We’ve officially crossed into November, which means college basketball season is just around the corner.
Non-conference games have commenced and we’ll be eating, sleeping and breathing college basketball for the next handful of months, But first, we’ve got to preview what to expect from the Power 5 conferences as well as take a look at the mid-major landscape.
The Big East’s most successful team in recent years, Villanova, has a new coach (Kyle Neptune) for the first time since 2001. Seton Hall has a new coach in Shaheen Holloway. And last season’s regular-season champion, Providence, isn’t projected to finish anywhere near the top of the conference. So, what should we expect from the Big East this season? Let’s talk about it.
We’ll preview the conference and name which team is a true sleeper to win the regular season, look at specific players to watch and predict who will win the regular-season championship.
Players to Watch
Adama Sanogo (forward) – UConn Huskies
Tune into every UConn game if you want to watch what could be the Big East Player of the Year. A nightly double-double threat with Defensive Player of the Year potential, Sanogo is usually the best one or two players on the court whenever he laces ‘em up. For that reason alone, he’s someone to follow.
Arthur Kaluma (forward) – Creighton Bluejays
Do you like scoring? Do you like crazy dunks? Do you like players with a motor? Well, you probably like Arthur Kaluma. Creighton’s second-year wing is off to a nice start in his sophomore campaign following an end-of-season display he put on last season when the games really mattered. A more consistent jump shot would turn him into more difficult player for defenses to figure out than he already is. And if his game develops the way we think it will, this might be his last year in college basketball.
Caleb Daniels (guard) – Villanova Wildcats
A lot has changed in Villanova since March. Jay Wright is out the door and so is Collin Gilespie, who is now a member of the NBA. And while Justin Moore remains on Nova’s roster, he’s still recovering from an Achilles injury suffered during last season’s NCAA Tournament. With Moore and Gillespie gone, the backcourt is Caleb Daniels’. The strongly built-guard is certainly a scoring threat at all times, but it’ll be interesting to see how he balances that with some required playmaking duties.
Cam Whitmore (forward) – Villanova Wildcats
Not too many players come through Villanova as one-and-done prospects. But with Whitmore, the Wildcats may have their first in a while. Whitmore is already being tabbed as a potential Top 10 pick in next year’s NBA Draft, which sounds about right considering his size (6 foot, 6 inches) and freakish athleticism. Once he returns from a thumb injury, he’ll be box office.
Sleeper Team
Xavier Musketeers
An unranked team that didn’t make the NCAA Tournament a season ago is somehow supposed to win the Big East? Well, the Musketeers aren’t supposed to, but could they? Sure. What Xavier has going is continuity. Four players who played over 20.0 minutes per game are back from last season, including four of last season’s top six scorers. UTEP transfer Souley Boum will provide some consistent scoring throughout the season to make the Musketeers legitimate championship contenders in Sean Miller’s return to Cincinnati.
Conference Champion
Creighton Bluejays
Greg McDermott’s squad is the preseason favorite for a reason. They’ve got just about everyone back from last season’s second-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament, only now with another year of experience under their belt. In addition to the returners, South Dakota State transfer Baylor Scheierman replaced forward Ryan Hawkins in the Jays’ starting lineup and brings some scoring juice playmaking, which is already popping up in this young 2022-23 season.
Outside of Villanova, the biggest threat to the Bluejays’ Big East championship run is health — neither Ryan Nembhard nor Ryan Kalkbrenner finished last season being able to play. But if the injury bug isn’t an issue, this could be Creighton’s best team under McDermott, which says a lot considering some of his recent teams’ success. They’ll just need to love up to the hype.
