Big East Basketball

2016 Big East point guard rankings

How does BECB view the floor generals of the conference?

By Christopher Novak@ChrisMNovak Sep 19, 2016, 4:06pm EDT

The 2016 college basketball season is getting closer and closer. With that, we will be doing a series of positional rankings over the next few weeks to showcase where we, the writers of Big East Coast Bias, believe each player currently stands.

Today, we look at point guards. For the purpose of these rankings we took who we believe to be the projected point guard for each team in the Big East. In some cases, we recognize the fact that there are multiple players who can consider themselves point guards on the same team (Ex.: Phil Booth on Villanova, the Marquette guards, etc.).

We did not include them for the purpose of these rankings but what we can tell you is that we will be discussing them at a later date.

Here’s how things played out.

10. Federico Mussini, St. John’s

(Score: 9.5; Highest Vote: 9; Lowest Vote: 10)

Mussini showed a good deal of promise last year for St. John’s. Another year under his belt will do him wonders, as will playing around even more talented guards like LoVett and Ponds -- Christopher Novak

Mussini wasn’t really ready for nearly 30 mpg as a freshman in the Big East, but St. John’s roster overhaul in Chris Mullin’s first season at the helm forced the Italian point guard into lots of action. With a year in college and some added bulk, Mussini should be much more prepared for the 2016-17 season with the Red Storm. He also will have some help in the form of top-50 freshman Shamorie Ponds and newly eligible redshirt freshman Marcus LoVett, who was a top-100 recruit in the class of 2015 for Mullin before being ruled a partial qualifer by the NCAA. That help also means Mussini will be dealing with a crowded backcourt, similar to Carter. -- Mike Hopkins

9. Tre Campbell, Georgetown

(Score: 9.4; Highest Vote: 9; Lowest Vote: 10)

NCAA Basketball: Villanova at Georgetown

It’s a little concerning that Campbell had decreases in shooting percentage and per 40 minute numbers in 2016. Hopefully he takes a step in the right direction in 2016. -- Christopher Novak

Campbell has his work cut out for him in replacing D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera. However, on a team like Georgetown with immense frontcourt talent, Campbell doesn't need to be *the* guy this year. He just needs to be *a* guy -- Robert O’Neill

It might not be fair to compare Campbell to the other players in this poll because, well, he may not really be a point guard. But he’s here and the consensus among the voters in this poll is that he is the "worst" point guard in the Big East this season. Campbell’s 3-point shooting numbers dropped off a cliff from his freshman to sophomore campaigns his turnovers/40 minutes nearly doubled. The turnover numbers certainly aren’t massive, but his production as a point guard is lacking and I’m not sure I see it getting much better even with more minutes after the graduation of D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera. -- Mike Hopkins

8. Traci Carter, Marquette

(Score: 6.78; Highest Vote: 5; Lowest Vote: 8)

NCAA Basketball: Jackson State at Marquette

People might not realize it but Traci Carter had the fourth-highest Assist% a season ago, trailing only Kris Dunn, Maurice Watson Jr. and Isaiah Whitehead. Good company right? I’m pretty high on Carter and think he’ll have another good season in Milwaukee this year. -- Christopher Novak

It's hard to judge just how good he'll be in relation to the rest of the conference because we also have Haanif and Andrew Rowsey that are starter-level quality so we don't even know if he is starting for us. -- Sam Newberry

Carter had a very solid freshman season for Marquette but he is in a bit of a crowded backcourt with juniors Duane Wilson, incoming UNC-Asheville transfer Andrew Rowsey and top-70 freshman Markus Howard all competing for minutes in the Golden Eagles’ backcourt. Carter’s turnover numbers were too high last season and his shooting needs to improve. We’ll see if he gets more or less than the 23.9 mpg he averaged in his rookie season. -- Mike Hopkins

A good PG knows when to assist, and Traci Carter does just that for Marquette. Even if Carter hasn't perfected his own shooting drive, it's clear he possesses a penchant for conducting plays to get Marquette on the board. -- Tehr Umar

7. Billy Garrett Jr., DePaul

(Score: 6.55; Highest Vote: 4; Lowest Vote: 8)

Garrett is a member of the First Team All-Underappreciated in my book. He’s been doing very good things on poor DePaul teams the past three seasons. I expect him to go out with a bang this year. -- Christopher Novak

Garrett checks in at #7, but I feel like his team has a lot to do about it. The fact that he plays for DePaul makes him one of the most overlooked players in the conference, and it has for years. -- Robert O’Neill

Garrett, Jr. might be the forgotten man a little bit this season and that’s probably mostly due to the fact that many people probably feel like he’s been in the Big East for a decade. It also doesn’t help that DePaul has continue to struggle. The emergence of Eli Cain should take some pressure off Garrett, Jr. in what is his final year with the Blue Demons. -- Mike Hopkins

6. Kyron Cartwright, Providence

(Score: 6.27; Highest Vote: 5; Lowest Vote: 8)

NCAA Basketball Tournament - First Round - Providence v Southern California

I’m sure that plenty of teams around the Big East and the country would kill to have the transition that Providence has had to undergo at the point guard position over the years. From Cotton to Dunn to Cartwright? Sign me up. I think he’s going to impress a lot of the people who ranked him low. -- Christopher Novak

He was VERY overshadowed last year in Providence during the Kris Dunn show. I hope he took REALLY good notes. -- Marisa Miller

Cartwright will officially be taking the keys from Kris Dunn in the Compton, CA native’s third season in Friartown. Cartwright emerged during the latter half of Big East play as a leader and that will need to continue for a Friar team without a senior. Cartwright seems poised to have an excellent year and continue the string of point guard play that Ed Cooley has had in his time at Providence. Cartwright needs to become a more consistent shooter after improving his shooting numbers from dismal in 2014-15 to average last season. -- Mike Hopkins

Taking over for Kris Dunn is not an easy task, but the Friars will turn to Cartwright to do just that. He'll be looked at as one of Providence's main leaders as he enters his third season. In years past, control and managing turnovers have been Cartwright's biggest issues, but both have improved over the last two seasons. With added confidence from last season, look for Cartwright to continue to minimize the turnovers and pad on the assists. He's now the Friars' starting quarterback. -- Chris Grenham

With Kris Dunn off to the Timberwolves, it's ripe time for the age of "Cartwright PG Greatness" to dawn at Providence. Cartwright has had some time to introduce his power to the Big East, but now begins his moment to establish himself as PG heavyweight. -- Tehr Umar

5. Tyler Lewis, Butler

(Score: 6.22; Highest Vote: 5; Lowest Vote: 9)

Lewis entered 2015 with a lot of hype but I’m not so certain if he lived up to it or not. He was good to start the year but finished very inconsistent. He needs to perform better to live up to this ranking by season’s end. -- Christopher Novak

It's his job to lose this season. Woodson and Savage are going to be nipping at his heels. -- Marisa Miller

Lewis is not someone I’m particularly high on. In fact, I gave him the lowest ranking of my peers who voted in this poll. He had a clear deficiency on defense in his first season playing for Butler after sitting out a year after transferring from NC State. His numbers weren’t overly impressive with the one exception of his 85.2% free throw percentage. He shot sub-30% from beyond the arc and played less than 20 mpg, which is something I would attribute to his issues on the defensive end of the floor. -- Mike Hopkins

4. Khadeen Carrington, Seton Hall

(Score: 4.22; Highest Vote: 4; Lowest Vote: 6)

Khadeen has had to play in the shadows of Sterling Gibbs and Isaiah Whitehead the past two seasons. Now, with both Gibbs and Whitehead gone, it’s his time to shine in the Pirates backcourt. Carrington showed some signs of improvement last year but will still need to work on his 3-point shooting and upping his free throw percentage as well, and getting to the line more also as his FTRate took a dip in his sophomore season. -- Christopher Novak

He will do fine with the rest of the junior squad. But I miss Isaiah Whitehead already. -- Marisa Miller

Carrington steps into the lead dog role for Seton Hall after backcourt-mate Isaiah Whitehead jumped to the NBA after last season. Carrington can score like he breathes at times and improved his shooting numbers across the board in 2015-16. He’ll need to show more consistency in distributing and taking care of the ball in 2016-17. -- Mike Hopkins

Seton Hall's Big East championship might well have been nonexistent without Carrington's onset tournament explosiveness. Carrington's physicality and grit on offensive drives make him a sharp contender for one of the best PGs in the Big East. -- Tehr Umar

3. Jalen Brunson, Villanova (2)

(Score: 2.61; Highest Vote: 1; Lowest Vote: 3)

NCAA Men's Final Four Semifinal - Villanova v Oklahoma

Brunson REALLY came on strong as the season progressed, developing into a very good player that was pivotal in helping Villanova win the National Championship. Jalen’s certainly primed to be yet another great #JayWrightGuard and should be fun to watch in his sophomore season. -- Christopher Novak

Jelled really well last season on the team. Hope he can fill the big shoes left by the Arch. -- Marisa Miller

Brunson was one of the most highly-touted recruits to enter the Big East last season. He lived up to the hype but played behind/next to Ryan Arcidiacono in his freshman campaign. With the reigns fully turned over to Brunson this season, I expect him to continue to be productive. He has a chance to be an All-Big East player in year two in the Big East, but he needs to increase his assists numbers and continue to shoot the ball well in order to make that leap. -- Mike Hopkins

Let's collectively agree to never sleep on Jalen Brunson. Despite being one of the youngest PGs on the list, I'd argue he brings some of the strongest impact. Never failing to play the game intelligently, Brunson orchestrates complex plays with ease and consistently drains buckets in tense situations. -- Tehr Umar

2. Edmond Sumner, Xavier (5)

(Score: 2.0; Highest Vote: 1; Lowest Vote: 3)

Remember when there was a question about who would be Xavier’s point guard? Neither do I. Edmond Sumner had a fantastic first year in Cincinnati and is poised to build off that this coming season. If he does, the NBA could be in his future very soon, but Musketeer fans should certainly appreciate what they have in the interim in Sumner. -- Christopher Novak

Really surprised he didn't make an NBA draft run last year. He will be VERY dangerous again for X. -- Marisa Miller

For my money, Sumner is the top point guard in the Big East. There might be other guys who have been more consistently productive than Sumner, but the redshirt sophomore has the potential to be an absolute stud in the mold of former Providence lead guard Kris Dunn. Sumner’s size gives him the edge over Mo Watson, at least for me. -- Mike Hopkins

Sumner brings the height and the heat. His impressive perimeter paves the way for natural domination on the court, and his knack for securing double digit numbers on the scoreboard proves it. As far as freshman debuts go, Sumner had a fantastic one; his influence for Xavier is only going to be expanded. -- Tehr Umar

1. Maurice Watson Jr., Creighton (11)

(Score: 1.38; Highest Vote: 1; Lowest Vote: 2)

These rankings are just one big apology letter after last year’s misevaluation. Sorry Mo. -- Christopher Novak

We didn't make the same mistake twice. After having Watson seventh in last year's rankings, the Creighton guard claimed the top spot this year, earning 11 of 18 first place votes. -- Robert O’Neill

There's really nothing this guy can't do. Top ten point guard in the whole league frankly. -- Marisa Miller

Watson was the best point guard in the Big East not named Dunn last season and I still think he’s deserving to be in the conversation for the top spot. However, I think Watson may be at his ceiling right now – and don’t get me wrong, that’s a pretty awesome ceiling – whereas Sumner is moving closer to his after a full year of competition last season. -- Mike Hopkins