The preseason hype has so far been met. The sky-high expectations? Check.
The Big East was pegged in October as one of the best men’s college basketball leagues in the country, and that seems to be an accurate projection. There are multiple national championship contenders. There is high-level depth. The top nine teams are ranked in the top 63 of KenPom.com’s rankings and four are in the top 18 of the Associated Press top-25 poll.
It feels very much like the old Big East, especially when you factor in the coaching star power of names such as Dan Hurley, Shaka Smart, Sean Miller, Rick Pitino, Thad Matta and Greg McDermott, among others.
The lone downside through the first few weeks of the season has been the soft underbelly of Georgetown and DePaul, two programs that are going to live at the bottom of the conference unless something drastically unforeseen takes place.
