Rutgers

Big East Tournament Day One: Live Coverage

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:15:09 -0500

&amp;lt;a href=&quot;http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=fa83561080&quot; &amp;gt;Big East Tournament: Day One&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Big East: All-Conference Teams

Press Release — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:33:20 -0500

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – For the third straight year, Notre Dame forward Luke Harangody was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team, the league announced. The conference’s head coaches choose the all-conference teams. The coaches are not permitted to vote for their own players.

Six players were named to the All-BIG EAST First Team. The BIG EAST Player of the Year will come from that list. The conference will announce Player of the Year, Oppenheimer Funds/BIG EAST Coach of the Year, BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete on Tuesday, March 9. The announcement will be made between sessions of the first day of The BIG EAST Championship Presented by New York Life at Madison Square Garden. The press conference will begin after the postgame interviews of the afternoon doubleheader have been completed. The other individual awards will be announced Monday, March 8.

The other first-team selections are: Greg Monroe of Georgetown, Dominique Jones of USF, Wes Johnson of Syracuse, Scottie Reynolds of Villanova, Da’Sean Butler of West Virginia.

Harangody, a 6-8 senior, was first in the BIG EAST in scoring with a 23.3 average and finished third in rebounding with a 9.7 mark. In league games, he compiled averages of 22.5 points and 9.4 boards. As a junior, Harangody became the first player in BIG EAST history to win the scoring and rebounding crowns in two seasons. This year, Harangody missed five games with a knee injury. He becomes only the 11th player in league history to earn All-BIG EAST First Team accolades three times.

Monroe, a 6-11 sophomore, was Georgetown’s second leading scorer, averaging 16.0 ppg. He also pulled down 9.6 rebounds, which was fourth in the BIG EAST. Last season, Monroe was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Year.

Jones, a 6-4 junior guard, was the key component in USF’s rise in the standings. The junior averaged 21.3 points in all games and won the BIG EAST scoring crown by averaging 23.2 points in league play. The Bulls, who had never won more than four BIG EAST games in a season, finished the year with a 9-9 conference record. Jones was second on the team in rebounding with a 6.4 rebounding mark.

Johnson was a critical addition for Syracuse. A transfer from Iowa State who sat out last season, the 6-7 junior led the Orange in scoring and rebounding with 15.7 and 8.5 averages, respectively. Syracuse won the BIG EAST regular-season crown with a 15-3 record.

Reynolds has been the cornerstone for Villanova’s success. The 6-2 senior guard was the team’s top scorer with an 18.8 average. He led the Wildcats to a 24-6 overall record and a 13-5 league mark, which tied for second place.

Butler, an All-BIG EAST Second Team pick last season, also was his team’s top scorer and leader. The 6-7 senior forward averaged a team-leading 17.2 ppg and 6.3 rebounds. WVU also finished 24-6 overall and 13-5 in the BIG EAST.

ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM
Greg Monroe, Georgetown, C, So., 6-11, 247, New Orleans, La.
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame, F, Sr., 6-8, 255, Schererville, Ind.
Dominique Jones, USF, G, Jr., 6-4, 205, Lake Wales, Fla.
Wes Johnson, Syracuse, F, Jr., 6-7, 205, Corsicana, Texas
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova, G, Sr., 6-2, 190, Herndon, Va. *
Da’Sean Butler, West Virginia, F, Sr., 6-7, 225, Newark, N.J.

ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM
Austin Freeman, Georgetown, G, Jr., 6-4, 237, Mitchelville, Md.
Lazar Hayward, Marquette, F, Sr., 6-6, 225, Buffalo, N.Y.
Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh, G, So., 6-2, 190, Scotch Plains, N.J.
Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall, G, Jr., 6-5, 185, Bronx, N.Y.
Andy Rautins, Syracuse, G, Sr., 6-5, 195, Jamesville, N.Y.

ALL-BIG EAST THIRD TEAM
Jerome Dyson, Connecticut, G, Sr., 6-3, 190, Potomac, Md.
Kemba Walker, Connecticut, G, So., 6-1, 172, Bronx, N.Y.
Samardo Samuels, Louisville, F, So., 6-9, 260, Trelawny, Jamaica
Corey Fisher, Villanova, G, Jr., 6-1, 200, Bronx, N.Y.
Devin Ebanks, West Virginia, F, So., 6-9, 210, Long Island City, N.Y.

BIG EAST HONORABLE MENTION
Jimmy Butler, Marquette, F, Jr., 6-6, 215, Tomball, Texas
Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame, F, Jr., 6-8, 232, Unionville, Conn.
Jamine Peterson, Providence, F, So., 6-6, 230, Brooklyn, N.Y.

BIG EAST ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Lance Stephenson, Cincinnati, G, Fr., 6-5, 210, Brooklyn, N.Y. *
Alex Oriakhi, Connecticut, F/C, Fr., 6-9, 240, Lowell, Mass.
Vincent Council, Providence, G, Fr., 6-2, 180, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Dane Miller, Rutgers, F, Fr., 6-7, 210, Henrietta, N.Y. *
Brandon Triche, Syracuse, G, Fr., 6-4, 198, Jamesville, N.Y.
Maalik Wayns, Villanova, G, Fr., 6-1, 185, Philadelphia, Pa.

College Hoops Monday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 23:37:03 -0500

There really aren't any headline games on the college basketball schedule Monday but there are some games that may be able to hold one's interest for a little while. First off, Rutgers heads south to take on North Carolina in Chapel Hill. To say the least it would be a serious disappointment if Fred Hill's team were pasted like they were in last season's meeting (97-75). North Carolina won the battle on the boards 40-26 and shot 51.5% from the field, but that was a far more seasoned outfit than the one the Scarlet Knights will face on Monday. One way to avoid that fate: don't turn the ball over nineteen times.

Rutgers will also be a team to observe due to the absence of Gregory Echenique. The sophomore, who is also their best big man, will miss the remainder of the season due to an eye injury suffered a couple of weeks ago. But in his absence senior center Hamady Ndiaye has played arguably the best stretch of basketball in his career. Ndiaye (9.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 5.7 bpg) has more than doubled his blocks per game from a season ago and nearly doubled his scoring average. RU has won six straight, the last four coming with Echenique out, and Ndiaye has averaged 14.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 8.3 blocks in those games.

Of course guys like Mike Rosario, James Beatty and Jonathan Mitchell will have to do their share but a performance along those lines from Ndiaye (albeit against far stiffer competition) would do wonders for Rutgers. As for other games on the schedule, DePaul regains the services of Mac Koshwal just in time for their Big East opener at Pittsburgh. DePaul was on the road to being a far more efficient team offensively early in the season before Koshwal went down with foot injury, but Jerry Wainwright't squad has also improved defensively. But the offense still needs to catch up if they're to avoid a fate similar to last year's run through the Big East (0-18 regular season).

Lastly there are a pair of solid games out west featuring the cream of the crop in the Mountain West, WAC and West Coast conferences. BYU visits Arizona in a game the Wildcats desperately need for their resume should they make enough of a run to entertain at-large thoughts in March. The point guard matchup should be worth the price of admission itself with BYU's Jimmer Fredette taking on Arizona's Nic Wise.

And Portland, who's fallen off of the table when it comes to national consciousness in some circles, remains a contender in the WCC but they need at the least a solid performance at Nevada. The Wolf Pack were impressive in Las Vegas last week outside of a 110-104 loss to BYU and the number of offensive options could get the Pilots in trouble should they allow the game to become a shootout. In regards to competitive basketball these two games could be the best of the night, but they aren't the only ones that offer something to focus on.

TV GAMES

7p ESPNU DePaul at Pittsburgh
8:30p ESPN2 Rutgers at North Carolina
9p BTN Bryant at Indiana
9p FCS BYU at Arizona

OTHER GAMES

1p IUPUI at Memphis
7p Bowling Green at Temple
7p Saint Peter's at Stony Brook
8p Marshall at Troy
9p Niagara vs. Air Force (Sun Bowl Invitational, El Paso)
9p Denver at Northern Colorado
10p Colorado St at Fresno St
10:05p Portland at Nevada

ONE PREDICTION

BYU over Arizona: The Cougars have won seven straight, most recently outgunning Nevada in Las Vegas and following that up with a whipping of Nebraska in the final of the Las Vegas Invitational the next night. Dave Rose's team simply has too many offensive options for the Wildcats to keep up with, from the aforementioned Fredette to Jackson Emery, Tyler Haws and a player in Jonathan Tavernari who has struggled a little bit so far. He's averaging six points per game fewer than he did as a junior and while there are other options from which to choose the better he plays the better the Cougars become. Look for them to pick up the road victory.

WEEKEND SUPERLATIVES

Game of the Weekend: West Virginia 90, Seton Hall 84 (OT)

Three Notable Performances

1. F Devin Ebanks (West Virginia): 22 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists in the Mountaineers' win over Seton Hall. F Kevin Jones finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds.

2. G Jeremy Hazell (Seton Hall): Hazell led the Pirates with forty-one points on the afternoon. He also knocked down the game-tying three pointer with seconds remaining in regulation.

3. G Greivis Vasquez (Maryland): Vasquez put up 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the Terrapins' 72-59 win over Florida Atlantic.

Big Ten Expansion? Dominoes Could Fall Once More

Kevin McNeill — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:20:21 -0500

It may not feel like it to the respective conferences, but it has been over six years since the ACC raided the Big East, taking with them Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College to reach the mandatory 12 team minimum for a conference football championship game. The Big East, caught flat-footed by the move, promptly raided Conference USA, which in turn raided the Western Athletic Conference, which then invaded the Sun Belt Conference – leading to one of the most dramatic re-alignments in college sports since the expansion of the “major” conferences themselves in the early 90’s.

Those conferences better get ready: We could well see something similar in the near future.

On Tuesday the Big Ten’s Council of Presidents/Chancellors formerly requested that League Commissioner Jim Delaney begin the process of “evaluating options” for expanding the conference. According to their release, the Big Ten would examine the issue of expansion for 12 to 18 months before arriving at any decision.

At issue is the fact that the conference is one team short of the 12 needed to host a football championship. While this is hardly a new revelation, league officials and coaches (most notably Penn State’s Joe Paterno) have watched with consternation this season as the other major conferences all played meaningful, highly rated, money-raking games in December, while their schools sat and waited for the bowl committees to decide their fate. It also hasn’t helped that the Big Ten hasn’t won a BCS game in the last three seasons, leading some to speculate that the long layoff was a factor.

So, unlike ten years ago when the conference decided against expansion after unsuccessfully courting Notre Dame, this time the odds favor the addition of a 12th team – with far reaching consequences in college football and basketball alike.

From both a geographic, and of course, financial perspective, Notre Dame is still the obvious first choice. A Big Ten championship game featuring Fighting Irish would easily compete with the SEC Championship in terms of ratings and revenue, while Notre Dame’s basketball team has been no slouch either and would instantly add another NCAA Tournament caliber contender to an already strong league.

However, by just about all accounts, the school is lukewarm at best to the idea. The Irish fully intend on returning to the BCS bowls in short order, and wouldn’t be too excited about sharing the $12 million payout with anyone. Also, the school already is part of the Big East for other athletics, a conference widely seen as the toughest basketball conference in America.

Which means the Big Ten would conceivably turn their sights on the Big East or Big 12, leading to the domino effect we witnessed across the NCAA six years ago.

The most oft mentioned targets include Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Rutgers out the Big East, and Missouri and Iowa State of the Big 12. However, the Big East schools would seem to be the most likely to move, considering the football conference also does not have a championship game, unlike the Big 12. Syracuse and Pittsburgh both have rich traditions in football and basketball, and natural rivalries with Penn State (although the Syracuse football rivalry ended after the 1990 season over a contract dispute, they did play the Nittany Lions again this season). Rutgers, for their part, could give the conference an anchor in the crucial recruiting state of New Jersey.

Should the Big Ten pluck one of these schools out of the Big East, the consequences could be far reaching. With just eight football playing members (as opposed to 16 for basketball), the Big East is least equipped to handle a raid by another conference, much less two in less than a decade. It is possible that the departure of one school could lead to talks of others following suit as a pre-emptive move, out of fear the league could no longer be a viable football conference.

The Big East, fighting this scenario at all costs and vowing not to get caught off-guard again, would in all likelihood once again quickly target Conference USA (Memphis or UCF, or both), giving the conference as many as seven former C-USA programs, and well, you know how it could go from there.

In essence, we would be witnessing yet another college basketball perversion in the pursuit of the football dollar. The Boston College - UConn rivalry is no more thanks to the Eagles’ move to the ACC and UConn coach Jim Calhoun’s refusal to schedule them as a result. Conference USA doesn’t have any deep-rooted conference rivalries left (which has led that conference to possibly look into expansion). The great I-10 rivalry between New Mexico State and UTEP is still fairly strong, but you can’t help but wonder what it would be like today if they still played each other for conference supremacy.

Losing Syracuse to the Big Ten would severely tarnish their heated rivalry with Georgetown, undoubtedly one of the best in the country. Ditto the “backyard brawl” between Pitt and West Virginia should the Panthers leave. Missouri, which just recently left the door open to the idea of joining the Big Ten, would diminish its border war with Kansas, which is simply unthinkable.

But you can’t stand in the way of progress I suppose. Suffice it to say, every conference from the Big East to the Sun Belt will be nervously waiting on the Big Ten’s decision.

Poll: Who Will be the Next Coach Fired?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:39:31 -0500

College Basketball Lines & Predictions: Saturday

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:28:11 -0500

Betting odds are a great guide to college basketball entertainment. Unlike fans, who often ride the wave of media predictions, betting lines tend to be a bit more focused and can give you an objective picture of how teams matchup (though lines too can get caught up in the wave of human emotion).

I'll discuss my daily predictions after the lines.. these are posted solely for fun, as I do not bet on games myself, nor do I suggest anybody else does either (it's not easy). If you agree or disagree with my picks, have thoughts on the day's lines, or have upsets or picks to announce, post them below.

November 28th: College Basketball Lines & Predictions

- listed are the day's 9 most popular/intriguing games. I only predict games from this pool due to fan interest.

2:00

Rhode Island
vs Davidson

Favorite

Rhode Island by 1.5

Over/Under

2:00

Vermont
vs Cornell

Favorite

Cornell by 7.5

Over/Under

3:30

La Salle
at Villanova

Favorite

Villanova by 13.5

Over/Under

4:00

Louisville
at UNLV

Favorite

Louisville by 3

Over/Under

5:30

Old Dominion
vs Mississippi St.

Favorite

Old Dominion by 1.5

Over/Under

5:30

Michigan St
vs Massachusetts

Favorite

Michigan St by 16.5

Over/Under

8:00

Florida
vs Rutgers

Favorite

Florida by 12.5

Over/Under

8:30

St. John's
at Temple

Favorite

Temple by 6

Over/Under

10:30

Utah
vs Oklahoma St.

Favorite

Oklahoma St by 5.5

Over/Under

- Lines as of 11:00 am (from BETUS) - Check out the day's other odds as the day progresses, including odds from other betting sites.

NYC Metro Update: Thanksgiving Week Schedule

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:26:57 -0500

Weekly Honors

America East: Stony Brook F/G Tommy Brenton was named to the conference's Honor Roll due to his averages of 10.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game last week. The Seawolves are 3-0 for the first time since 1994.

Atlantic 10: Fordham F Chris Gaston was named to the Honor Roll due to his averages of fifteen points and ten rebounds per game in three games. The freshman has a pair of double-doubles to his credit thus far.

Big East: Seton Hall G Jeremy Hazell, who scored thirty-three points in the Pirates' 89-79 win at Cornell, was named to the conference's Honor Roll.

Colonial Athletic: Hofstra freshman F Halil Kanicevic was named CAA Co-Rookie of the Week thanks to averages of 8.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game in a 2-1 week for the Pride.

Ivy: Columbia G Norwua Agho, who averaged 18.5 ppg in two games, was named Ivy League Co-Player of the Week.

Metro Atlantic: Iona freshman F Mike McFadden was named MAAC Rookie of the Week. McFadden averaged ten points and four rebounds in the Gaels' 2-0 week.

Northeast: LIU freshman F Kenny Onyechi was named Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week. Onyechi averaged 10.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in two games and currently leads the conference in field goal percentage.

Patriot: Army G Cleveland Richard was an honorable mention selection for his play last week, averaging 13.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 4.0 steals per game in a 2-0 week for the Black Knights.

Monday's Results

Charlotte 88, Yale 74
Eastern Kentucky 68, Fairleigh Dickinson 39
Manhattan 73, Florida Atlantic 66
Army 56, Harvard 53
Hofstra 70, Elon 46
Fairfield 72, American 56

Noteworthy Games

- Iona (3-0) will take part in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, opening with a deep and talented Florida State squad in the final game of Thursday's four-game slate. Scott Machado leads the Gaels in scoring and assists, and six players are averaging 7.7 points or more per game. Their balance is what will have to win games for Kevin Willard this season, and they've done well to this point in the season.

- Rider (2-2) heads to Cancun looking to break a two-game losing skid in which the Broncs have lost by a combined sixty-one points to Virginia and Kentucky. Rider takes on Florida A&M Tuesday morning.

- Stony Brook (3-0) puts their undefeated mark on the line Tuesday night at Rhode Island in what should be an interesting game. A win here would be big for Steve Pikiell's program and they've got the depth to do it. But they're going to need to slow down Delroy James and Keith Cothran to name two Rams.

- Fordham (1-3) visits Manhattan (2-2) on Saturday night and the Jaspers have received improved play from senior Antoine Pearson in recent games. Pearson had 18 points, 9 rebounds and four assists in their win over Florida Atlantic.

- Rutgers (2-1) heads south to Atlantic City for the Legends Classic, taking on UMass on Friday night followed by either Florida or Michigan State Saturday night. The Scarlet Knights are coming off of a 77-71 loss to Vermont on Sunday.

- St. John's (3-0) will be tested in Philadelphia this weekend, playing Siena on Friday night in the Hoop Group Classic followed by Temple on Saturday. They've had close calls against competition not held in high regard by prognosticators so it will be interesting to see how the Red Storm perform.

- Seton Hall (3-0) hosts LIU (1-2) on Saturday night, but the Blackbirds will have to deal with Saint Peter's (1-2) on Tuesday in a game that both teams need at this juncture in the season.

- Marist (0-2) continues their six-game road trip to begin the season with a visit to New Hampshire on Saturday, and Chuck Martin's young team has shown that they will compete for forty minutes. How many games they win will depend upon their offensive efficiency; they'll be hard-pressed to outscore people in shootouts.

- Fairfield (3-1) has a second road game this week, visiting Howard on Wednesday night. The Stags got eighteen points from Yorel Hawkins in their win at American on Monday. With both American and Howard in the nation's capital Ed Cooley's team won't have to travel far.

- Monmouth (1-3), losers of three straight games, head west to take part in a round-robin tournament at Wyoming this weekend. The Hawks will face Wyoming, Pepperdine and Hampton in Laramie, WY.

- Sacred Heart (2-2) will look to end their two-game skid at Penn State on Wednesday night. Corey Hassan leads the team in scoring and rebounding with averages of 26.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

- St. Francis (NY) (0-3) has a pair of tough roadies this week: at UMass on Tuesday followed by a trip to Colgate on Saturday. The Minutemen will look to run while the Raiders have one of the Patriot League's best players in G Kyle Roemer.

- Wagner (0-2) has a pair of games this week as well: at NJIT (1-2) on Tuesday and Bucknell at home on Saturday night. The Highlanders will follow up Tuesday's meeting with a trip to Stony Brook on Saturday afternoon.

- Army (3-1) takes on a second consecutive Ivy League opponent on Saturday, hosting Yale (1-3) on Saturday. The Bulldogs, who lost to Charlotte Monday night, will take on Elon on Tuesday.

- Columbia (1-1) takes on a pair of challenges this week: Bucknell at home followed by a trip to #9 Syracuse on Saturday.

- Princeton (2-1) will embark on a three-game road trip, beginning with a pair of games this week. The Tigers follow up a game at George Washington Tuesday night with a trip to Berkeley to face California on Sunday.

MAAC Hoops

Big East Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:44:33 -0500

Despite losing a ton of talent in the off-season, the Big East is still one of the country's most exciting and talented leagues.. and it features the country's dominant fantasy star: Luke Harangody. Other players to watch include newcomers like Lance Stephenson and Youphtaou Yarou and vets like Scottie Reynolds and Da'Sean Butler.

Conference Rank: 5th

10 year average: 3rd

Big East Page

All-BIG EAST Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Scottie Reynolds	Villanova	Sr
F	Devin Ebanks	West Virginia	So
F	Greg Monroe	Georgetown	So
F	Da'Sean Butler	West Virginia	Sr
F	Luke Harangody	Notre Dame	Sr
Second Team
G	Deonta Vaughn	Cincinnati	Sr
G	Dominique Jones	South Florida	Jr
G	Jerome Dyson	UCONN	Sr
F	Lazar Hayward	Marquette	Sr
F	Wesley Johnson	Syracuse	Jr

Player of the Year - Luke Harangody Freshman of the Year - Lance Stephenson
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
CHN All-Americans Luke Harangody (1st Team) Scottie Reynolds (2nd) Devin Ebanks (4th) Da'Sean Butler Greg Monroe All-Freshman Team Lance Stephenson (2nd) Mouphtaou Yarou (2nd) Dante Taylor (3rd) Alex Oriakhi Peyton Siva Hollis Thompson		Points: Luke Harangody (ND) 23.3 Rebounds: Luke Harangody (ND) 11.8 Assists: T. Jackson/ E.Harvey 4.9 Team: Syracuse 80.2

Big East Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

2	Villanova	Big East	1	NCAA
7	West Virginia	Big East	2	NCAA
17	Georgetown	Big East	3	NCAA
19	Connecticut	Big East	4	NCAA
27	Louisville	Big East	5	NCAA
40	Pittsburgh	Big East	6	NCAA
45	Seton Hall	Big East	7	NCAA
50	Cincinnati	Big East	8	NIT
60	Notre Dame	Big East	9	NIT
67	Syracuse	Big East	10	NIT
74	St. John's	Big East	11	NIT
81	Marquette	Big East	12	NIT
98	Providence	Big East	13	CBI/CIT
114	Rutgers	Big East	14	CBI/CIT
139	South Florida	Big East	15
201	DePaul	Big East	16

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Will Win the Big East?

Other Big East Content

Big East Fantasy Stats Preview

Big East: Top 25 Players

Big East: Five-Year Ranking

College Basketball Preview - 348 Team Ranking - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Big East Basketball: Top 25 Players

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:38:22 -0500

Ranking players is more art then science. How do you compare the potential of freshmen with seniors who have already peaked? How much does physical talent come into play versus intangibles and experience? How big a role do numbers play?

In some situations, the bigger challenge is deciding what position to list a player. College basketball is filled with combo guards, wings who can play from the 2 to 4, centers who are really power forwards, and so on.

All of these questions make lists like this fun and debatable.. if you disagree with CHN's rankings, post what you think below.

BIG EAST

PG
1. Scottie Reynolds - Villanova
2. Dominique Jones - South Florida
3. Kemba Walker - UCONN
4. Tory Jackson - Pittsburgh
5. Sharaud Curry - Providence

SG
1. Mike Rosario - Rutgers
2. Jeremy Hazell - Seton Hall
3. Jerome Dyson - UCONN
4. Deonta Vaughn - Cincinnati
5. Corey Stokes - Villanova

- With so many more teams, the Big East is always harder to rank. There is no one dominant player in this group, but many experienced starters. Nova's Corey Fisher was the hardest player to leave off. One newcomer to watch is WVU's Casey Mitchell, a juco shooting guard with high expectations.

SF
1. Devin Ebanks - West Virginia
2. Wesley Johnson - Syracuse
3. Lance Stephenson - Cincinnati
4. Stanley Robinson - UCONN
5. Robert Mitchell - Seton Hall

PF
1. Da'Sean Butler - West Virginia
2. Lazar Hayward - Marquette
3. Anthony Mason Jr - St. John's
4. Herb Pope - Seton Hall
5. Dante Taylor - Pittsburgh

C
1. Luke Harangody - Notre Dame
2. Greg Monroe - Georgetown
3. Samardo Samuels - Louisville
4. Mac Koshwal - DePaul
5. Arinze Onuaku - Syracuse

- Impressive that WVU has the top SF & PF. Herb Pope has surpreme talent, but he might not even start for a deep SHU team. There are a good amount of newcomers on the list, including the likes of Johnson, Stephenson, Pope, etc. One other transfer to watch is Nova's Taylor King, who can light up the score-sheet if given ample minutes.

-- SEC Top 25 Players

-- Pac-10 Top 25 Players

-- Big Ten Top 25 Players

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Big East Basketball: 5-Year Ranking

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:05:22 -0500

BIG EAST 5-YEAR STANDINGS

CHN's annual 5-year ranking answers a simple question is in a simple manner: Who has been the best team in the Big East over the last five years?

Teams get points for league wins, making the postseason (NIT or NCAA) and winning games in the Big Dance. NIT wins are meaningless here, as are non-conference wins. Also, league tournaments wins are not taken into account. (An original trial-scoring system included points for conference tourney wins. But the flukish nature of these tourney's did more harm than hurt: ie, 2008 Georgia, 2006 Syracuse, and 2004 Maryland ended up getting too much credit despite the reality that they were mediocre to sub-par teams.)

100 total points is set up to be the equivalent of batting .300 in baseball.. anything above and beyond is all-world stuff. 50 points is mediocre and you only start to get bad below 40 points.

Pos.	Was	Team	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	Wins	Gms.	Points

1	2	Louisville	14	6	12	14	16	62	84	74	Win %
			Final Four	NIT	2nd Round	Elite 8	Elite 8			31	Post Pts.
			*CUSA							105

2	4	Villanova	11	14	9	9	13	56	84	67	Win %
			Sweet 16	Elite 8	1st Round	Sweet 16	Final Four			32	Post Pts.
										99

3	1	UCONN	13	14	6	13	15	61	84	73	Win %
			2nd Round	Elite 8	X	1st Round	Final Four			24	Post Pts.
										97

4	3	Pittsburgh	10	10	12	10	15	57	84	68	Win %
			1st Round	2nd Round	Sweet 16	2nd Round	Elite 8			24	Post Pts.
										92

5	5	G'Town	8	10	13	15	7	53	84	63	Win %
			NIT	Sweet 16	Final Four	2nd Round	NIT			23	Post Pts.
										86

6	6	WVU	8	11	9	11	10	49	84	58	Win %
			Elite 8	Sweet 16	NIT	Sweet 16	1st Round			23	Post Pts.
										81

7	9	Marquette	7	10	10	11	12	50	84	60	Win %
			NIT	1st Round	1st Round	2nd Round	2nd Round			13	Post Pts.
			*CUSA							73

8	7	Syracuse	11	7	10	9	11	48	84	57	Win %
			1st Round	1st Round	NIT	NIT	Sweet 16			12	Post Pts.
										69

9	8	Notre Dame	9	6	11	14	8	48	84	57	Win %
			NIT	NIT	1st Round	2nd Round	NIT			9	Post Pts.
										66

10	10	Cincinnati	12	8	2	8	8	38	84	45	Win %
			2nd Round	NIT	X	X	X			5	Post Pts.
			*CUSA							50

11	13	Providence	4	5	8	6	10	33	84	39	Win %
			X	X	NIT	X	NIT			2	Post Pts.
										41

12	12	Seton Hall	4	9	4	7	7	31	84	37	Win %
			X	1st Round	X	X	X			2	Post Pts.
										39

13	11	DePaul	10	5	9	6	0	30	84	36	Win %
			NIT	X	NIT	X	X			2	Post Pts.
			*CUSA							38

14	15	St. John's	3	5	7	5	6	26	84	31	Win %
			X	X	X	X	X			0	Post Pts.
										31

15	14	Rutgers	2	7	3	3	2	17	84	20	Win %
			X	NIT	X	X	X			1	Post Pts.
										21

16	16	South Fla.	5	1	3	3	4	16	84	19	Win %
			X	X	X	X	X			0	Post Pts.
			*CUSA							19

Was = Last year's rankig

-Ties are broken by favoring conference winning %

Big East Thoughts

- UCONN manages to drop to 3rd despite making the Final Four. The Huskies 2004 title comes off the books, as does down years from competitors Louisville & Villanova.

- Villanova's made the Sweet Sixteen in 4 of 5 seasons. No other Big East team can claim that.

- Now that Northwestern made the NIT last year, South Florida and St. John's are virtually alone as BCS teams not to have made the postseason.

- Syracuse, surprisingly, has basically been a middle of the pack Big East team over this span.

Postseason Points

NIT = 1

NCAA 1st Round = 2

NCAA 2nd Round = 4

Sweet = 6

Elite 8 = 8

Final Four = 10

Final = 11

Champs = 12

Other 5-Year Rankings

ACC

Big 12