Villanova

The first "Big Monday" of the season delivers a pair of undefeated teams (in conference play) in the Big East followed by "Bedlam" in the Big 12. Villanova visits Louisville in a game that should prove to be entertaining given the deep backcourts. Villanova will have to deal with a Louisville defense that pressured full-court only to fall into an active 2-3 zone. But they've got plenty of playmakers and perimeter shooters with Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher leading the way. The key for the Cardinals will be to turn the Wildcats over while limiting their own miscues.

Nine months removed from becoming the first conference to earn three #1 seeds in a NCAA Tournament, the Big East is looking to break its own record and send as many as nine teams to the Dance come March.

 

Through November, the conference has three teams ranked in the top 10, with seven ranked teams overall and sporting a 79-12 record.

 

According to numerous outlets including FOX Sports' Jeff Goodman this is indeed the case, with the highly touted freshman forward out of Benin by way of Montrose Christian missing the remainder of the season with an undisclosed medical issue. Yarou played in the first two games of the season but was sent home from the Wildcats' trip to Puerto Rico due to a viral infection.

Sunday will offer up more tournament action with events in Puerto Rico, Charleston and St. Thomas returning to action following a day off to accomodate the college football schedule. There are a pair of Big East/SEC matchups with Villanova taking on Ole Miss for the Puerto Rico Shootout title while Tennessee faces surprise winner DePaul in the Virgin Islands in a semifinal. Miami (FL) will take on South Carolina in the title game of the Charleston Classic, finishing off a weekend of appetizers leading up to the annual hoops feast that comes on Thanksgiving Week.

California (13th)

Georgetown (19th)

Georgia Tech (21st)

Kentucky (4th)

North Carolina (6th)

UCONN (12th)

Villanova (5th)

Other (Discuss Below)

California (Jerome Randle, Patrick Christopher)

Kansas (Sherron Collins, Xavier Henry, Tyshawn Taylor)

Kentucky (Eric Bledsoe, Darius Miller, John Wall)

Michigan St (Kalin Lucas, Chris Allen, Durrell Summers)

Oklahoma (Willie Warren, Tony Croker, Tommy Mason-Griffin)

Villanova (Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes)

Washington (Isaiah Thomas, Abdul Gaddy)

Other (Discuss Below)

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.

 

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?