Seton Hall
Way too early Big East women's basketball standings for the 2020-21 season
Date: March 29, 2020By: Wilnir Louis
This Big East standing prediction is based on the makeup of the team without the seniors from the 2019- 20. The rankings do not take into consideration any players who may transfer out or any transfers who can become immediately eligible for the 2020-21 season.
Before we get into the rankings, it is noted that even though each team is number, the gap of separation between each team is minimal. In the 2019-20 season, the third team to the seventh team in the standings all finished with a 11-7 record. The 2020-21 season will be just as close and the margin between the teams, especially from the top five teams in this ranking is slight.
1. Marquette Golden Eagles
Credit: Marquette University Athletics
The Golden Eagles finished second in the conference under first year head coach and Big East Coach of the Year Megan Duffy. That team was successful with eight underclassmen and two seniors. Marquette looks to return Selena Lott and Lauren Van Kleunen, and the second year of Duffy’s reign could be even more successful than the first
2. UConn Huskies
Credit: UConn Athletics
UConn has been a national powerhouse under Geno Auriemma and that will not change with the new scenery of the Big East. UConn graduated a lot of seniors from the 2019-20 season, but they also have one of the best recruiting classes coming in, including the number one player in the country in Paige Buecker. They will still be dominant, but the young nature of the team is what has them in the two slot.
3. DePaul Blue Demons
DePaul was able to win the Big East regular season and tournament title in 2019-20, winning the tournament title for the third year in a row. With Chante Stonewall and Kelly Campbell graduating, the Blue Demons will regress slightly, but they still have key contributors in Lexi Held and Sonya Morris who will ensure that DePaul remains atop the conference.
4. St. John’s Red Storm
The Red Storm were electric throughout conference play, and they will also retain a lot of those pieces that helped them finish third in the conference in the 2019-20 season. Leilani Correa was named the Big East Sixth Woman of the Year with her performance throughout the season while Qadashah Hoppie was named to the All-Big East Second Team. Returning those pieces along with other contributors will keep St. John’s a good team in the conference.
5. Seton Hall Pirates
Credit: Seton Hall Athletics
Seton Hall had a rollercoaster of a season but was able to finish fourth in the conference and be a couple of points away from going to the Big East Tournament Finals. Graduating for the Pirates is three impact players in Barbara Johnson, Alexis Lewis, and Shadeen Samuels, but the performance of players who look to return in the 2020-21 season like Desiree Elmore, the Pirates have shown that they could be a top dog in the Big East.
6. Butler Bulldogs
Butler is graduating a lot of players from the team that finished fifth in the conference in the 2019-20 season, but the underclassmen who have performed well for the Bulldogs like Genesis Parker and Oumou Toura show the Bulldogs will have some fight come the 2020-21 season.
7. Villanova Wildcats
The graduating class for the Wildcats will be missed with Mary Gedaka headlining the graduates, but there will not be a drop off come the 2020-21 season. Maddy Siegrist, who was named the Big East Freshman of the Year and a part of the All-Big East First Team makes the team dangerous with just her play as a freshman, but they will look to other players like Brianna Herlihy and Raven James to play bigger roles in the upcoming season.
8. Providence Friars
Providence was a team that was devastated by their youth in the 2019-20 season. With only one senior on the team, they finished eighth in the Big East standings. However, with more experience, Providence will look to improve their record and improve their standings with a lot of the same pieces running it back in the 2020-21 season.
9. Xavier Musketeers
Xavier finished at the bottom of the conference and was also a team that was very youthful with only one senior on the team. Experience will also be a benefit for the Musketeers come the coming season.
10. Creighton Bluejays
Credit: Creighton University Athletics
Creighton relied a lot on Jaylyn Agnew who was a senior last year. Also in that senior class was Olivia Elger, who average double figures. Creighton still has some good pieces in Temi Carda and Tatum Rembao who also averaged double figures in the 2019-20 season.
11. Georgetown Hoyas
Georgetown finished the 2019-20 season ninth in the conference and weren’t efficient scoring the basketball. The one player that averaged double figures for the Hoyas was a grad transfer. They will have a lot of work to do for the 2020-21 season.
Wilnir Louis is the Station Manager at 89.5 FM WSOU and can be reached at wsoustationmanager@gmail.com.
