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Fieldhouse Flyer wrote:It’s never too early to start to look ahead to next season. Over the coming weeks, ESPN will examine what comes next for each team in the Power 5 conferences and also those outside the Power 5 who could make noise on the national stage.

OmahaGuy wrote:Are they seriously just going to ignore the Jays, Marquette, DePaul, and Seton Hall??

Hoopfan wrote:

Fieldhouse Flyer wrote:It’s never too early to start to look ahead to next season. Over the coming weeks, ESPN will examine what comes next for each team in the Power 5 conferences and also those outside the Power 5 who could make noise on the national stage.

OmahaGuy wrote:Are they seriously just going to ignore the Jays, Marquette, DePaul, and Seton Hall??

Do you seriously think all those (or any) teams have a chance to make "noise on the national stage"?

Hoopfan wrote:

Fieldhouse Flyer wrote:It’s never too early to start to look ahead to next season. Over the coming weeks, ESPN will examine what comes next for each team in the Power 5 conferences and also those outside the Power 5 who could make noise on the national stage.

OmahaGuy wrote:Are they seriously just going to ignore the Jays, Marquette, DePaul, and Seton Hall??

Do you seriously think all those (or any) teams have a chance to make "noise on the national stage"?

There’s no overwhelming favorite, but Villanova, Georgetown, Xavier, and Butler can all make a reasonable case as the top team in the league.

Nova might have the best backcourt as long as freshman point guard Jalen Brunson, ranked No. 16 in the ESPN 100, and senior guard Ryan Arcidiacono can find a medium to coexist.

The Hoyas may have the best player in the league in guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, who led the team in scoring with 16.3 points per game last season. Smith-Rivera should have more help this season thanks to a top-25 recruiting class led by center Jessie Govan.

The Musketeers returned six of their top eight players from last season, including Trevon Bluiett, the leading returning scorer. They'll also get a boost from the healthy return of guard Edmond Sumner, who sat out after just six games last season with knee problems.

The Bulldogs’ senior trio of Roosevelt Jones, Kellen Dunham and Andrew Chrabascz should help them improve offensively, although Butler may not measure up to the team that ranked seventh nationally in adjusted defense, according to Ken Pomeroy.

Villanova figures to be the class of the league once again, with Georgetown likely pushing the Wildcats in conference play after a tough non-conference slate. Both teams could be among the best 20 teams in the country -- as they are in CBSSports.com's Top 25 (and one) -- but recent tournament shortfalls will be in the minds of many.

The Big East may not hold its top two RPI ranking through the season like it did a year ago, but the makeup of the league's top four teams -- Nova, Georgetown, Xavier and Butler -- have me thinking that the Big East will bounce back with at least two teams playing on the second weekend in March.

1. Is the Big East on par with the other power five conferences?

2. Which freshman is drastically flying under-the-radar?

3. Who will be Xavier's point guard?

4. Does Providence have enough of a supporting cast around Kris Dunn?

5. Who is the sleeper?