The Top 50 Big East Players... IMO

[TAMU Eagle]

Trying to beat the Paint Touches guys to the punch.. My own personal top 50. The Frosh and the transfers are always tough to predict but I gave it a shot...

1. Marcus Z - Creighton
2. Gillespie - Nova
3. Mamu - SHU
4. Duke - PC
5. Robinson Earl - Nova
6. Scruggs - X
7. Bouknight - UConn
8. Ballock - Creighton
9. B. Nze - Butler
10. Carton - Marq.
11. Justin Moore - Nova
12. Mahoney - Creighton
13. Charlie Moore - DePaul
14. Watson - PC
15. Champagnie - SJU
16. Aiken - SHU
17. Freemantle - X
18. McEwan - Marq.
19. Rhodes - SHU
20. Thompson - Butler
21. Weems - DePaul
22. Pickett - G'town
23. Samuels - Nova
24. KyKy T. - X
25. Dunn - SJU
26. Polly - UConn
27. Blair - G'town
28. Cole - UConn
29. Daniels - Nova
30. Reeves - PC
31. Cale - SHU
32. Golden - Butler
33. Martin - UConn
34. Jefferson - Creighton
35. Earlington - SJU
36. Molson - SHU
37. Bishop - Creighton
38. Butz - DePaul
39. Cain - Marq.
40. Bynum - PC
41. Garcia - Marq.
42. Carter - X
43. Whalley - UConn
44. Wahab - G'town
45. John - Marq.
46. Antoine - Nova
47. Bolden - Butler
48. Epperson - Creighton
49. Jackson - UConn
50. Samuel - SHU

Let the disagreements fly...

Not bad Gumby. Glad to know that there's at least one person who looks for our rankings each year. We just posted the first installment. Our rankings wildly differ on some specific players but I think big picture they are pretty in sync. Our criteria is a little different though, we pick the top 5 players from each team and rank them rather than doing a true top 50 (or top 55 now).

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

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Ranking the top 100 (and one) best college basketball players for the 2017-18 season - Matt Norlander , Gary Parrish , Reid Forgrave, and Kyle Boone, CBS Sports - November 2, 2017

Ranking the Top 100 And 1 best players in college basketball entering the 2018-19 season - Matt Norlander, Chip Patterson, Gary Parrish, and Kyle Boone, CBS Sports - October 17, 2018

Ranking the Top 100 And 1 best players in college basketball entering the 2019-20 season - Kyle Boone, Matt Norlander, and Gary Parrish, CBS Sports - October 24, 2019

2. Myles Powell, Seton Hall
3. Markus Howard, Marquette:
32. Kamar Baldwin, Butler
39. Alpha Diallo, Providence
40. Naji Marshall, Xavier
44. Obi Toppin, Dayton
50. Mustapha Heron, St. John's
51. Ty-shon Alexander, Creighton
65. James Akinjo, Georgetown
74. Omer Yurtseven, Georgetown
91. Paul Scruggs, Xavier
93. Saddiq Bey, Villanova
97. Collin Gillespie, Villanova

Villanova’s Saddiq Bey selected 19th in the first round of the NBA Draft – Philadelphia Enquirer - November 18, 2020

2020 NBA Draft grades: Pick-by-pick results tracker and analysis for completed Rounds 1 and 2 - Gary Parrish and Kyle Boone, CBS Sports - November 19, 2020

19. Detroit Pistons (via PHI): SF Saddiq Bey, Villanova

Bey has been the best available on my board for a while, so if you can get him way down here, you have to feel good about it. Bey is one of the most NBA-ready players in this draft and could step in and be a good player right away. I like this pick more than the other two Pistons picks. Grade: A+

58. Philadelphia 76ers (via LAL): PF Paul Reed, DePaul

Daryl Morey does it again, selecting an analytics darling who somehow slipped to No. 58. Reed averaged a double-double last season but profiles as an all-around defensive weapon with great size and untapped scoring potential. Grade: A-

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Ranking the Top 100 And 1 best players in college basketball entering the 2020-21 season - Kyle Boone, Matt Norlander, Gary Parrish, and David Cobb, CBS Sports - November 11, 2020

4. Marcus Zegarowski, Creighton - Our preseason pick for Big East Player of the Year is an elite 3-point shooter. But he's also an excellent distributor with a knack for creating shots inside the arc. Zegarowski took huge strides as a sophomore along with the Creighton program. Now both are poised for a season in the spotlight as he will be the star of a Bluejays with lofty aspirations. – DC

7. Collin Gillespie, Villanova - The top returning scorer for a potential preseason top-10 Villanova team, Gillespie is just the latest star upperclassmen set to shine as a senior for Jay Wright's Wildcats. He averaged a career-best 15.1 points per game last season as a junior and should see his role expanded in 2020-21 with Saddiq Bey declaring early for the NBA Draft. – KB

21. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Villanova - Robinson-Earl is the second Villanova player to appear on this list, making the Wildcats one of four teams to have two players in the top 25. The 6-9 sophomore averaged 10.5 points and 9.4 rebounds last season for a Villanova team that shared the Big East title. If Robinson-Earl takes the so-called next step, Jay Wright could become just the seventh coach in history to win three national titles at the Division I level in men's basketball. -- GP

32. James Bouknight, UConn - Bouknight lived up to his top-100 prospect billing as a freshman last season while transitioning into a starting role and averaging 15.8 points per game once inserted into the starting lineup. He'll be up against stiffer competition in the Big East this season but has all the makings of a star. – DC

66. Mitch Ballock, Creighton - The Bluejays will need Ballock's 3-point shooting to remain excellent. The senior averaged 11.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.1 apg, but it was his 43.6% 3-point accuracy that helped the Jays clock in a 118.2 offensive rating at KenPom last season, No. 3 in the sport behind Gonzaga and Dayton. – MN

70. Denzel Mahoney, Creighton - The closest margins between any teammates on this year's list is with Mahoney (12.ppg, 3.1 rpg) and Ballock just four spots above. Bluejays coach Greg McDermott tells me there's basically no wiggle room between the two for CU's second-best player honor. -- MN

72. Justin Moore, Villanova - The Big East all-freshman honoree is poised for a full-time starting role in the Wildcats' backcourt after shooting 39.6% from 3-point range last season. – DC

86. Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall - No Myles Powell and no Romaro Gill means the big Pirate (11.9 ppg, 6.0 rpg) will step into a starring role for Kevin Willard's team that is hoping to maintain top-three status in the Big East. Say it with us: Mah-moo-kay-lahsh-vee-lee. – MN

97. DJ Carton, Marquette - Carton averaged 10.4 points in 20 games last season before leaving Ohio State's program and transferring to Marquette. -- GP

100. R.J. Cole, UConn - The Huskies have a star on its hands in James Bouknight, but don't you dare overlook the underrated transfer addition of Cole. A Howard transfer, he averaged 22.5 points per game in two seasons for the Bison before moving on. He has an opportunity to step into a co-starring role next to Bouknight with senior Christian Vital exhausting his eligibility. -- KB

Jeff Goodman’s 2020-21 College Basketball Preseason Awards - Jeff Goodman – October 28, 2020

PRESEASON FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICANS

PG – Marcus Zegarowski, 6-2, 180, Jr., Creighton - He came into college without a big rep, but has proven himself as arguably the best overall point guard in the country. He’s a high-IQ floor leader who averaged 5.0 assists and shot 42 percent from deep. He was also the primary reason why the Bluejays were a top-10 team for much of last season. 2019-20 Stats: 16.1 ppg, 5.0 apg, 42% 3-pointers

PRESEASON SECOND-TEAM ALL-AMERICANS

SG – James Bouknight, 6-5, 190, Soph., UConn - He came on strong the second half of the season and averaged 15.8 points and 5.1 boards in the last 16 games. Bouknight is a big-time scorer who will be the go-to guy for a Huskies team that re-enters the Big East. 2019-20 Stats: 13.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg

PRESEASON THIRD-TEAM ALL-AMERICANS

C – Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, 6-9, 230, Soph., Villanova - Was the Big East Freshman of the Year and nearly averaged a double-double. He’s a skilled forward who probably won’t put up eye-popping scoring numbers due to the abundance of talent in the program. 2019-20 Stats: 10.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg

Trying to beat the Paint Touches guys to the punch.. My own personal top 50. The Frosh and the transfers are always tough to predict but I gave it a shot...

1. Marcus Z - Creighton
2. Gillespie - Nova
3. Mamu - SHU
4. Duke - PC
5. Robinson Earl - Nova
6. Scruggs - X
7. Bouknight - UConn
8. Ballock - Creighton
9. B. Nze - Butler
10. Carton - Marq.
11. Justin Moore - Nova
12. Mahoney - Creighton
13. Charlie Moore - DePaul
14. Watson - PC
15. Champagnie - SJU
16. Aiken - SHU
17. Freemantle - X
18. McEwan - Marq.
19. Rhodes - SHU
20. Thompson - Butler
21. Weems - DePaul
22. Pickett - G'town
23. Samuels - Nova
24. KyKy T. - X
25. Dunn - SJU
26. Polly - UConn
27. Blair - G'town
28. Cole - UConn
29. Daniels - Nova
30. Reeves - PC
31. Cale - SHU
32. Golden - Butler
33. Martin - UConn
34. Jefferson - Creighton
35. Earlington - SJU
36. Molson - SHU
37. Bishop - Creighton
38. Butz - DePaul
39. Cain - Marq.
40. Bynum - PC
41. Garcia - Marq.
42. Carter - X
43. Whalley - UConn
44. Wahab - G'town
45. John - Marq.
46. Antoine - Nova
47. Bolden - Butler
48. Epperson - Creighton
49. Jackson - UConn
50. Samuel - SHU

Let the disagreements fly...

Well done GumbyDamnit! There is no evidence to suggest that the CBS Sports predictions are any better than your own.
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