College Basketball - Part 6

Ok, so I took a day off yesterday. I know, there are no days off in the blogging world but I was worried I was overloading all of your brains with college basketball. Then my computer got a virus so its not Sunday and I am finally getting this post up. I also wanted to give you a day off before I really get to the meat and potatoes of college basketball this year. The Big East. This conference is really good this year. They have teams that can win it all and the conference is so deep. There are going to be good teams that are flat out left out of the conference tournament. Every game that is played this year in the Big East is going to be worth watching. Even if you live out west and the Pac-10 is life, the Big East should be something you pay attention to.

There are 16 teams in the conference here so I am going to bunch the bottom four into one group and then I will start with number 12 and count up.

And the bottom 4 this year in the Big East are: (Drum Roll Please)

South Florida Bulls

St. John's Red Storm

DePaul Blue Demons

Seton Hall Pirates

Ok, now for the teams I see making it to the Garden in March.

12. Rutgers Scarlet Knights - This team was 11-20 last year. That isn't good but coach Fred Hill brought in one of the better recruiting classes in the conference this year. That's very impressive so I believe that as the season goes on this team will get better and better. This team may not win many more then 11 games this year but they will definitely be very competitive night in and night out and if they can get the ball to bounce their way a few times watch out.

11. Providence Friars - This team relies on the play of point guard Sharaud Curry. This team went 15-16 last year. Sharaud Curry was injured for most of the year last year. This makes sense right? Right! The Friars have a new coach in Keno Davis who came from Drake where he took that from 6-12 in the MVC to conference champs in one season. He is a darn good coach. I am not saying that will happen here. This is the Big East but expect an improvement especially if Curry can stay healthy.

10. Cincinnatti Bearcats - Coach Mick Cronin has struggled a bit in his 2 years at Cincy only winning 24 games but losing 38. That's not good but he has a decent recruiting class coming and and the team seems deep. Deep at every position but one. That one is point guard and that doesn't bode well for a team in the Big East. Freshmen Cashmere Wright is going to be expected to carry the load here and if that doesn't work out Cronin will be scrambling and this could get ugly quickly.

9. West Virginia Mountaineers - Up until now this conference seemed pretty average. This spot right here, number 9, is being filled with a team that made it to the regional semi-finals last year and only really lost one player. Joe Alexander did score a lot and was a lottery pick but that's it. Oh and they still are coached by this guy, Bob Huggins. You may have heard of him. He is really good and will always get the best out of his guys. Its crazy to think a team that will probably win 20 games is predicted ninth in its conference. Yea, the Big East might put 9 teams in the tournament and they might all win in the first round.

8. Georgetown Hoyas - This is crazy too but I am done with all of that jazz. This team lost Roy Hibbert, their big man in the middle but three starters return and Greg Monroe is a 6'11" super freshman that should fill Hibbert's shoes immediately. This team won 28 games last year and that's not out of the question again. It's just going to be hard in this conference.

7. Syracuse Orange - What a dumb nickname. Anyway, this team is led by junior Eric Devendorf and sophomore Jonny Flynn. Jim Boeheim's team will be able to score with anybody. If the 2-3 matchup zone can work as well as it has in the past this team will be great. That's going to be the key as last year they allowed almost 9 three-pointers a game. It's hard to win when you have to make up that kind of deficit. If they improve on the defensive end, last year's 21 wins can turn into 25 this year.

6. Villanova Wildcats - This team is good. Scottie Reynolds will be an all conference player. Dante Cunningham is a darn good player on the low blocks. This team has tons of experience with most of their players being juniors and seniors. Jay Wright is a great coach. Oh and don't forget this team lost to Kansas in the regional final last year. Sounds like a formula for a lot of success to me.

5. Marquette Golden Eagles - This team has only a slight edge over Villanova and the games between those two teams will be some of the most entertaining in the conference this year. Dominic James is also an all conference guy who leads Marquette in everything it seems. They do have a new coach as former coach Tom Crean left for Indiana. It's going to take some time to adjust but as the season goes, this team will get better and better.

4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish - This team is potentially a top 10 team in the country. Luke Harangody is right there amongst the best big men in the country and Kyle McAlarney can shoot it from anywhere. Tory Jackson is a solid point guard who knows where to get the ball and when. I know they were just blown out by Carolina in Maui and Harangody is out with pneumonia until the new year but this team will certainly bounce back and will be a major threat come tourney time.

3. Pittsburgh Panthers - DeJuan Blair is great on the inside and Levance Fields is one of the better point guards on both ends it the country. Sam Young is awesome on the wing. It's hard to find a better big three in this conference and frankly, nationally. Just on talent alone this team could win a lot of games but with Jamie Dixon coaching them up look out. This team is definitely final four caliber.

2. Louisville Cardinals - David Padgett was a great player and a great leader and will be sorely missed here. Don't worry Cardinal's fans, Pitino knew he needed a replacement and Samardo Samuel is that. He might not have the leadership skills that Padgett did but he can play! Earl Clark is definitely good enough to carry this team and to make a serious bid for all-conference. Pitino knows how to coach his team up and this team will definitely make a serious run come March.

1. Connecticut Huskies - Jim Calhoun has a contender once again. I am always afraid to predict UCONN to win the conference because almost every year they are overrated. This year however is not one of them. Hasheem Thabeet is a monster inside. He will lead the country in blocks probably and is as good on the offensive end. A.J. Pierce is a great point guard that will definitely keep this team focused throughout the year. Jeff Adrien is a great wingman that can score, rebound and defend. This could be the best big three in the land outside of Chapel Hill. This team could definitely win it all come early April.

That's it for the Big East. By far this is the best conference in the country. When conference play starts in this league expect the unexpected!