X game

[MUwarrior1090]

Reynolds seems to really enjoy it as Xavier, but he should be graduating this spring and is already like 23 years old. Despite a so-so season relative to expectations, I can see him sticking in the NBA as an energy big off the bench and do not see an additional year really aiding his development.

Even if Reynolds also leaves, they should be pretty good next year. I really like Sean O'Mara (at least compared what most likely think of him), they have a good big sitting out in RaShid Gaston, stretch four-man Kaiser Gates, former top 100 player Makinde London (caught in a numbers game so far), plus a very good group of guards and wings with Sumner, Davis, Macura, Blueitt, and incoming top 100 guard Quentin Goodin.

Regarding Reynolds, he said in his post game interview "We'll be back even better next year". I know to take what these kids say after games with a grain of salt but he certainly sounded like someone who was coming back.

[mufan2003]

Reynolds seems to really enjoy it as Xavier, but he should be graduating this spring and is already like 23 years old. Despite a so-so season relative to expectations, I can see him sticking in the NBA as an energy big off the bench and do not see an additional year really aiding his development.

Even if Reynolds also leaves, they should be pretty good next year. I really like Sean O'Mara (at least compared what most likely think of him), they have a good big sitting out in RaShid Gaston, stretch four-man Kaiser Gates, former top 100 player Makinde London (caught in a numbers game so far), plus a very good group of guards and wings with Sumner, Davis, Macura, Blueitt, and incoming top 100 guard Quentin Goodin.

PG Quentin Goodin and PF Tyrique Jones are both 4-star Top 100 players by ESPN. Eddie Ekiyor enrolled at the semester, redshirted, and has 4 years of eligibility starting next year. Here is a good summary with video of their 2016 class.

http://www.bannersontheparkway.com/x...t-verbal-visit

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/spor...vier/28804115/

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

Looking around the league...
.

• Villanova should be okay. Archie and Ochefu are big losses, but Brunson should be ready to take over the point after a successful sixth man campaign and Darryl Reynolds and Omari Spellman give them good enough play up front to still contend. They could take a step back, but it won't be a big step.
• Xavier will be even better. They lose Farr, but as long as the rest come back, they'll be a top-10 team all season long and legitimate national title contender.
• Seton Hall will depend largely on Whitehead. If he's back, they'll be even better, and could make the jump from fringe top-25 team to legit top-10 team that Xavier made this year. If he leaves, they'll still be okay, but probably middle-of-the-pack.
• Providence will drop off almost regardless. I really think both Dunn and Bentil will leave. I'm more bullish on Bentil than others, but I think he will be drafted pretty early. Just speaking personally, I think he's the best pro prospect in the Big East. But even losing those two, someone on Cooley's team will be a statistical beast. From Marshon Brooks to Vincent Council to Bryce Cotton to Kris Dunn, Cooley has always had great guard play. They won't be as good, but they'll still be competitive.
• Butler loses Jones and Dunham, but I think they'll be as good or better. Kelan Martin is a star in the making, and Chrabascz, Wideman, and Lewis are enough supporting cast for them to compete.
• Creighton is going to be sneaky good. People will overlook the NIT team, but they have a ton of experience, shooters, length, and talent. They'll be much improved next year.
• Georgetown is a team I have no idea about. They lose DSR and Hayes, but on paper, Campbell, Peak, Derrickson, Copeland, and Govan looks like a really talented starting five. Of course, on paper, Georgetown was the second best team in the league this year. Once games started, not so much, so why would they really be any better?
• DePaul will probably be the same. Sure, Garrett and Hamilton are seniors, but they lose Henry and haven't been able to piece anything together with this core before. I like Eli Cain, but Leitao needs to turn the roster over before they'll really improve much.
• St. John's has to improve on 1-17, right? They do lose 3 seniors (Mvouika, Johnson, Balamou) but with young talents like Yakwe, Sima, Ellison, and Mussini, they'll improve. I think they move ahead of DePaul next year, but can't see them climbing too high, not because the talent isn't there, but because the rest of the league will be good.

.
Man, on paper, it looks like the entire league should be better next year with the exceptions of Providence and DePaul. It seems like a statistical impossibility, but I could see us eventually getting 7-8 teams in the tournament. This league is so good top to bottom. Okay, top to just above DePaul. It will be very tough to consistently be at the top, just because so many teams look so good going forward, and most of the coaches are fairly young and should be here for awhile.

[MU_Iceman]

Looking around the league...
.

• Villanova should be okay. Archie and Ochefu are big losses, but Brunson should be ready to take over the point after a successful sixth man campaign and Darryl Reynolds and Omari Spellman give them good enough play up front to still contend. They could take a step back, but it won't be a big step.
• Xavier will be even better. They lose Farr, but as long as the rest come back, they'll be a top-10 team all season long and legitimate national title contender.
• Seton Hall will depend largely on Whitehead. If he's back, they'll be even better, and could make the jump from fringe top-25 team to legit top-10 team that Xavier made this year. If he leaves, they'll still be okay, but probably middle-of-the-pack.
• Providence will drop off almost regardless. I really think both Dunn and Bentil will leave. I'm more bullish on Bentil than others, but I think he will be drafted pretty early. Just speaking personally, I think he's the best pro prospect in the Big East. But even losing those two, someone on Cooley's team will be a statistical beast. From Marshon Brooks to Vincent Council to Bryce Cotton to Kris Dunn, Cooley has always had great guard play. They won't be as good, but they'll still be competitive.
• Butler loses Jones and Dunham, but I think they'll be as good or better. Kelan Martin is a star in the making, and Chrabascz, Wideman, and Lewis are enough supporting cast for them to compete.
• Creighton is going to be sneaky good. People will overlook the NIT team, but they have a ton of experience, shooters, length, and talent. They'll be much improved next year.
• Georgetown is a team I have no idea about. They lose DSR and Hayes, but on paper, Campbell, Peak, Derrickson, Copeland, and Govan looks like a really talented starting five. Of course, on paper, Georgetown was the second best team in the league this year. Once games started, not so much, so why would they really be any better?
• DePaul will probably be the same. Sure, Garrett and Hamilton are seniors, but they lose Henry and haven't been able to piece anything together with this core before. I like Eli Cain, but Leitao needs to turn the roster over before they'll really improve much.
• St. John's has to improve on 1-17, right? They do lose 3 seniors (Mvouika, Johnson, Balamou) but with young talents like Yakwe, Sima, Ellison, and Mussini, they'll improve. I think they move ahead of DePaul next year, but can't see them climbing too high, not because the talent isn't there, but because the rest of the league will be good.

.
Man, on paper, it looks like the entire league should be better next year with the exceptions of Providence and DePaul. It seems like a statistical impossibility, but I could see us eventually getting 7-8 teams in the tournament. This league is so good top to bottom. Okay, top to just above DePaul. It will be very tough to consistently be at the top, just because so many teams look so good going forward, and most of the coaches are fairly young and should be here for awhile.

It shouldn't be that tough...MU did it in a much stronger old Big East...just sayin'

[Cooby Snacks]

It shouldn't be that tough...MU did it in a much stronger old Big East...just sayin'

MU finished 4th or higher 3 out of 8 seasons before the conference split.

[Markedman]

Brooks never played for Cooley.....good write up.....thanks

Looking around the league...
.

• Villanova should be okay. Archie and Ochefu are big losses, but Brunson should be ready to take over the point after a successful sixth man campaign and Darryl Reynolds and Omari Spellman give them good enough play up front to still contend. They could take a step back, but it won't be a big step.
• Xavier will be even better. They lose Farr, but as long as the rest come back, they'll be a top-10 team all season long and legitimate national title contender.
• Seton Hall will depend largely on Whitehead. If he's back, they'll be even better, and could make the jump from fringe top-25 team to legit top-10 team that Xavier made this year. If he leaves, they'll still be okay, but probably middle-of-the-pack.
• Providence will drop off almost regardless. I really think both Dunn and Bentil will leave. I'm more bullish on Bentil than others, but I think he will be drafted pretty early. Just speaking personally, I think he's the best pro prospect in the Big East. But even losing those two, someone on Cooley's team will be a statistical beast. From Marshon Brooks to Vincent Council to Bryce Cotton to Kris Dunn, Cooley has always had great guard play. They won't be as good, but they'll still be competitive.
• Butler loses Jones and Dunham, but I think they'll be as good or better. Kelan Martin is a star in the making, and Chrabascz, Wideman, and Lewis are enough supporting cast for them to compete.
• Creighton is going to be sneaky good. People will overlook the NIT team, but they have a ton of experience, shooters, length, and talent. They'll be much improved next year.
• Georgetown is a team I have no idea about. They lose DSR and Hayes, but on paper, Campbell, Peak, Derrickson, Copeland, and Govan looks like a really talented starting five. Of course, on paper, Georgetown was the second best team in the league this year. Once games started, not so much, so why would they really be any better?
• DePaul will probably be the same. Sure, Garrett and Hamilton are seniors, but they lose Henry and haven't been able to piece anything together with this core before. I like Eli Cain, but Leitao needs to turn the roster over before they'll really improve much.
• St. John's has to improve on 1-17, right? They do lose 3 seniors (Mvouika, Johnson, Balamou) but with young talents like Yakwe, Sima, Ellison, and Mussini, they'll improve. I think they move ahead of DePaul next year, but can't see them climbing too high, not because the talent isn't there, but because the rest of the league will be good.

.
Man, on paper, it looks like the entire league should be better next year with the exceptions of Providence and DePaul. It seems like a statistical impossibility, but I could see us eventually getting 7-8 teams in the tournament. This league is so good top to bottom. Okay, top to just above DePaul. It will be very tough to consistently be at the top, just because so many teams look so good going forward, and most of the coaches are fairly young and should be here for awhile.

[mufan2003]

Schools like Xavier, Butler and Creighton always were successful due to their culture, fan support and commitment to basketball. I keep reading how their affiliation now with the Big East is allowing them to get players they could not get before. For example, Butler getting 2016 4-star C Joey Brunk. I believe he is a Top 60 player. He wanted to play close to home. Before joining the Big East, that would have probably meant Purdue, Indiana or Notre Dame. Also a credit to how good Brad Stevens was as a coach to reach consecutive NCAA championship games.

[unclejohn]

Schools like Xavier, Butler and Creighton always were successful due to their culture, fan support and commitment to basketball. I keep reading how their affiliation now with the Big East is allowing them to get players they could not get before. For example, Butler getting 2016 4-star C Joey Brunk. I believe he is a Top 60 player. He wanted to play close to home. Before joining the Big East, that would have probably meant Purdue, Indiana or Notre Dame. Also a credit to how good Brad Stevens was as a coach to reach consecutive NCAA championship games.

True. All of them have been consistently pretty good for years under different coaches. Creighton had the same coach for a long time, but since he left, they have held together just fine. Butler and Xavier have both gone through a string of coaches, with Xavier stealing Thad Matta from Butler before Ohio State stole him from them. You have to be impressed with how far Butler came in a short time, going from the strongest team in the Horizon League to the Big East in a few years. Those Final Four appearances were a tribute to good coaching. They were also a tribute to good luck. In neither year were they seeded high enough to be one of the favorites coming in, and things broke their way. But it is hard to argue with two championship appearances in a row.

I do think that being in the Big East has to help recruiting for all these teams. They are going to play better teams before more people and be on TV more often. A few years ago, the Horizon League was celebrating the fact that its games were available online, and that they had a weekly (Friday Night? game on ESPN. Now most of their games are going to be televised.) The thing to keep in mind about a conference like this is that someone has to be on the bottom every year. Typically, teams are going to cycle through, although DePaul seems parked there right now. But as a result, our fans are freaking out this year. Last year, Butler and Creighton's fans were not happy. Georgetown is down this year. But somebody has to be. That is why I try to avoid panic.

[IrwinFletcher]

Looking around the league...
.

• Villanova should be okay. Archie and Ochefu are big losses, but Brunson should be ready to take over the point after a successful sixth man campaign and Darryl Reynolds and Omari Spellman give them good enough play up front to still contend. They could take a step back, but it won't be a big step.
• Xavier will be even better. They lose Farr, but as long as the rest come back, they'll be a top-10 team all season long and legitimate national title contender.
• Seton Hall will depend largely on Whitehead. If he's back, they'll be even better, and could make the jump from fringe top-25 team to legit top-10 team that Xavier made this year. If he leaves, they'll still be okay, but probably middle-of-the-pack.
• Providence will drop off almost regardless. I really think both Dunn and Bentil will leave. I'm more bullish on Bentil than others, but I think he will be drafted pretty early. Just speaking personally, I think he's the best pro prospect in the Big East. But even losing those two, someone on Cooley's team will be a statistical beast. From Marshon Brooks to Vincent Council to Bryce Cotton to Kris Dunn, Cooley has always had great guard play. They won't be as good, but they'll still be competitive.
• Butler loses Jones and Dunham, but I think they'll be as good or better. Kelan Martin is a star in the making, and Chrabascz, Wideman, and Lewis are enough supporting cast for them to compete.
• Creighton is going to be sneaky good. People will overlook the NIT team, but they have a ton of experience, shooters, length, and talent. They'll be much improved next year.
• Georgetown is a team I have no idea about. They lose DSR and Hayes, but on paper, Campbell, Peak, Derrickson, Copeland, and Govan looks like a really talented starting five. Of course, on paper, Georgetown was the second best team in the league this year. Once games started, not so much, so why would they really be any better?
• DePaul will probably be the same. Sure, Garrett and Hamilton are seniors, but they lose Henry and haven't been able to piece anything together with this core before. I like Eli Cain, but Leitao needs to turn the roster over before they'll really improve much.
• St. John's has to improve on 1-17, right? They do lose 3 seniors (Mvouika, Johnson, Balamou) but with young talents like Yakwe, Sima, Ellison, and Mussini, they'll improve. I think they move ahead of DePaul next year, but can't see them climbing too high, not because the talent isn't there, but because the rest of the league will be good.

.
Man, on paper, it looks like the entire league should be better next year with the exceptions of Providence and DePaul. It seems like a statistical impossibility, but I could see us eventually getting 7-8 teams in the tournament. This league is so good top to bottom. Okay, top to just above DePaul. It will be very tough to consistently be at the top, just because so many teams look so good going forward, and most of the coaches are fairly young and should be here for awhile.

Villanova will take a step back, but when you take a step back from a 16-2 conference record, you are still in good shape.

I also think that Butler will take a step back. I think Jones and Dunham were the heart and soul of that team and that will be tough to replace.

Say what you will about DePaul, but Leitao is a competent coach and they do have a couple of kids coming in that will help. Could get to 7-8 wins next year.

Watson for Creighton, is he back next year? Can't remember if he was a grad transfer or not.

[Nukem2]

Villanova will take a step back, but when you take a step back from a 16-2 conference record, you are still in good shape.

I also think that Butler will take a step back. I think Jones and Dunham were the heart and soul of that team and that will be tough to replace.

Say what you will about DePaul, but Leitao is a competent coach and they do have a couple of kids coming in that will help. Could get to 7-8 wins next year.

Watson for Creighton, is he back next year? Can't remember if he was a grad transfer or not.

Yep, Butler is going to miss those two. The last guys who played for Brad Stevens.

PS, Watson has 1 more year. He was a "regular" transfer from Boston U.