Holy Land fan poll - who finishes in 7th place?

[DanofXav76]

I don't see a list so much as a prediction. After all, who can really predict the outcome of the race? Anyone predicting is bound to be wrong.

The value in projects IMO is to identify who are the teams to beat. The deck has been reshuffled as plAyers have graduated, left for the NBA, etc. and new players have joined to take their place.

IMO Providence is one of the teams in the upper half of the league that teams better be prepared to beat. They finished .500 in the league last year, finished strong, return last year's Big East leading scorer, lose only one starter albeit an important one, and have good young talent ready to step up.

Xavier may well be as good as their fans claim they are but they still have to prove that, so rather being a team to beat, I see them as a team with something to prove especially since they are joining a new league which will require them to adjust to a higher caliber of play. I wish them well.

Bill I couldn't agree with you more! I've been a Xavier fan for a long time and I absolutely have no idea what to expect. Plenty of new talent on paper but until they hit the floor and have some time to gel (hopefully sooner rather than later) we all will just have to wait and see. The one thing I do feel solid on is Christon's ability to play well at this level. I think the Brethren will enjoy wathcing his game.

[Bill Marsh]

I don't see a list so much as a prediction. After all, who can really predict the outcome of the race? Anyone predicting is bound to be wrong.

The value in projects IMO is to identify who are the teams to beat. The deck has been reshuffled as plAyers have graduated, left for the NBA, etc. and new players have joined to take their place.

IMO Providence is one of the teams in the upper half of the league that teams better be prepared to beat. They finished .500 in the league last year, finished strong, return last year's Big East leading scorer, lose only one starter albeit an important one, and have good young talent ready to step up.

Xavier may well be as good as their fans claim they are but they still have to prove that, so rather being a team to beat, I see them as a team with something to prove especially since they are joining a new league which will require them to adjust to a higher caliber of play. I wish them well.

Bill I couldn't agree with you more! I've been a Xavier fan for a long time and I absolutely have no idea what to expect. Plenty of new talent on paper but until they hit the floor and have some time to gel (hopefully sooner rather than later) we all will just have to wait and see. The one thing I do feel solid on is Christon's ability to play well at this level. I think the Brethren will enjoy wathcing his game.

Agree. Christon's an early candidate for POY.

[dmac80]

Are the masses sleeping on Ed Cooley's Providence Friars?
http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports. ... ce-friars/

[Bill Marsh]

Are the masses sleeping on Ed Cooley's Providence Friars?
http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports. ... ce-friars/

Yes, I think they are, but the masses here are not the only ones. College Sports Madness also picked them to finish 7th in the Big East. I think there are a lot of folks who are going to be surprised this year.

Thanks for the link.an interesting read.

[dmac80]

Whats amazing to me is that even with what some pundits call "the watered down BE", the road to the NCAA is just as difficult, if not more. The old BE had a handful of down or crummy programs that even for down teams like PC were "easier" wins, and the selection committee showed they had no problem putting 11 or so teams in on a good year in the BE....There really are no easy wins in this Big East. It's going to be a tooth and nail fight night in and night out and will be amazing to watch unfold.

[gofriars08]

I think this league will be an interesting test for the selection committee. Realistically, barring GTown running rampant through their brutal non-conference schedule, there's not much of a chance that anyone in the Big East competes for a #1 seed or maybe even a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, it does look like 5-7 teams will be competing for spots in that 3-11, and only two teams are expected to be outright subpar. You take out the dominant teams like Louisville / Cuse but you also remove the bottom of the conference - does that still warrant bids for more 50% of the league?

I get the sense it may not - the Mountain West has had a conference similar to this, though the bottom half of their league seems notably weaker than the BE. And in the best years they usually only get 5 bids.

[DanofXav76]

I don't see a list so much as a prediction. After all, who can really predict the outcome of the race? Anyone predicting is bound to be wrong.

The value in projects IMO is to identify who are the teams to beat. The deck has been reshuffled as plAyers have graduated, left for the NBA, etc. and new players have joined to take their place.

IMO Providence is one of the teams in the upper half of the league that teams better be prepared to beat. They finished .500 in the league last year, finished strong, return last year's Big East leading scorer, lose only one starter albeit an important one, and have good young talent ready to step up.

Xavier may well be as good as their fans claim they are but they still have to prove that, so rather being a team to beat, I see them as a team with something to prove especially since they are joining a new league which will require them to adjust to a higher caliber of play. I wish them well.

Bill I couldn't agree with you more! I've been a Xavier fan for a long time and I absolutely have no idea what to expect. Plenty of new talent on paper but until they hit the floor and have some time to gel (hopefully sooner rather than later) we all will just have to wait and see. The one thing I do feel solid on is Christon's ability to play well at this level. I think the Brethren will enjoy wathcing his game.

Agree. Christon's an early candidate for POY.

Bill, I always buy the Sporting News annual CBB preview magazine. Not because they are smarter than anybody else but just like their format, an am a long time fan of Mike DeCourcy. I was pleasantly surprised to see they picked Xavier 5th.

[Bill Marsh]

I think this league will be an interesting test for the selection committee. Realistically, barring GTown running rampant through their brutal non-conference schedule, there's not much of a chance that anyone in the Big East competes for a #1 seed or maybe even a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, it does look like 5-7 teams will be competing for spots in that 3-11, and only two teams are expected to be outright subpar. You take out the dominant teams like Louisville / Cuse but you also remove the bottom of the conference - does that still warrant bids for more 50% of the league?

I get the sense it may not - the Mountain West has had a conference similar to this, though the bottom half of their league seems notably weaker than the BE. And in the best years they usually only get 5 bids.

College Sports Madness is projecting the Big East to get 6 bids this year and for a 7th team, Providence to be on the bubble..

[dmac80]

3 PC votes in the last 20 minutes. NOt looking good for PC as the clock ticks down to "midnight" (5pm)....Come on fence sitters if you're out there, Xavier has more question marks, vote for X!

[Daffron24]

I think this league will be an interesting test for the selection committee. Realistically, barring GTown running rampant through their brutal non-conference schedule, there's not much of a chance that anyone in the Big East competes for a #1 seed or maybe even a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, it does look like 5-7 teams will be competing for spots in that 3-11, and only two teams are expected to be outright subpar. You take out the dominant teams like Louisville / Cuse but you also remove the bottom of the conference - does that still warrant bids for more 50% of the league?

I get the sense it may not - the Mountain West has had a conference similar to this, though the bottom half of their league seems notably weaker than the BE. And in the best years they usually only get 5 bids.

I think there is a very good chance a team could get a 1 or 2 seed. I mean Gonzaga got a #1 seed last year....and yes they were ranked number 1, but just because the BE lost team doesn't mean it isn't feasible. Marquette also has a strong non-con schedule (Ohio St., Wisconsin, Arizona St., New Mexico, possibly Miami, possibly Creighton/SDSU). If they were to win the BE and the BET tournament and didn't receive at least a #2 seed, i'd be shocked. Creighton also has a good chance to get a #2 seed if they can win the BE and BET. The season hasn't started so it's tough to say how teams will perform.