The good news is 2012 was another good recruiting year for the Big East, as the conference landed 15 ESPN 100 prospects. The bad news is that three of the programs making the biggest recruiting splashes of late -- Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame -- are moving to the ACC as part of the conference realignment that arguably has hurt the Big East more than any other conference in America.
Providence earned the highest-rated recruiting class in the Big East last year but isn't likely to feel the effects just yet, as Ricardo Ledo was ruled only a partial qualifier by the NCAA Eligibility Center, and McDonald's All-American Kris Dunn is sidelined with a shoulder injury. As always, opportunity will play a large role in determining exactly which freshmen go on to make the biggest impacts in the 2012-2013 season.