Big East newcomers will be tested

Twenty-five percent of the Big East's head coaches are new to their positions this season, with four programs bringing in new talent: The DePaul Blue Demons hired Oliver Purnell away from Clemson, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights tapped Robert Morris coach Mike Rice as their new man, the St. John's Red Storm lured former UCLA coach Steve Lavin away from his duties as an ESPN analyst and the Seton Hall Pirates brought in Iona head coach Kevin Willard.

These programs have all faced difficult times recently, of course, but the task facing these four new coaches is even more daunting than it first appears. And it can take time for teams to acclimate to new coaches. So should we be talking about the NCAA tournament for any of these squads? Turns out, we should.

To read Gasaway's full take here, you need to be an ESPN Insider -- that will also get you other CBB content, like Lunardi, Bilas, Gottlieb, Mid-Major Power Index and more.

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John Gasaway

ESPN Insider

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• ESPN Insider college basketball contributor
• First began covering college hoops in 2004
• Has written for Basketball Prospectus and the Wall Street Journal