ESPN’s Joe Lunardi Releases His Preseason 2015-16 Bracketology

Early August means preseason bracketology, because why not? ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has released his preseason bracket and the Big East has 5 teams in the field of 68. The Friars are not currently one of those 5 but they are right on the cusp, according to Lunardi. The ACC leads the way with 9 teams in the field followed by the SEC, Pac 12, Big 12 and Big Ten getting 6 teams each. The American (4) and Atlantic 10 (2) are the other multi-bid leagues in Lunardi’s bracket.

Here are the notable Big East results from Lunardi’s preaseson bracket:

Villanova gets the top spot among the Big East members as Lunardi has the Wildcats as a 3 seed coming off their disappointing tenure as a 1 seed in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. It should be noted that Lunardi also had Villanova as a 3 seed in his preseason bracket last summer and he also had them playing Wofford, as he does this year. The Wildcats lost Dylan Ennis to transfer (Oregon) and Darrun Hilliard and JayVaughn Pinkston to graduation but they still have co-Big East Player of the Year Ryan Arcidiacono at the helm and bring in one of the best recruits in the class of 2015 in Jalen Brunson. Jay Wright continues to reload.

Georgetown is the next highest Big East member in the field of 68. Lunardi has the Hoyas as a 6 seed and he has them playing the winner of 11 seeds Georgia and URI. Georgetown was also the 2nd highest seeded team in Lunardi’s preseason bracket last summer but he had them as a 9 seed a year ago. With D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera back for his senior year after dipping his toe in the NBA waters means the Hoyas will have one of the best upperclassmen in the Big East to pair with their very talented freshman and sophomore classes.

Team 3 from the Big East is Butler who get a 7 seed and a matchup against UConn in Lunardi’s bracket. Chris Holtmann is in his first full season as the non-interim head coach of the Bulldogs and they have almost everyone back from their team that played one of the most exciting games of the 2015 NCAA Tournament against Notre Dame in the Round of 32. They do lose rebounding machine Kameron Woods and gritty point guard Alex Barlow to graduation — Barlow is now on Brad Stevens’ staff with the Celtics. But they have do-everything Roosevelt Jones back along with their leading scorer in Kellen Dunham and they have a pair of eligible transfers in Tyler Lewis — the first McDonald’s All-American to play for Butler — and Jordan Gathers who can step in and provide some help.

Next up is Xavier who Lunardi slots as a 7 seed in this summer’s preseason bracket. The Musketeers biggest question mark is at the point guard position after losing Dee Davis to graduation in May. Chris Mack did bring in Larry Austin — a player who spurned the Friars in the recruiting process — last season but he played sparingly as a freshman. They will also have to replace Matt Stainbrook up front but Jalen Reynolds appears ready for a breakout season and rising sophomore Trevon Bluiett will look to make the all-important jump from freshman to sophomore like Myles Davis did a year ago.

The final Big East team in Lunardi’s field of 68 is Marquette. Steve Wojciechowski enters his second year in the big seat on the bench and he has certainly brought plenty of talent into the Golden Eagles’ program in his first two seasons. The incoming recruiting class is ranked 13th by 247sports.com’s team rankings — tops in the Big East this season — and includes top-10 big man Henry Ellenson, top 75 guard Haanif Cheatham and top 125 guard Traci Carter and top 150 center Matt Heldt. Ellenson and Cheatham have a chance to start for Wojo’s team and Luke Fischer will get his first full season at Marquette after having to sit out the fall semester last season due to NCAA transfer rules. Fischer left Indiana after just one semester before enrolling at Marquette.

The Friars — part of Lunardi’s “Last Four In” segment a year ago — are just on the outside looking in this summer with Lunardi placing them as the 2nd to last team in the “Next Four Out” category. They are joined by Iowa, upcoming opponent Illinois and Temple in that category. Kris Dunn will be the key cog for Providence’s chances at reaching the NCAA Tournament for the 3rd straight season — a feat not accomplished in Friartown since  the run by Marvin Barnes and Ernie DiGregorio in 1972, 1973 and 1974. Providence is still searching for their first NCAA Tournament win since the 1997 run to the Elite 8 under Pete Gillen and led by God Shammgod — a graduate assistant on the 2015-16 Friar team — and Austin Croshere.

Overall this is a positive bracketology for the Big East. Getting 50% of the league into the field would be a nice follow-up to last season’s 60% but the key for the league in 2015-16 will be to have the teams have better showings within the tournament. Only Xavier made it to the Sweet 16 in the 2015 tournament and Providence, Butler, Georgetown, St. John’s and Villanova didn’t make it out of the first weekend.

To see Joe Lunardi’s full preseason bracketology, click here.

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Mike Hopkins

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