future Picks: Big East Conference
The Big East is always a fun league to watch in my opinion. There is so much history in this conference, and getting a big name like UCONN to come back this season is huge for the Big East. We have what seems to be like a clear cut favorite to win the conference in Villanova, but I don’t see them winning the conference. With that being said let’s take a look at the odds for the winner of the Big East.
The Odds:
Villanova -109
Creighton +375
UCONN +500
Seton Hall +800
Providence +900
Marquette +1500
Xavier +3000
St. John’s +5000
Butler +10000
Georgetown +10000
DePaul +15000
Now that we have the odds, here is my winner for the Big East title, my team with the best value, and I will give you where I think every team will finish in the Big East.
Winner:
Creighton +375
The Creighton Blue Jays in my opinion are going to win the Big East this season. Greg McDermott’s team is ready to go this season. They are bringing back who I believe will win the Big East Player Of The Year in Marcus Zegarowski who has an older brother that plays in the NBA. His brother is none other than Michael Carter Williams. Zegarowski has some serious potential and we will see it play out in his junior season.
Creighton’s starting five should look like Marcus Zegarowski, Mitchell Ballock, and Memphis transfer Antwann Jones starting in the backcourt. In the front court they should have Damien Jefferson and Christian Bishop starting for them. They did lose two key players in Ty-Shon Alexander and Davion Mintz who transferred to Kentucky, but this team still has the talent to compete in the Big East. They also are the reigning Big East Champions, and this team is very similar to the team they had a season ago. Look for the Blue Jays to win their second straight Big East title this year.
Best Value:
Providence +900
I am a big Ed Cooley guy, I think he is easily one of the best coaches in the country right now. This Providence team is going to be scrappy on the defensive end, and they are going to play hard night in and night out under Cooley. The Friars have a realistic shot at winning the Big East title this season and let’s look at their starting lineup.
Their starting back court should look like Jared Bynum (transfer from St. Joseph’s), David Duke, and A.J. Reeves to go along with Noah Horchler (transfer from North Florida) and Nate Watson. The big x-factor for this team is the North Florida transfer Noah Horchler. Having his ability to be able to stretch the floor, is going to create many more opportunities for guys like David Duke and A.J. Reeves. If this team can play very well offensively for the entire year, this team can win the Big East. On the defensive side Ed Cooley will have them ready to go and look for this Friar team to make some noise this season.
Predictions
1.) Creighton
2.) Villanova
3.) Providence
4.) UCONN
5.) Seton Hall
6.) Marquette
7.) Butler
8.) Xavier
9.) St. John’s
10.) DePaul
11.) Georgetown
-Chris Jones (@cjoneswho1212)