Huskies top of the pack

1. UConn:

Drama abounded this off-season for the perennial Big East powerhouse Huskies. After reserve guard Andrew Kellogg was dismissed for “conduct detrimental to the team,” starting point guard Marcus Williams and his backup A.J. Price were charged with felony larceny in connection with the theft of four laptops and suspended from the team. Williams, who accepted a plea deal for probation and 400 hours of community service, will be eligible to return in mid-December, while Price will sit out the entire year. He declined the same plea bargain and is awaiting trial.

Hardships aside, UConn remains an outstanding team. Still, they are only a marginal favorite in such a strong conference. Despite losing forward Charlie Villanueva to the NBA draft, the Huskies return all four of their other starters from last year (including Williams). Forward Rudy Gay, last year’s Big East Co-Rookie of the Year, anchors what is arguably the strongest frontcourt in the conference, one only Georgetown could rival. He is joined by 2005’s Big East Defensive Player of the Year, junior center Josh Boone. Standout shooting guard Rashad Anderson will add a solid backcourt presence.

UConn’s success hinges on two questions: will freshmen PGs Craig Austrie and Rob Garrison be able to run the show until Williams returns? And, will Williams be able to pick up where he left off after sitting out the first semester? If the answer to both these questions is yes, the Huskies will be a legitimate national championship contender and reign atop the Big East.

2. Louisville:

Head Coach Rick Pitino’s crew joins the Big East this year fresh off of a Final Four appearance in last year’s NCAA tournament, but without a few familiar faces???most notably that of would-be senior Francisco Garcia, one of the best players in the country last year. Although the gap left by the departure of Garcia and two other starters seems immense, Pitino’s top-five recruiting class should soften the blow and help the Cardinals hover around the top of the conference.

Leading the charge will be senior shooting guard Taquan Dean, whose 14.4 points per game average will rise this year in the absence of Garcia. Sophomore power forward Juan Palacios and center David Padgett give the Cardinals a presence in the paint that will allow them to contend with any team in the league.

Padgett will miss the first six to eight weeks of the season after breaking a bone in his right foot in a pickup game, but look for 7’0” frosh Jonathan Huffman to take his place. Also poised to make an immediate impact are first-year guard Bryan Harvey and fellow recruit forward Terrence Williams.

Louisville is a young team with a tough schedule: seeing Villanova, Connecticut, and Cincinnati twice this year is a rough welcome to the Big East, while a non-conference match-up at Kentucky looms large in December. Still, look for these games to be a boost to the Cardinals’ RPI come Selection Sunday.

3. Syracuse:

Yes! Marv Albert’s alma mater not only brings back a bona-fide star in senior guard Gerry McNamara, but also first-year SG Eric Devendorf, a serious drive-and-kick threat to get him the ball. Solid PF Terrence Roberts will be another beneficiary of the open touches created by the highly touted recruit Devendorf.

Leadership could be the only problem on a squad that will be playing without recent graduates Hakim Warrick, Josh Pace and Craig Forth for the first time in four years. The loss of the prolific Warrick will be felt most acutely. McNamara, the last key component left from the Orange’s 2003 national title team, should be able to fill the void, but there is definitely a transition going on in upstate New York.

At any rate, don’t expect a drop-off in production from Head Coach Jim Boeheim’s crew. The junior class of Roberts, fellow junior C Darryl Watkins and athletic wingmen Demetris Nichols and Louie McCroskie should equal or surpass the offensive prowess of the trio of graduates.

A schedule that features both Connecticut and Villanova twice will not help, but look for the Orange to be near the top of the pack in the Big East all season long.

4. Villanova:

There’s plenty of buzz around the Wildcats, who were picked by the Big East coaches to be conference champion. However, that was before it became apparent that their frontcourt was held together by band-aids. ‘Nova will struggle to live up to expectations, but only because their locker room is quickly becoming an injury ward.

The most devastating injury was to the Wildcats’ best forward, Curtis Sumpter, who was still recovering from a torn ACL. Sumpter will go under the knife and miss the entire season. Fifth-year senior Marcus Austin will join Sumpter on the sidelines after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury, and senior backup Chris Charles will miss time at the beginning of the season due to a bum wrist.

The Wildcats now can’t afford to lose injury-prone center Jason Fraser, who is coming off knee surgery, just one of seven operations during his time at ‘Nova.

However, even with the turmoil down low, Villanova’s guards are so good that the team will still be able to contend. Big East defenders have nightmares about Allan Ray and Randy Foye, while starting PG Mike Nardi and hometown Philly product Kyle Lowry provide an overflow of talent. While the guard play may not be enough to overcome the deficit of healthy big men and win the Big East, it will make Villanova dangerous in the NCAA tournament.

5. Georgetown:

See Solid Offseason has Hoyas Aiming High

6. West Virginia:

After a red-hot finish last year and a furious run through the NCAA tournament that came up one overtime short of the Final Four, West Virginia has put themselves on everybody’s map as a contender.

Seven of their top nine players return, including senior C Kevin Pittsnogle, a certified NBA prospect and possessor of the worst last name in the conference. Oh, and they’re adding a seven-foot transfer from Penn State in junior Robert Summers.

Still, the stability only means that this is the same team that played mediocre basketball for the majority of last season.

It remains to be seen whether this is a team that just went on a hot streak at the end of last season, or one that finally lived up to its potential. Smart money is somewhere in between.

7. Pitt:

Carl Krauser is back. Those four words sound sweet to Pitt fans, who were holding their collective breaths last year as the point guard mulled whether or not to test the NBA draft.

Gone, however, are Chevy Troutman and Chris Taft, the heart and soul of the Panthers’ frontcourt.

These losses will be hard to overcome for a team that was bounced out in the first round of last year’s NCAA tournament.

On the bright side, new starter Levan Kendall showed a lot of promise this summer at the FIBA under-21 world championships, where he dropped 40 points to lead his Canadians over a heavily favored American team featuring ‘Nova’s Allan Ray and UConn’s Rudy Gay.

8. Cincinnati:

Bye-bye, Bob Huggins. The longtime coach and most visible person in the program was ousted from Cincinnati over the summer due to “fundamental differences” with new University President Nancy Zimpher. Gone with Huggins are NBA first round draft pick Jason Maxiell and Ivan Johnson, the Bearcats’ top juco transfer who left for Oregon after Huggins’ departure.

Still, this C-USA crossover returns four starters with scoring averages in double figures last year, and has a few good newcomers in first-year forwards Abdul Herrera and Ivan Johnson and junior college transfer Cedric McGowan.

However, depth will be a problem for a largely unproven group of players. It also remains to be seen if rookie coach Andy Kennedy will succeed in his first head coaching job. He’ll face several Hall of Fame coaches as Cincinnati makes its Big East rounds.

9. Notre Dame:

Not losing forward Torin Francis to the NBA draft will be a boost for the Fighting Irish, but not enough of one to offset the loss of career 2000-point, 800-assist man Chris Thomas. Still, the team has a good backcourt with Colin Falls and Chris Quinn, who combined to average about 25 points per game last year, and a decent infusion of youth.

In the old Big East, the Irish likely would have racked up a better conference record than they will this year, which would have given them a legitimate shot at the NCAA tournament. As it is, look for them to be a team that gives some of the conference contenders trouble, but finds themselves solidly in the NIT.

10. DePaul:

Three starters?who made up over half of the Blue Demons’ scoring?are gone to graduation. Their coach, Dave Leitao, is gone to a tough job reviving Virginia. Two of their reserves followed Leitao to Charlottesville, taking advantage of their ability to transfer without sitting out a year.

Still, this is a team that has won 20 games two years in a row, and while it may not reach that plateau this year (especially with a tough non-conference schedule), it is not about to fall off the map.

Junior Sammy Mejia, a versatile guard, has outstanding potential. Sophomore transfer forward Karron Clarke has a reputation as a lock-down defender, and newcomer Wilson Chandler, named “Mr. Basketball” in Michigan last year, could be starting at forward by season’s end.

11. Marquette:

There are a whole lot of fresh faces for the Golden Eagles this year???seven to be exact. With the painful loss of Travis Diener, a top-notch scoring point guard, floor generalship will be handed over to a freshman, Dominic James, who will be effective but won’t be able to fill Diener’s shoes.

Better play in the paint would be helpful for Marquette, and the burden will fall on junior transfer Jamil Lott and sophomores Ousmane Barro and Ryan Amoroso.

Senior sharpshooter Steve Novak figures to be the team’s best scorer and will likely get a good deal of looks this year.

12. St. John’s:

This troubled program is starting to show some signs of life. Daryll Hill is the Big East’s top returning scorer and will be complimented by a solid recruiting class. The Red Storm was the only Big East squad not to crack double-digit victories last year, but look for them to get more?although not a lot more?than their pitiful total of three Big East wins last year.

13. Rutgers:

This team’s biggest accomplishment last year was a shocking upset of Notre Dame in the Big East tournament; besides that, not much else went right. SG Quincy Douby is still a good scorer, and first-year forward J.R. Inman will be one of the better newcomers to the league.

Add PF Adrian Hill, who redshirted last year due to a knee injury, back into the mix, and this team climbs out of the Big East cellar???but not that far.

14. Providence:

Recent graduate Ryan Gomes was one of the best players in school history, and he led the Friars to a mere four conference wins last year. SG Dwight Brewington will be a bright spot, but these guys will need better performances from everyone around him if they want to make the tournament???the Big East tournament, that is.

15. Seton Hall:

Dick Vitale won’t be using his “It’s awesome, baby!” line to describe his alma mater much this year. A good incoming class may lead to more success down the road, but this year’s backcourt isn’t going to scare anyone.