Time for Big East predictions

[CaliHoya]

Now that we've seen the Big East in action for several weeks, it's now safe to make some educated predictions on our Big East schedule.

After watching the West Virginia beat both NC State and GW, I am convinced they are a legitimate top 25 team. Same with BC, that has had a difficult SOS and an RPI ranking of #4.

It's now looking like West Virginia, BC, Pitt, UConn, and Syracuse will be the class of the Big East. I think all 5 could be top 25 in the next poll (and deserve to be). Any win for Georgetown against these 5 schools would be a pleasant surprise for me this year. And yes, I think we'll pull off a surprise or two. Ironically, of the 5 teams, we only play UConn twice. I think we'll go 1-5 here.

Behind them are Providence and Villanova, who I think are more on Georgetown's level. I predict these games will be toss-ups for Georgetown, and I'll be conservative and predict a finish of 1-2 in these games.

I would classify Notre Dame, Seton Hall, Rutgers, and St. John's as the third tier teams this year. Strangely enough, it seems as our conference schedule now is rather weak as nearly half (seven) of our conference games are against these teams. I think we can go 5-2 against these teams.

Add it all up, and I see no reason why we can go at least 7-9 in the Big East this year. This would give us a final 15-12 record and a trip to the NIT. In fact, as much as I try to temper my expectations, I still think 8-8 is a distinct possibility since our conference schedule is a little weaker than expected.

It all starts Wednesday against Pitt... Before then, any other predictions?

[nychoya3]

Not an unreasonable projection. NC State has issues, and GWU is still an A-10 team, but you can't knock WVU right now. They may well be a top tier team this year. Nova is looking pretty solid too. Though the league was struggling early in the year, it's shaping up pretty tough top to bottom. Rutgers, SHU, SJU and Georgetown clearly look like the bottom group in the BE to me. ND and Providence have been just short of awful thus far, but they're both tourney teams who return most everyone. At least one of them will put together an NCAA run.

My prediction is 6-10 - same as before the season. I think we will have a chance in pretty much every game, but we're going to have to win EVERY game we "should" win to get to 7-9. That seems unlikely to me. Even factoring in an upset (I think UConn is ripe for an upset at MCI on Saturday) or two, it's going to be a tough slog this year.

[lichoya68]

since we play two games vs the lower level teams and some of the better teams only once ill stick with my original prediction of eight and eight... with then a 16 and 10 record.. it all depends on how we jell together.. lets beat pittt there to start so we get some press and tv games ... one a t a time go hoyas nit at least keep growing

[TBird41]

I'm going to go with 7-9 in the Big East. I'm thinking the Hoyas really start to gel and go strong into the Big East especially as the offense starts clicking and we win our last two home games against two teams that are ripe for upsets- Nova and Providence.

And then, if the basketball gods are smiling on us, we make a run deep into the Big East tournament and actually have a reason to gripe when we go to the NIT instead of the NCAA (not a legitimate reason, mind you, but a reason nonetheless)

[Fan Of The Game]

I'm always optimistic pre-Big East season.

I'll go with 6-10 with no huge upsets but 1-2 semi-upsets.

[CAHoya07]

I'm not too big on these, but I'll go with 6-10. I think based on our schedule we can reasonably get 6-8 wins, but I'll go on the low side because I don't want to jinx us. Anything less than 6 wins will be disappointing in my book.

Based on our preseason performance, with surprisingly easy victories against decent Davidson and Clemson squads, and surprisingly difficult wins against bad Long Beach State and Norfolk State teams, we've seen how good/bad we can be. I think our conference season will be up and down as well, with a couple nice upsets but also a couple head scratchers. This just seems to happen with a young team that's still coming into its own.

I'll say this though: by the end of the season, whether it be Big East play or tournament, we will defeat a top-25 team. Write it down.

[HOYAPLAYA]

I'll go with 8-8 in the conference. If we can start to make some serious progress with the offense, I think we'll pull off a couple of upsets and be able to shoot well enough to win the games that we should win. BTW, I watched Clemson lose to Duke last night and let's just say I'm glad we beat them. That Clemson team has some serious size, but they have some of the rawest and undisciplined talent in the ACC this year. Their guard play was atrocious last night. I'm still trying to understand why they weren't throwing it in to the post all night and trying to get Shelden Williams in foul trouble.

[ahoya3]

5-11. I think Notre Dame has too much talent to play this poorly and Villanova has more talent and experience than the Hoyas. I don't see us winning any those those games.

[Cambridge]

Fine, fine, I'll bite.

I say 9-7 and we are the story of the year in the Big East. If the OOC results have taught me anything, it's that there is little to be intimidated by. Sure, we could lose a lot of games this year, but we can also beat anyone out there. I'm giving us the benefit of the doubt and going to wager that the basketball gods are smiling on us this year - a couple balls will bounce our way - we will get one major upset (Pitt, Conn, Cuse), three great wins (Nova, ND, WV, BC) and win all but one of the games we should win (StJ, Rut, etc.). I figure that puts us at 9-7...ohhh and we make a deep run in the BET.

[chinatownfanclub]

6-10 but we beat the 'cuse. Although i don't think pc or nova are particularly very good this year, they have had our number over the past 4 yrs.

[FOTP]

4-12 with some nice improvement down the stretch. I'm rooting for better of course.

All right, I'll move it up to 5-11...go Hoyas!

[nodak89]

My guess is 7-9.

Wins: Rutgers, ND, SJU, SHU, @sju, Nova, PC
Losses: @pitt, UConn, @nova, @su, @bc, @rutgers, WVU, @nd, @uconn

That might be a bit high, but I didn't really predict any "shocker" upsets and maybe one of those offsets a bad loss. Then again, after correcting for the windchill factor's affect on my "powers" of rational thought, make it 6-10.

[Boz]

HoyaPhatty34 said:

It's now looking like West Virginia, BC, Pitt, UConn, and Syracuse will be the class of the Big East.

West Virginia. Class of The Big East. I'm going to go ahead and borrow from Sports Illustrated and call this statement, "This Week's Sign That The Apocalypse Is Upon Us."

Or, as another quotable gentleman put it:
"Oh, what a bleak and horrible future we live in! ! !"

And, pardon me, but the days of putting the words "BC" and "class" in the same sentence are history, I don't care how good they are.

Ugly sisters. That's all they are. All they'll ever be. Flutie forgive me, but that school is dead to me (borrowing again, from elvado this time).

Seems like some pretty good predictions here and I'd have to say .500 would be a successful year in building for the future.

Then again, we haven't lost ANY Big East games yet, so you KNOW what my prediction is.

[Cambridge]

Decided to flesh out my prediction of 9-7:

Loss by 3- @ Pitt
real nailbiter, Pitt has to crawl its way back into this one...fouls end up killing us inside...Pitt tries to throw the game shooting only 57% from the line...game over when Green, Hibbs and Bowman sit for fouls

Loss by 5- UConn
score looks close but margin closed in garbage time, never hung with them...team noticeably worn out from Pitt game

Win by 8- RUT
Hello Jeff Green, have a triple double why don't you...oh and three blocks and two steals for good measure

Win by 3- @ Nova
people begin to talk about us...nasty team to play

Loss by 11- @ Cuse
inevitable collapse at Cuse...Mac attack eats our guards alive and is unconcious from three

Win by 2- ND
regroup and manage to contain thomas...reed has a huge game, as does crawford...Green too obviously

Win by 12- SJU
even uglier than it sounds

Loss by 5- @ BC
feel like we had this one, then it just slipped away as the BC front court manhandled our frosh)

Win by 7- SHU
tragic collapse by SHU, embarassing. no fistfight afterward but press can't help but make comparisons to the '99 game.

Loss by 1- @ RUT
ouch...just want' our night

Win by 6- WVU
first win over a ranked team in a long time...too bad it was the neers and at home

Loss by 11- @ ND
Thomas gets his revenge...

Win by 9- @ SJU
Hoyas breathe sigh of relief, officially certain that they're not the worst team in Big East

Win by 3- Nova
sweep Nova...put nail in the coffin of yet another promising Nova season...

Loss by 8- @ UConn
UConn running on all cylinders...while our jump shot refuses to fall

Win by 4- Prov
playing as spoilers...we get late win against a supposed tourney team...bumping them to the bubble...

[hoyadrummer]

@ Pitt -- WIN, the Hoyas upset a Pitt team that is falling into a downward spiral. While ranked when the Hoyas beat them, Pitt tanks the rest of the season and by March, no one is impressed with this win.

UConn -- Loss, and by a large margin. With its fans outnumbered 2-1 at MCI the Hoyas are outmatched and crushed by the Huskies (God that hurts to type)

Rutgers -- a nice win for the Hoyas

@ Nova - LOSS, talk of problems of consistency with the team meets groans from those who know that you can't expect consistency from a young team learning a totally new system

@ Cuse - Win, Pops smiles in the stands as the Hoyas shoot over the 2-3 zone en route to destroying the Oranage. Inconsistency is better than being consistently bad the wise men say.

ND - Win

SJU - Win, the team is 13-5, 5-2 in the BE, talk of the NCAA's begins . . .

@ BC - crushing loss to the traitors from the North as the Hoyas can't produce on offense, talk of the NCAA's, stupid to begin with, ends

SHU - Win

@ RUT - Loss - stupid lousy RAC, why can't we have a home court like this

WVU - Loss

@ ND - Loss

@ SJU - Win, like taking candy from a baby (how sad)

Nova - Win, the Hoyas are 8-6 in Conference, 16-9 overall, people begin to post questions on the message board asking why we aren't getting ANY votes in the polls

@ UConn, Loss, still clearly outmatched, people stop asking stupid questions

Prov - Loss, a tough one, the Hoyas end the season 8-8,

but JTIII uses it as a teaching tool and motivation, and the Hoyas make a run to the semis in the BE tourney, and win the NIT!!! Final record - 23-12

[jchoya4ever]

i really hate to make predictions,but i will say 7-9 i hope we can go 7-9 but you never know with the different things like injuries and things like that.i just hope we compete every game and do not get blowed out any games. uconn,and pitt scares me the most and cuse.the cuse zone is tough,i hope we pull some big upsets?
go hoyas i am out!!!!

[JimmyHoya]

My brother predicted 3-13 in the Big East, with an 8-17 record (that included a win versus Temple).

Let's just say mine wasn't too much better

However, I am the super pessimist and I do like being suprised, which is what makes this season fun. I assume they'll suck, so when they are doing well, it's much more fun to chear. It's a growing season. I expect little to none and wins over St. John's and Syracuse.

[CaliHoya]

3-13 or worse? Our schedule is not much tougher than last year in my opinion. I think any worse than last year's record would be a major disappointment. As I said earlier, look for anywhere from 6-8 wins in the Big East.

[CaliHoya]

Okay, last chance to adjust expectations based on the potential our team showed tonight!

[Big Dog]

how about based on the wide-open nature of the conference as we saw tonight? WVU got absolutely EMBARRASSED. They won't be so quick to read their press clippings again. It HAS to hurt just getting destroyed like this in your first game as a top 25 team in a long time. Somebody forgot to tell them that a number in front of your team name puts a target on your back.

Thanks to tonight's win, I'll revise upward from the 6-10 I was looking for. 7-9.