Lets predict the Big East basketball standing 2024-25

[Husman]

Here is my prediction on the final regular season standing for the 2024- 25 Big East regular season.


1. UConn

2. Xavier

3. Marquette

4. Creighton

5. St. John's

6. Villanova

7. Providence

8. Seton Hall

9. Butler

10. Georgetown

11 DePaul

_________________________________

Your thoughts?

[waggy]

Xavier
Creighton
St Johns
UConn
Marquette
Providence
Butler
Seton Hall
Villanova
Georgetown
Depaul

[xukeith]

Creighton
UConn
Xavier
St Johns
Marquette
Providence
Butler
Seton Hall
Villanova
Georgetown
Depaul

[MADXSTER]

UConn
Creighton
Xavier
St Johns
Villanova
Marquette
Providence
Seton Hall
Georgetown
Butler
DePaul

[MHettel]

I think X is in the Top 3.

St. John’s will be very good and likely top 3.

I’m thinking GTown or DePaul will get out of those 10/11 spots that seem so easy to pencil them in.

Providence or SHU will take a step back…they have both been in the discussion for an extended period and I think one or both will fall off.

Also, Nova may not have found the bottom yet.

[MADXSTER]

This is a make or break year for Neptune at Villanova IMO. If they're not top 5 then Nep is gone.

[Mel Cooley XU'81]

DePaul will finish 9th.

[bleedXblue]

Its going to be a little more wide open this year. Uconn will be good of course, but not dominant like the last 2 years.

Anyone of 5 programs could win- X, Creighton, St J, Marq or UConn

I think Butler will be better.

Nova, Prov and SH all in the middle with GT and DePaul bringing up the rear

[Muskeagle]

I wouldn't be surprised if 1st place has 5 losses, and 11th place has 5 wins. Much more packed together than recent years.

[Xville]

Agree with others that its going to be a lot more packed together this year. Here's what I think off the cuff:

1. Creighton
2. X
3. UCONN
4. St. Johns
5. Providence
6. Marquette
7. Butler
8. Hall
9. Depaul
10. NOVA
11. Georgetown

[Xavier]

If Freemantle and Hunter are healthy and as good as pre-injury, i honestly think X has the most complete roster.

I don’t know the rest of the BE enough to rank. Feel comfortable saying UConn/Creighton/X will be the top 3. I don’t think Shaka is a great coach, and refusing to do the transfer game will hurt. I think for the good of the BE, nova finishing towards the bottom is best case. They need a new coach. I always think how X has been 3-4 games away from Steele stlll being the coach.

[xukeith]

When will X have the opening tipoff "Midnight Madness" scrimmage and meet the team?

[Mel Cooley XU'81]

Agree with others that its going to be a lot more packed together this year. Here's what I think off the cuff:

1. Creighton
2. X
3. UCONN
4. St. Johns
5. Providence
6. Marquette
7. Butler
8. Hall
9. Depaul
10. NOVA
11. Georgetown

XVille nails it.

[Muskeagle]

October 19th. Scrimmage at UD next day.

EDIT: meant to reply with QUOTE. The Musketeer Madness is Oct. 19th.

[94GRAD]

October 19th. Scrimmage at UD next day.

EDIT: meant to reply with QUOTE. The Musketeer Madness is Oct. 19th.

I believe Musketeer Madness is on the 18th

[xu82]

I love all the confidence, but every year is a great big surprise for me these days.

[Mel Cooley XU'81]

I love all the confidence, but every year is a great big surprise for me these days.

Truth

[bleedXblue]

Truth

Its "health" this year more than anything. I know that sort if goes without saying, but Free and the foot are simply huge for this team.

#2 is putting the pieces together with all the new players

[Xville]

I will say that hypothetically speaking if Free knock on wood gets injured, we are in much better shape than we were last year. It'd of course take X down a notch but it wouldn't be the dramatic drop off we had this past season.

[Muskeagle]

I believe Musketeer Madness is on the 18th

I stand corrected:

Musketeer Madness Set for Oct. 18 at Cintas Center

CINCINNATI - Xavier men's and women's basketball will host Musketeer Madness presented by Heartland Bank on Friday, Oct. 18 at Cintas Center.

The event is free and open to the public.

EVENT SCHEDULE

5-6 PM - Fan Fest on the Plaza (outside the main entrance Cintas Center entrance)
6 PM - Doors Open
6:30 PM - Men's and Women's Basketball Introductions
7 PM - Women's Basketball Scrimmage
7:45 PM - Men's Basketball Scrimmage

[Xuperman]

XVille nails it.

Having an Eric Dixon led Villanova...loaded with size and athleticism at #10 blows up those predictions. Worst single team ranking on the thread. Neptune would have to morph into Tony Yates to finish at 10.

UCONN
CU
SJU
XU
VU
MU
PC
BU
DU
SHU
GU

[Xville]

Having an Eric Dixon led Villanova...loaded with size and athleticism at #10 blows up those predictions. Worst single team ranking on the thread. Neptune would have to morph into Tony Yates to finish at 10.

UCONN
CU
SJU
XU
VU
MU
PC
BU
DU
SHU
GU

A Kyle Neptune Eric Dixon led nova team with Justin Moore and Bamba finished tied for 6th last year. I think you’re underestimating how bad of a coach Neptune is.

Some early predictions I am seeing have them slotted somewhere between 7-9. I just happen to believe he is now the worst coach in the Big East, and I don't particularly think it's all that close.

It’s also silly to be snarky and negative about someone else’s preseason predictions.

[OTRMUSKIE]

With the breaking news of the huge injury to our big man, I don’t think we are going to be at the top of any standings.

[Xville]

With the breaking news of the huge injury to our big man, I don’t think we are going to be at the top of any standings.

Unfortunately probably true. I think 4-5 is about right which gets X to the tourney but I was hoping for top 3 before traore went down. Ugh

[OTRMUSKIE]

So who is our back up for Traore?

[Xville]

So who is our back up for Traore?

Don't really have one for what he is able to do. I think we are going to see some Free and Swain together at times along with Hugley and Hunter if knock on wood he's healthy.

Hett is right that losing Traore over anyone other than Dayvion is crushing to the team. He's the one interior d, high rebounding, blocking presence that X had in the arsenal. Everyone is going to have to collectively pick up the slack.

[Xuperman]

A Kyle Neptune Eric Dixon led nova team with Justin Moore and Bamba finished tied for 6th last year. I think you’re underestimating how bad of a coach Neptune is.

Some early predictions I am seeing have them slotted somewhere between 7-9. I just happen to believe he is now the worst coach in the Big East, and I don't particularly think it's all that close.

It’s also silly to be snarky and negative about someone else’s preseason predictions.

That's why I made the Tony Yates reference. However, Elmer Fudd could coach this roster to a 7 or better. Just pointing out a really delusional #10 ranking.

[Xville]

That's why I made the Tony Yates reference. However, Elmer Fudd could coach this roster to a 7 or better. Just pointing out a really delusional #10 ranking.

You seem to have a fetish with Villanova. You prop them up every year, so maybe you should go over to their board

[Olsingledigit]

That's why I made the Tony Yates reference. However, Elmer Fudd could coach this roster to a 7 or better. Just pointing out a really delusional #10 ranking.

You mean Tampon Tim? He’s a coach you know.:lol:

[Xuperman]

You seem to have a fetish with Villanova. You prop them up every year, so maybe you should go over to their board

You keep being you...flex those troll muscles.

I don't know where you're getting this "prop up" line, but anything I have referenced in ANY year...in ANY positive way is out of respect for what GQJ accomplished.

Predicting that roster next to last in conference is moronic.

[Xuperman]

You mean Tampon Tim? He’s a coach you know.:lol:

He does have a "Fudd" look going. He evidently loves hunting "Wrabbits"!

[Xville]

You keep being you...flex those troll muscles.

I don't know where you're getting this "prop up" line, but anything I have referenced in ANY year...in ANY positive way is out of respect for what GQJ accomplished.

Predicting that roster next to last in conference is moronic.

What roster? They have like three guys worth a damn and Neptune as their coach. You act as if you’re the only one that knows anything and trust me you don’t. If you think predicting 10th is silly, so is 5th.

[Xuperman]

From someone that does know something.

https://kenpom.com/

[X-band '01]

Take that preseason KenPom rating of Villanova with a huge grain of salt. They easily have the worst coach in the Big East right now. Their fans are probably ready to fire Neptune into the sun.

Realistically, I could see Villanova finishing somewhere around 8th or even 9th place if Butler improves with their top 2 players. The days of Villanova intimidating opposing teams in the Big East is gone.

[X-man]

From someone that does know something.

https://kenpom.com/

KenPom this time of year is worthless. Let's revisit his rankings in mid-December.

[Xuperman]

KenPom this time of year is worthless. Let's revisit his rankings in mid-December.

ALL pre season rankings are worthless and need to be revisited in mid December.

[Xuperman]

Take that preseason KenPom rating of Villanova with a huge grain of salt. They easily have the worst coach in the Big East right now. Their fans are probably ready to fire Neptune into the sun.

Realistically, I could see Villanova finishing somewhere around 8th or even 9th place if Butler improves with their top 2 players. The days of Villanova intimidating opposing teams in the Big East is gone.

No doubt and spot on. I am going to pull back some on Nova, because I was not aware of the the power of the "Portal". Both Bamba and Hausen transferred. They did grab the Hurricane PG, but I posted w/o responsible info.

That said.....Dixon alone gets them mid pack.

[Xville]

ALL pre season rankings are worthless and need to be revisited in mid December.

lol huh yet you tried to use someone’s preseason ranking to support your narrative.

[Xuperman]

What narrative? This is a "predict" thread and only ONE poster here placed VU at #10. To what degree of THAT absurdity is to be determined.

[Xville]

What narrative? This is a "predict" thread and only ONE poster here placed VU at #10. To what degree of THAT absurdity is to be determined.

And only one poster tried to use kenpom in October as support for something they clearly had no idea about. You didn’t even know nova’s roster and you said my prediction was absurd. Just own up to the fact that you don’t know shit and we can move on.

[Xuperman]

Troll on Troll King.

[X Factor]

From someone that does know something.

https://kenpom.com/

From someone who also knows something.

https://www.barttorvik.com/trankpre.php?conlimit=BE&state=All&year=2025&sort=

[Xville]

If x ends up 19-11, that’s a pretty big disappointment imo. I think 22 wins is the o/u.

At worst, I see 8-3 non con. Maybe 1 loss at home in conference to pick a team… losses on the road to UConn, creighton, St. John’s and 2 more somewhere whether it’s Providence, Marquette etc.

Unless another injury occurs, this team has too much offense and depth to lose 11 games in the regular season imo

[Xavier]

Using Kenpom before December is embarrassing. Using it before the season starts? Yikes.

My guess is he didn’t realize how KenPom really works. Which is fine, a lot of people don’t. But it’s pretty meaningless for awhile until enough time passes that current season data becomes useful.

[muskiefan82]

Nothing matters right now except for charitably crushing that little school between Franklin and Tipp City. Best pre-season feeling in a while.

[Xuperman]

Using Kenpom before December is embarrassing. Using it before the season starts? Yikes.

My guess is he didn’t realize how KenPom really works. Which is fine, a lot of people don’t. But it’s pretty meaningless for awhile until enough time passes that current season data becomes useful.

It's always nice to have a message board poster that can provide some "how things work" insight. These folks are greatly appreciated....to avoid embarrassment in the future.

Any equal opinion on Torvik?

[Xavier]

No problem, glad to help. Not sure about Torvik, never really looked at it. Maybe someone else can help you there

[D-West & PO-Z]

Here is my prediction on the final regular season standing for the 2024- 25 Big East regular season.


1. UConn

2. Xavier

3. Marquette

4. Creighton

5. St. John's

6. Villanova

7. Providence

8. Seton Hall

9. Butler

10. Georgetown

11 DePaul

_________________________________

Your thoughts?

Can't say I know enough about each to guess but based off what I know I would say:

1. UConn
2. Creighton
3. X
4. Marquette
5. St. Johns
6. Providence
7. Nova
8. Seton Hall
9. Butler
10. Georgetown
11. DePaul

[Xville]

BE Preseason Poll is out. Familiar names at the bottom, and I like where X is at:

1. UCONN
2. Creighton
3. X
4. Marquette
5. St. Johns
6. Providence
7. Nova
8. Butler
9. Georgetown
10. Seton Hall
11. Depaul

IMO There should be a pretty clear divide between the Top 5 and the rest this year.

Free and Dayvion on the 2nd team, Conwell on 3rd

[Xavier]

I personally think Marquette will struggle more than expected. After losing what they did and not going the transfer portal route I just can’t see them sustaining it. I am giving Shaka the benefit of doubt in saying I think they will be flirting with the bubble line. Am I missing something with them?

[xudash]

I personally think Marquette will struggle more than expected. After losing what they did and not going the transfer portal route I just can’t see them sustaining it. I am giving Shaka the benefit of doubt in saying I think they will be flirting with the bubble line. Am I missing something with them?

I think I read somewhere where they are returning seven players from last year. Perhaps some of their higher ranking is based on that continuity.

[X-band '01]

Talent wise, I see the case for Seton Hall at #10. I'd be shocked if they did end up finishing that low however - Shaheen Holloway gets a lot of mileage out of his guys everywhere he's been.

[Xville]

I personally think Marquette will struggle more than expected. After losing what they did and not going the transfer portal route I just can’t see them sustaining it. I am giving Shaka the benefit of doubt in saying I think they will be flirting with the bubble line. Am I missing something with them?

Yeah its hard to get a read on just how much losing Kolek and Ighodaro is going to affect them. They have Kam Jones, Stevie Mitchell, and Joplin coming back, as well as a couple of top 100 guys coming in. I think somewhere in that 3-5 range is fair for them, but anything can happen.

[Husman]

https://x.com/JonRothstein/status/1852728633648931177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5 Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1852728633648931177%7Ctwgr% 5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=


Jon Rothstein @JonRothstein

Buy Stock Now.

Big East Regular Season Winner Odds.

UConn +125
St. John's +430
Creighton +430
Xavier +650
Marquette +750
Villanova +3000
Providence +3500
Butler +6000
Seton Hall +6000
Georgetown +20000
DePaul +25000


.

[Xuperman]

https://x.com/JonRothstein/status/1852728633648931177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5 Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1852728633648931177%7Ctwgr% 5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=


Jon Rothstein @JonRothstein

Buy Stock Now.

Big East Regular Season Winner Odds.

UConn +125
St. John's +430
Creighton +430
Xavier +650
Marquette +750
Villanova +3000
Providence +3500
Butler +6000
Seton Hall +6000
Georgetown +20000
DePaul +25000


.

Hey 'Ville....it looks like my + on SJU and your - on VU could be a topic of discussion going forward.

[UCGRAD4X]

https://x.com/JonRothstein/status/1852728633648931177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5 Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1852728633648931177%7Ctwgr% 5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=
Jon Rothstein @JonRothstein
Big East Regular Season Winner Odds.
UConn +125
St. John's +430
Creighton +430
Xavier +650
Marquette +750
Villanova +3000
Providence +3500
Butler +6000
Seton Hall +6000
Georgetown +20000
DePaul +25000
.

That's quite a jump from top 5 to 6-9. Then another HUGE gap to G'Town and DePaul.

[X-band '01]

I'm still waiting for Villanova to get off a last-second shot against Xavier. Remember their appearance at Cintas last year?


https://youtu.be/hlj1l6t1xxM?si=nA_UQwJCb6SjyZ1K&t=4187

[Xville]

Hey 'Ville....it looks like my + on SJU and your - on VU could be a topic of discussion going forward.

I’ll take who cares for a hundred, Alex

[X-band '01]

Georgetown struggling with Lehigh at the half - yet they still have a lead.

Villanova currently losing late in the 1st half to...Columbia?

Yeah, buy stock now.

[Xville]

Is that travis steele or Neptune? Nothing like losing to that powerhouse 5th place ivy league team with five left

[X-band '01]

Columbia is beating Nova by 11. I'd say Neptune is looking like he'll be a perfect fit at Fordham again.

[Xavier]

Yep. Villanovas Steele. They are in a danger zone similar to X was. Next hire is huge.

[Xuperman]

Ville's #10 looking accurate.

[X-band '01]

It's only Day 3, but I get a feeling that Ryan Kalkbrenner's 49 point-performance last night isn't going to be matched by anyone in the Big East this year.

[Xuperman]

There is a guy named Kam.

[drudy23]

It's only Day 3, but I get a feeling that Ryan Kalkbrenner's 49 point-performance last night isn't going to be matched by anyone in the Big East this year.

Will be tough to top. He's likely to start seeing doubles every game.

For the life of me, I'll never understand how he's always open on the pick and roll. You have to make someone else beat you.

[X-band '01]

There is a guy named Kam.

If you're talking Kam Jones, will he be as much of a 1-man show for Marquette as Kalkbrenner was last night?

[Xuperman]

If you're talking Kam Jones, will he be as much of a 1-man show for Marquette as Kalkbrenner was last night?

It was a 2 man show.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore/_/gameId/401715448

49 is going to be really hard to top. Making 17 FTs...let alone making ALL 17...is going to be equally challenging. Weird game.

As far as Kam Jones, he is a volume shooter and their senior leader. I could see him making 10 3's in a game, but 49 is a stretch.

[Xavier]

Nova, butler, and now SH all have bad losses already. Said it in the other thread but the bottom of the big east might be the worst it’s ever been this year

[noteggs]

I could be off base here, but are the slow starts due to transfer portal? Meaning lack of early chemistry. The BE is not the only P5 conference with early loses. Now for Nova, Neptune just sucks.

[waggy]

After early returns we look like 5th best. And closer to 6th or 7th than 4th.

[Xuperman]

After early returns we look like 5th best. And closer to 6th or 7th than 4th.

Unfortunately....this has become reality.

[Xavier]

Worse in the Steele era. Sean coming in and giving us one of best years program had ever had year one was a jolt. Need to have a good BE year this year though. Shame, with Mack we were set to be the 2nd best for awhile. (Assuming UConn would do what they are doing).

[Xavier]

Is it possible Neptune doesn’t make it to Big East season?

[Xville]

Neptune shouldn’t be allowed on the bus. He’s atrocious

[waggy]

Well I wouldn't want to have to play on the road this early in the season with a new team.

And Providence doesn't look very good tonight in the first half of their game. Hampton playing zone.

[Xville]

Agree with others that its going to be a lot more packed together this year. Here's what I think off the cuff:

1. Creighton
2. X
3. UCONN
4. St. Johns
5. Providence
6. Marquette
7. Butler
8. Hall
9. Depaul
10. NOVA
11. Georgetown

Based off what we have seen so far I'd probably switch Providence and Marquette, and switch Hall and Gtown. Seton Hall has very little talent...could you imagine what Neptune would do with that team? They'd win maybe 5 games

[X-band '01]

He'd get Seton Hall relegated down to the Northeast Conference. Walsh Gym is very comparable to other arenas in that conference.

[bleedXblue]

X, Creighton, Uconn, St Johns and Marq will all battle it out. I like our coach and think he will have us in the Top 3.

[Xavier]

I’ll keep saying it. Bottom of the Big East is the worst it’s been since X entered the league. SH with another bad loss for the league.

Having said that, Marquette seems much better than I anticipated.

[MHettel]

I’ll keep saying it. Bottom of the Big East is the worst it’s been since X entered the league. SH with another bad loss for the league.

Having said that, Marquette seems much better than I anticipated.

Not good. Last year was just OK in the non-con, and then we had 3 really good teams at the top, 2 awful teams in the cellar, and then 6 teams bunched in the middle. Worst case scenario of a 3 bid year came to fruition.

We need 5 this year. I don’t care which 5, but I do care that it needs to include XU. Need more separation this year. Middle of the pack teams beating each other up doesn’t help.

[ArizonaXUGrad]

This season looks and feels like a battle of the halves of the conference. It takes time for teams to mesh together, especially those who have 7-10 transfers. There is somewhat of a divide between the top and bottom half of the conference right now. We could see the top half just beating each other up.

[D-West & PO-Z]

There are probably at least 4 teams we really need to sweep this year in the BE. Definitely a strange year and the top of the conference really needs to dominate the bottom of it.

[MHettel]

There are probably at least 4 teams we really need to sweep this year in the BE. Definitely a strange year and the top of the conference really needs to dominate the bottom of it.

And i will bring up one more time that the 20 game conference schedule doesn't help the Big East. i know alot of people love the double round robin, but if we had an 18 game schedule each team could go out an play 2 more non-con games and we could win 75% of those.

As the season progresses, the strength of scheduled become "inbred" as we all play each other. The overall winning percentage of the conference approaches .500. You need to go INTO conference play with a combined winning percentage of .700, and then play 18 conference games instead of 20.

Its not a huge difference, but assuming a conference wins 70% of it's non-con games, the overall winning % of the conference would be 57.7% with a 20 game conference schedule vs 58.9% with an 18 game schedule.

certainly NOT enough reason to change our scheduling.....

...however, if those 2 additional non-con games were "buy games (90% wins), then the overall win % goes up to 60.2%.

at a minimum its optics. Get one more team up to 20 wins, or push a team to 25 wins. Under the last scenario, it would be 9 more wins for the conference.

i saw this developing LAST year as we just has a ho hum non conference performance and then the middle of the pack started beating the hell out of each other. i though 4 bids was most likely and never thought it could be 3....(and I think the committee F'd up but nonetheless the only picked 3). Cant leave it in the hands of the committee.

[Xville]

From what I have seen, it looks like there is a very clear divide between the haves and the have nots this year which should, I repeat, should help the big east in terms of number of teams getting in the tourney.

X, UCONN, St. Johns, Marquette and Creighton should all be safely in, with maybe a sixth if things fall correctly. Those top 5 just have to avoid bad losses in conference.

In other words, I don't see the jumbled mess that occurred last year happening again.

[MHettel]

From what I have seen, it looks like there is a very clear divide between the haves and the have nots this year which should, I repeat, should help the big east in terms of number of teams getting in the tourney.

X, UCONN, St. Johns, Marquette and Creighton should all be safely in, with maybe a sixth if things fall correctly. Those top 5 just have to avoid bad losses in conference.

In other words, I don't see the jumbled mess that occurred last year happening again.

Maybe not as extreme as last year, and hopefully not that same result. But I dont think we are out of the woods yet. Is GTown and DePaul really gonna go ofer against the rest of the league? Are nova and SHU really that bad or will they come around and steal some decent wins in conference play?

Not sure what to think about Providence or Butler. Could be VERY similar to last year. Except i dont expect the "top 3" to be so clear as it was. UConn, MU, and Creighton were heads above the field wire to wire. I expect Uconn to be very good and Creighton too, but neither as good as last year. And MU will come back to earth (top 25 ish).

Need the BE to win the non-con games. period. THEN worry about the conference standing.

[muskiefan82]

Need the BE to win the non-con games. period. THEN worry about the conference standing.

Except several of the BE teams are NOT winning the non-con games. Which sucks.

[Xville]

Maybe not as extreme as last year, and hopefully not that same result. But I dont think we are out of the woods yet. Is GTown and DePaul really gonna go ofer against the rest of the league? Are nova and SHU really that bad or will they come around and steal some decent wins in conference play?

Not sure what to think about Providence or Butler. Could be VERY similar to last year. Except i dont expect the "top 3" to be so clear as it was. UConn, MU, and Creighton were heads above the field wire to wire. I expect Uconn to be very good and Creighton too, but neither as good as last year. And MU will come back to earth (top 25 ish).

Need the BE to win the non-con games. period. THEN worry about the conference standing.

The trend for the Big East since its reconfiguring has been 4-6 teams every year except when there was 7 in the 16-17 season and then 3 last year. Those two years are the outliers imo. If you take the average every year it's been 5....I think last year was just one of those perfect storms where everything that could break wrong, did.

The five teams I mentioned should do very well out of conference, and I think Depaul has scheduled very well to their talent to where they should have a good non-con record as well as G'town and Providence.

I think Hall is a lost cause this year, but hopefully Nova and Butler pull their heads out of their asses.

[MHettel]

The trend for the Big East since its reconfiguring has been 4-6 teams every year except when there was 7 in the 16-17 season and then 3 last year. Those two years are the outliers imo. If you take the average every year it's been 5....I think last year was just one of those perfect storms where everything that could break wrong, did.

The five teams I mentioned should do very well out of conference, and I think Depaul has scheduled very well to their talent to where they should have a good non-con record as well as G'town and Providence.

I think Hall is a lost cause this year, but hopefully Nova and Butler pull their heads out of their asses.

Teams just need to schedule accordingly. If you are DePaul coming off a 20 loss season with a young roster…then it should cupcake city. UConn can ramp it up and get some marquee games scheduled.

Losing a “meh” game during non-con hurts. Schedule a bunch of wins and then 2-3 games that would be excellent wins if you were able to, but not bad losses if that happens.

This was how the old Big East cracked the code on the RPI 20 years ago

[noteggs]

BE noncon schedule so far according to Kenpom. Interesting

https://x.com/ryancassidycbb/status/1857094740509859936?s=42

[MHettel]

BE noncon schedule so far according to Kenpom. Interesting

https://x.com/ryancassidycbb/status/1857094740509859936?s=42

We should be 33-0 with that schedule. sigh....

[D-West & PO-Z]

BE noncon schedule so far according to Kenpom. Interesting

https://x.com/ryancassidycbb/status/1857094740509859936?s=42

I think this was very intentional.

[Xavier]

Pretty sure there was a push to play teams the conference should win and win easily against so they could boost the metrics. Thinking that’s what the Big12 did last year.

Unfortunately when you play those teams close, and even lose some, it doesn’t really work out the same. Having said that I wouldn’t put much stock into kenpom right now. It’s always hard to really tell who will be good or not this early, especially with the transfer portal.

[noteggs]

I think this was very intentional.

Of course it is after what the big12 did last year and what Mario has said. But seeing UConn (back to back) is ranked was a little amusing to me.

[Xville]

Big night for the Big East...we need the wins:

SMU-Butler
Nova-Virginia
Marquette-Maryland
Depaul-Duquesne

I'd settle for 3-1

[Section 200]

This could be much better for the Big East than last year when X won too many games for the quality of the team and probably cost St Johns & Seton Hall bids. Would be great for 5 or 6 teams to sweep the bottom instead of everyone around .500. We will need 9 wins from DePaul, Georgetown, Butler, Seton Hall and Villanova.

[bjf123]

This could be much better for the Big East than last year when X won too many games for the quality of the team and probably cost St Johns & Seton Hall bids. Would be great for 5 or 6 teams to sweep the bottom instead of everyone around .500. We will need 9 wins from DePaul, Georgetown, Butler, Seton Hall and Villanova.

The SEC is dealing with that now in football. The top teams are beating each other and will end up costing one or two a spot in the CFP.


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[MHettel]

This could be much better for the Big East than last year when X won too many games for the quality of the team and probably cost St Johns & Seton Hall bids. Would be great for 5 or 6 teams to sweep the bottom instead of everyone around .500. We will need 9 wins from DePaul, Georgetown, Butler, Seton Hall and Villanova.

Isn't that impossible? This 5 teams play 20 games against each other. Somebody has to win.

[X-band '01]

Big night for the Big East...we need the wins:

SMU-Butler
Nova-Virginia
Marquette-Maryland
Depaul-Duquesne

I'd settle for 3-1

Sure as hell ain't getting a win from Villanova. They need a new coach AND a new GM (apparently I found out that Baker Dunleavy is their basketball GM).

[bleedXblue]

Sure as hell ain't getting a win from Villanova. They need a new coach AND a new GM (apparently I found out that Baker Dunleavy is their basketball GM).

you can replace the coach, but I dont see the talent that Nova usually has.....

[Xavgrad08]

Villanova’s AD left for Northwestern in September. It really is staggering how far Villanova has fallen basketball wise compared to when Jay wright was coaching.

[Xville]

Nova has enough talent to not be this bad. Neptune is just a crap coach

[Three Point Pete]

Big night for the Big East...we need the wins:

SMU-Butler
Nova-Virginia
Marquette-Maryland
Depaul-Duquesne

I'd settle for 3-1Well, Butler pulled a W despite not scoring FG in final 4 minutes.

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[Xville]

I’ll take the 3-1. Neptune is garbage… DePaul is a lot better than last year, not great but they could be a nit team. Step in the right direction for them

[X-band '01]

Let's just say Chris Holtmann appears to be a good hire for DePaul. The very first thing he did was a complete enema of last year's roster.

[waggy]

It's early but DePaul has improved in Pomeroy efficiency about 200 spots from the end of last season. Georgetown has also improved; about 100 spots.

[X-band '01]

They may have given those 100 spots back with their performance at home against Notre Dame.

[Mel Cooley XU'81]

Let's just say Chris Holtmann appears to be a good hire for DePaul. The very first thing he did was a complete enema of last year's roster.

I did say that.


DePaul will finish 9th.

[Xville]

A few big opportunities for the big east this week.

Purdue @ Marquette
Baylor @ St. John'd

[GoMuskies]

Based on two whole weeks of results, it seems Xavier is a clear #5 with #5 being much closer to #2 than #6. UConn may be mortal, but I'm going to leave the two time defending national champs in a tier by themselves until proven otherwise. Villanova is probably the worst team in the league. Maybe Georgetown and Butler can challenge for that "crown". Seton Hall, Providence and DePaul 6-7-8 in some order.

[Xville]

Based on two whole weeks of results, it seems Xavier is a clear #5 with #5 being much closer to #2 than #6. UConn may be mortal, but I'm going to leave the two time defending national champs in a tier by themselves until proven otherwise. Villanova is probably the worst team in the league. Maybe Georgetown and Butler can challenge for that "crown". Seton Hall, Providence and DePaul 6-7-8 in some order.

Their coach might save them from being the worst team in the league but Seton Hall is gawd awful. They lost to both Fordham and Hofstra on their home court already.

[MHettel]

Based on two whole weeks of results, it seems Xavier is a clear #5 with #5 being much closer to #2 than #6. UConn may be mortal, but I'm going to leave the two time defending national champs in a tier by themselves until proven otherwise. Villanova is probably the worst team in the league. Maybe Georgetown and Butler can challenge for that "crown". Seton Hall, Providence and DePaul 6-7-8 in some order.

I'm not sure I'm there yet.

I'll set UConn & Creighton aside at #1 & #2 until they prove otherwise.

But I see a 3 horse race for #3 thru #5 in the League.

Marquette lost Kolek and Igodaro. 2 VERY good players. But they didnt bring in a single transfer. Some of their younger guys will get better and they still have a good team. but I think Freshmen having an impact will just be harder and harder to do in a league like the Big East, especially with a team like XU whose roster is like 22 years old on average and has played like 1000 college games combined.

SJU has Richmond and Pitino. Thats enough to make them dangerous. But I'm not putting them ahead of XU yet. I agree that 6-8 are probably lumped together and 9-11 are too. (somewhere Jay Wright is crying in his coffee while looking dapper as hell).

[Xville]

I'm not sure I'm there yet.

I'll set UConn & Creighton aside at #1 & #2 until they prove otherwise.

But I see a 3 horse race for #3 thru #5 in the League.

Marquette lost Kolek and Igodaro. 2 VERY good players. But they didnt bring in a single transfer. Some of their younger guys will get better and they still have a good team. but I think Freshmen having an impact will just be harder and harder to do in a league like the Big East, especially with a team like XU whose roster is like 22 years old on average and has played like 1000 college games combined.

SJU has Richmond and Pitino. Thats enough to make them dangerous. But I'm not putting them ahead of XU yet. I agree that 6-8 are probably lumped together and 9-11 are too. (somewhere Jay Wright is crying in his coffee while looking dapper as hell).

I think I agree on UCONN and Creighton for now but that may change as the season rolls on. Although Marquette didn't bring in transfers, their top 5-6 guys are Juniors and Seniors so still on the older side...if they don't go the transfer route after this year though, they could fall off. Time will tell.

IMO, There seems to be a pretty wide gap in terms of talent, play whatever you want to call it after the fifth team in the big east.

[Xavier]

I’m in the same boat as Hett. But I think top 5 will beat each other up. I’m not so sure we aren’t the 3rd best.

[GoMuskies]

It's hard to know much until after Thanksgiving weekend when most teams start playing a few meaningful games.

[Xville]

I'll be interested to see what Providence looks like once Hopkins comes back...There is some talent on that team, and I think English is a very good coach. If Hopkins is healthy and effective, they could be pushing the bottom of the top 5 as well.

[Xavier]

Marquette with a big win for Big East last night. Defensively they looked great (I do think part of that was exemplified due to lack of athleticism from Purdue back court). Offensively seemed to spread you out and score with athleticism. They shot and missed a bunch of 3s. Seems like a team we will go 1-1 with in conference.

[Xville]

That week of 12/14-12/21 is brutal. @UC, @UCONN and home against Marquette. 1-2 would actually not be bad. 2-1 and I'm pretty ecstatic.

[Xville]

Sounds like ashworth is going to be out for a while, and creighton doesn’t have much depth. This could really hurt them for a bit

[Xavier]

From what I watched, Nebraska absolutely swarmed them defensively the other day. Was impressive play. Shots maybe just weren’t falling that normally do, but they didn’t seem like a sure fire top 2 team in BE.

My hesitation with Marquette appears to be dead wrong though.

[Xville]

Obviously still early, but I’m starting to think that outside of x, Marquette and UConn the big East isn’t that good

[MHettel]

Still a lot of basketball to play. We’re learning more about all the teams each week.

If I’m X, I’m ultra focused on the games those week and looking to win that mini tourney we are in. The rest of the chips will fall where they fall.

After that, an outside chance we run the non-con. Who cares what the other teams have done at that point. Finish in the top 5 in conference and we’re dancing.

Still think #3 is kinda the ceiling. Which is fine

[Xville]

Caring what thr other teams are doing in thr non con for the big East is pretty self explanatory.

[waggy]

St. Johns played 3 games in 4 days, and one was a double OT. Pretty sure they would beat Georgia otherwise.

[MHettel]

Caring what thr other teams are doing in thr non con for the big East is pretty self explanatory.

Unless you control your own destiny, which is the scenario I put forth. An undefeated non con performance truly puts us in a position where short of a complete face plant, we’d be dancing. And that applies to a team in virtually any decent multi bid conference in almost any year.

[Xuperman]

St. Johns played 3 games in 4 days, and one was a double OT. Pretty sure they would beat Georgia otherwise.

There is definitely something weird going on with Kadary Richmond. Pitino may very well have something to do with it. Biggest surprise in the conference.

[Xville]

Unless you control your own destiny, which is the scenario I put forth. An undefeated non con performance truly puts us in a position where short of a complete face plant, we’d be dancing. And that applies to a team in virtually any decent multi bid conference in almost any year.

Ok so I guess it wasn’t self explanatory. I’m not worried about x this year. Unless they have another injury (knock on wood) they are making the tournament. Too much talent on top of miller being the coach.

I want the conference to have as much success as possible because more bids, more money, better tv deals, more branding etc etc etc.

[xudash]

Ok so I guess it wasn’t self explanatory. I’m not worried about x this year. Unless they have another injury (knock on wood) they are making the tournament. Too much talent on top of miller being the coach.

I want the conference to have as much success as possible because more bids, more money, better tv deals, more branding etc etc etc.

+1

[MHettel]

Ok so I guess it wasn’t self explanatory. I’m not worried about x this year. Unless they have another injury (knock on wood) they are making the tournament. Too much talent on top of miller being the coach.

I want the conference to have as much success as possible because more bids, more money, better tv deals, more branding etc etc etc.

I’m XU first, always.

To the extent that X is out of it, like last year, then I’m rooting for conference success as a consolation prize.

It’s gravy and when we get both.

If X is marginal and needs an “assist” from the rest of the conference, then of course I’m rooting for the conference. But make no mistake, im rooting for the conference because it BENEFITS XU.

If we can position ourselves for a good seed and a deep potential tourney run based on our own performance only, then I'm ultra focused on the team and if the rest of the conference is doing well, then like I said it’s gravy.

You decide….

Would you take a Final Four for XU in a year that the Big East far underperformed and had only 2 bids (cause 1 bid is not realistic) with the other team losing in the first round….

Or a year with 6 BE tourney teams and 4 getting to the Sweet 16 (including X)?

That’s not a difficult choice for me.

So I’m not rooting against the conference. I’m just saying that I’m rooting for X before I root for the conference and if the conference performance has little bearing on what X can accomplish, then my focus is narrowed

[Xville]

I’m XU first, always.

To the extent that X is out of it, like last year, then I’m rooting for conference success as a consolation prize.

It’s gravy and when we get both.

If X is marginal and needs an “assist” from the rest of the conference, then of course I’m rooting for the conference. But make no mistake, im rooting for the conference because it BENEFITS XU.

If we can position ourselves for a good seed and a deep potential tourney run based on our own performance only, then I'm ultra focused on the team and if the rest of the conference is doing well, then like I said it’s gravy.

You decide….

Would you take a Final Four for XU in a year that the Big East far underperformed and had only 2 bids (cause 1 bid is not realistic) with the other team losing in the first round….

Or a year with 6 BE tourney teams and 4 getting to the Sweet 16 (including X)?

That’s not a difficult choice for me.

So I’m not rooting against the conference. I’m just saying that I’m rooting for X before I root for the conference and if the conference performance has little bearing on what X can accomplish, then my focus is narrowed

Not an either or situation for me. I want the conference to do as well as possible every single year and root for all of them (except maybe butler) in the non-con. I also want Xavier to do as well as possible and get to a final four at some point. Better the conference does every year, the better for x in the areas I mentioned previously.

[MHettel]

Not an either or situation for me. I want the conference to do as well as possible every single year and root for all of them (except maybe butler) in the non-con. I also want Xavier to do as well as possible and get to a final four at some point. Better the conference does every year, the better for x in the areas I mentioned previously.

So I presented you with an either or scenario. One that could be realistic or plausible. And you respond but dont answer.

The point of the question is to get your answer.

If you answer with the first option, you support my point of view.

If you answer with the second option, it aligns to your flippant initial response to my original post, but yet nobody would believe that’s a genuine answer.

And failing to answer by declaring that it’s not an “either / or situation” (which it most certainly is) is the same as answering in favor of option 1, without having to say so.

Is that a fair answer on your behalf, or would you like to clarify?

[Xville]

So I presented you with an either or scenario. One that could be realistic or plausible. And you respond but dont answer.

The point of the question is to get your answer.

If you answer with the first option, you support my point of view.

If you answer with the second option, it aligns to your flippant initial response to my original post, but yet nobody would believe that’s a genuine answer.

And failing to answer by declaring that it’s not an “either / or situation” (which it most certainly is) is the same as answering in favor of option 1, without having to say so.

Is that a fair answer on your behalf, or would you like to clarify?

Not sure what climbed up your ass. Your initial response to what I had said about other teams in the big East was “ who cares what other teams have done up to that point.” I stated why it matters in the next post, at least to me and apparently dash as well.

Then, you went on a tangent. So, I’m gonna move on.

[MHettel]

Not sure what climbed up your ass. Your initial response to what I had said about other teams in the big East was “ who cares what other teams have done up to that point.” I stated why it matters in the next post, at least to me and apparently dash as well.

Then, you went on a tangent. So, I’m gonna move on.

Yeah. I expected nothing more from you.

I provided context for my answer, which you omitted from your critique of my position of “who cares”.

The reality is that I often care. But sometimes I don’t. But it’s ALWAYS in the interest of X.

And sometimes you don’t too. Just answer my question. There are only 2 options.

Do you acknowledge the context of my original comment? It’s not some riddle. I provided the context in that post.

[Xavier]

Having the conference do well OOC helps give some leeway in conference. Look at when we were in the A-10. Having the conference do well OOC was nice so we didn’t have to completely dominate to get an at large. In the case for this year, where the tournament seems inevitable, it helps with seeding.

Outside of that, I don’t care. I think it’s obvious X doing well is more important to all Xavier fans. And I think it’s obvious the better the conference is the more slip ups X will be granted. It really hurts when you are right on the bubble. If the overall conference was a little better last year- SH would’ve made the dance.

If you don’t think the conference doing well has an impact on Xavier then why would we have left the A10?

[MHettel]

Having the conference do well OOC helps give some leeway in conference. Look at when we were in the A-10. Having the conference do well OOC was nice so we didn’t have to completely dominate to get an at large. In the case for this year, where the tournament seems inevitable, it helps with seeding.

Outside of that, I don’t care. I think it’s obvious X doing well is more important to all Xavier fans. And I think it’s obvious the better the conference is the more slip ups X will be granted. It really hurts when you are right on the bubble. If the overall conference was a little better last year- SH would’ve made the dance.

If you don’t think the conference doing well has an impact on Xavier then why would we have left the A10?

At some point slip ups don’t matter.

I don’t want to Cinderella our way into the FF. I want to MARCH there. To get where we want to go, you have to face the best. Win the non-con. Compete for the top of the Big East. Then play the best in the NCAAs and win.

You can get to that last step in several ways, but the quality of the team will always shine through

[Xavier]

Were we on the bubble at all when we were an 11 seed and marched to an elite 8? Did you feel like that was less of a run because we were an 11 and wasn’t as good as when we went as a 3 seed?

I couldn’t care less how we get to the final four. If it’s by winning the play in and going like UCLA, sign me up. But had UCLA lost one more game that year, maybe they miss the play in game.

[American X]

I want the rest of the Big East to do as well as possible in the non-conference, except Butler.

[muskiefan82]

I want the rest of the Big East to do as well as possible in the non-conference, except Butler.

I kinda feel this too. It just seems....right.

[bleedXblue]

I kinda feel this too. It just seems....right.

Some fellow F Butler fans. I love it

[muskiefan82]

Butler is the Dayton of Indiana

[Xville]

Creighton has a problem...with their schedule, they are looking at 5-5 square in the face before conference play starts.

[Xavier]

Creighton getting rocked by SDST. They will be iffy until ashworth is back.

[GreatWhiteNorth]

UConn lost again, 2 nights in a row to unranked teams.

[bleedXblue]

UConn lost again, 2 nights in a row to unranked teams.

Well Memphis will be ranked next week. The Colorado loss is more of a head scratcher. As predicted, UCONN was going to have a drop off this season with all of the losses. They will be ok and will get it figured out.....

[bleedXblue]

Wide open as many have predicted. It will be a fun to watch this play out over the next 2-3 months.

[Xville]

Big Opportunities today for Providence and X.

Hopkins is closer to being back and may even play today against Oklahoma.

[Xville]

I very badly misjudged this version of Creighton. Even when Ashworth is back, they don't have enough weapons. Isaccs is good, Kalkbrenner is good when people throw him the ball, but outside of those two they don't have a lot. I didn't realize just how much they'd miss Alexander and Baylor. Top 4-5 may be tough for them, they may be in that middle 6-8 tier.

[Xville]

Yikes UConn. Sound the alarm

[GoMuskies]

Yikes UConn. Sound the alarm

Worse than that, I think Dayton is actually good. Yuck.

[UCGRAD4X]

Worse than that, I think Dayton is actually good. Yuck.

Shut. Up.

I've never negative repped anyone. Don't make me start now.

[paulxu]

A few ranked teams joined X in losing to unranked teams yesterday:

UConn (2) to Dayton
Gonzaga (3) to West Virginia
North Carolina (12) to Michigan State
Indiana (14) to Louisville

[X-band '01]

Louisville led by 40 at one point. Let that sink in.

It says a lot more about Tennessee that the Vols were able to blow out the Cards in the Chum bucket.

[Xavier]

Dayton should’ve won all three games. Maybe our best performance yet was our scrimmage against them

[drudy23]

Well, the good news after a loss, is that it seems any of the top 6 programs can win the BE this year.

[drudy23]

Dayton should’ve won all three games. Maybe our best performance yet was our scrimmage against them

Dayton looked blatantly awful against us - I'm literally shocked they played this well.

[bjf123]

Dayton looked blatantly awful against us - I'm literally shocked they played this well.

And we looked blatantly awful last night.


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[noteggs]

Just as I predicted after six or seven games this year. DePaul would be on top with Marquette while UConn and Creighton hanging around the 10th spot.

[Xavgrad08]

IU beats Providence rather easily. Besides Marquette it does not look like the Non Conference has gone well for the Big East. Still some opportunities left, but teams need to do better.

[Three Point Pete]

Just as I predicted after six or seven games this year. DePaul would be on top with Marquette while UConn and Creighton hanging around the 10th spot.Depaul is looking [emoji108] so far in non-con play. I don't think they can win BE, but they can make it an interesting tourney.

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[GoMuskies]

This what you were looking for XVille?

[Xville]

This what you were looking for XVille?

yes thank you go! I don't know why i was having such a difficult time finding it lol. If the mods could delete my message on the other thread, I'd appreciate it.

thought that since we are about 25% of the way thru, we'd take a look:

Marquette 5-0
Nova 4-1
St. John's 4-1
Uconn 4-1
Gtown 3-1
Creighton 2-2
Providence 2-3
Hall 1-3
X 1-4
Depaul 0-5
Butler 0-5

Marquette even better than I thought they'd be. Nova certainly surprising, as well as Gtown. The bottom, outside of X seems about right....usual players of Depaul, Butler, Hall. Although I thought that's where Gtown and Nova would be. A stud 7 footer can make your team look really good really quickly in Gtown, and apparently Neptune figured out how to coach.

I believe most thought X could play in that top 4-5 area, but it seems that X may be the best of the worst instead---right around 6 or 7.

I think setting the number of conference wins for X at 0/u 8 is probably about right at this point. sigh

As bad as last year was, they still won 9 conference games. That's going to take a sweep of Depaul, Hall and Butler to even touch that mark this year.