College Basketball Preview 2011-12: Ranking the Top 10 Big East Freshmen

We are just a few days away from the beginning of college basketball 2011-12.

And there will be more talent and athleticism on the court than any recent season.

Every day this week, we've been previewing the top 10 freshmen in a different power conference.

Monday, we began with the ACC.

Yesterday, we hit the Big 12.

Today, we will consider the Big East freshmen.

The rest of the week looks like this:

• Thursday: Big Ten and the Pac-12
• Friday: SEC

10. Maurice Harkless: St. John's

Maurice Harkless is the classic St. John's athletic wing player who can run, jump and make things happen in the open court.

Harkless will be a terror on the ball and in the passing lanes.

He will give head coach Steve Lavin an excellent player to rebuild the Red Storm roster with almost an entire new team this season.

9. Ryan Boatright: UConn

Ryan Boatright (6'2" 165 lbs) is a super-quick PG who can run the show or put points on the board in bunches.

He put up 40 or more seven times his senior year in high school at Aurora East (IL) H.S.

Boatright confidently penetrates and can finish or kick to open teammates.

He will challenge Shabazz Napier for playing time.

8. Wayne Blackshear: Louisville

If someone were to talk about players having a ready-to-play body, Wayne Blackshear (6'5" 205 lbs) would be at the top of that list.

Blackshear is both strong in transition and explosive in the lane.

On the defensive end, he fears no one and can change the game with his on-the-ball pressure. Not everyone can do that.

7. Michael Carter-Williams: Syracuse

MCW is an exceptional wing scorer who can go off at any time and from anywhere.

Though he may not be asked to do so at Syracuse, Carter-Williams has the skills to slide over and play the point.

The only thing that might initially limit Carter-Williams' playing time for the Orange is his pencil-thin build (6'5" 175 lbs).

Other than that, the sky is the limit for this McDonald's All-American.

6. Otto Porter: Georgetown

Otto Porter may surprise many when he begins to play at Georgetown, mainly because he comes from a small town in Missouri and he chose not to participate in the summer circuit where most elite-level players play.

Because of that, the 6'9" SF may "come out of nowhere" this season for the Hoyas.

His length creates some serious matchup nightmares. His SG ball-handling and shooting skills make him a force to be reckoned with, especially inside the arc. 

5. Rakeem Christmas: Syracuse

Rakeem Christmas (6'9" 222 lbs) adds one more elite-level frontcourt player to Jim Boeheim's roster.

Christmas runs the floor like a wing player and plays well above the rim on both ends.

He possess a menacing attitude about anyone who attempts to come in the lane, and seems to take it personally when an opponent scores down low.

4. Chane Behanan: Louisville

Chane Behanan is a bruising (6'7" 250 lbs) PF who has surprising "outside" skills.

While he may give away a few inches against some opponents, Behanan makes up for that with sheer toughness.

He will have no trouble with the physicality of Big East play.

3. DeAndre Daniels: UConn

DeAndre Daniels (6'8" 195 lbs) is one of the top SFs in the nation.

He will bring elite-level talent and athleticism to a UConn roster filled with length and skill.

Daniels will challenge for immediate playing time on the wing and will give head coach Jim Calhoun one more weapon in his arsenal.

Look for UConn to make a serious run in the 2012 NCAA tournament.

2. Khem Birch: Pitt

Khem Birch is one of the most highly rated recruits to come to Pitt in the Jamie Dixon era.

Birch is a long (6'9" 210 lbs) athletic PF, who can score at will down low and blocks a ton of shots.

Being in the Pitt system that requires effort and attention on the defensive end will do nothing but help Birch become a well-rounded star.

1. Andre Drummond: UConn

In August, when Andre Drummond announced that he was coming to UConn this year, it changed the entire outlook of the Huskies' upcoming season.

They went from being a good team that was defending their national title to a team that had a legitimate chance of repeating.

Drummond (6'11" 270 lbs) is the top freshman center and the No. 2 overall player in the class of 2011.

He is a man-child that dunks anything near the basket and forces his opponents to rethink taking the ball into the paint.

While he is most likely a serious one-and-done candidate, Drummond makes the UConn 2011-12 frontline scary.