College Basketball Predictions: 10 Bold Predictions for UConn and the Big East

The Connecticut Huskies won it all last season, and they are a top team in the Big East for the 2011-12 college basketball season.

The Big East has had an incredible amount of talent over the last few years, and they look to continue that trend this season.  They have sent ridiculous numbers of teams to the NCAA tournament recently, and they dominate the top 25.

While the Big East will lose major schools like Pittsburgh and Syracuse in a few years, they are still in the conference, and they make up arguably the best conference in college basketball.

Most Surprising Team: Connecticut

The Connecticut Huskies are already ranked No. 4 in the country, and are the highest ranked Big East team, so how do they surprise us?

Easy, they dominate. 

The Huskies have their doubters, and they are expected to lose their lead in a very close conference.  But, not quite.

The Huskies have one of the best starting fives in the country and they are certainly the best in the Big East, with their only competition being Syracuse.

Jeremy Lamb and Alex Oriakhi are both ready to step up, and they were preseason Wooden Top 50 players.  Shabazz Napier was a role player last season, but he can help step up in most games.  They bring in freshmen Andre Drummond and DeAndre Daniels to make immediate impacts, and Ryan Boatright who will be exciting to watch after a suspension.

The Huskies are set to be one of the best teams in the nation again, and they will pull way from even Jim Boeheim and the Syracuse Orange.

Most Disappointing: Louisville

The Louisville Cardinals went 25-10 and lost to Morehead State in the first round of the NCAA tournament last season.  They had a pathetic end to a disappointing season, and there's no indication that they will do otherwise this season.

Peyton Siva is going to be an elite point guard, but he doesn't have many options to pass to.  He averaged 5.3 assists per game last season, but losing Preston Knowles and Terrence Jennings hurts, seeing as they were both top four scoring options for the Cardinals last season.

Shooting guard Wayne Blackshear joining them will help, but he can't be the go-to scorer they lack.

This team isn't going to suffocate anyone on defense, and without two of their most valuable offensive weapons, this team won't be this good.

Game of the Year: Connecticut at Syracuse

This one's really a no-brainer.  These two teams are easily the best in the conference, and they will meet up to decide who wins the conference outright.

The better of the two games these two play will be held in Syracuse.  Connecticut is the better of the two teams, so playing in the Carrier Dome will give the Orange an edge.  The Carrier Dome is huge, so it seats a ton of Orange fans, and the students go crazy there, making it one of the toughest places to play in the nation.

If Syracuse cannot win this game, then Connecticut will take over the Big East for sure.  Luckily, I see the Orange winning this one.

Freshman of the Year: Andre Drummond

Andre Drummond is the second-best recruit in the class behind Anthony Davis, but I actually expect him to be the best in the nation.

This kid is a big man, but he's athletic like a small forward.  He puts up great numbers by dominating in the paint, and he can throw down some truly spectacular dunks.

Drummond is going to be key for Connecticut's success this season, and his key role will help him win the Big East Freshman of the Year award.

Defensive Player of the Year: James Bell, Villanova

James Bell is a long 6'6" guard for the Villanova Wildcats, in his sophomore season.  Bell plays very tight man defense and while he won't blow you away on the stat sheet, he can take opponents out of the equation.

Bell's height and length allow him to defend against guards, small forwards and even the occasional power forward.

He is quick and forces turnovers despite not racking up a lot of steals.  He can elevate well and he has all the tools for being a tier one defender.

While he certainly has a lot of competition, Bell is just the best shutdown defender in the conference.

Player of the Year: Ashton Gibbs

Ashton Gibbs is one of the best offensive players in the country.  While it would be a great story to give freshman Andre Drummond this award, Gibbs' offense will help him grab that honor.

Gibbs averaged roughly 17 points, three assists and 2.5 rebounds last season.  Now that Pittsburgh has lost quite a bit of talent, Gibbs is going to have to step up even more.  Gibbs shot almost 50 percent from three last season, and he is going to be the go-to-guy.

Gibbs is going to put up some ridiculous numbers this season, as he has to make up for their heavy losses.

Gibbs is arguably the best offensive player in the country, and he's going to show that and win Big East Player of the Year honors.

Winner of Conference: Connecticut

As I said, the Connecticut Huskies have arguably the best starting five in the country.  With a good combination of returning stars and new freshmen, the Huskies are balanced and talented.

This team, led by coach Jim Calhoun, has the necessary experience to win it all again, and they showed us that they are incredibly good on neutral courts, going undefeated last season.

The Huskies are at it again, and they are about to prove it.  This team is even better than last year, the only drawback is that so is the competition.

Winner of the Conference Tournament: Pittsburgh

While the Connecticut Huskies are the best team in the conference and play well on neutral courts, and the Syracuse Orange could also win the tournament, March is dominated by stars.

The biggest star in the Big East is Ashton Gibbs, and he will lead the Pittsburgh Panthers through the Big East tournament.

Just as Kemba Walker did last season, Gibbs will be the star and the leader this season.

The Panthers have lost a lot of talent, but they still have enough to win the conference tournament.

Teams That Will Make the NCAA Tournament: 8

The Big East is still a power conference and with six teams in the top 25, they are essentially guaranteed to have those teams in the NCAA tournament.  West Virginia and Villanova will also make the tournament.

We've seen the Big East struggle in recent NCAA tournaments, but with eight strong teams they could easily win it all against this season.

The Big East holds the reigning champs, the Connecticut Huskies, and they will surely compete well in the tournament this year, as they are a preseason pick to land a No. 1 seed for me.

The Big East is always well-represented, and this year will be no different.

Team with the Best Chance to Win It All

The Connecticut Huskies are not only the best team in the Big East, they are also the reigning national champions.

This is the same team that won it all minus one superstar, but that gained both experience and three talented freshmen.

Led by Jeremy Lamb, Alex Oriakhi and Andre Drummond, this team will hit its stride soon, and could gain enough momentum to win it all once again.

More Predictions

This is part four of a six-part series.  I'm bringing you 10 bold predictions for the six major conferences over the next week.  This is the schedule:

ACC

Big 12

Pac-12

Wednesday 11/16- SEC

Friday 11/18- Big Ten

Josh Schoch is an aspiring sportswriter dedicated to bringing you everything related to college basketball, the NFL, MLB, NBA, college football and much more.  Follow him on Twitter.