Ranking the Big East Teams in Two Sentences or Less
The names on the front don't change, but the names on the back certainly do, and with the way things have shaken out in the OOC, there's even more to consider than what was thought in the original preseason predictions. But while anyone could spend eons talking about the in's and out's of each team, how many can do this ranking with a minimalist style? Here's how I'm ranking the Big East teams, in two sentences or less.
1. Xavier:
Way underrated in the preseason, which is scary because they were not that underrated to begin with. Five guys averaging double digits, a deep (DEEP) bench, and a top-level coach has me very scared of the Musketeers.
2. Villanova:
A solid team that, despite a few early losses, is terrifying-good when their game is clicking, and still better than most when it's not. I don't need to go down the roster to tell you how good they are, so I will say this: I think they're beatable, even though it will not be easy.
3. Providence:
They have the talent, coaching, and drive to really make an impact in the conference this year. Edging out the other top teams will be tough, but Providence can find themselves comfortably in the top 3 if they play as well as they have so far.
4. Butler:
A team that plays physical and knows how to win through discipline and good coaching. However, taking advantage of their physicality (read: convert from the free throw line) and shutting down their offense a bit (read: lock them down) makes this team beatable.
5. Marquette:
Better than I expected them to be, and a lot of that credit goes to coach Steve Wojciechowski. Furthermore, playing this team on the road is especially tough, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if they went undefeated (or had one loss) at home in conference play.
6. Seton Hall:
I never think much about Seton Hall, but I really should because they pose a real challenge. Their height scares me, with teams having their hands full trying to handle Angel Delgado's immaculate rebounding (averages 10.1 rpg, for your information).
7. Creighton:
Their team really doesn't concern me, but their height sure does because they are tall like... well, last year's Friars almost. Their rebounding isn't an issue, and I don't really see them outscoring a lot of other teams, so the Bluejays are beatable provided other teams don't get intimidated by the height of Geoffrey Groselle and Toby Hegner.
8. Georgetown:
Way overrated in the preseason, though it doesn't make them bad as they do have some quality wins to match their terrible losses. They seem hot and cold, which makes them a threat in DC, but you'll never know which Georgetown team will show up (the one that beat 'Cuse or the one that lost to Radford) which is why I put them so far down this list.
9. DePaul:
They have Billy Garrett Jr. and Myke Henry, and that's about it. Even with the size of Tommy Hamilton IV and a quality win over a top 25 team, DePaul is still a couple years away from doing big things. (And they really need to get that stadium built. Rosemont is a long, not-very-fun journey and doesn't even count as Chicago.)
10. St. John's:
They're rivals, so don't think I'm discrediting them, but they have a long way to go. That said, it concerns me that they've actually shown glimpses of promise (Syracuse win) amongst some pretty ugly defeats. (I'm offering a Coke to whoever can tell me where Incarnate Word is located without Googling it. And no, it's not a Microsoft Word add-on like I originally thought.)
Commenti
Posta un commento