The Big East has historically been one of the toughest conferences in college basketball, and the 2008-2009 season is not shaping up to be any different. The preseason AP poll has three Big East teams in the top five, and seven in the top 25.
Let me break that down for you real quick.
Just under half of the Big East schools are in ranked in the top twenty five this year, with a few more banging on the door waiting for someone to slip up.
The Big East has seven schools in the top 25. The next is the ACC with four, and then the Big Ten, Big 12, and PAC-10 with three.
If you don't believe from the rankings that the Big East is the deepest conference in college hoops, then maybe some other numbers since the 2005-2006 season (when the Big East came into its current form) will convince you.
The Big East has had five or more teams ranked at once 36 times since the '05-'06 season.
27—The number of times the Big East has had multiple schools in the top ten.
16—The number of times the Big East has had multiple schools in the top five.
There have been 12 first round NBA draft picks out of the Big East since the 2006 NBA Draft.
10 different Big East schools have been ranked since the start of the '05-'06 season.
8—The record for the most teams sent by a conference to the NCAA Tournament. Set by the Big East in 2006 and 2008.
3—The smallest number of Big East teams ranked at any one time.
Believe me yet?
Read on to see what each of the Big East teams has in store for the 2008-2009 season.
Cincinnati Bearcats
Coach: Mike Cronin
2007-2008 Record: 8-10 (13-19)
AP Rank: NR
Coaches: NR
Overview
Mike Cronin is starting his third season as the Bearcat's head coach, and while they wound up posting a losing record both overall and in conference play last season, they proved that they can put together a great game when they need to, upsetting Louisville 58-57 last January.
Coach Cronin is still working on rebuilding the program, and after their 2-14 Big East record during the 2006-2007 season, last year was a step in the right direction.
The Good
The Bearcats' leading scorer, Deonta Vaughn, returns for his junior year after being the league's sixth highest scorer last season, and his classmate, Rashad Bishop, will hopefully step up this season as well, both offensively and defensively.
Mike Williams will be in the mix this year after sitting out last year due to injury and the year before because of NCAA transferring rules. At Texas his freshman year, he averaged 2.3 points per game and 3.1 rebounds.
The Bad
Cashmere Wright, a highly regarded freshman point guard, is out for the season after tearing his ACL in late October. John Williamson, the only Bearcat besides Vaughn to average double figure points per game last season, is probably the biggest loss for the team.
The Bottom Line
Despite losing Wright, the Bearcats look like they can put together a very good season. They started out last season with an 8-5 Big East record, and finished 8-10 once teams figured out how to wear them down and take away Vaughn. They should have a stronger defensive presence this year, though, which will make them a much more competitive team.
Connecticut Huskies
Coach: Jim Calhoun
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