Looking around the league...
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  • Villanova should be okay. Archie and Ochefu are big losses, but Brunson should be ready to take over the point after a successful sixth man campaign and Darryl Reynolds and Omari Spellman give them good enough play up front to still contend. They could take a step back, but it won't be a big step.
  • Xavier will be even better. They lose Farr, but as long as the rest come back, they'll be a top-10 team all season long and legitimate national title contender.
  • Seton Hall will depend largely on Whitehead. If he's back, they'll be even better, and could make the jump from fringe top-25 team to legit top-10 team that Xavier made this year. If he leaves, they'll still be okay, but probably middle-of-the-pack.
  • Providence will drop off almost regardless. I really think both Dunn and Bentil will leave. I'm more bullish on Bentil than others, but I think he will be drafted pretty early. Just speaking personally, I think he's the best pro prospect in the Big East. But even losing those two, someone on Cooley's team will be a statistical beast. From Marshon Brooks to Vincent Council to Bryce Cotton to Kris Dunn, Cooley has always had great guard play. They won't be as good, but they'll still be competitive.
  • Butler loses Jones and Dunham, but I think they'll be as good or better. Kelan Martin is a star in the making, and Chrabascz, Wideman, and Lewis are enough supporting cast for them to compete.
  • Creighton is going to be sneaky good. People will overlook the NIT team, but they have a ton of experience, shooters, length, and talent. They'll be much improved next year.
  • Georgetown is a team I have no idea about. They lose DSR and Hayes, but on paper, Campbell, Peak, Derrickson, Copeland, and Govan looks like a really talented starting five. Of course, on paper, Georgetown was the second best team in the league this year. Once games started, not so much, so why would they really be any better?
  • DePaul will probably be the same. Sure, Garrett and Hamilton are seniors, but they lose Henry and haven't been able to piece anything together with this core before. I like Eli Cain, but Leitao needs to turn the roster over before they'll really improve much.
  • St. John's has to improve on 1-17, right? They do lose 3 seniors (Mvouika, Johnson, Balamou) but with young talents like Yakwe, Sima, Ellison, and Mussini, they'll improve. I think they move ahead of DePaul next year, but can't see them climbing too high, not because the talent isn't there, but because the rest of the league will be good.

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Man, on paper, it looks like the entire league should be better next year with the exceptions of Providence and DePaul. It seems like a statistical impossibility, but I could see us eventually getting 7-8 teams in the tournament. This league is so good top to bottom. Okay, top to just above DePaul. It will be very tough to consistently be at the top, just because so many teams look so good going forward, and most of the coaches are fairly young and should be here for awhile.