All Big East First Team

G – Taquan Dean – Sr.  - Louisville

G – Gerry McNamara – Sr. - Syracuse

G – Carl Krauser – Sr. - Pittsburgh

F – Rudy Gay – So. – UConn

F – Josh Boone – Jr. - UConn

All Big East Second Team

G – Allen Ray – Sr. – Villanova

G – Randy Foye – Sr. – Villanova

F – Jeff Green – So. – Georgetown

F – Kevin Pittsnogle – Sr. – West Virginia

F – Eric Hicks – Sr. – Cincinnati

Player of the Year – Rudy Gay – So. – UConn

One of the biggest knocks against Rudy Gay is that he isn’t assertive enough on offense.  In order for him to win Big East player of the year this year he will have to prove his detractors wrong.  Gay’s arsenal of weapons is limitless.  He can shoot the three (46.7% as a freshman), rebound (5.4 rpg), pass (48 assists, 3^rd best on the team), defend (25 steals, tied for 2^nd on the team) and dunk from almost anywhere he pleases.  He spent the summer playing with the USA Basketball Men’s U21 National Team where he still wasn’t as aggressive as some would have liked but still played well.  If he can put together a solid season and assuming he leaves early, he will likely be the first pick in the NBA draft.

Big east All-Rookie Team

G – Eric Devendorf – Syracuse

G – Dominic James – Marquette

G – Sharaud Curry – Providence

F – Rashad Woods – DePaul

F – Jeff Adrien – UConn

Rookie of the Year – Eric Devendorf

Devendorf brings a solid set of credentials with him.  He was a McDonald’s All-American.  He spent his Sr. year of high school at the famous Oak Hill Academy where he shined.  He spent the three years prior at Central Hill High School in Michigan.  Eric originally gave a verbal agreement to Michigan St. but retracted it once the buzz of his skills picked up.  While he won’t start right away, look for him to get solid minutes in relief of McNamara and McCroskey.

Five Toughest Road Trips in the Big East

1.  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion - UConn Huskies

2.  Peterson Events Center - Pittsburgh Panthers

3.  The Carrier Dome - Syracuse Orange

4.  Louis Brown Athletic Center (The RAC) - Rutgers Scarlet Knights

5. (tie)  Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center - Cincinnati Bearcats

            Freedom Hall – Louisville Cardinals

The RAC would normally rank a little higher on this list but a sub-par year at home last year dropped them down a few notches.  2004-5 was the first year since their joining the Big East in 1995-6 that they had a sub .500 season at this peculiarly shaped building.  Since joining the Big East, Rutgers has posted a 139-155 overall record; nothing earth shattering you will agree.  What is impressive is that their home record during that timeframe is 102-53.   In the three years prior to last season, Rutgers was an astounding 41-10 at the RAC (.804).  Many a ranked team has come into the RAC and lost, one of the more memorable Scarlet Knight victories being an impressive win over the eventual national champs Syracuse in 2003, 68-65.

Top 5 Big East question for 2005-6

1.       How does UConn play without Marcus Williams in the first semester and how quickly can he get back in form?

2.       How does Cincinnati handle the post-Huggins era?

3.       Can DePaul maintain the same level of competitiveness they had with (new coach)?

4.       How far can Villanova go without Curtis Sumpter?

5.       How does the new super sized league fare come NCAA Tournament time?

Losing Curtis Sumpter was obviously a huge blow to the Wildcats.  His 15.3 ppg and team leading 7.2 rpg will be sorely missed.  The good news is that even without Sumpter ‘Nova returns 4 starters, including a stellar pair of guards in Randy Foye (15.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.1 spg) and Allan Ray (16.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.1 spg).  They will most likely be looking to Sr. Jason Fraser and Fr. Dante Cunningham to pick up for Sumpter.  Fraser is still recovering from problems with his right wrist and they are unsure how much time he will be able to play.  Cunningham was the Washington Post’s Metro Player of the year while leading his high school team to an undefeated season his Sr. year.  Look for the Wildcats to be very competitive in the Big East, but their Final Four hopes may well have gone the way of the dodo bird without Sumpter.

Five Games to Watch

1.       Pittsburgh at West Virginia – 2/27/2006 – Pittsburgh will most likely be trying to secure an NCAA bid and West Virginia will be looking to keep one.

2.       Villanova at Syracuse – 3/5/2006 – The last game of the season for both teams.  A good warm-up game for both for the Big East and NCAA’s.

3.       UConn at Louisville – 1/21/2006 – Louisville is very tough at Freedom Hall since Rick Pitino arrived.  UConn will have had Marcus Williams back for six games and he should be getting back into playing shape.  Should be a great game.

4.       Georgetown at Villanova – 2/19/2006 – Last season Georgetown came in and upset ‘Nova at home, handing them one of only two losses at home for the season.  I’m sure the Wildcats haven’t forgotten.  This will be a good test for both teams.

5.       Seton Hall at Pittsburgh – 3/3/2006 – Pitt will be looking to collect wins in an attempt to make the NCAA’s.  If Seton Hall puts together the same kind of season they did last year (12-16, 4-12 in the Big East) you may be witness to Coach Louis Orr’s last regular season game as coach of the Pirates.

Standings Forecast:

1.       UConn

2.       Louisville

3.       Villanova

4.       Syracuse

5.       Georgetown

6.       West Virginia

7.       Pittsburgh

8.       Cincinnati

9.       Notre Dame

10.   Rutgers

11.   Marquette

12.   Providence

13.   DePaul

14.   St. Johns

15.   Seton Hall

16.   Southern Florida

UConn dodged a bullet when they found out they would only lose point guard Marcus Williams until December 17^th (his first game back will be January 3^rd at Marquette).  PG’s Williams and A. J. Price’s legal troubles cost the Huskies dearly, but even without the two of them, they would still have had plenty of talent. Potential All-Americans Josh Boone and Rudy Gay will lead the talented squad that will keep the Huskies competitive while they wait for their starting PG to return.  As it’s pretty hard to make a championship run with out a solid PG, the biggest question marks for UConn will be how they will fare without Williams at the beginning of the season and how quickly it takes him to get back to the form he was in at the end of the season last year.