Big East

Daily Conference Poll: Who Will Win the Big East?

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 02:05:35 -0700

The Starting Fives: Big East Part 2

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:51:41 -0700

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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. Going through the BCS leagues this week, I'll be projecting the starting fives for each team. Also included is the team's most important bench option, and some notes on other possible lineups.

In the case where a quality player is ineligible for the fall semester or suspended for the opening few games, I've still included them in the projections. These are really supposed to be projections of how lineups will look in February and March.

Next week, based on these lineups, I'll be throwing out statistical projections for major BCS contributors.

BIG EAST: PART TWO

Providence

G Sharaud Curry Jr
G Jeff Xavier Sr
F Brian McKenzie Jr
F Geoff McDermott Fr
F Randall Hanke Sr

6 Weyinmi Efejuku (G/F)

Notes: It's a little odd that Efejuku, the team's 2nd leading returning scorer, would come off the bench. But McKenzie is too good of a shooter to sit, especially in Davis' offense, and Xavier is simply too talented not to start. But you never know, McKenzie could be the 6th man with Efejuku starting. Either way, one of those guys will be the odd man out. The other guys off the bench to watch are Jonathan Kale and Jamine Peterson, who need to step up to help Xavier's weak frontcourt.

RUTGERS

G Anthony Farmer Sr
G Corey Chandler So
G Mike Rosario Fr
F JR Inman Sr
C Hamady Ndiaye Jr

6 Mike Coburn (G)

Notes: Inman is out for at least the first 3-4 weeks, but should regain his starting roll when he returns. Even if Greg Echenique is as good as advertised, and plays good enough to steal the spot, Rutgers would be better off with Inman at the 4 and Echenique at the 5. Fellow freshman Christian Morris will start as Ndiaye's backup.

SETON HALL

G Eugene Harvey Jr
G Paul Gause Sr
G Jeremy Hazell So
F Robert Mitchell Jr

C John Garcia Jr

6 Jordan Theodore Fr

Notes: Since Seton Hall has so little depth, this is pretty much the entire team. The only other scholarship players will be Mike Davis and Melvyn Oliver, big men who will be forced to get more action than they're capable of. This depth-chart would change substantially if either both, or one of, transfers Herb Pope and Keon Lawrence are ruled eligible to play.

SOUTH FLORIDA

G Chris Howard Jr
G Dominique Jones So
G Mike Mercer Jr
F Mobolaji Ajayi Sr
F Alejandro (Alex) Rivas Sanchez Jr

6 Jesus Verdejo (G)

Notes: The addition of Mercer gives South Florida some quality pieces in the backcourt. The questions are up front, where Ajayi is still a work in progress, and Sanchez is Juco product with potential, but a Juco product nonetheless. The addition of almost-Terp Gus Gilchrist would be a major help in the frontcourt, but there's still no official ruling from the NCAA whether he's eligible. (If I missed the ruling, please let me know in the comment section). Outside of Verdejo, the other backcourt reserves are all newcomers.

ST. JOHN'S

G Malik Boothe So
G Quincy Roberts Fr

F DJ Kennedy So
F Anthony Mason Jr Sr
C Justin Burrell So

6 Paris Horne (G/F)

Notes: The other main reserves will be freshman TyShawn Edmondson, who has the talent to possibly knock Boothe out of the PG role, as well as returning forwards Sean Evans and Tomas Jasiulionis.

SYRACUSE

G Jonny Flynn So
G Eric Devendorf Jr
G Paul Harris Jr
F Kristof Ongenaet Sr
F Arinze Onuaku Jr

6 Andy Rautins (SG)

Notes: With the return of Flynn and Rautins from injury, Syracuse has more depth than most teams. Besides Rautins, the other main reserves will be PF Rick Jackson, and guards Scoop Jardine and Mookie Jones.

VILLANOVA

G Scottie Reynolds Jr
G Corey Stokes So
F Antonio Pena So
F Shane Clark Sr
C Dante Cunningham Sr

6 Corey Fisher So

Notes: I've seen more variations of Villanova's possible starting five than just about any other team. Reynolds and Cunningham are perhaps the only locks. Fisher started much of last season, but Stokes makes more sense, because Fisher is too similar to Reynolds. Quality defender Reggie Redding will also see 20+ mpg as a backcourt reserve. Up front, while I would think Pena is the best option because of his youth, senior Dwayne Anderson is another possibility. Or Anderson and Pena could start, relegating Clark to a reserve role. Finally, big man Casiem Drummond backs up Cunningham.

WEST VIRGINIA

G Joe Mazzulla Jr
G Alex Ruoff Sr
F Devin Ebanks Fr
F Wellington Smith Jr
F De'Sean Butler Jr

6 John Flowers So

Notes: No major surprises here. The talented Ebanks should be ready to start right away. Besides Flowers, the other main reserves will be newcomers Kevin Jones and Darryl Bryant.

Think my projections are off, let me know below where you differ! Also, let me know if there's any recent roster changes I've missed.

The Starting Fives: Big East Part 1

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:14:03 -0700

G Deonta Vaughn So
G Cashmere Wright Fr
F Rashad Bishop So
F Yancy Gates Fr
F Mike Williams Sr

6 Anthony McClain (C)

Notes: With this lineup, Cincy could be pretty solid or pretty awful. Wright isn't a lock to start, and could be replaced by Larry Davis. I expect Davis though to be the first guard off the bench. Wing-man Alvin Mitchell will be the other player in Cincy's 8-man rotation, and should see 15-20 mpg.

Connecticut

G AJ Price Sr
G Jerome Dyson Jr
F Gavin Edwards Jr
F Jeff Adrien Sr
C Hasheem Thabeet Jr

6 Craig Austrie (PG)

Notes: The recent expulsion of Nate Miles was a huge blow. UCONN doesn't have another wing on its roster, and Edwards has no business starting alongside Adrien. Besides Edwards, the other possible starters are freshmen Ater Majok (likely) and combo-guard Kemba Walker in a 3-guard lineup (unlikely). The other contributor will be freshman shooter Scottie Haralson.

DePaul

G Will Walker Jr
G Jabari Currie Sr
G Dar Tucker So
F Mac Koshwal So

C Matija Poscic Sr

6 Krystopher Faber (C)

Notes: Faber is probably DePaul's best freshman, and could push Poscic for the starting role by season's end, especially if DePaul struggles. Mario Stula, who has to sit out for the first couple of weeks, will be DePaul's main scoring option off the bench.

Georgetown

G Chris Wright So
G Jessie Sapp Sr
F Austin Freeman So
F DaJuan Summers Jr
F Greg Monroe Fr

6 Julian Vaughn (PF)

Notes: The Hoyas biggest flaw will be backcourt depth. Omar Wattad and freshman Jason Clark are the lone reserve guards, but neither seems capable of handling PG duties. Besides Vaughn, a transfer from FSU, the other reserve big-man is Top-50 recruit Henry Sims.

Louisville

G Andre McGee Sr
G Jerry Smith Jr
F Terrence Williams Sr
F Earl Clark Jr
C Samardo Samuels Fr

6 Edgar Sosa (PG)

Notes: Sosa is the backup PG, but he's also capable of playing along with McGee & Smith in a 3-guard attack. Besides Sosa, the other main reserve will be Mississippi State transfer Reginald Delk. Delk is a wing who can back up the 2 or the 3, and figures to play 20 mpg. Frontcourt depth is an issue, as a lot of unproven bigs will be on the bench. George Goode, a freshman who didn't play last year, might be the top option there.

Marquette

G Dominic James Sr
G Jerel McNeal Sr
G Wesley Matthews Sr
F Lazar Hayward Jr
F Dwight Burke Sr*

6 David Cubillan (PG)

Notes: A rare team with three returning senior starters, Marquette lacks front-court talent as usual. The best forward off the bench will probably be JUCO addition Joseph Fulce, unless freshman Chris Otule develops faster than expected. Cubillan might be slowed by off-season surgery to start the year, and will be joined by junior Maurice Acker as backcourt options off the bench.

* I had originally mentioned Trevor Mbakwe starting, but he's left the program to play at Miami-Dade Community.

Notre Dame

G Tory Jackson Jr
G Kyle McAlarney Sr
F Ryan Ayers Sr
F Zach Hillesland Sr
C Luke Harangody Jr

6 Luke Zeller (PF)

Notes: Barring injury, it would be a big surprise if this wasn't Notre Dame's starting lineup throughout the season. Besides Zeller, the other feature reserves figure to be Jonathan Peoples, ~~Ty Proffitt~~ (see comment below), and Tyrone Nash

Pittsburgh

G Levance Fields Sr
G Jermaine Dixon Fr
F Gilbert Brown So
F Sam Young Sr
F DeJuan Blair So

6 Tyrell Biggs Sr

Notes: Instead of Dixon starting, Pitt could go with Brown at the two, Young at the three, and Biggs at the four. Either way, the six listed above form Pitt's core along with freshman backup PG Travon Woodall. Ashton Gibbs, another freshman, might be to good to sit on the bench all year.

Part Two: Providence to West Virginia

Think my projections are off, let me know below where you differ!

Poll: Best Conference in 2008-09?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:21:56 -0700

College Football: Big East Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:50:55 -0700

In this the tenth year of the Bowl Championship Series, you have to think back to where the Big East was five years ago to appreciate its growth. The spring of 2003 should have been a happy time for the conference due to its success on the basketball court, but the departure of Miami and Virginia Tech (with Boston College to follow a year later) was thought to be the kiss of death. After some growing pains, a funny thing happened: the Big East could play some football. From West Virginia beating Georgia in the 2005 Sugar Bowl to South Florida getting to #2 in the first BCS standings last year and everywhere in between, the Big East has never been better.

And despite the designation of West Virginia as the clear favorite to win the conference again this season, the Big East only stands to get tougher this year. Two-time Player of the Year Pat White is back at quarterback and Noel Devine slides into the spot left open by Steve Slaton in the backfield. There are some questions for the Mountaineers, starting at the top with new head coach Bill Stewart. Can he continue to build upon their Tostitos Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma? How successful can defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel be in filling in some holes in the defense? Linebackers Mortty Ivy and Reed Williams are two of the mainstays, but they will miss Keilen Dykes and Johnny Dingle up front.

Challengers? You'd probably be best served to start off with South Florida, who didn't finish well after their overtime win at Auburn. From #2 in the initial BCS poll to a blowout loss in the Sun Bowl to Oregon, and you'd have to imagine that they've still got a bad taste in their mouths. DE George Selvie is one of the nation's best at getting to the quarterback, and he may have to be even better with both corners (Trae Williams and Mike Jenkins) moving on to the NFL. On offense, Matt Grothe remains one of the conference's best and RB Mike Ford should be even better as a sophomore.

Connecticut has been ignored by many heading into the season, despite returning nineteen starters and winning a share of the Big East crown. If they are to prove the experts wrong again (picked to finish 6^th on Big East Media Day), the passing game (97^th in the country in 2007) must improve so defenses don't stack up to stop the run. Cincinnati has also been overlooked by some, due mainly to the fact that QB Ben Mauk wasn't granted another year of eligibility. Either Dustin Grutza or Demetrius Jones will have the opportunity to throw to one of the conference's best receiving corps. Pittsburgh is the buzz team, even receiving a first-place vote on Media Day. LeSean McCoy is back at running back after running for 1,328 yards (breaking Tony Dorsett's freshman record in the process), along with the league's best recruiting class.

Rutgers stands to have the best passing offense in the conference, with senior QB Mike Teel throwing to the tandem of Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood. But they do have to replace Ray Rice at running back, a task that this season will most likely be handled by committee. And don't underestimate the loss of DT Eric Foster, a key team leader as well as contributor. Louisville has revamped their defensive staff after last season's embarrassing performance, and Hunter Cantwell gets the chance to run the offense full-time with the departure of Brian Brohm. Don't expect much of a drop in production from that position. Lastly, Greg Robinson enters this season as the only league coach on the "hot seat" at Syracuse and it doesn't look like things will get any better due to the strength of the league. But Delone Carter is back after missing last season with a serious hip injury, and he should help their offense. Now here are some honors for the upcoming season.

Players of the Year: QB Pat White (West Virginia) and DE George Selvie (South Florida)

Coach of the Year: Bill Stewart (West Virginia)

Newcomers of the Year: WR Jonathan Baldwin (Pittsburgh) and DE Tevita Finau (West Virginia

Three Best Non-Conference Games

1. Auburn @ West Virginia (October 23^rd): Mountaineers get one of the SEC's best in Morgantown.

2. Kansas @ South Florida (September 12^th): Bulls host the Orange Bowl champions, a good lead into the second weekend of the season.

3. Fresno State @ Rutgers (September 1^st): Labor Day opener will tell the nation quite a bit about both teams; Fresno has designs on snagging a BCS bid at season's end.

Conference Game of the Year

South Florida @ West Virginia (December 6^th): The Bulls have won the last two meetings in the series, yet WVU still won the league last season. With this being the regular season finale, all the chips may be on the table should both take care of business leading up to the final Saturday.

How they'll finish

1. West Virginia

2. South Florida

3. Connecticut

4. Cincinnati

5. Pittsburgh

6. Rutgers

7. Louisvlle

8. Syracuse

Rise & Fall: BCS Conference Review

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:21:22 -0700

In recent weeks, the Rise & Fall series has chronicled the progress (or regress) of college basketball's major conference teams. But if I equated each team to a civilization, I was mistaken. It is really the NCAA conference that equates to a burgeoning civilization or nation, each with its sometimes stable and sometimes rotating member states. Like civilizations, the prestige and power of conferences wax and wane..

Today, we finish with the status of the BCS "power" conferencess. (Check out the Rise & Fall: Data article to see how the league groupings were made).

BCS CONFERENCES

ACC - STATUS QUO

For four of the past five years, the ACC has led the nation in RPI.. and it should be in the running for that title once again in 08-09. UNC is obviously loaded, and Duke could arguably finish 2nd in the league and 2nd in the country. The ACC hasn't had a bad season since 2000, and that trend should continue regardless of how schools like BC and Virginia struggle. Bad teams in the ACC are really just mediocre teams in other leagues. For example, last place finisher BC had a non-conference RPI of 132, which was 26 spots higher than 2nd place Big Ten finisher Purdue.

BIG EAST - STATUS QUO

The Beast is hard to judge because league membership has changed a lot since taking on the CUSA expats in 2005. Its also the largest league in the country with 16 teams. Its conceivable that 9 teams make the Dance in 2009, but its also conceivable that bottom-feeders like DePaul, USF, and St. John's finish with sub-200 RPIs. Though this should be the Big East's best season (perhaps finishing 1st in RPI for the first time since the 90's?), it merely makes up for the past two sub-par seasons.

BIG TEN - DECLINING

Outside of a freak 2006 season (1st in RPI), the Big Ten has been rather weak in recent seasons.. hovering around 5th or 6th in the RPI. Last year was certainly the worst in recent memory with an RPI of 6th and a non-league RPI of 8th (worse than the A10 & MVC). This year should continue this recent trend of mediocrity. Indiana is obviously decimated, perennial doormats Northwestern and Penn State will fill their usual roles, while the recent decline of Illinois continues with the suspension of Jamar Smith. Things aren't all bad.. Michigan State has legitimate Final Four hopes, Wisconsin should pull off its usual surprise success, Purdue is on the right track, and Ohio State brings in another monster class. But whatever success those schools have will be offset by the four or five teams that end up being absolutely awful.

BIG 12 - STATUS QUO

Despite being home to the reigning national champs, the numbers suggest that it was basically an average season for the Big 12 (3rd compared to an average of 4.3 over since 1999). Kansas and Texas have dominated the league for the last decade, with '04 Oklahoma State being the only other Big 12 team to lead the league in RPI. This trend should continue as Texas looks to be the heavy favorites ahead of Oklahoma. Overall, there aren't any major trends to note in the Big 12. Baylor is a team on the rise, but those gains are offset by the decline of Oklahoma State and the recent struggles of Iowa State.

PAC-10 - RISING

Just a handful of years ago, the Pac-10 was the ugly step-child of BCS leagues. From 2000 to 2007, the league was arguably no better than the likes of the MWC or A10. It hit an all-time low in 2004 when the Pac-10 finished 9th in overall RPI. However, the league has regained its lost stature in the last two seasons, in large part due to coaching changes in SoCal. Ben Howland has rejuvenated UCLA, while Tim Floyd has brought back a bit of swagger (and NBA talent) to USC. After being 2nd in the RPI last year, I expect a fall back to the 4-5 range, which is still solid considering the lows a few years back.

SEC - DECLINING (SLOWLY)

From 2000 to 2003, the SEC led the nation in RPI each season. Since that impressive four-year run, things have taken a step back and last season's RPI (4th) is the new norm. While the top could be even better than last year (Florida should rebound and Tennessee should once again be great), it is the bottom tier teams holding the league back. Georgia's been plagued by personnel issues, South Carolina's mired in mediocrity, LSU can't find stability, Auburn is going nowhere, while Arkansas recently lost every talented player on its roster.

- Note that league power isn't quite as fluid as team power, so seemingly small baby steps end up counting more..

BCS

ACC

Big 12

Big East

Big Ten

Pac-10

SEC

High-Major

Atlantic 10

Conference USA

MVC

MWC

WAC

Mid-Major

Big West

Colonial

Horizon

MAC

MAAC

Southern

Sun Belt

WCC

Rise & Fall: The Data

Rise & Fall: Mid-Majors

Rise & Fall: High-Majors

Poll: Who is the Big East's Top Incoming Freshman?

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:39:54 -0700

Rise and Fall: Big East Program Review

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:36:38 -0700

Like civilizations, all great basketball programs eventually fall.. replaced by an upstart newcomer. In this week's Rise & Fall series, we'll take a look at which BCS programs are rising, falling, or merely treading water. Up today, the:

BIG EAST

*Note that the Big East is ridiculously big so commentary for each team will be a bit shorter than other leagues..

CINCINNATI - DECLINING (SLOWLY)

This is a but misleading.. because Cincy was a surprise team last year, and could be even better in 08-09. But still, just a handful of years ago, this was a premier program. The reality is, take away Bob Huggins, and why would a stud prospect (outside of a local kid like Yancy Gates) choose UofC as compared to another Big East school?

CONNECTICUT - STATUS QUO (BARELY)

Similar to Duke in the ACC, UCONN is still chugging along.. but there are definitely signs of slippage. Recent big time recruits either bolted for the pros, haven't panned out, or got into extracurricular troubles. While the Huskies should be a Final Four contender in Detroit, I get the sense that Coach Calhoun's biggest glory days are in the past.

DEPAUL - DECLINING (SLOWLY)

At multiple points in the past decade, it looked like DePaul basketball would get back on the map in a big way, but it just hasn't happened. While there's some hope here, Mac Koshwal has All-Big East potential, sub .500 records are likely the next two seasons.

GEORGETOWN - RISING (QUICKLY)
The Hoyas RPI has risen each of the last 5 years from 142nd in '04 to 7th last year. While a slight step back is expected, the future is still extremely bright. JT3 now has the ability to bring in big time talent, and he's already proven that his system wins games.

LOUISVILLE - STATUS QUO

This was a tough one.. because unlike UCONN above, the Cards still have positive momentum and could reach new heights in coming seasons. What's worrisome is how so many big-name, top-level prospects have fizzled out since committing. For every success, there's been an NBA exit, academic issues, transfers, unhappiness, etc. While this year's group looks like a Final Four contender, not once in the past decade have the Cardinals finished with a Top 10 team (RPI-wise).

NOTRE DAME - RISING (SLOWLY)

Luke Harangody has been a huge find for Mike Brey (who got a 2-year contract extension this morning). His emergence, along with steady improvement in recent seasons has created a good buzz around the Irish, leading quality players like Scott Martin and Ben Hansbrough to join the program. This could be ND's first Top Ten team in years.

MARQUETTE - STATUS QUO

There's a real mix of positive and negative vibes going on in Marquette. On the negative end, the loss of Tom Cream seems like a big downer as does the weak '07 and '08 recruiting hauls. On the positive side though, the team has improved each of the last few years, should be quite good again this year, and there's big names attached to the program in '09.

PITTSBURGH - STATUS QUO

The Panthers great success over the past decade is still unknown to most of the general public. What I'd worry about as a Panther fan though is next season after Fields and Young graduate, and Blair possibly moves on to the pros.

PROVIDENCE - DECLINING (QUICKLY)

The last two seasons have been pretty hideous, and though you have to figure things will improve this season, beyond that is a huge question mark. The program hasn't added a decent recruit since Dwain Williams in '05 and there's nothing exciting on the horizon this season (Bilal Dixon isn't that good) or next.

RUTGERS - RISING (SLOWLY)

Call this the nowhere to go but up category. No one's certain Fred Hill can coach, but with talent like Corey Chandler, Mike Rosario, and Greg Echenique joining the program, things should eventually improve.

ST. JOHN'S - STATUS QUO

Call it the Perfect Storm, but its been one long string of horrendous seasons in NYC. They haven't been above 130th in the RPI for quite some time, and though that plateau might be met this year, I wouldn't expect much more than that.

SETON HALL - STATUS QUO
The problem for the Pirates is that though they're going in a decent direction, the upper half of the league is moving just as quickly. With Harvey, Hazell, and now Jordan Theodore in the mix, the backcourt is set for the next few seasons.. but you can't win without a decent player above 6-5 on the roster.

SOUTH FLORIDA - RISING (VERY SLOWLY)

Similar to Rutgers, the Bulls can only go up. From an RPI low of 236th a couple years back, things have slowly improved, and Dominique Jones was a great catch. But unlike the Knights, USF still has a ways to go to compete for 4 & 5-star prospects.

SYRACUSE - DECLINING (SLOWLY)

This is somewhat misleading, because the Orange are one of my national sleepers this season, and could also be very good next season as well. But just in terms of the overall direction of the program, things aren't coming quite as easily as they used to. The Big East has gotten better and deeper and Top 25 teams are no longer a given for Coach Boeheim.

VILLANOVA - STATUS QUO
Jay Wright's obviously done a great job with the program and helped it get back into Top 25 contention. But I don't see the program breaking out into the stratosphere anytime soon. Thus they remain in the status quo.

WEST VIRGINIA - RISING (QUICKLY)
I'll simply call this the Bob Huggins effect. When he joins your program, things tend to move in the right direction.. just ask Joe Alexander and his newly inked NBA contract.

- up next is the Big 12 -