Projected order of finish
1. Connecticut
2. Villanova
3. Louisville
4. Georgetown
5. Syracuse
6. West Virginia
7. Cincinnati
8. Pittsburgh
9. Notre Dame
10. Rutgers
11. Depaul
12. Marquette
13. Providence
14. St. Johns
15. Seton Hall
16. South Florida
The jockeying for position has taken place. Teams have moved on. The media and coaches have put their two cents in. Now, all that is left for the sixteen team basketball juggernaut is to actually play the season. Nobody really knows how this is going to turn out. The Big East looks like the strongest conference in the nation with the additions of Louisville, Cincinnati, DePaul, Marquette, and South Florida. However, there are serious issues that have yet to be resolved. How many NCAA bids can a conference this big recieve? Will the unbalanced schedule work out? Is this leage geographically viable, now that it includes teams nearly all the way out to the Mississippi? And what about balance? In this league, how does team number sixteen ever hope to compete with team number one? The inaugural new Big East season will go a long way in answering some of these questions.
Those ranked teams ranked at the top of this conference are the true heavyweights, eating up the media spotlight and tv time. The contenders are very strong, though various issues have weakened each of the top three teams. Laptopgate will continue to be the Big East's most watched off the court story, and will effect Connecticut's season dramatically, depening on whether Marcus Williams is allowed to play. Villanova's Curtis Sumpter is likley out for the season, knocking the Wildcats out of the preseason top spot. Finally, Louisville's Juan Palacios is likley to miss a chunk of the non-conference slate at the very least, and leaves Rick Pitino a bit thin in the frontcourt. These issues leave the conference title very much up for grabs, and the next group of teams - Georgetown, Syracuse, and West Virginia - is ready to pounce.
I would like to thank the good people over at the Big East Basketball Report for some much appreciated collaboration on this article. You won't find a better source for Big East hoops on the internet, so make sure to check them out on a regular basis.
Draft Express 2006 Preseason Big East Teams and Awards
All Big East
First Team
G Allan Ray, Villanova
G Taquan Dean, Louisville
SF Rudy Gay, Connecticut
PF Eric Hicks, Cincinnati
C Josh Boone, Connecticut
Second Team
PG Carl Krauser, Pittsburgh
G Randy Foye, Villanova
G Darryl Hill, St John's
SG James White, Cincinnati
PF Jeff Green, Georgetown
Third Team
PG Gerry McNamara, Syracuse
PG Kyle Lowry, Villanova
SG Mike Gansey, West Virginia
F Brandon Bowman, Georgetown
PF Juan Palacios, Louisville
Fourth Team
PG Sammy Mejia, DePaul
SG Quincy Douby, Rutgers
F Steve Novak, Marquette
PF Terrence Roberts, Syracuse
C Torin Francis, Notre Dame
Fifth Team
PG Marcus Williams, Connecticut
PG Chris Quinn, Notre Dame
SG Dwight Brewington, Providence
PF Kelly Whitney, Seton Hall
C Kevin Pittsnogle, West Virginia
All-Newcomer Team
PG Dominic James, Marquette
SG Eric Devendorf, Syracuse
SF Anthony Mason Jr, St John's
F Sam Young, Pittsburgh
F Wilson Chandler, DePaul
All-Newcomer Second Team
G Jabari Currie, DePaul
SG Jerel McNeal, Marquette
SF Terence Williams, Louisville
F JR Inman, Rutgers
C Luke Zeller, Notre Dame
MVP: Allan Ray, Villanova
Defensive Player of the Year: Josh Boone, Connecticut
Most Improved Player: Kyle Lowry, Villanova
Newcomer of the Year: Dominic James, Marquette
Coach of the Year: Jay Wright, Villanova