Big East men's basketball off-season stock watch: Marquette up, Villanova down

The college basketball off-season has finally seemed to slow down after a busy period of transfers and NBA draft decisions. 

Now that the dust has likely settled, let's take stock of a Big East Conference that will look drastically different next season.

TRENDING UP

Marquette: The Golden Eagles are well-positioned for next season, bringing back two of the Big East's best players in rising juniors Markus Howard and Sam Hauser (assuming, as expected, he fully recovers from hip surgery). The infusion of transfers Ed Morrow (a rugged rebounder) and Joseph Chartouny (247 steals in three seasons at Fordham) should help shore up the defensive issues that held MU back last season. The continued improvement of last season's freshmen and the offensive talents of newcomers Joey Hauser and Brendan Bailey give coach Steve Wojciechowski depth and versatility. It will be interesting to see how the pieces come together.

Butler: Former UW-Milwaukee coach LaVall Jordan exceeded expectations in his first season in charge of the Bulldogs. Now he has to replace forward Kelan Martin, one of the best players in school history, and big man Tyler Wideman. A key player for the Bulldogs next season could be Jordan Tucker, a 6-foot-7 transfer from Duke who will become eligible in December. His scoring talents will add to the strong returning perimeter players: do-everything guard Kamar Baldwin, defensive stopper and heady passer Aaron Thompson, and sharpshooters Paul Jorgensen and Sean McDermott. The Bulldogs' thin frontcourt will be bolstered by incoming freshmen forwards Bryce Golden and Markeese Hastings.

DePaul: Yes, it is strange to be optimistic with a team that finished 4-14 in the Big East last season. Star wing Max Strus decided to return for his senior season after flirting with the NBA draft and will pair with senior guard Eli Cain to give the Blue Demons an intriguing duo next season. They should get help from graduate transfer big man Femi Olujobi, who averaged 16.3 points and 7.7 rebounds last season at North Carolina A&T, and junior guard Jalen Coleman-Lands, who sat out last season after transferring from Illinois. Coleman-Lands and John Diener, an incoming freshman from Cedarburg, look to help improve a team that was last in the conference with 31% three-point shooting in 2017-'18.

Georgetown: The Hoyas came out even on the NBA decision front, unexpectedly losing junior forward Marcus Derrickson but welcoming back rising senior center Jessie Govan, who led the team in scoring, rebounding and blocks last season. Head coach Patrick Ewing also is bringing in a solid recruiting class, highlighted by point guard James Akinjo and forward Josh LeBlanc.

St. John's: Shamorie Ponds elected to return to the Red Storm after testing the NBA draft waters. He will be one of the favorites for conference player of the year given his scoring ability (witness the 44 points he dropped on MU last season). St. John's also upgraded its roster with JUCO All-American L.J. Figueroa and transfers Mikey Dixon (Quinnipiac) and Sedee Keita (South Carolina). It will be even better if Mustapha Heron, who was on the all-SEC second team last season at Auburn, is granted an NCAA hardship waiver to play immediately after switching schools to be closer to his ill mother. Head coach Chris Mullin might be in good shape to have his first winning record in the conference since taking over before the 2015-'16 season. 

TRENDING DOWN

Creighton: The Bluejays suffered some major losses with Marcus Foster graduating, Khyri Thomas opting to stay in the NBA draft and Ronnie Harrell transferring to Denver. They should benefit from the return of big man Martin Krampelj, who tore his ACL in January, and a bigger role for crafty guard Mitch Ballock. A strong recruiting class includes point guard Marcus Zegarowski (half-brother of former Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams) and 6-11 inside-out player Sam Froling, whose brother Harry played for MU last season. 

Providence: The Friars are likely to take a step back next season after losing three starters in Kyron Cartwright, Rodney Bullock and Jalen Lindsey. But head coach Ed Cooley put together a stellar crop of recruits, including a pair of top-50 guards in David Duke and A.J. Reeves. Providence also hopes that Emmitt Holt, who averaged 12.5 points in 2016-'17, will be able to return after abdominal surgery caused him to sit out last season.

Seton Hall: This team will be unrecognizable next season without last season's seniors Angel Delgado, Desi Rodriguez, Khadeen Carrington and Ish Sanogo. Head coach Kevin Willard tries to reload with two key transfers in guard Quincy McNight, who averaged 18.9 points per game at Sacred Heart, and 6-10 Taurean Thompson, who sat out last season after leaving Syracuse. Returning guard Myles Powell will carry the load offensively but should get some help from freshman Anthony Nelson.

Xavier: The Musketeers also underwent seismic changes. Stalwarts J.P. Macura and Trevon Bluiett graduated and Chris Mack decamped to be head coach at Louisville. New Musketeers coach Travis Steele will have transfers Kyle Castlin (34% three-point shooting at Columbia) and Zach Hankins (Division II players of the year at Ferris State) to pair with key returning guards Quentin Goodin and Paul Scruggs.

Villanova: Well, "trending down" is relative when it comes to last season's national champions. Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo and Omari Spellman all entered the NBA draft. But Jay Wright landed highly-coveted grad transfer Joe Cremo, who hit 46% of his three-pointers last season at Albany, and brought in the conference's best recruiting class that includes point guard Jahvon Quinerly and forwards Cole Swider and Brandon Slater. How the newcomers mesh with Phil Booth, Eric Paschall and Collin Gillespie will determine if the Wildcats are great again or merely very good.