By David Wilson
1. Syracuse– The Orange surprised the Big East last season winning the conference after beginning the season unranked, but after laying an egg in the NCAA Tournament they have some unfinished business. Wesley Johnson deciding to take his talents to the NBA will obviously hurt ‘Cuse, but it will give reigning Big East Sixth Man of the Year Kris Joseph a chance to step into the starting small forward role, not as much of a downgrade as you might think. Syracuse also adds highly touted freshman Fabricio Melo who should fill the void left at center by Arinze Onuaku and Scoop Jardine shouldn’t have to much trouble replacing Andy Rautins at the point.
2. Pittsburgh– The Panthers return four starters from a team that won 26 games a year ago to give coach Jamie Dixon one of his best teams and that’s saying something. Point guard Ashton Gibbs will be asked to carry much of the load, he is Pitt’s returning leading scorer, but expect sophomore forward Dante Taylor to finally live up to his McDonald’s All-American hype. He will be the difference for Pittsburgh.
3. Villanova– All-American Scottie Reynolds may be gone, but Corey Fisher could make Wildcat fans forget about the guard. ‘Nova disappointed in the tournament, falling in the second round as a two-seed after a first round scare, but coach Jay Wright clearly knows how to motivate a team, since his arrival in Philadelphia, Villanova has been among the nation’s elite. With Fisher and the addition of freshman forward JayVaughn Pinkston, things shouldn’t be any different this year.
4. West Virginia– They may not return to the Final Four, but they’re still one of the four best teams in the Big East. The losses of Da’Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks to the NBA will obviously hurt the Mountaineers, but it will open up more opportunities for guards Darryl Bryant and Joe Mazulla and forward Kevin Jones. Don’t worry Bob Huggins haters, WVU will still be on a big enough stage to hate.
5. Georgetown– No Greg Monroe, no problem. The center departed for the NBA this offseason and no one is going to deny that it hurt their National Championship hopes, but forward Austin Freeman could make people forget that. A popular Big East Player of the Year pick, Freeman averaged 16.5 points-per-game a year ago and that should increase as he will take on even more of the scoring load.
6. Connecticut– Much to the delight of many, the past two seasons have been a disaster for Jim Calhoun and the Huskies. That being said, there are still high expectations in Connecticut. The inconsistency of Jermoe Dyson and Stanley Robinson is gone and Kemba Walker is here to take their place. Calhoun may have his haters now, but if UConn wins, the critics could be silenced.
7. Louisville– Last year was a bit of a down year for the Cardinals, after winning at least 25 games in each of the two prior seasons they won just 20, but despite some offseason distractions, coach Rick Pitino has his team in place for a rebound season. Louisville’s hopes lie on a pair of talented junior forwards Terrence Jennings and Jared Swopshire. The Cardinals could ultimately go as the duo goes.
8. Marquette– Even if the Golden Eagles always kill my bracket, there’s no denying they always put in regular season success. Marquette returns two of their top three scorers from a year ago including swingman Jimmy Butler and have one of the nation’s top recruits in Vander Blue. If Blue can make an immediate impact, Marquette could even exceed these expectations.
9. Notre Dame– On paper, Luke Harangody’s departure looks huge, but on the court the Fighting Irish oftentimes played better without the star center in their lineup. The Irish can win without him. Senior sharpshooting forward Tim Abromaitis will be asked to carry the team this year, but for the most part it should be a balanced effort.
10. Cincinnati– Lance Stephenson disappointed in his lone season in Cincinnati. Now the Bearcats can move on from the failed experiment. An NCAA Tournament bid could be a bit of a stretch, but if they do make it there it will be because of junior forward Yancy Gates.
11. DePaul– And here is where there is a noticeable drop in talent. The Blue Demons have little name recognition outside of coach Oliver Purnell, the best excuse for that would be senior swingman Mike Stovall, but Purnell is known for turning programs around. This is where it starts for the Demons.
12. South Florida– Thanks to Dominique Jones the Bulls were the surprise of the Big East a season ago. However, Jones is gone and there is little talent left in Tampa. Big man Augustus Gilchrist is the teams returning scorer with just over 13 points-per-game. He and fellow big Jarrid Famous are the Bulls’ best chance for success.
13. St. John’s– Once one of the great programs in the nation, the Red Storm have fallen upon hard times. New coach Steve Lavin hopes to change that. Despite a 6-12 Big East record last year, the Storm played competitively with the conference’s best and have a returning potential star in swingman DJ Kennedy.
14. Rutgers– This is the year of new coaches in the Big East, Mike Rice in Piscataway is just one of them. Rice led Robert Morris to two NCAA Tournament berths in the last three years, two more than the Scarlet Knights can boast, but he doesn’t have much to work with at Rutgers; senior forward Jonathan Mitchell is the team’s only returning double digit scorer.
15. Seton Hall– Well would you look at that, another new coach. Kevin Willard has been successful at Iona, but could be in for a bit of a reality check in the Big East. Fortunately he has the Big East’s third leading scorer from a year ago in Jeremy Hazell to ease him in.
16. Providence– The Friars concluded the season with 11 straight losses and lost their top scorer from a year ago. Coach Keno Davis’ offense first system could be even worse than it was a year ago without Jamine Peterson who was dismissed from the team for violating team rules. Providence’s D ranked 333rd among 334 Division I teams last year and without Peterson, this sort of defense is even more unacceptable.
All Conference First Team
Corey Fisher, G-Villanova
Kemba Walker, G-UConn
Austin Freeman, F-Georgetown
Kevin Jones, F-WVU
Kris Joseph, F-Syracuse
Second Team
Darryl Bryant, G-WVU
Scoop Jardine, G-Syracuse
Jimmy Butler, F-Marquette
Jared Swopshire, F-Louisville
Dante Taylor, F-Pittsburgh
Freshman of Year– Fabricio Melo
Player of the Year– Austin Freeman
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