Georgetown and Louisville tied for first place in the pre-season Big East coaches' poll. It makes sense to me that Georgetown would be the favorite, as they're coming off a 30-7 season and a trip to the NCAA Final Four. They did lose the reigning Big East Player of the Year in Jeff Green, but they return Senior Center, and Pre-season All-America candidate, Roy Hibbert, as well as a Senior Point Guard, Jonathan Wallace, a member of the Pre-Season All-Big East team. The Hoyas also return Senior Forward, Patrick Ewing Jr., Junior Guard, Jessie Sapp, and Sophmores: Vernon Macklin, DeJuan Summers, and Jeremiah Rivers (the son of Boston Celtics Head Coach, Doc Rivers). In case that's not enough experience and talent on one roster, Georgetown went out and snatched a pair of McDonalds All-Americans out of Maryland: Austin Freeman and Chris Wright. On top of all this, the Hoyas also boast the reigning National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Coach of the Year, John Thompson III. So far, the team is 5-0, with a good challenge at Alabama December 5th. For all these reasons, Georgetown is the team to beat in the Big East this year.
Louisville has a very talented team, as well, but they are dealing with early season injuries. Senior Center, David Padgett broke his kneecap against Jackson State, and the Louisville Courier-Journal says he's out at least 10 weeks, and the injury may end his career. Juan Palacios, a 6' 8" Senior Forward, who has started 85 games in his career for Louisville, is out for at least a month, after discussing a possible redshirt after a pre-season knee injury. The Cardinals are led by Earl Clark, averaging a double-double at 14 points and 12 rebounds a game, for a squad that began the year 5-1 with an early season loss to BYU in Las Vegas. Joining Clark in the frontcourt are Derrick Caracter and Terrence Williams. The backcourt is led by Edgar Sosa and Jerry Smith. There is no question about Louisville's coach, however, as Rick Pitino is one of the best in the college game. I don't see Louisville challenging for the Big East crown, though because of the injuries to two of their stars, subsequently hurting their depth.
Marquette is a team to be re
ckoned with in the conference this year. They played a very good Duke Blue Devils team down to the wire in the final of the Maui Invitational, losing by four. At the conclusion of the tournament, Marquette guards Dominic James and Jerel McNeal were named to the all-tournament team. At this point, the team stands at 5-1, and they get a stiff test Saturday with a trip to Wisconsin to take on the Badgers. James is truly one of the best guards in the country, and he is joined in the backcourt by fellow Juniors: McNeal and Wesley Matthews. The Golden Eagles have no true center, but Seniors Ousmane Barro and Dan Fitzgerald give them some quality play in the frontcourt. A couple Sophomores that give Marqette depth are: David Cubillan and Lazar Hayward. The Golden Eagles are led by one of the finest young coaches in the game, Tom Crean.
Jamie Dixon's Pittsburgh Panthers are always a tough team, but they must replace all-league player Aaron Gray who's now in the N.B.A. The Panthers have started out strongly, as they're currently 7-0, with a cross-country battle set for Saturday afternoon against the Huskies of Washington. Junior Forward, Sam Young is currently averaging 18 points and 9 rebounds, and he leads Pitt this season, along with Senior, Mike Cook. Levance Fields and Ronald Roman give them some solid experience in the backcourt.
The hometown Syracuse Orange are picked for 5th, but if their results thus far mean anything, they may struggle. They're 5-2, with a respectable 3rd place finish in the Pre-Season NIT, but last week they scored an even 100 at home and somehow still found a way to lose to UMass. Syracuse gets another good out-of-conference test December 5th, when they travel to Charlottesville for a match-up with the Virginia Cavaliers. Hall of Fame Coach, Jim Boeheim has been disappointed with his team's play so far this season, and he told reporters this past week his team needs to improve in every facet. The future is certainly bright for the Orange, however, as they brought in a pair of McDonald's All-Americans, Donte' Greene and Jonny Flynn. Syracuse has a very talented starting five, and if the Orange can somehow get some decent play out of their bench players, they could go far in the post-season.
Hall of Famer, Jim Calhoun's Connecticut Huskies are in store for a re-building year. They are 5-2, but they lost to the two tough teams they've played, Memphis and Gonzaga. Currently they're led by the trio of: Jerome Dyson, A.J. Price, and Jeff Adrien. Even though they're not too experienced or deep, the Huskies could still be in line for a NCAA Tournament bid.
Jay Wright's Villanova squad is led by Sophomore Guard, Scottie Reynolds, last year's Big East Rookie of the Year. They brought in a pair of talented "Corey's": Fisher and Stokes. Their only loss this year was a controversial one point loss to NC State in the championship game over the Old Spice Classic on a last second foul call. They could be a sleeper this year.
The Providence Friars are lead by a combo Forward/Guard, Geoff McDermott, a Pre-Season All-Big East player. The talent doesn't stop there, however, as they have four other players averaging more than 12 points a game.
Notre Dame and Bob Huggins' West Virginia squad round out the top 10 in the conference this year and both could be tourney contenders, as well. Jay Bilas, a former player at Duke, and a top analyst for ESPN, says the Big East could challenge the current way things are with more than half the team getting into the NCAA Tournament.
DePaul, Cincinnati, Seton Hall, St. John's, Rutgers, and South Florida round out the final six in this year's Big East Coaches' Pre-Season Poll.
3 comments:
What are your predictions? Who are the sleepers? I think Syracuse is ranked too high in the preseason Big East coaches poll. Who is your preseason all Big East team?
I took a plane out to San Diego a year and a half ago...and guess who was on my flight? Scottie Reynolds...he was going to play in the McDonald's All American Game. He's a native of the DC area.
Georgetown has been one of my favorite NCAAMB teams for a while now, and I'm looking for a big show from them in the tournament. Of course, I'm hoping the Orange get their defense together and learn how to pace the game, but that hope might have to be saved for next year.
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