DePaul

The 2008-09 Big East season should bring as much excitement as any.  Commonly regarded as the toughest conference in college basketball, it has the potential to put 9+ teams into the NCAA tournament come March.

At the backbone of a great team comes a great coach, and the Big East has plenty of great coaches.  But which coaches are the best?  Let's just say that a well-padded résumé is not enough to give a coach top honors in this conference.

This is the second of six annual statistical projections of BCS conference starters. The lineups are based on the Starting Fives series of articles released two weeks ago, along with a couple of changes due to recent developments.

2008-09 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll

Rank School Pts.

1. Connecticut (9) 214

2. Louisville (3) 205

3. Pittsburgh (3) 200

4. Notre Dame (1) 195

5. Villanova 153

6. Marquette 146

7. Georgetown 141

8. Syracuse 139

BIG EAST FIVE-YEAR STANDINGS

This ranking tries to answer a simple question: Who has been the best team in the Big East over the last five years?

Perhaps because they were reserves last season, or hidden in the shadows of bigger-name teammates, or simply not yet ready to shine.. these 10 Sleepers are ready to the steal the national headlines and emerge as legitimate NBA Draft prospects.

Unlike the NBA, where most starting lineups are set in stone weeks before the season, NCAA starting fives are highly unsettled and constantly in flux.