Toyminator's 1999 Big East Conference Preview

The Big East is definitely back after a few lackluster years. UConn's National Championship last season was the first for the conference since their glory days in the mid-80's. Now we'll see if the Huskies can make history by repeating as champions this season. Losing Ricky Moore & Rip Hamilton will make it tougher, but they still have a lot of talented and experienced players to make a good run. There are also a few other teams that could compete for the title if the Huskies fail. Syracuse, St. John's & Miami all return a number of quality players from last season, but need some help from their new guys if they want to be contenders. Lastly, look out for Seton Hall, who is quickly becoming a force under Tommy Amaker. This season will be a good test for the young Pirates!

On the other hand, the conference is still trying to solidify the football side of it, which is greatly affecting it's basketball. Next season, another inept program (Virginia Tech) will join the conference as it's 14th member, which will split the conference into two divisions (again!). Of course, this may never happen if Miami bolts for the ACC! Either way, it's a losing situation for the conference, which is seems to be following the WAC approach to screwing things up!

ON THE RISE: Seton Hall
His first few years at the Hall were uninspiring, but Coach Amaker looks like he's turned the corner on this program. The arrival of Samuel Dalembert gives the Pirates a big man to complement Holloway at point and Saunders on the wing, giving them a good chance of reaching the NCAA Tournament this season. In addition, Amaker has gotten two big commitments for next season to further propel its rise!

IN DECLINE: Pittsburgh
The Panthers were very disappointing last season and don't look to be much improved without their best player, Vonteego Cummings (NBA second rounder), or their starting center, Attila Cosby (transferred to New Mexico). What's worse, the program doesn't seem to be attracting many of the top high schoolers anymore. The 3 seniors may help the team win a few this season, but the future is bleak!

1. UCONN

Strengths: Good offense. Excellent shooting & rebounding team. Solid team defense. Knows how to win.
Weakness: Inexperienced bench.
Outlook: Still as talented as last year's team, but not as experienced. Tough to beat, even though they'll be a target this season.

2. ST. JOHN'S

Strengths: Excellent backcourt. Tough, physical, aggressive defense which causes many turnovers. Good team quickness.
Weakness: Very small frontcourt. Little depth.
Outlook: Will counter their lack of size with an attacking offense & defense. Tough to beat because they always keep it close.

3. SYRACUSE

Strengths: Good inside scoring & defense. Force many turnovers and block shots. Very experienced.
Weakness: Very inconsistent. Poor outside shooting. Too many turnovers.
Outlook: Orangemen need to stay focused during entire game and rebound better in order to win. Otherwise, the talent is there.

4. MIAMI

Strengths: Great team defense. Good experience and quickness. Good FT shooting team.
Weakness: Lack of inside scoring. Too many turnovers.
Outlook: Loss of James may kick them out of Top 25, but if Tyler comes through then they should be just as tough as last season.

5. SETON HALL

Strengths: Experienced & deep backcourt. Good FT shooting team.
Weakness: Poor shooting & rebounding team. Inexperienced forntcourt.
Outlook: The backcourt should carry this team until Dalembert learns how to dominate. NCAA Tourney is a possibility.

6. GEORGETOWN

Strengths: Good rebounding team. Big frontcourt. Young, promising backcourt.
Weakness: Horrible shooting team from everywhere. Poor perimeter defense.
Outlook: Hoyas can't shoot and their esteemed defense is iffy, but their finally getting some talent, which has been lacking lately.

7. NOTRE DAME

Strengths: Good shooting team. Young talent.
Weakness: Poor team defense, which has trouble with quick teams. Inexperienced.
Outlook: Doherty's got a good core of young talent, especially Murphy. Look for them to improve quickly.

8. VILLANOVA

Strengths: Big, solid frontcourt. Good shooting team, especially FT.
Weakness: Poor team defense. Questionable backcourt. Lack of team quickness. Too many turnovers.
Outlook: A young & inexperienced backcourt may get eaten up in the Big East, but the NIT is possible.

9. RUTGERS

Strengths: Good shooting team. Jones & Greer on the wings.
Weakness: Poor rebounding team. Poor team defense. Questionable PG. Little depth.
Outlook: Team has some talent, but too many question marks to make a run this season. Maybe some more strip practices will help!

10. PITTSBURGH

Strengths: Good experience. Defense that forces many turnovers.
Weakness: Poor team defense. Poor shooting & rebounding team. Big hole in the middle.
Outlook: Even with Cummings this team stunk, so don't expect much this year other than the proverbial cupcake beatings.

11. PROVIDENCE

Strengths: Force many turnovers. Good FT shooting team.
Weakness: Poor shooting & rebounding team. Poor interior defense. Lack of a scorer.
Outlook: Little scoring returns, so newcomers need to put the ball in the basket if they want to win some games this season.

12. WEST VIRGINIA

Strengths: Inside scoring. Depth in backcourt.
Weakness: Poor team defense. Poor rebounding team. Poor FT & 3-pt shooting team.
Outlook: If Kearse can become eligible, it would stabilize the backcourt & add a scorer. Either way, they won't win too many!

13. BOSTON COLLEGE

Strengths: Young, quick team.
Weakness: Poor shooting & rebounding team. Too many missed shots. Lack of size. Many more.
Outlook: Another 3-win season is possible.

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Last updated on 10/7/99 by toyminator@prodigy.net