Rutgers

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

Big East Basketball: Fantasy Preview Part 2

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:50:42 -0400

..Continued From Big East Fantasy Preview: Part One

BIG EAST: PART TWO

PROVIDENCE

G Sharaud Curry - 14, 3, 4
G Marshon Brooks - 14, 5, 2
G Brian McKenzie - 8, 5, 2
F Jamine Peterson - 9, 5, 1
F Bilal Dixon - 6, 6, 1

Notes: Providence turns over most of its roster, but Curry, Brooks, and McKenzie are sure things in the backcourt. Russ Parmenter should be the first forward off the bench.

RUTGERS

G James Beatty - 7, 3, 5
G Mike Rosario - 16, 5, 3

F Jonathan Mitchell - 11, 4, 2
F Greg Echenique - 12, 10, 1
C Hamady Ndiaye - 8, 7, 0

Notes: Beatty is a talented Juco guard who will see big minutes at PG. Mitchell averaged 3.1 ppg as a freshman at Florida, but should do some damage in Rutgers offense. Mike Coburn will see 20 mpg off the bench at guard, but is not a major scoring threat.

SETON HALL

G Eugene Harvey - 11, 4, 6
G Keon Lawrence - 13, 3, 3
G Jeremy Hazell - 19, 4, 2
F Robert Mitchell - 15, 7, 2

C John Garcia - 9, 8, 1

Notes: Hazell averaged 22 ppg last year, but I expect his numbers to drop as Seton Hall adds legit weapons in Lawrence and Herb Pope. Pope has the talent to start as well (averaging 11 & 7 in his prior stop) and it will be interesting to see how Seton Hall utilizes its various weapons.

SOUTH FLORIDA

G Chris Howard - 9, 5, 5
G Dominique Jones - 18, 5, 4
G Jordan Dumars - 8, 4, 1
F Augustus Gilchrist - 13, 6, 1
F Jarrid Famous - 8, 7, 1

Notes: PG Anthony Crater, a transfer from Ohio State, isn't eligible the 1st semester, but could be a starter down the line. Alex Rivas is one of the league's better backup bigs and should contribute 5 & 6 per game.

ST. JOHN'S

G Malik Boothe - 7, 4, 4
G Paris Horne - 12, 4, 3

F DJ Kennedy - 14, 8, 3
F Anthony Mason Jr - 14, 5, 2
F Sean Evans - 11, 8, 1

Notes: The Red Storm actually are surprisingly deep. Reserve forward Justin Burrell should put up a line of 8 & 5, while reserve guards Quincy Roberts and Dwight Hardy can score around 7-8 ppg.

SYRACUSE

G Brandon Triche - 8, 3, 6
G Andy Rautins - 13, 4, 4
F Wesley Johnson - 13, 7, 2
F Rick Jacson - 11, 7, 1
F Arinze Onuaku - 12, 9, 1

Notes: The PG position is a question now that Jonny Flynn Departs. Brandon Triche is a good distributor who won't be forced to do too much on the scoring end. Johnson, a transfer from Iowa St, could end up leading the team in scoring.

VILLANOVA

G Scottie Reynolds - 14, 4, 3

G Corey Fisher - 13, 3, 3
G Corey Stokes - 13, 5, 2

F Taylor King - 11, 4, 1
F Antonio Pena - 9, 7, 1

Notes: Villanova is obviously weakest in the froncourt, where only Pena returns. King, a tranfer from Duke, is one of the biggest X-factors in the league. He's known for lighting it up at times, but can be spotty. Dominic Cheek, a highly touted freshman, will see major minutes off the bench.

WEST VIRGINIA

G Darryl Bryant - 12, 2, 4
G Casey Mitchell - 12, 4, 3
F Devin Ebanks - 14, 9, 3
F Wellington Smith - 7, 5, 1
F De'Sean Butler - 19, 8, 2

Notes: Mitchell was the Juco player of the year, and should provide scoring punch on the wing. Besides the players listed, Joe Mazzulla, John Flowers, and Kevin Jones will also see 15-20 mpg. Jones, a forward, will put up some of the best numbers of any reserve in the league.

Projected Big East Leaders

Top PPG
1) Luke Harangody (24)
2) Jeremy Hazell (19)
3) De'Sean Butler (19)

Top RPG
1) Luke Harangody (11)
2t) Echenique/Hayward/Koshwal (10)

Top APG
1) Tory Jackson (7)
2t) Harvey/Triche (6)

..Return to Big East Fantasy Preview: Part One

Fantasy Stats Preview Archive

- ACC

- Big 12

- Big Ten

Poll: Who Will Win the Big East?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:50:33 -0400

Wednesday-Friday Football Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:38:02 -0400

Wednesday: Tulsa (4-2, 2-0 Conference USA) @ UTEP (2-4, 1-1), 8 PM on ESPN

While the Golden Hurricane have been a consistent team for much of the season, the same can't be said for their opponents and that could make this an interesting challenge. UTEP picked up their best win in years a couple of weeks ago in their 58-41 beating of Houston, and how did they back that up? With a surprising loss to a bad Memphis team the following week. Despite the explosion of QB Trevor Vittatoe and RB Donald Buckram in the win over the Cougars this is still a mediocre offense that can't be expected to consistently bail out a defense that's among the worst in college football. Mike Price's team is also last in C-USA in penalty yards per game and 11th in number of penalties to this point in the year.

If UTEP isn't disciplined in both their infractions and assignments they'll be in serious trouble against the likes of QB G.J. Kinne and WR Damaris Johnson. Tulsa is among the best in the country offensively, and they are also atop a few of the major defensive statistical categories. That will prove to be too much for the Miners on this night; Tulsa takes care of business on the road.

Thursday: Florida State (2-4, 0-3 ACC) @ North Carolina (4-2, 0-2), 8 PM on ESPN

Opposites attract in Chapel Hill in a game that will feature a pair of assistants under siege from fans. Florida State's defense has been the issue, with a group that defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews toutesd before the season as the fastest he'd seen at the school ranking dead last in the ACC in total defense. This group is painfully young, a fact that has lent itself to missed assignments and big plays for opposing offenses.

And while the offense is ranked the best in the conference in terms of yards per game they've been inconsistent, struggling with turnovers and periods of stagnant play. If both sides of the football can become more consistent there's still a chance that they get back into the ACC Atlantic race. North Carolina has dealt with far different issues themselves and fans aren't too happy with offensive coordinator John Shoop as a result.

Noth Carolina's defense, led by LB Bruce Carter and DT Marvin Austin, leads the ACC in total defense and could have a big night pressuring Florida State's Christian Ponder. The offense, on the other hand, is dead last in total offense. People knew there would be a dropoff of some sort with receivers Hakeem Nicks, Brooks Foster and Brandon Tate all moving on.

But injuries on the offensive line as well as at tight end and running back have also played a role in this, so it may not be completely fair to place the blame on Shoop's playcalling. Look for T.J. Yates to be more consistent on Thursday night, and a good evening from backs Ryan Houston and Shaun Draughn should equal a Tar Heel victory.

Friday: Rutgers (4-2, 0-2 Big East) @ Army (3-4), 8 PM on ESPN2

Despite the appearance on paper the Scarlet Knights will be in for quite a test on Friday night when they travel to West Point. Army ranks 12th nationally in rushing offense and Rich Ellerson's double-eagle flex defensive scheme (which he helped create at Arizona) has been a success thus far. It will provide a challenge for QB Tom Savage in that very few schools use that scheme, and if successful it feeds off of heavy pressure of the quarterback.

Can the Rutgers defense neutralize Army's rushing attack? It's definitely possible, but the Rutgers defense and viewers alike will need a little time to get used to Army's primary receiver. Ali Villanueva, who last year was an offensive lineman, cuts an imposing figure on the outside at 6'10", 260 lbs. and while they're the worst team in the FBS at throwing the ball a player like Villanueva has to be accounted for. But the pick here is Rutgers and look for a big game from freshman WR Mohamed Sanu, who is rapidly developing into one of the better receiving threats in the Big East.

Thursday/Friday Football Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:09:00 -0400

A pair of Big East matchups complete the pre-Saturday action for Week 7, beginning with #8 Cincinnati (5-0, 1-0) travelling to Tampa to take on #21 USF (5-0, 1-0) tonight (7:30 PM on ESPN). The Bearcats have gotten the job done thus far thanks to an explosive offense and a defense that's been better than advertised but now the goal of defending their conference title is front and center. QB Tony Pike has played well enough to have his name mentioned in the Heisman race, and receivers Mardy Gilyard and D.J. Woods are just two of the many weapons at his disposal.

But the Bulls will pose more of a threat defensively thanks to the presence of defensive ends George Selvie and Jason Pierre-Paul. Selvie has seen increased attention since his banner 2007 campaign, but that could change due to how effective Pierre-Paul has been at rushing the quarterback. If Pike is allowed to stand in the backfield and sling the football all over the field the Bearcats usually have little trouble moving the ball down the field...quickly. Cincinnati ranks dead last nationally in time of possession yet lead the Big East in scoring offense.

Are they scoring too quickly? That's actually been a point of concern due to some second-half fatigue issues with their defense, and that unit will have a bit more to contend with in B.J. Daniels and the USF offense. Daniels leads the team in rushing and Mo Plancher will also get carries but the Bulls thrive off of the number of options they have when either running or passing the football. In the secondary the Bearcats must keep tabs on WR Carlton Mitchell, who has proven to be one of the biggest deep threats in the Big East.

Expect a wild atmosphere in Tampa but if this game comes down to a kick the Bearcats have a decided advantage in Jacob Rogers. Losing Maikon Bonani before the season began has been a blow to the USF special teams but they haven't paid the price for it to this point in the season. Look for this area, along with Cincinnati's quick-hit passing game, to make the difference in a close Bearcat victory.

Friday: Pittsburgh (5-1, 2-0) @ Rutgers (4-1, 0-1) 8 PM on ESPN

The Panthers have failed to beat the Scarlet Knights in each of the previous four seasons, meaning that the seniors have one last shot at getting this monkey off of their collective backs. QB Bill Stull was knocked out of last year's meeting, a 54-34 Rutgers win at Heinz Field, and the Panther defense watched RU march up and down the field at will. Will things be different in Piscataway/New Brunswick? If Greg Romeus and company have anything to do with that they could be.

Pitt leads the conference in sacks (tied with Cincinnati) and with a quarterback recently removed from a concussion in Tom Savage that could be a bad combination for Rutgers. But how do the Scarlet Knights deal with an offense that's been more potent and balanced than the 2008 version, which saw a change or the worse in the weeks following their loss to Rutgers. RB Dion Lewis ranks second in the conference in rushing and Stull leads the Big East in pass efficiency, and receivers Jonathan Baldwin and Dorin Dickerson are both dangerous threats in the passing game.

Does Rutgers have enough to beat Pittsburgh? Unlikely, unless they get this game to the point where the Panthers begin to question whether or not they can beat the Scarlet Knights. But a lot was gained in the way of confidence in their comeback win over Connecticut last week, and it's hard to get a read on how much Rutgers has improved when comparing the quality of the teams they've beaten with Pittsburgh. Panthers win by ten.

Big East Basketball: High-Low Preview

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:47:51 -0400

Everybody loves a prediction. People that claim to hate sports predictions are just jealous that no one cares what they have to say or that their predictions are never right. But sometimes when making predictions, certain teams or groups of teams are truly to close to call. On CHN or in preview mags, we do our best to slot teams into specific spots, but sometimes you just want to say honestly, teams A, B, and C are virtually the same and luck will determine how they finish. You can't say that in a Top 144 ranking, but I'm saying it here in a series of High-Low predictions. Instead of plugging teams into specific spots, I'll give a range for each team's finish and a few reasons why.

(How about the high production values with that picture?..)

BIG EAST HIGH-LOW

The amount of big-name players who left in the off-season is pretty astonishing, but don't expect the usual elites to simply fall off the table.

* my projected finish in yellow

CINCINNATI
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
The Bearcats should return to the tourney for the first time since 2005 thanks to a young roster that is extremely deep & versatile.

UCONN
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
The Huskies losses are impressive, but a core of Dyson, Robinson, and Walker isn't half-bad. UCONN's freshman class is solid, but there are some hit/miss players in there.

DEPAUL
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
DePaul can't be worse then last year and has a chance of escaping the cellar if a little luck goes their way.

GEORGETOWN
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Departures at UCONN, Louisville, Pitt and Syracuse should allow the Hoyas to bounce back after underachieving in a big way last year.

LOUISVILLE
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Lose their big two, but Rick Pitino doesn't coach bad teams. Samuels needs to bring is A game every night.

MARQUETTE
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Decimated by graduation, Marquette got more bad news when Junior Cadougan got injured. Still, there's enough pieces to at least win 6 or so league games.

NOTRE DAME
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Harangody & Jackson are good, transfer Hansbrough is solid, and then you have?.. Expect the Irish to hover around .500 in league play.

PITTSBURGH
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Another team decimated by player departures, Pitt will be able to piece together a solid starting 5 and hope that defense and tempo keep them competitive against the top teams.

PROVIDENCE
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
The Friars turn over an entire roster, but at least the ball is in solid hands with Sharaud Curry back. If the new bigs don't pan out, things could get ugly however.

RUTGERS
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Perpetually on the verge of being good, Rutgers will be hard-pressed to win even 6 league games. 4 is a good +/- number.

SETON HALL
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Seton Hall returns 3 players who averaged 12+ ppg, and welcome two more transfers who could do the same.

SOUTH FLORIDA
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
The Bulls should have their best team since joining the Big East (which admittedly isn't saying much).

ST. JOHN'S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
St. John's returns everybody from a squad that was at least half-decent last year. Finishing in the upper-half of the league will be too much to ask however.

SYRACUSE
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
The Cuse have a good front-court and a capable SG in Andy Rautins, but the PG position is the most important position in college basketball and the team's weakest link.

VILLANOVA
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Villanova is loaded in the backcourt and on the wings, but the loss of Dante Cunningham should not be underestimated up front.

WEST VIRGINIA
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Bob Huggins has a potential Big East title winner at his hands despite the graduation of sharp-shooting Alex Ruoff.

>> ACC: High-Low Preview

>> Big 12: High-Low Preview

>> Big Ten: High-Low Preview

>> Pac-10: High-Low Preview

>> SEC: High-Low Preview

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Preview Interviews

Rutgers Basketball Preview: #114

Joel Welser — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:44:08 -0400

Overall Rank: #114

Conference Rank: #14 Big East

2008-09: 11-21, 2-16

2008-09 postseason: none

Coach: Fred Hill (32-60 at Rutgers, 32-60 overall)

Rutgers fans are getting impatient with Coach Fred Hill. After three years he has won just 32 games, while losing 60. His team won a mere two conference games last year and beating DePaul and South Florida at home does not sound very impressive. This is not a group that is going to compete with the top teams in the Big East, but they could be better this year if some newcomers can contribute immediately.

Key Losses: G Anthony Farmer, F J.R. Inman

Key Newcomers:

The team’s big names out of the group of newcomers are James Beatty and Dane Miller. Beatty, a junior college transfer, could be starting at the point guard position from day one. Beatty knows how to run and this is a group that can get the ball up and down the floor a little more than last year as long as Beatty has the ball in his hands. Miller, along with power forward Austin Johnson, will give the team some much needed options at the forward spots. With the eligibility of 6-7 forward Jonathan Mitchell, a transfer from Florida, the Scarlet Knights might finally have some weapons in the paint.

Backcourt:

Yet, it is still the backcourt that will lead this team. Mike Rosario had a superb freshman campaign, easily leading the team with 16.2 points per game. He will once again be the leader of this team and could even run some point as long he remembers that the offense should slow down when the ball is in his hands. Earl Pettis only averaged 4.6 points per game last year, but he turned into a decent leader on the floor. Whether he starts or not remains to be seen, but he will have competition from Corey Chandler. Chandler is a capable scorer when his shot is falling and could emerge as a great complimentary perimeter scorer to Rosario.

Frontcourt:

The lack of depth up front was a huge problem last year. Gregory Echenique had a great freshman campaign tallying 8.4 points and just as many rebounds per contest. Hamady N’Diaye will not score as much, but he is a good shot blocker when he can stay out of foul trouble. Echenique could be in for a huge season now that the frontcourt has some other weapons that the opposition needs to worry about. There is nothing that he cannot do. While N’Diaye is a good shot blocker, Echenique is just as competent in that department and he can also score and rebound with anybody in the Big East.

Who to Watch:

The most important players on this team will be the newcomers. How well can Mitchell and Miller adapt to life in the Big East? Will the frontcourt finally be something to be somewhat proud of for Scarlet Knight fans? With Echenique leading the way there is certainly the possibility, but Mitchell, Miller and Johnson all have to immediately contribute off the bench, or even in a starting role, if this team wants to move up the Big East standings.

Final Projection:

Coach Hill has some pieces in place. Rosario and Echenique are a great sophomore duo to build around and there is some depth on the perimeter with Mike Coburn capable of handling the ball. This team should be better than they were last year, but this is still the Big East and expecting a vast amount of improvement just is not realistic.

Projected Post-season Tournament: CBI/CIT

Projected Starting Five:

James Beatty, Junior, Guard, DNP last season

Mike Rosario, Sophomore, Guard, 16.2 points per game

Earl Pettis, Junior, Guard, 4.6 points per game

Gregory Echenique, Sophomore, Forward, 8.4 points per game

Hamady N’Diaye, Senior, Center, 5.6 points per game

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