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Dan Hurley on the Big East: “It’s going to be the best conference in the country and it’s not particularly close.”

Is the Big East on the verge of becoming the best conference in college basketball?

Dan Hurley doesn’t think it’s much of a debate.

“It’s going to be the best conference in the country and it’s not particularly close,” Hurley said Monday on the College Hoops Today Podcast. “You’re looking at Big East basketball now with St. John’s being back and Georgetown being back. That doesn’t include UConn, Marquette, and Creighton who are all national championship contenders this year and Xavier — who if it had a healthy Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter — would also be a top-10 or top-15 type team.”

The Big East has produced three of the last seven national champions, with UConn winning it all last season and Villanova winning a pair of national titles under Jay Wright in 2016 and 2018.

The conference though, has never gotten consistent mileage out of both St. John’s and Georgetown in its current rendition. Since the 2013-14 season, the Red Storm and Hoyas are only a combined 1-4 in the NCAA Tournament. St. John’s and Georgetown are entering their first seasons under Rick Pitino and Ed Cooley respectively.

“It’s an incredible group of coaches with huge personalities,” Hurley added. “It’s going to be vicious. There’s going to be a lot of drama.”

Seven teams from the Big East are currently ranked in the ROTHSTEIN 45.

Leftovers