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THE BIG EAST PRE-CONFERENCE PICKS
Everyone claims that The Big East Conference is down from last year. That is true. We may not have nine teams that make it into The NCAA Tournament, but where teams like Louisville fall down, others in The Big East step up. There are also a lot of questions to be answered about The Big East. Who will be the freshman of the year? Who will be the Big East player of the year? Who will finish on top and how many teams will be in the tournament?
The freshman of the year, in my eyes, could be one of two players; Brandon Triche of Syracuse or Lance Stephenson of Cincinnati. Triche came into Syracuse to replace the poise and play making ability of Jonny Flynn; by all means a hard show to follow. Triche has matured fast, handles the ball well, and penetrate the defense with his strong build. Lance Stephenson, on the other hand, is a strong forward out of Brooklyn. He comes up big for a good Bearcats team, averaging 10 points and almost 6 rebounds per game.
The Big East player of the year is a tough one. You've got Luke Harangody, who does it all for Notre Dame, Wes Johnson, who is the most significant transfer in Syracuse history, and Scottie Reynolds, who has been running Villanova's squad flawlessly. It will be tough for Harangody, because The Big East player of the year usually goes to a player on a team that makes it to the top of the conference, and I don't believe that Notre Dame has it in them to do so. It will be a tough decision, but I think Wes Johnson might pull it off, because of The Cuse's Final Four caliber team.
Now, how will the Big East finish this year? And, How many will make it to The NCAA Tournament? Well here is the top 10. I only believe that 7 of these teams will make it in.
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Syracuse – The Cuse is a no-brainer. If anyone has seen them play this year, then they know The Orangemen are for real. With a squad that is unselfish, long, smart, and with dominating wins over California and North Carolina, I don't believe there is a team in the Big East that can match up.
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Villanova – Nova already has some impressive wins. The squad is growing, and Scottie Reynolds is a true point guard that can handle the rock in tough situations. The three guards, Fisher, Reynolds, and Stokes, are going to get it done for the Wildcats this season.
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West Virginia – This squad is a special one for Bob Huggins. They are also an exceptionally unselfish team, led by Da'sean Butler and Devin Ebanks. But, The Mountaineers have not really been tested yet. Everyone picks them to dominate The Big East, but I wonder if they have actually been watching the games. Let me remind them. The Big East is not The Pac Ten!
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Cincinnati – This team is going to surprise everyone. They have struggled the last few years, but The Bearcats are bouncing back. With Lance Stephenson, Yancy Gates, and Deonta Vaughn, Cincinnati has already beaten up on Vanderbilt and Maryland. They lost a heart-breaking overtime game to Gonzagga, but the Zags are a tough top 25 team.
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Marquette – The Golden Eagles are in a slump as of late, but this team will bounce back. They absolutely dominated Michigan and Xavier. With Lazar Hayward and Jimmy Butler they are bound for a top 5 finish in The Big East.
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St. Johns – I know it's been awhile for this squad, but this is their year to shine. Without Justin Burrell, one of their starters, they were able to give Duke a game. These city kids are going to upset some teams and give the tournament a go this year.
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Connecticut – Without Hasheem Thabeet The Huskies aren't the same. Their game against Duke was an eye-opener to every Connecticut fan. Connecticut really hasn't played many tough teams this pre-season, but I guess we will see when they face a tough KU team on Wednesday.
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Georgetown – The only reason I ranked Georgetown this low is because they have not played anyone good yet. They played Temple, but it was probably the worst game of basketball I have ever seen. Greg Monroe is over-rated and Austin Freeman has not stepped up yet.
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South Florida – They have the talent. Austin Gillchrest and Dominique Jones are going to lead this team to a top 10 finish in The Big East.
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Notre Dame – Sorry all you Fighting Irish, but Notre Dame can not get it done with just one man. Luke Harangody is good, but will not be able to lead this team into The NCAA Tournament. They have not played any good teams, and will not, before conference play. They already lost to North Western, by a landslide, which is not a good sign for The Fighting Irish early on.
By: Robert Johnsen
BigEast-fans.com Staff Writer