The new Value Add Basketball rankings give two dozen Big East players high marks, and the top service used by coaches shows the conference surging near the top just two years after Fox Sports made it a lynch pin in it’s challenge to ESPN.
Kris Dunn of Providence ranks 7th and is a clear National Player of the Year contender. He comes in as one of just two dozen players in the Top 10% of players in the next player rankings. This makes the Big East one of just three conferences with about 2.5 top 400 players for team:
| Grand Total | Top 10% | Teams | Per Team | Top Player | Name, Jersey | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B12 | 27 | 10 | 2.7 | 30 | Hield, Buddy 24 | Oklahoma |
| ACC | 37 | 15 | 2.5 | 3 | Allen, Grayson 3 | Duke |
| BE | 24 | 10 | 2.4 | 7 | Dunn, Kris 3 | Providence |
| B10 | 30 | 14 | 2.1 | 2 | Valentine, Denzel 45 | Michigan St. |
| SEC | 27 | 14 | 1.9 | 1 | Simmons, Ben 25 | LSU |
| Amer | 20 | 11 | 1.8 | 59 | Johnson, Ronnie 3 | Houston |
| A10 | 24 | 14 | 1.7 | 9 | Hinds, Jabarie 5 | Massachusetts |
| P12 | 22 | 14 | 1.6 | 4 | Payton, Gary 1 | Oregon St. |
The amount of talent on the court yields big results, as www.kenpom.com now indicates Big East teams would likely win over 78% of their games against all opponents—behind only the Big 12 and ACC.
1 Big 12 Conference .8233
2 Atlantic Coast Conference .8126
3 Big East Conference .7845
4 Big Ten Conference .7753
5 Pac 12 Conference .7555
6 Southeastern Conference .7407
7 American Athletic Conference .6735
8 Atlantic 10 Conference .6588
Fox Sports took a big chance making the Big East a centerpiece. Sure, the ten teams boast great histories and play in major media markets. But overall they have very small enrollments and alumni bases of support that led to some rough TV ratings the first year. However, if the quality of games dictates future growth, the conference appears poised to give the conferences ESPN spent incredible dough on a run for their money.