The Holy Land of Hoops

Due to the results of the last poll which had PC and Marquette in a close vote with an overwhelming perentage of the total votes, I think we can safely jump ahead to 4th place.

10- DePaul
9- St. John's
8- Seton Hall
7- Creighton
6- Providence
5- Marquette

Voted Butler here. I could easily be wrong, and Butler is no stranger of surprising. But Kameron Woods was one of the most impressive players I saw all of last year and Alex Barlow was the head of that team. That being said, X lost just as important pieces, so I could see them as well.

Also, and this is sort of an aside. But I remember being at the Midnight game between X and GTown and thinking I have never seen an opponent with such athleticism. But they never seemed to have the kind of fight and fire that schools like Butler and X have. So hopefully JT3 can light a fire under this years team so they get the most of their potential.

I have Butler here. Lewis is going to be great with Dunham and Jones, but I want to wait and see how they replace Kam Woods. I think he was way more important than he was given credit for (as was Barlow, too for that matter on the defensive end).

10: St. John's
9: Seton Hall
8: DePaul
7: Providence
6: Marquette
5: Creighton
4: Butler

I have Xavier here. Both Butler and Xavier lost their starting centers and PGs, but Butler was better than Xavier last year over the course of the season, so I think Butler stays ahead. Butler also has a definitive replacement at PG while Xavier's PG situation is still up in the air. I think losing Stainbrook is huge.

I have my blue colored glasses on, so I have Butler here. In fact, I expect Xavier to finish in second place this year and be a deeper and more competitive team than last season even without Stainbrook and Davis. I think they will be better on the perimeter with Sumner starting at PG by the time league play begins. The loss of Stainbrook does mean that they will not be as good in the post as they were last season, but I expect them to better overall across the front because of the FR to SO improvement from Bluiett, O'Mara, and Macura plus the addition of London (who redshirted but practiced with them last season) and Gates.

X-man wrote:I have my blue colored glasses on, so I have Butler here. In fact, I expect Xavier to finish in second place this year and be a deeper and more competitive team than last season even without Stainbrook and Davis. I think they will be better on the perimeter with Sumner starting at PG by the time league play begins. The loss of Stainbrook does mean that they will not be as good in the post as they were last season, but I expect them to better overall across the front because of the FR to SO improvement from Bluiett, O'Mara, and Macura plus the addition of London (who redshirted but practiced with them last season) and Gates.

this is why I wanted to do this higher to lower. Because going bottom to top, Xavier for instance may get 4th. But top to bottom, Xavier may get 2nd.

It's all irrelevant (because who cares really when you are already a NCAA team), but Butler is returning it's top 3 scorers and have the best 1-2-3 group in the league. That generally puts you in a spot for #1 in whatever league you're talking about. They'll be picked 2nd and will enter the year ranked (as will VU) -- but something to be mindful of.

hoyahooligan wrote:I have Xavier here. Both Butler and Xavier lost their starting centers and PGs, but Butler was better than Xavier last year over the course of the season, so I think Butler stays ahead. Butler also has a definitive replacement at PG while Xavier's PG situation is still up in the air. I think losing Stainbrook is huge.

It's huge for the team's defense too. Stainbrook was a great player offensively, but a major liability defensively. The defense (which was the real issue last year) will be so much better this year. Trevon Bluiett making the freshman-to-sophomore jump is also a big deal, while Edmond Sumner could very likely be one of the best players on the floor.

Edrick wrote:It's all irrelevant (because who cares really when you are already a NCAA team), but Butler is returning it's top 3 scorers and have the best 1-2-3 group in the league. That generally puts you in a spot for #1 in whatever league you're talking about. They'll be picked 2nd and will enter the year ranked (as will VU) -- but something to be mindful of.

Not sure anyone would agree butler has the best 1-2-3 group in the league whether you mean that as those positions or just top 3 players, I think everyone would still pick Nova.

XUFan09 wrote:

hoyahooligan wrote:I have Xavier here. Both Butler and Xavier lost their starting centers and PGs, but Butler was better than Xavier last year over the course of the season, so I think Butler stays ahead. Butler also has a definitive replacement at PG while Xavier's PG situation is still up in the air. I think losing Stainbrook is huge.

It's huge for the team's defense too. Stainbrook was a great player offensively, but a major liability defensively. The defense (which was the real issue last year) will be so much better this year. Trevon Bluiett making the freshman-to-sophomore jump is also a big deal, while Edmond Sumner could very likely be one of the best players on the floor.

X returns 71% of the scoring. Mack has said Myles Davis could play PG if needed but I honestly think Sumner will step into it quickly and be a major force. He's 6"6" and Mack sez as quick as Semaj and a better shooter. Stainbrook was the first option because we needed him to be. Lots of talent and lots of scoring options this year. This team will play FASTin attack mode and above the rim. Mack will have difficulty keeping everyone happy with minutes.