Welcome to The Holy Land of Hoops

Now that the draft deadline has past, we have a pretty solid idea of where our teams will be ranked preseason next year. Here's what I've gathered.

CBSSports 25&1:
8. Villanova
18. Butler
24. Xavier
http://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/college-basketball-rankings-kentucky-moves-up-to-no-5-in-the-top-25-and-one/

ESPN:
11. Villanova
17. Xavier
18. Seton Hall
23. Butler
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/19443560/arizona-rises-top-college-basketball-way-too-early-top-25

Fansided:
9. Villanova
15. Seton Hall
17. Xavier
https://fansided.com/2017/05/30/early-top-25-2017-18-college-basketball-post-early-entry-deadline/

Fox Sports:
8. Villanova
9. Xavier
17. Seton Hall
http://www.foxsports.com/college-basketball/gallery/college-basketball-way-too-early-top-25-for-2018-nba-draft-deadline-decisions-052517

NBC Sports:
9. Villanova
16. Seton Hall
17. Xavier
http://collegebasketball.nbcsports.com/2017/05/25/2017-18-college-basketball-preseason-top-25-2/

Sports Illustrated:
5. Villanova
17. Butler
25. Xavier
https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2017/04/05/way-too-early-top-25-power-rankings

Sports on Earth:
3. Villanova
17. Xavier
I know nothing about this website. Came across it in a Google search.
http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/222284064/college-basketball-early-2018-top-25-rankings

USA Today:
10. Villanova
12. Xavier
20. Seton Hall
23. Butler
Brunson mentioned as one of 12 "key returners."
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2017/05/26/college-basketball-early-preseason-top-25-draft-deadline/101038344/

Yahoo Sports:
7. Villanova
23. Xavier
24. Seton Hall
Almost Famous: Butler, Providence
https://sports.yahoo.com/news/post-draft-deadline-look-college-basketballs-2017-18-preseason-top-25-163900058.html

Please post any I'm missing, and I will add them to this post.

Villanova and Xavier seem to be consensus preseason Top 25 teams. Seton Hall and Butler should make it too, but Butler might be on the fringes.

would take out the SI one because that was done on April 5. Same with that Sports on Earth one. So those 2 don't take into account all the NBA draft decisions.

I think these writers are sleeping on the Big East. Also, the Shockers in the top 10 is a joke. I think every team in the league could beat them on a neutral court except for Georgetown and DePaul.

This will be an interesting year for SJ. The talent is now there. The experience is now there. This will be Mullin's 3rd season. Additions of Simon, Clark, and Wilson should bolster us. We will be a top 25 caliber team if potential is even close to realized. Many are talking about Xavier, Seton Hall, Villanova, Butler, and PC as if they will clearly finish ahead but I think we have as much talent as any team in the Big East including Villanova. I actually like that we are being slept on. If we can somehow knock off Duke at the Garden, it will be the signature win we need if we are on the bubble. We are due for a breakout season where everything is clicking on all cylinders. I really hope this is it. Should the program fall short of the NIT as a 1 or 2 seed as an absolute minimum, it will be hard to sell recruits. It's time to overachieve the Butler way. The conference should be loaded again and I fully expect to finally take one from Villanova.

Sporting News

http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basket ... g9m122z6f4

08: Villanova
17: Butler
18: Xavier
25: Seton Hall

MullinMayhem wrote:This will be an interesting year for SJ. The talent is now there. The experience is now there. This will be Mullin's 3rd season. Additions of Simon, Clark, and Wilson should bolster us. We will be a top 25 caliber team if potential is even close to realized. Many are talking about Xavier, Seton Hall, Villanova, Butler, and PC as if they will clearly finish ahead but I think we have as much talent as any team in the Big East including Villanova. I actually like that we are being slept on. If we can somehow knock off Duke at the Garden, it will be the signature win we need if we are on the bubble. We are due for a breakout season where everything is clicking on all cylinders. I really hope this is it. Should the program fall short of the NIT as a 1 or 2 seed as an absolute minimum, it will be hard to sell recruits. It's time to overachieve the Butler way. The conference should be loaded again and I fully expect to finally take one from Villanova.

What's that you say, Hooper?

MullinMayhem wrote:This will be an interesting year for SJ. The talent is now there. The experience is now there. This will be Mullin's 3rd season. Additions of Simon, Clark, and Wilson should bolster us. We will be a top 25 caliber team if potential is even close to realized. Many are talking about Xavier, Seton Hall, Villanova, Butler, and PC as if they will clearly finish ahead but I think we have as much talent as any team in the Big East including Villanova. I actually like that we are being slept on. If we can somehow knock off Duke at the Garden, it will be the signature win we need if we are on the bubble. We are due for a breakout season where everything is clicking on all cylinders. I really hope this is it. Should the program fall short of the NIT as a 1 or 2 seed as an absolute minimum, it will be hard to sell recruits. It's time to overachieve the Butler way. The conference should be loaded again and I fully expect to finally take one from Villanova.

Where/when did Butler overachieve?

EMT wrote:

MullinMayhem wrote:This will be an interesting year for SJ. The talent is now there. The experience is now there. This will be Mullin's 3rd season. Additions of Simon, Clark, and Wilson should bolster us. We will be a top 25 caliber team if potential is even close to realized. Many are talking about Xavier, Seton Hall, Villanova, Butler, and PC as if they will clearly finish ahead but I think we have as much talent as any team in the Big East including Villanova. I actually like that we are being slept on. If we can somehow knock off Duke at the Garden, it will be the signature win we need if we are on the bubble. We are due for a breakout season where everything is clicking on all cylinders. I really hope this is it. Should the program fall short of the NIT as a 1 or 2 seed as an absolute minimum, it will be hard to sell recruits. It's time to overachieve the Butler way. The conference should be loaded again and I fully expect to finally take one from Villanova.

Where/when did Butler overachieve?

Um, do u not remember those 2 finals appearances?

EMT wrote:

MullinMayhem wrote:This will be an interesting year for SJ. The talent is now there. The experience is now there. This will be Mullin's 3rd season. Additions of Simon, Clark, and Wilson should bolster us. We will be a top 25 caliber team if potential is even close to realized. Many are talking about Xavier, Seton Hall, Villanova, Butler, and PC as if they will clearly finish ahead but I think we have as much talent as any team in the Big East including Villanova. I actually like that we are being slept on. If we can somehow knock off Duke at the Garden, it will be the signature win we need if we are on the bubble. We are due for a breakout season where everything is clicking on all cylinders. I really hope this is it. Should the program fall short of the NIT as a 1 or 2 seed as an absolute minimum, it will be hard to sell recruits. It's time to overachieve the Butler way. The conference should be loaded again and I fully expect to finally take one from Villanova.

Where/when did Butler overachieve?

Last season projected 8 by most people in the conference

With all respects to the prognosticators of this forum, Butler actually finished lower than its preseason Pomeroy of 19 at 25th.

Perhaps the only thing that proves is a weird bias, here, against one of the most consistent Big East programs. Don't know.