Seton Hall picked 2nd in Big East preseason poll, St. John's 6th

Kevin Willard has reason to smile after Seton Hall was picked second in Big East preseason poll. St. John's added to optimism among locals with their sixth-place prediction. (Photo by the Asbury Park Press)

If last season's success carries over to this coming year of Big East basketball, both local teams should be setting an NCAA Tournament appearance as their respective bars.

Seton Hall, shooting for their third straight inclusion into the field of 68, fared the better of the two in the conference's annual preseason coaches' poll, being picked second among ten teams while St. John's is not far behind, having been predicted to finish sixth as head coach Chris Mullin continues to resurrect his alma mater. Villanova, the Big East regular season champion in each of the past four years, was once again the unanimous pick to win the league, followed by Seton Hall, Xavier, Providence, and Creighton rounding out the top five. St. John's, Marquette, Butler, Georgetown, and DePaul complete the 2017-18 prognostications. For Seton Hall, who received a first-place vote, it is their highest preseason speculation since the 2000-01 season, when the late Eddie Griffin was the Big East Rookie of the Year.

Both the Pirates and Red Storm possess multiple all-conference selections entering the season, with Seton Hall boasting a pair of preseason first team honoree in senior forward Angel Delgado and fellow senior guard Khadeen Carrington. The 6-foot-10 big man received first team all-Big East recognition last season en route to averaging 15.2 points and a nation-leading 13.1 rebounds per game, and captured the Haggerty Award this past April as the best player in the New York metropolitan area. Carrington enters his final season in South Orange as the Pirates' point guard, becoming the primary ball handler following Madison Jones' departure while reprising his role as the leading scorer for head coach Kevin Willard. Their senior classmate, Desi Rodriguez, garnered an honorable mention. Rodriguez, whose highlight-reel dunks helped contribute to an average of 15.7 points per game, will once again be counted on to be a dynamic source of offense on the perimeter.

Villanova's Jalen Brunson was named the conference's Preseason Player of the Year, following in the footsteps of former teammate and current Los Angeles Laker Josh Hart, who was last season's recipient. The Wildcats also snagged Freshman of the Year billing with 6-foot-9 forward Omari Spellman, who makes his long-awaited debut this season after being declared ineligible last fall. Brunson, Delgado and Carrington were joined on the first team by Creighton's Marcus Foster and Xavier's Trevon Bluiett.

St. John's talented sophomore backcourt was lauded by the Big East coaches for ranking among the best in the conference, as both Shamorie Ponds and Marcus LoVett landed second team accolades. A somewhat controversial snub for Freshman of the Year following a rookie season that saw him average a team-leading 17.4 points per game as the Red Storm improved six wins from an 8-24 mark two years ago, Ponds joins LoVett, who averaged 15.9 points per contest as a redshirt freshman last year.

Both Seton Hall and St. John's open the season at home on November 10, with the Pirates ushering in-state rival Fairleigh Dickinson into the Prudential Center while the Red Storm roll out the welcome mat for New Orleans inside Carnesecca Arena.