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It wouldn't be summertime if CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein didn't issue a series of tweets about every notable college basketball conference at some point. Wednesday morning was when the Big East came up in the rotation, and here's what he had to say:
Big East Offseason Power Rankings: Villanova, Georgetown, Xavier, Butler, Providence, Marquette, Seton Hall, Creighton, DePaul, St. John's.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 29, 2015
Seems about right. I like Butler more than he does given what they're returning, but I'm not gonna fight him over it or anything.
Big East Preseason First Team: K. Dunn (PC), R. Arcidiacono (Nova), D. Smith-Rivera (Georgetown), R. Jones (Butler), D. Ochefu (Nova).
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 29, 2015
Without looking up last year's postseason all-Big East teams, this seems about right to me. Awful lot of lead guards on that list, but that's what happens when you don't have positional requirements like the All-NBA teams.
Big East Preseason Player of the Year: Kris Dunn, Providence.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 29, 2015
Draft Express currently has Dunn as the 8th best NBA prospect for the 2016 draft. If this isn't a unanimous choice in the fall, I'll be shocked.
Big East Preseason Sleeper: Marquette.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 29, 2015
In a word: Duh. The Golden Eagles return a legitimate starting center in Luke Fischer and Duane Wilson is coming off one of the greatest freshman campaigns in program history. Add to that one of the best recruiting classes in the country, and you get a healthy dose of "Hey, if everything works out for them, look out."
5 Impact Big East Transfers: T. Lewis (Butler), M. Watson (Creighton), C. Huff (Creighton), D. Johnson (SJU), D. Gordon (SHU).
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 29, 2015
5 Under-The-Radar Big East Transfers: J. Gathers (BU), A. Agau (Gtown), B. Anderson (SHU), D. Williams (SJU), R. M'vouika (SJU).
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 29, 2015
5 Impact Big East Freshman: J. Brunson (Nova), J. Govan (Gtown), M. Derrickson (Gtown), H. Ellenson (Marquette), H. Cheatham (Marquette).
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 29, 2015
Now we're getting somewhere. I am slightly surprised to see Haanif Cheatham on this list, but he is the 4th best Big East freshman according 247's rankings for the Class of 2015. If you're making a list of five, he's gotta be on the list.
5 Under-The-Radar Big East Freshman: K. Johnson (Gtown), T. Carter (Marquette), M. Ellison (SJU), E. Sumner (Xavier), J. Patton (Creighton).
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 29, 2015
As the guy driving the "Traci Carter is going to be a starter" bus, I wholeheartedly agree with this.
5 Big East Breakout Guys: I. Copeland (Gtown), J.P. Macura (Xavier), B. Bentil (PC), T. Wideman (Butler), K. Jenkins (Nova).
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 29, 2015
I could make an argument that Luke Fischer belongs on this list since he had shoulder surgery to (presumably) eliminate the brace that he was wearing all of last season. You can't have too many healthy shoulders as a post player given the amount of incidental contact you're going to rack up, and if Fischer's not trying to avoid too much contact to a banged up shoulder, he could be poised for an explosion this season.
Then again, we're talking about a guy who averaged 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks last year, so maybe he doesn't qualify as "breakout" for this season.
You can read Rothstein's "5 Offseason Questions" article on the Big East right here.