2007 Big East Basketball Preview

The Big East has sixteen teams and about half of those clubs will more likely than not end in the NCAA tournament mix. The conference has been in a state of flux lately with Connecticut replenishing its talent, Syracuse working its way back up the ladder and Georgetown firmly establishing itself as the team to beat.

The top four appear to be the Georgetown Hoyas, Louisville Cardinals, Marquette Golden Eagles and Pittsburgh Panthers. The Hoyas not-so-secret weapon is the mighty talent of Roy Hibbert. Of course, Georgetown has a wealth of talent and experience surrounding Hibbert.

The Louisville Cardinals will be a top team and will give the Hoyas a run for their money in college hoops picks this years. As it is with Georgetown, Louisville with its experienced but still young team, has a shot at the national title. Edgar Sosa and Terrence Williams are the leaders on this club.

Look for the Golden Eagles of Marquette, which returns five starters, including Wesley Mathews, to win more than they did last season. The Pittsburgh Panthers have lost some important big guys but they have a boatload of athletic young players.

The Syracuse Orange welcome top NBA prospect Donte Green and the highly touted Jonny Flynn, while the Providence Friars have a sound foundation that can take them to the March Madness brackets The Connecticut Huskies possess the best coach in the Big East and a whole lot of young talent. Watch the Villanova Wildcats. The Cats managed to recruit top frosh Corey Stokes.

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame could certainly be better than a ninth-place club. The frontcourt looks potent. Bob Huggins takes over coaching duties at West Virginia, giving the Mountaineers a new way to win. The De Paul Blue Demons have three fine starters who could launch them into a NCAA berth and will draw our attention for college basketball betting odds. The Pirates of Seton Hall bring back the Big East’s two top scorers and could steal a ticket to the Big Dance.

The bottom four teams in the Big East are still pretty good. St. John’s Red Storm are steadily being rebuilt by coach Norm Roberts, while the Cincinnati Bearcats, under coach Mick Cronin, will welcome Texas transfer Mike Williams. Stan Heath takes over as coach of the South Florida Bulls. He’ll try to get them up to speed. The Scarlet Knights of Rutgers have Gregg Hill in his second year at the helm rebuilding the club.

2007 Big East Basketball Predictions

Click on School Link For Individual Team Preview

1) Georgetown Hoyas
2) Louisville Cardinals
3) Marquette Golden Eagles
4) Pittsburgh Panthers
5) Syracuse Orange
6) Providence Friars
7) Connecticut Huskies
8) Villanova Wildcats
9) Notre Dame Fighting Irish
10) West Virginia Mountaineers
11) De Paul Blue Demons
12) Seton Hall Pirates
13) St. John’s Red Storm
14) Cincinnati Bearcats
15) South Florida Bulls
16) Rutgers Scarlet Knights