Complete 2014-15 Big East NCAA Basketball Primer Heading into Conference Play

The Big East Conference enters its sophomore season with high hopes that the second verse will be better than the first.

The inaugural year for the now 10-team conference didn’t go as well as planned.

Villanova and Creighton, led by Wooden Award winner Doug McDermott, both received high seeds in the Big Dance and were joined by Providence and Xavier in the tourney—but no Big East team made it out of the first weekend.

Talk about disappointing.

But a restocked and reloaded conference has made some noise in nonconference play this season, raising hopes that the oft-criticized league has risen from the ashes after just one disappointing year.

Let's take a look at how we got here, and how the Big East will shake out now that conference play has begun.

Nonconference Records

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Villanova: 13-0 

Seton Hall: 11-2 

Providence: 11-3 

Xavier: 10-3 

DePaul: 7-7

St. John's: 11-2

Butler: 10-4

Georgetown: 8-4

Creighton: 9-5

Marquette: 8-5

All nonconference records reflect the one conference game each team has played.

Biggest Lessons Learned from Nonconference Play

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The Big East is Legit

We knew Villanova was good coming into the season, but how about the rest of the conference?

Butler downed North Carolina in the Bahamas when the Tar Heels were the fifth-ranked team in the nation; Creighton beat No. 18 Oklahoma and won in Lincoln against in-state rival Nebraska; and Providence holds wins over No. 14 Notre Dame and Miami.

Even DePaul, the likely worst team in the conference, holds a double-digit win over a Stanford team that recently beat No. 11 Texas on the road and made the Sweet 16 last year.

Does this mean the Big East is back? Early returns are certainly good.

Steve Lavin has Resurrected the Johnnies

Lavin is in his fifth season at the helm of the New York City school, and he would appear to have the Red Storm well on the path to secure their second NCAA tournament berth since 2002 and first since 2011.

His steady hand has helped rebuild a storied program that had fallen on hard times.

The No. 15 Johnnies have quality wins over Minnesota and longtime rival Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, and the team's only nonconference loss came by single digits at the hands of No. 7 Gonzaga in the final of the NIT Season Tip-Off.

St. John's is facing a little bit of adversity after dropping a conference-opening road tilt by double digits at Seton Hall, but that’s not a reason to panic. It's a long season, and Seton Hall is a good young team.

Villanova is a Final Four Threat

Villanova won 29 games and the regular-season conference championship last year, and the selection committee rewarded the team with a No. 2 seed in the Big Dance. Still, you didn't find many people who were buying the Wildcats as serious contenders, and a first-weekend exit to eventual champion UConn proved those people right.

The Wildcats returned four starters from that team—including Big East Player of the Year contender Darrun Hilliard—who are now more experienced, and the development of Dylan Ennis, Josh Hart and a true big man in Daniel Ochefu make this a deeper and more dangerous team.

LaDontae Henton is Thriving as the Man in Providence

One of the biggest questions surrounding the Friars coming into this season was how Henton, ranked the No. 11 small forward in the nation by Bleacher Report's C.J. Moore, would respond to the increased pressure and opportunity afforded by Bryce Cotton's graduation.

Henton has taken his game to a new level, averaging a career-best 21.1 points per game, even while his rebounding numbers have dipped a bit. He came up huge in an upset of Notre Dame, scoring 38 of the Friars' 75 points in a one-point victory. He had another 30-plus-point outing in Providence's win over Creighton to open Big East play.

Looks like he's doing just fine.

Top Storylines to Watch

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How Many Bids Will the Big East Get?

In the last year before its implosion and rebirth, the Big East sent eight teams to the Big Dance. Louisville (American), Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame (ACC) departed the following year, leaving a top-heavy conference led by Villanova, Creighton and everybody else.

Four teams went dancing from the "new" Big East—it might have been three had Providence not won the conference tournament—and that number could be due for a bump up.

'Nova is a lock; Georgetown and St. John's should join them; Xavier, Seton Hall and Providence could be in the mix; even Butler and Creighton look better than advertised.

Is it unreasonable to think the Big East could be a five-bid league?

Can Anyone Challenge Villanova?

A month is an eternity in college basketball. Had you asked this question a month ago, any expert worth his or her salt would've given you a resounding no.

The Wildcats clearly remain the class of the league until proven otherwise. Hilliard could win Big East Player of the Year. JayVaughn Pinkston's scoring average has dipped to just under 11 points a game, but he remains a wide body clogging the middle. The emergence of Ellis, Hart and Ochefu add depth and additional scoring options for Jay Wright's team.

St. John's will give 'Nova a stiff test on Jan. 6 at Madison Square Garden, and that should give us a good indication of how good the Red Storm can be and whether anyone can push the Wildcats for the conference crown.

Is the Future Now for Seton Hall?

Seton Hall hasn't been a basketball power in over two decades, but it could be on the way thanks to an impressive recruiting haul snagged by coach Kevin Williard.

The Pirates recruiting class was ranked No. 12 in the nation, per 247Sports, anchored by 5-star guard and New York Mr. Basketball Isaiah Whitehead. The freshman made an immediate impact, averaging over 12 points per game before stress fractures in his foot sidelined him.

Angel Delgado and Khadeen Carrington came in with Whitehead, and while they haven’t received the same publicity, each has put up solid numbers. Junior guard Sterling Gibbs has provided the steady hand, leading his team in scoring and dropping 25 points in a statement home win over No. 15 St. John’s to begin conference play.

Will Butler and Creighton Continue to Overachieve?

Butler and Creighton, for years the darlings of the mid-major movement, were both picked near the bottom of many Big East preseason rankings.

The Bulldogs have talent but were expected to be in flux because of the bizarre medical-leave drama of their missing head coach Brandon Miller, but an impressive win over North Carolina and the continued steady play of Kellen Dunham leave hope.

Creighton lost the National Player of the Year to the NBA but started well with a win over Oklahoma and a brief national ranking. A road loss to Providence stings, and an impending trip to Georgetown on Jan. 3 should answer a few more questions.

Rivalry Games and Can’t-Miss Matchups

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Butler at St. John's (Jan. 3)

Both the Bulldogs and Red Storm were saddled with losses to open conference play, and neither team wants to fall into an 0-2 hole off the bat. That holds particularly true for the Johnnies, who welcome a massive test to Madison Square Garden just three days later.

Villanova at St. John's (Jan. 6)

How good is St. John’s? Can anyone test Villanova? We’ll get an early answer to both of those questions when Hilliard, Pinkston and Co. invade the Big Apple early in the new Year to face Lavin’s Red Storm in a rivalry matchup that suddenly matters again.

Georgetown at Villanova (Feb. 7)

The Hoyas and Wildcats just don't like each other. Maybe its the religious connotations—Georgetown is Jesuit order while 'Nova is Augustinian—or that Villanova ruined John Thompson's 1985 Hoyas' dream season by scoring a massive upset in the national title game, but either way, this is one of the best rivalries in college basketball.

Seton Hall at Georgetown (Mar. 7)

Hall-G'Town doesn't have the same oomph of other rivalries from the "old" Big East, but a pair of clubs loaded with young talent meeting in the final game of the regular season has some allure. Especially if Whitehead and Copeland, the two best freshmen in the conference, are both healthy and on track.

Freshmen to Watch

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Isaiah Whitehead, Seton Hall

It's a shame he's going to miss the next several weeks with a right-foot injury. The crown jewel of the Pirates' recruiting class, Whitehead has stepped right into the lineup and provided an immediate burst of scoring and energy. He was the likely favorite for conference Rookie of the Year honors after starting his first 12 games and averaging a dozen points over that span, but missed time could put the kibosh on that.

Trevon Bluiett, Xavier

Bluiett doesn't play like a freshman. He's come to Cincinnati with the poise and patience of an upperclassman, leading the Musketeers in scoring at 12.6 points per game while shooting over 46 percent from the field and 40 percent from behind the arc. The Indianapolis-native was named conference Rookie of the Week in late November.

Isaac Copeland, Georgetown

Copeland and Whitehead were the two most talked about incoming freshman before the season began, but the Hoyas big man hasn't quite made the hoped-for impact just yet. He's shown flashes—against Butler and Towson—but didn't play much at all against Florida or Wisconsin and needs to get on the floor more.

Top Big East POY Candidates

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Darrun Hilliard, Villanova

Hilliard is the best player on what should be the best team in the conference. Seems only logical to make him the favorite for Player of the Year honors, no? His scoring average is down a bit from last year, but the Wildcats also have more players making significant contributions. That said, you'd be foolish to think Hilliard isn't happy about all the extra help, even if he doesn't take home this piece of hardware. 

D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Georgetown

Smith-Rivera got a lot of preseason love—he was named Big East Preseason Player of the Year—but got off to a bit of a slower start than he'd have liked. His scoring has dropped a bit—from 17.6 to 15 points per game—but some of that is a function of the presence of 350-pound Joshua Smith on the court and the emergence of freshman L.J. Peak and Paul White as scoring options.

Despite his struggles, Smith-Rivera still leads the Hoyas in scoring, and his 29 points in the Hoyas' final nonconference game, a 91-87 overtime win against Indiana, were huge.

D'Angelo Harrison, St. John's

Want a dark-horse contender? You've come to the right place.

Harrison has become the unquestioned leader of the Red Storm this season, but it wasn't always destined to be that way. The senior guard from Houston was suspended during his sophomore season and underwent anger-management therapy, an experience he credits with making him a better player.

He has the second-highest scoring average in the conference at 19.5 points per game, and his coach recently praised him for having demonstrating the maturity necessary to seek help and become a leader on his team.

AAC Favorite and Dark Horse

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Favorite: Villanova

The Wildcats came into the season as the favorites to win the Big East, and nothing has happened to shake our confidence in that pick.

Wright's team has the look and feel of a group that should be even better than last year's squad that won 29 games and secured a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. Hilliard and Pinkston playing at a high level isn't surprising, as they’re the core of a team that returned five of its six leading scorers.

Ochefu has been a pleasant surprise, giving the Wildcats over nine points and seven boards a night as a true center. Ennis and Hart, both single-digit players a season ago, are each over 10 points a night, adding depth and additional scorers to an already dangerous team.

Dark Horse: Xavier

St. John's doesn't slot into this spot because it's really not a dark horse anymore, and Seton Hall would've been tempting—given its young talent and win over the Johnnies—had Whitehead not suffered an injury. That leaves us with Xavier, a tournament team from a year ago that boasts some serious depth and upside.

Bluiett is a dynamite freshman who leads the team in scoring, but senior center Matt Stainbrook might be one of the most underrated players in the country. He can score, can rebound and has the ball vision and game understanding of a point guard with size.

The Musketeers lost a couple of bad ones outside of the conference—Long Beach State and Auburn—but beating Georgetown by 17 on New Year's Eve sent a notice to the rest of the conference.

Who Makes the NCAA Tournament?

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Shoo-Ins: Villanova, Georgetown, St. John’s, Xavier

‘Nova doesn’t need any introduction.

Smith-Rivera and the Hoyas are better than their four losses and should be the second-best team in the conference. St. John's is known for Harrison, but sophomore Rysheed Jordan has emerged as the secondary scorer the team desperately needs. Xavier is just going to be Xavier—a 17-point thumping of Georgetown makes us believers.

Hopefuls: Providence, Butler, Seton Hall

Providence's attack is led by Henton and former McDonald’s All-American Kris Dunn, who has really emerged in his sophomore season. The Friars are a sleeper that could contend for a second-consecutive tournament berth.

Butler? Well, the Bulldogs have overachieved thus far, and you can draw some positives from a competitive road loss at Villanova. They face a tough road in the coming days, visiting St. John’s before hosting Providence and Xavier.

The Pirates didn't miss Whitehead too much when they beat St. John’s, but they’ll definitely need him back in order to contend down the stretch.

Longshots: Creighton

Creighton was briefly ranked after its win over Oklahoma. It's hard to lose four starters, including the nation's best player, and not expect a bit of a crash back to Earth, but never count out a Greg McDermott team.

Predicting the 2014-15 Big East Standings

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1. Villanova

2. Georgetown

3. St. John's

4. Xavier

5. Seton Hall

6. Providence

7. Butler

8. Creighton

9. Marquette

10. DePaul