2021-22 Big East Conference Preview

The clock is ticking until the 2021-22 season gets underway and the Big East champion Georgetown Hoyas prepare to defend their title. Here's how the Big East is shaping up this year.

1. Villanova

KenPom Ranking: #9

Key Departures: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Cole Swider

Key Returnees: Collin Gillespie, Justin Moore, Jermaine Samuels, Caleb Daniels, Brandon Slater, Bryan Antoine (injured)

Key Arrivals: Trey Patterson (early enrollee last year), Angelo Brizzi, Jordan Longino, Nnanna Njoku

Projected Starters: PG Collin Gillespie, SG Justin Moore, SF Brandon Slater, PF Jermaine Samuels, C Eric Dixon

For most schools, a Sweet 16 appearance would be considered a success, but after bowing out early in the Big East Tournament to Georgetown, and losing to the eventual national champions in Baylor, Villanova was left with a bitter taste in their mouth and no hardware to show for it (except for a fraudulent banner). Now, they’ll look to atone for that this season.

The good news for the Wildcats is they return several key starters, starting with super seniors Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels, who took advantage of their extra COVID years.

For Gillespie, the question will be if he can get back to 100% after suffering a torn MCL late last season. If he can, the Wildcats should romp to an (actual) Big East title. If not, this may not be as easy for Villanova as most expect it to be this season.

However, other questions remain, namely, how does Villanova replace Jeremiah Robinson-Earl? The junior center declared for the NBA Draft after averaging 15.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game last season. He leaves a giant hole in the middle for the Wildcats, who don’t have a clear and obvious answer to turn to.

6’8” redshirt sophomore Eric Dixon will likely get first crack as the starting 5 for Villanova, but he didn’t play a big role for Villanova last year, and doesn’t provide much in the way of interior defense for a Wildcats team whose two-point shooting percentage allowed exceeded 50% last year, for the first time since 2007-08.

Freshman center Nnanna Njoku is the only shot-blocker on the roster, but it’s unlikely he is relied on to start the season. Villanova will likely need him at some point though, as they are dangerously thin at the center position otherwise.

With JRE no longer on the team, Villanova figures to go back to more of the guard-centric offense that it has been known for under Jay Wright, with Justin Moore and Caleb Daniels expected to do a little more ball-handling along the perimeter in pick-and-roll actions. The post-up will still be used, with Jermaine Samuels still on the team, but Samuels is not the post-up threat that JRE was, and so the team will need to rely on its backcourt to make things happen on offense.

Villanova’s roster is loaded once again, but it still faces a couple of significant questions to start the season, in figuring out if Gillespie is back to normal, and addressing the loss of Robinson-Earl. If they can’t get the center position settled, that could drag down a defense that already struggled WITH Robinson-Earl last year, in which they ranked 216th in the country in effective field goal percentage allowed.

2. UConn

KenPom Ranking: #21

Key Departures: James Bouknight, Josh Carlton

Key Returnees: RJ Cole, Isaiah Whaley, Andre Jackson, Tyrese Martin, Jalen Gaffney, Adama Sanogo, Tyler Polley, Akok Akok

Key Arrivals: Rahsool Diggins, Samson Johnson, Jordan Hawkins

Projected Starters: PG RJ Cole, SG Tyrese Martin, SF Andre Jackson, PF Isaiah Whaley, C Adama Sanogo

With the defense that UConn should have this year, you could argue they’d be a top-10 or 15 team in the country if James Bouknight had decided to return for his junior season instead of going pro. That’s how long, athletic, and physical the Huskies’ D should be this year. It’ll be their calling card this year, and it should help them stay afloat as they figure out how to replace Bouknight’s playmaking on offense this season.

With Bouknight off to the NBA, RJ Cole will step into the lead guard role this year after playing Bouknight’s sidekick last season. Cole averaged 12.2 points and 4.3 assists per game last year on 39/39/77 shooting splits, and will need to take another step this year to make up for Bouknight’s scoring ability.

Outside of Cole, the Huskies have a lot of question marks offensively. Can Tyrese Martin step up into a complementary scoring role this year? Will highly-touted freshman guard Rahsool Diggins be counted on to provide some minutes in the backcourt? There’s a lot for Danny Hurley to figure out there.

But defensively, whew. This team is going to be so good it might not matter what they do on offense. Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year Isaiah Whaley returns for his super senior year, and will team up with sophomore (brick wall) center Adama Sonogo to form a bruising, tenacious duo in the paint that will be tough for opponents to crack.

On the wings, UConn will have Martin and sophomore Andre Jackson to harass ball-handlers and force turnovers to get out in transition, where this UConn team will thrive thanks to the athletes on this team.

We haven’t even mention Akok Akok yet, the redshirt junior who missed most of last year as he recovered from a torn Achilles tendon, playing in only seven games. Akok might be the best defender on this team, and he won’t even start for UConn, as he continues to work his way back into form from his injury. At 6’9”, Akok is ridiculously long and athletic, and has been working on his three-point shot to help elevate his offensive game. If he can get back to full health this year, it’s just crazy to think how tough UConn will be on defense, for a team that was already 10th in block rate as a team nationally last year.

There’s no question UConn will miss Bouknight, as they were 11-4 with him and 4-4 without him last year, but if Cole and Martin can shoulder a heavier scoring burder, and this defense can live up to the hype, UConn will contend with Villanova for the Big East title.

3. Xavier

KenPom Ranking: #26

Key Departures: Jason Carter

Key Returnees: Paul Scruggs, Zach Freemantle, Adam Kunkel, Colby Jones, Dwon Odom, Nate Johnson, Ben Stanley

Key Arrivals: Jack Nunge, Jerome Hunter, Elijah Tucker, Cesare Edwards

Projected Starters: PG Paul Scruggs, SG Nate Johnson, SF Colby Jones, PF Zach Freemantle, C Jack Nunge

This is a huge year for Travis Steele at Xavier, and there are no excuses anymore when you look at the team he is fielding this year. With 80% of their minutes from last year’s team returning, and some transfer reinforcements added this summer, the Musketeers have to make the NCAA Tournament this year, or else Steele will feel his seat getting scorching hot. Xavier hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament in three years, a stretch that this program has not endured since 1980-82.

Xavier got off to a great start last year, going 7-0 before conference play began. But then disaster hit in the form of COVID-19, leading to a five-week stretch from mid-January to mid-February where Xavier only played in one game, and had just a handful of practices. That derailed what looked to be a promising season, as Xavier went 6-7 in the Big East.

But again, no excuses this year. You have Paul Scruggs returning, which is huge for a team that otherwise doesn’t have a clear lead guard to orchestrate things. Scruggs elevated his game last year, upping his assist rate from 17.6% to 32%, all while averaging 14 points and 4 rebounds per game.

He’ll need to carry this team early on, as it was recently announced that his fellow star, junior forward Zach Freemantle, will miss approximately six weeks due to a foot injury that required surgery on October 18.

The Musketeers have depth in the frontcourt to cover for Freemantle during non-conference play, but they will need him at full strength once Big East play begins. Look for burly Hampton transfer PF Ben Stanley, who missed last season with an ACL injury, to be called upon to fill in for Freemantle at the 4.

There’s a lot of buzz behind sophomore wing Colby Jones this season to have a breakout year. Jones averaged 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game last year, showing a well-rounded game that could likely earn him a starting spot this season.

Xavier’s bench will be loaded, with Indiana transfer Jerome Hunter, sharp-shooting Adam Kunkel, and the athletic KyKy Tandy expected to pack a punch as part of Xavier’s second unit.

The Musketeer’s depth will win them a lot of games this season, but to contend for a Big East title, they’ll need Scruggs to be a star again, Freemantle to return from injury in a timely fashion, and the new faces on Xavier to mesh with each other quickly.

4. Seton Hall

KenPom Ranking: #50

Key Departures: Sandro Mamukelashvili

Key Returnees: Jared Rhoden, Myles Cale, Bryce Aiken, Ike Obiagu, Tyrese Samuel

Key Arrivals: Kadary Richmond, Jamir Harris, Alexis Yetna, Ryan Conway, Brandon Weston

Projected Starters: PG Kadary Richmond, SG Myles Cale, SF Jared Rhoden, PF Alexis Yetna, C Ike Obiagu

Like Travis Steele, Kevin Willard finds his seat getting juuuuust a tad bit warm as this season approaches, and just like Steele, Willard was very active on the transfer market, bringing in American University guard Jamir Harris, USF forward Alexis Yetna, and Syracuse guard Kadary Richmond to bolster his squad in a make-or-break year for Willard and the Pirates. Losing 5 of your last 6 games will lead to some drastic changes, like the ones Willard made this offseason.

The biggest question for Seton Hall will be replacing Sandro Mamukelashvili, who was a massively important player for the team. With him off the floor, things got ugly for the Pirates last year. Can Alexis Yetna make up for that production? Consider me skeptical.

Kadary Richmond was a steal for Seton Hall, however, and should help the Pirates greatly on defense, where he was 13th nationally in steal rate last season. Reports out of Seton Hall this preseason indicate Richmond will have more ball-handling responsibility this year than he did at Syracuse, and it’ll be interesting to see how he does in that role. He’s not a great shooter, but he should be a capable facilitator for Seton Hall. If he adds an outside shot, look out.

Jared Rhoden and Myles Cale are the two very good returning wings who will be expected to lead this year’s team, and Ike Obiagu returns to anchor the Pirates in the paint for one more year. The Pirates should have the defense to contend, but will need to figure things out behind Rhoden and Cale on offense to take the next step.

The health of Bryce Aiken will be a storyline for Seton Hall once again this season, but the addition of sharp-shooting Jamir Harris (20.5 PPG, career 40% three-point shooter) should provide protection for the Pirates in case Aiken goes down again.

5. St. John’s

KenPom Ranking: #51

Key Departures: Rasheem Dunn, Isiah Moore, Marcellus Earlington, Josh Roberts, Vince Cole

Key Returnees: Julian Champagnie, Posh Alexander, Dylan Addae-Wusu

Key Arrivals: Montez Mathis, Joel Soriano, Aaron Wheeler, Tareq Coburn, Stef Smith, Rafael Pinzon, Drissa Traore

Projected Starters: PG Posh Alexander, SG,Montez Mathis, SF Tareq Coburn, PF Julian Champagnie, C Joel Soriano

Johnnies fans breathed a big sigh of relief when Julian Champagnie elected to return for his junior season, despite his twin brother Justin declaring for the NBA Draft. Champagnie will team up with sophomore point guard Posh Alexander to help carry a St. John’s team that lost five of its top seven scorers to the transfer portal in the offseason. How St. John’s overcomes that much turnover in one offseason will dictate how successful they are this season.

To make up for the transfers, Mike Anderson brought in even more transfers, including Montez Mathis (Rutgers), Tareq Coburn (Hofstra), Stef Smith (Vermont), Joel Soriano (Fordham), and Aaron Wheeler (Purdue).

Smith (39% three-point shooter) and Coburn (40% three-point shooter) will help spread the floor for a Red Storm team that is otherwise pretty light on perimeter shooting, while Soriano will provide an interior presence that St. John’s lacked last year. Soriano was 16th in the nation last year in offensive rebounding rate, and 29th in defensive rebounding rate, and will also provide a shot-blocker in the middle for the Johnnies, who were 322nd nationally in shots at the rim allowed, at 42.5%.

Mike Anderson will have the kind of team that will allow him to press on defense, get out in the open court on offense, and more importantly get downhill to the basket. The lack of perimeter threats is concerning, and St. John’s will have to hope its transfer additions work out, but this team should be poised for a solid Big East season, on the shoulders of Champagnie and Alexander.

6. Providence

KenPom Ranking: #85

Key Departures: David Duke, Jimmy Nichols, Greg Gantt

Key Returnees: Nate Watson, AJ Reeves, Jared Bynum, Noah Horchler, Alyn Breed, Ed Croswell, Brycen Goodine

Key Arrivals: Al Durham, Justin Minaya, Rafael Castro, Legend Geeter

Projected Starters: PG Jared Bynum, SG Al Durham, SF AJ Reeves, PF Noah Horchler, C Nate Watson

How will the Friars make up for David Duke’s departure? Feed Nate Watson more, apparently. The best big man in the Big East decided to come back for one more year with Providence, which is a good thing for Ed Cooley, because without both Watson and Duke, the Friars would likely be one of the worst teams in the Big East.

What limits Providence is that it doesn’t have a productive scoring guard to replace Duke this year. Jared Bynum showed some flashes last year in his first year with the team, but is not a real difference maker as a lead guard.

Al Durham, an Indiana transfer, and Justin Minaya, a South Carolina transfer, were brought in to provide some needed depth, but also aren’t going to do a lot to elevate this team’s ceiling. Durham will be asked to provide scoring for Providence, as he averaged 11.3 points per game as a Hoosier, while Minaya will be called upon for his defense and rebounding.

It figures to be another middling season for Providence. When your best player is your center, and he can’t shoot three’s or make plays for others, that severely limits your ceiling. Watson will wish he had gone pro by the end of the season.

7. Georgetown

KenPom Ranking: #76

Key Departures: Jamorko Pickett, Jahvon Blair, Qudus Wahab, Chudier Bile

Key Returnees: Dante Harris, Don Carey, Tim Ighoefe, Collin Holloway, Kobe Clark

Key Arrivals: Aminu Mohammed, Ryan Mutombo, Jordan Riley, Jalin Billingsley, Tyler Beard, Kaiden Rice

Projected Starters: PG Dante Harris, SG Don Carey, SF Aminu Mohammed, PF Kaiden Rice, C Tim Ighoefe

More to come here.

8. Creighton

KenPom Ranking: #53

Key Departures: Marcus Zegarowski, Mitch Ballock, Denzel Mahoney, Christian Mahoney, Damien Jefferson

Key Returnees: Ryan Kalkbrenner, Alex O’Connell, Shereef Mitchell

Key Arrivals: Arthur Kaluma, Ryan Nembhard, Rati Andronikashvili, Ryan Hawkins, Trey Alexander, Mason Miller, John Christofilis

Projected Starters: PG Shereef Mitchell, SG, Rati Andronikashvili, SF Alex O’Connell, PF Ryan Hawkins, C Ryan Kalkbrenner

Creighton suffered perhaps the biggest talent drain over the summer, losing 79% of their scoring production and 63% of their rebounds. Usually, that would sink most teams in a season, and while Creighton will most likely be very bad, they will also probably be one of the more fun teams in the Big East, thanks to an elite recruiting class featuring four top-75 prospects, headlined by versatile 6’7” freshman forward Arthur Kaluma.

This will be a rebuilding year for Creighton, no doubt, but depending on how quickly the freshmen adjust, they could surprise some people late in the season. For that to happen, sophomore center Ryan Kalkbrenner will need to step up on both ends of the floor, while D2 transfer Ryan Hawkins will need to be the same type of scorer as he was at Northwest Missouri State. Those are two big if’s.

9. Butler

KenPom Ranking: #55

Key Departures: Basically no one? (Technically JaKobe Coles)

Key Returnees: Chuck Harris, Aaron Thompson, Bryce Nze, Bo Hodges, Jair Bolden, Bryce Golden, Myles Tate

Key Arrivals: Ty Groce, Pierce Thomas, DJ Hughes

Projected Starters: PG Chuck Harris, SG Aaron Thompson, SF Jair Bolden, PF Bryce Golden, C Bryce Nze

Butler finished last in the Big East this season, and decided to just run things back this year with only one key addition in the offseason, in Eastern Michigan transfer Ty Groce.

OK? I guess?

So the question is, how much does an extra year help your team? There is only one team in the nation that returns more minutes from last year’s team than Butler, which is UCLA, but is that really a good thing for Butler?

The Bulldogs get back Aaron Thompson, who missed 11 games last year with knee and shoulder injuries, and his return will surely boost the Bulldogs if he can stay on the court. Bo Hodges was expected to be a key player on last year’s team, but had injury troubles and only played a handful games. He’s already injured again this year, as he will miss the start of the season with a tibial plateau fracture, which seems pretty bad!

Last time I checked, Butler still stinks in transition (325th in frequency of transition attempts), is not good offensively (164th in offensive efficiency), and has a terrible shooting defense (295th in eFG% allowed, 293rd on 2-point % allowed). What do people see in this team? Does Ty Groce, who is only a 26.4% career three-point shooter, really elevate this team when coupled with the return of Aaron Thompson? I doubt it. This team stinks. Still.

10. Marquette

KenPom Ranking: #87

Key Departures: Dawson Garcia, DJ Carton, Theo John, Koby McEwen, Jamal Cain

Key Returnees: Justin Lewis, Greg Elliott

Key Arrivals: Darryl Morsell, Stevie Mitchell, Tyler Kolek, Kur Kuath, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Kameron Jones, David Joplin

Projected Starters: PG Stevie Mitchell, SG Greg Elliott, SF Darryl Morsell, PF Justin Lewis, C Kur Kuath

The Shaka Smart Era begins in Milwaukee after Wojo couldn’t get the job done with the Golden Eagles. Maryland transfer Darryl Morsell should help Shaka rebuild a Marquette defense that had many a flaw under Wojo, and Shaka will also have Kur Kuath, an Oklahoma transfer, in the paint to serve as a deterrent at the rim. Kuath led the Big 12 in block rate last year, and was 28th nationally.

The development of sophomore forward Justin Lewis will be an interesting storyline for Marquette this year. Lewis showed a lot of promise early on last year, but still has a lot of developing to do in terms of his offensive game. Whether he can become more of a focal point for Marquette this year, especially with Dawson Garcia leaving for UNC, will be interesting to see.

Marquette’s lack of playmakers in the backcourt will be an issue for an offensive system under Shaka that emphasizes spreading the floor and running lots of pick-and-roll. Freshman point guard Stevie Mitchell may start from day one, but is more of a passer at this stage, and won’t be the dynamic scoring guard that Shaka needs in his offense. Tyler Kolek, a sophomore transfer from George Mason, should get plenty of shots in this offense, and will be relied on to shoulder some of the scoring load this season. Whether the A-10 Freshman of the Year can produce the same (10.8 PPG) in jumping from the A-10 to the Big East will be the question.

Shaka Smart left Texas for Marquette in the nick of time, as he wasn’t long for that job in Austin. His failure to succeed despite bringing in loads of talent was reminiscent of the fatal flaw that Wojo encountered too, doing too little with top talent. Shaka Smart had 18 top-100 recruits in his 6 seasons at Texas, including four five-star recruits, and still nearly got fired. Can he bring in the same level of talent to Marquette, and get better results in the Big East? He better hope so!

11. DePaul

KenPom Ranking: #140

Key Departures: Romeo Weems, Charlie Moore, Pauly Paulicap, Kobe Elvis, Ray Salnave, Darious Hall

Key Returnees: Javon Freeman-Liberty, Nick Ongenda, David Jones

Key Arrivals: Jalen Terry, Brandon Johnson, Tyon Grant-Foster, Ahamad Bynum, Philmon Gebrewhit, Yor Anei, Javan Johnson

Projected Starters: PG Ahamad Bynum, SG Jalen Terry, SF Javon Freeman-Liberty, PF Brandon Johnson, C Nick Ongenda

***CW: Sexual Assault Allegations Discussed Below***

DePaul is going to be terrible and really doesn’t deserve much of a preview. I would like to focus on new head coach Tony Stubblefield, and what a scumbag he is, instead. DePaul just has a knack for hiring really unlikeable human beings as their head coach, I guess.

Brian Bowen Sr., the father of former top recruit Brian Bowen Jr., testified in federal court back in October 2018 that he did not remember receiving $3,000 cash from Oregon assistant coach Tony Stubblefield during an unofficial visit to Eugene, in May 2017. This came after Bowen originally told federal investigators that Stubblefield had given him $3,000, but he refused to testify to that once put on trial. Sure seems like Stubblefield did actually give him the money, and Bowen Sr. clammed up when he was put on the stand!

Then there was this report, of a far more sinister nature, from CourthouseNews.com, about an Oregon female student who sued the school in January, claiming it and head men’s basketball coach Dana Altman let three basketball players go unpunished after raping her, settling her claims for $800,000.

The victim claimed the school recruited Brandon Austin, the “clear instigator” of her assault, and ignored knowledge of his previous suspension at Providence for allegations of a gang rape back in November 2013.

The victim also claimed that Altman and his assistant, Tony Stubblefield, knew about Austin’s suspension for sexual assault at Providence, but recruited him anyway to Oregon.

When asked about the Brandon Austin allegations at the Final Four in 2017, Stubblefield said, “It was a very stressful situation because I was very involved in recruiting those kids. For me, it was very personal. This was more than basketball. This was way bigger than basketball.”

Stubblefield went on to say the following about the three Oregon basketball players, including Austin, that were involved in the sexual assault allegations: “Those kids are like sons to me. It was a very hard and dark time for me to go through that with them young men.”

So yeah, won’t be hard to root against Tony Stubblefield and DePaul.