Which newcomer is most likely to fade?

[BillikensWin]

Creighton fans,

Why is it that you guys are always on the defensive? That's one of the Big East's best teams right now.

[HoosierPal]

I think you can change the name of this thread to Which newcomer faded the earliest. Hands down Dawgs win.

[XUFan09]

And though in a down year, SJ and Xavier are never easy wins without those guys.

Xavier is in a down year? Who knew?

[TBC Alum]

Creighton fans,

Why is it that you guys are always on the defensive? That's one of the Big East's best teams right now.

Don't lump us all in with WB77 (who's responded about 10 times to this thread alone.)

I am loving this team, the league and where things are going for all of us.

[CTYankee10]

I don't think any of the teams will actually "fade" but rather believe that some may have more cyclical success than others. Specifically, Butler is challenged with a smaller enrollment and alumni base, as well as many competing entertainment dollars in the city. However, I am familiar with President Danko (former Villanova School of Business dean) and feel he will ensure that Butler is well-positioned to maximize their brand and reputation, with basketball being at the forefront of that process.

Xavier/Creighton - Natural adds with institutional an "all in" community mindset.

DePaul/St John's - Two of the larger schools from an enrollment standpoint. DePaul probably has more pull in their metro area, and may be better aligned to succeed once the institutional muck has been cleaned up (AD, new arena). Often overlooked for St John's is the fact that Penn Station may be renovated at some point, and if the program is still dormant then they may be forced to downsize their home court.

Georgetown/Nova/Marquette- Will be fine. Don't actually know too much about Milwaukee or Marquette, but have seen their sustained success since '05-'06.

Providence- Lack of institutional success, but can find cyclical success with a local guy (Cooley is like Jay Wright lite IMO, can make them a consistent tournament team)

Seton Hall- Team most likely to fade (continue to be faded). No offense Seton Hall fans/grads, but I have lived in the Tri-State area for about 15 years and have nary seen or met a person associated with Seton Hall other than Bill Raftery. I haven't given up on you yet, but I think of the institution as more regional than others. That's not to say that a quality recruiting class may bred a new standard.

[Omahan]

this thread is dumb. with criticism already coming from people outside the conference who bash the Big East for not being what it used to be, what's the point of criticizing each other? we're all in this together, gang. i'm hoping for success from all of these teams and i'm not sure why we're taking bets on which team is going to fail this experiment first.

[JRoc]

This whole thread is troll bait and reeks of east coast bias. Most of you have zero clue of what has been going on in Omaha because your world ends at the Ohio valley. I really think the new three will have less chance of "fading" than the bottom half of the old guard. With that being said, the entire conference has the potential to lead the nation, the national exposure of Fox1, the basketball first schools have the potential to lure the best players.... Do you want to be the little man on campus that plays for the second most important sport or be the stud on campus for the premiere sport? A rising tide lifts all ships, the energy in these first years of the new big east are crucial, should the conference loose ground it could fall into the mid major trap before you know it.... IMO they, er check that, WE have already been getting some national disrespect. Have you watched any B1G games? It's like watching paint dry once you are outside their top 3, no way it's the best Conf. Xavier looks better than the majority of the B1G. Would have been nice if the old guard schools would have made some noise in their ooc portion of the schedule.

[jays911]

The Jays will be fine next year, as will X. Butler should be improved. Villanova will be a beast, and GT and Marquette will be back on track. After that, I hope for the best. The talent is sure there.

[BEX]

Yeah, and the Bronco's can win with any 'ol quarterback.

[MackNova]

The way it's phrased is baiting, but it is a legitimate question whether the newcomers will be able to handle an upgrade in league, which it is for each of them.

However, with the group of four teams at the bottom of the league (SJU, SHU, PC and DePaul) there's no reason Creighton, Butler and Xavier can be at least as competitive as each of those teams. I have more faith in any of the three newcomers, particularly Xavier, that they can handle this league. I certainly don't think any of these teams will end up as perennial doormats.

I hope SJU/SHU/PC/DePaul can turn it around. There are always occasional flashes by each school. St. John's has some athletes. Providence had some talent entering the season on paper. Seton Hall is getting a nice class next year. DePaul has looked competitive lately and has 2 promising freshmen. But I don't trust any of those four schools to be competitive long-term. It's been over a decade since any of those schools were nationally relevant, except for the occasional blip.

All three of the new schools are committed to basketball. Butler and Creighton may need to recruit more athletes, but hopefully for them, the improved exposure of the league (practically all games on FS1?) can improve their recruiting and help raise the league into becoming a very good conference, not fade away.

I think Villanova, Georgetown and Marquette will be among the best in the league for the next several years. After that, it's wide open, and those three schools are as equipped to take that role as any.