Toyminator's 2002-2003 Big East Conference Preview

The Big East did it again last season! Out of nowhere, Pittsburgh became the league's best team when most people didn't even give them a shot (myself included)! So will there be another surprise team this season? Maybe, but don't expect the Panthers to slip like BC and Providence did last season. They've got everyone back and added a little more depth, so they should be one of the top teams in the country! As for the rest of the league, it's gotten stronger as well! In fact, there's really only two stinkers in this league...the Virginia's (West & Tech). Everyone else is good or at least decent. Look for as many as 7 teams to get bids to the Big Dance, with another 4-5 playing in the NIT. And best of all, look for the conference race to be fierce and exciting!

The other thing that makes the Big East so appealing is the influx of talented youngsters the past few seasons! Sure, some will leave early for the NBA (ala Caron Butler), but many more will stick around a few seasons first! UConn's got sophs Emeka Okafor & Ben Gordon. Notre Dame's got Chris Thomas & Torin Francis. Syracuse reeled in a number of talents, including Billy Edelin and Carmelo Anthony, who could be one of the best players in the nation by season's end! And how about the job Jay Wright is doing at Nova! Not sure HOW he's doing it, but he snagged one of the best freshman classes in the country this season, led by big man Jason Fraser! Besides all the young big men, there's a boatload of telented guards too, especially Seton Hall's John Allen, Miami's Robert Hite, St. John's Elijah Ingram & Darryl Hill, and Rutgers Ricky Shields. Add in "veterans" like Brandin Knight, Marcus Hatten, Andre Barrett, Jerome Coleman and BC's dynamic duo, Troy Bell & Ryan Sidney, and you've got a NBA's scout dream come true! I'm telling ya, keep an eye on this conference!

ON THE RISE: Notre Dame
I know many die-hard Big East fans can't handle this, but the Fighting Irish have become a force to be reckon with! Matt Doherty started the resurgence and Mike Brey is continuing it. They've been to the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons and will likely make it three this season. That's something that hasn't happened in South Bend for a long time! They've got a stable of talented freshmen and sophomores, led by PG Chris Thomas and C Torin Francis, who both will be two of the top players in the country at their positions!

IN DECLINE: West Virginia
The Mountaineers had a rough time of it last season, but their off season was even worse. Scandal forced promising PG Jonathon Hargett to be booted from the team, and 3 others may have to sit some games! This doesn't bode well for new coach John Beilin, who needed to sign some promising young talent and failed to do so. Look for them to finish last in their division for years to come!

1. BOSTON COLLEGE

Strengths: Excellent backcourt. Aggressive team defense. Team quickness. Plenty of experience. Good FT shooting team (except Sidney).
Weakness: Poor ball distribution. Poor rebounding team (except Sidney).
Outlook: Last season, the Eagles struggled in the spotlight. This season, look for them to be more at ease and back in the title picture. I look for Troy Bell to run the team more efficiently and freshman Craig Smith to provide some needed rebounding help. If that happens, they should win this division!

2. UCONN

Strengths: Excellent shooting team. Great team defense, led by Okafor. Solid backcourt.
Weakness: Questionable rebounding team. Too many turnovers. Loss of Butler, who carried this team last year!
Outlook: Had Butler hung around, they would have been one of the top teams in the country. But he's outta here, and so goes the Huskies shot at a championship! However, there's still plenty of talent here to defend their conference title. It's going to be a good, tough battle!

3. ST. JOHN'S

Strengths: Quick, athletic team. Tough, aggressive team defense. Lots of depth. Hatten's ability to take over games!
Weakness: Horrible shooting team. Unbalanced offense. Poor ball handling & distribution. Still no true center!
Outlook: With the arrival of some talented PG's, Marcus Hatten will move to SG and may be unstoppable! That was enough to get them into the Big Dance last season, so they should make it again considering they have a better team this time around!

4. VILLANOVA

Strengths: Excellent shooting team, especially from 3-pt and FT. Good rebounding team. Decent team defense.
Weakness: Terrible ball-handling & distribution. Very weak & inexperienced bench (including the coach).
Outlook: I don't get it! Why all the hype for the consumate bubble team? Yes, their starting five is solid, especially with super-frosh Fraser in the middle! But, their bench is sad and this division is tough! Until proven otherwise, I don't see this team getting off the bubble yet!

5. MIAMI

Strengths: Good team defense. Balanced offense. Good ball handling & distribution. Good FT shooting team.
Weakness: Poor rebounding team. Big hole at center. Weak bench. Questonable backcourt.
Outlook: The Canes should be solid again this season, but how well they do depends on their backcourt. Before losing SG Barnes, they would have gotten a NCAA bid and could have been contenders in this division. Now, their bubble may have burst and could end up in the NIT!

6. PROVIDENCE

Strengths: Balanced offense. Lots of experience & depth.
Weakness: Poor shooting & rebounding team. Poor team defense. Weak PG. Too many turnovers.
Outlook: It's not that the Friars are a bad team, but if they couldn't do anything last season with Linehan running the club, there's no way they'll be better without him!

7. VIRGINIA TECH

Strengths: Decent, balanced offense. Good rebounding team.
Weakness: Weak backcourt - very poor ball handling & distribution. Poor perimeter defense. Little off the bench.
Outlook: Somebody is going to have to loss some games in this division! It will be the Hokies! This team isn't even close to the teams above!

1. PITTSBURGH

Strengths: Excellent team defense. Great PG, who handles & distributes the ball well. Good rebounding team. Lots of experience.
Weakness: Horrible FT shooting team. Need to improve their 3-pt shooting.
Outlook: Ben Howland did a terrific job last season with this young team. Now with a little more experience, they're ready to compete for a national title. I think they'll fall a little short, but it will be a great season for the Panthers!

2. SYRACUSE

Strengths: Solid team defense. Balanced offense. Loaded with young talent. Excellent coaching.
Weakness: Very poor rebounding team. Inexperienced PG. Too many turnovers. Little depth.
Outlook: The Orangemen were in the midst of a great season before team chemistry went to hell and so did their season. Losing Deshaun Williams may help remedy that problem! Plus, the addition of Edelin and Anthony to a talented sophomore class should propel them back into the NCAA Tournament.

3. NOTRE DAME

Strengths: Excellent shooting team from everywhere. Great backcourt. Good ball handling & distribution. Big frontcourt. Good team defense.
Weakness: Inexperienced frontcourt. Inside scoring.
Outlook: The loss of their entire frontcourt will be a challenge for the Irish this season. However, their backcourt is good enough to make another run at the division title and a NCAA bid!

4. GEORGETOWN

Strengths: Big, deep, talented frontcourt that can score & rebound. Solid team defense. Decent shooting team.
Weakness: Questionable backcourt. Poor ball handling & distribution.
Outlook: The Hoyas are an enigma! They have some talent, including one of the best big men in the country in Sweetney, but always seem to underachieve. Is Coach Esherick over his head? Dunno, but look for them to be squarely on the Bubble again!

5. RUTGERS

Strengths: Solid backcourt. Good team defense. Good coaching.
Weakness: Horrible shooting team. Questionable frontcourt. Weak rebounding team. Too many turnovers.
Outlook: Kudos to Coach Waters for turning this program around so fast! They surprised every one last season, and should be just as good this season. But there are some better teams ahead of them, so NIT is the best they'll do!

6. SETON HALL

Strengths: Deep, talented backcourt. Aggressive team defense that forces many turnovers.
Weakness: Pitiful frontcourt, with little off the bench. Little inside scoring or rebounding. Poor shooting team. Too many turnovers.
Outlook: Barrett & Allen are a potent backcourt and will cause havoc at times, but their frontcourt is going to get bounced around and will be the downfall of this team.

7. WEST VIRGINIA

Strengths: Nothing I can think of!
Weakness: Poor team defense. Inept frontcourt. Depleted backcourt, with no PG! Poor ball handling & distribution.
Outlook: Gale Catlett's final season was a nightmare. Looked promising on paper, but they really stunk up the joint! Look for the same this season! It will take new Coach Beilin awhile to fix this train wreck!

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Last updated on 10/21/02 by toyminator@prodigy.net