College Basketball Preview: Villanova Is Looking to Continue Their Reign of Dominance in the Big East

On the Decline: Butler Bulldogs

Butler had a great 2016-17 campaign in which they were 25-9 and finished second in the Big East's regular season standings before getting ousted by eventual National Champion North Carolina in the Sweet 16 as a 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Bulldogs will have a lot to overcome with the departure of former head coach Chris Holtmann to Ohio State, along with the graduation of seniors Andrew Chrabascz, Kethan Savage, Avery Woodson, and Tyler Lewis. This is not to say Butler will drop to the bottom of the Big East, but considering their success last season, they are likely to pull back to the middle of the pack.

The brightest spot of this season will be senior forward Kelan Martin. He was Butler's leading scorer last season, and being paired with sophomore guard Kamar Baldwin means the Bulldogs will have two of their three leading scorers from last season.