Breaking Down Big East Basketball

National Contenders

Louisville (4) enjoyed an unexpected run late last year to propel them near the top of the standings and they return four of their starters.  They were the most successful Big East team in the NCAA tournament last year and Rick Pitino will undoubtedly have them hungry for more.

I never thought I'd see Notre Dame (3) on this list, and they could be even higher.  Losing only one starter from last year, this team is poised to make one heck of a run through, well, anybody.  Preseason games against Ohio St. and Indiana, with potential match-ups against Texas and North Carolina, could provide this veteran team with lots of early experience that could give them a fast start in the conference.  This is a team that needs to prove it can play in any tournament with early exits almost every year.

A huge disappointment last year, Pittsburgh (2) looks to regain its grip near or at the top of the conference.  Proving that last season wasn't the real Panther team, they became the first seventh seed to win a Big East Championship that required them to win four games in four days.  This is a very deep squad who always plays with a chip on its shoulder and after an early exit in the NCAA tournament last year this could be a very scary team.

Jim Calhoun has yet another front-runner at Connecticut (1).  Winning in the Big East is not only traditional for the Huskies, it's expected.  This year is no different with the return of A.J. Price and Jeff Adrian, along with Hasheem Thabeet, who was probably the rawest talent in the league last year.  With another off-season to hone his skills, Thabeet could progress enough to challenge Harangody for the POY award, and to help UConn challenge the nation in the NCAA tournament

Wrapping It Up

I can't wait for this basketball season, not only in the Big East, but all over the NCAA landscape.

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