a thorough examination of Big East basketball prior to the 2023–24 campaign.
So far, the Big East has played well. That will soon be changing. Much too much is at stake. The four teams in the top 20 in the nation going into 2023–24 are Creighton, Villanova, UConn, and Marquette in the hoops-obsessed league. Everybody expects a National Championship, and they have the rosters to prove it. However, bold, flashy additions such as St. John’s grabbing the recently cleared Rick Pitino or Georgetown snatching longtime Providence coach Ed Cooley could make the middle of the Big East even better.
It will be a heated first game for Cooley back at Providence. Pitino will not back down from a challenge. Even though UConn is the reigning national champion, Milwaukee could be on the route through the Big East after Shaka Smart’s Golden Eagles captured both the regular season and the Big East Tournament titles.
Creighton lost key starters like point guard Ryan Nembhard (to Gonzaga) and forward Arthur Kaluma (to Kansas State), but the Bluejays should be fantastic offensively. Trey Alexander can be a star. He had the fifth-highest usage rate last year on his own team. Alexander can hit plenty of 3-pointers, but he owns a nasty midrange jumper, and he slices his way into the paint so effortlessly. The defections should allow Alexander to show his full arsenal and make an All-America push. Scheierman makes and takes a bunch of triples, and Utah State transfer Steven Ashworth was the Mountain West’s best assassin by a wide margin. Scheierman, Alexander and Ashworth form a three-headed monster in Creighton’s backcourt, and it all meshes together flawlessly because Kalkbrenner is an excellent roller with the softest hands in the business.
Despite losing important starters like forward Arthur Kaluma to Kansas State and point guard Ryan Nembhard to Gonzaga, Creighton should have a great offensive team. Trey Alexander is capable of greatness. On his own team the previous year, he had the fifth-highest usage rate. In addition to his impressive 3-point shooting ability, Alexander has a nasty midrange jump shot and a fluid movement in the paint. Alexander can now showcase his entire toolkit and launch an All-America campaign thanks to the defections. Scheierman makes and takes a lot of threes, and Steven Ashworth, a transfer from Utah State, was by far the best assassin in the Mountain West. In Creighton’s backcourt, Scheierman, Alexander, and Ashworth create a three-headed monster that all works together perfectly because Kalkbrenner is
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