Despite feeling polled out, I did promise that I would give my predictions for the Big East this year. As it is, I’m a week later than I originally intended. The Big East looks a little stronger overall compared to last year. Last year in the Big East there was a huge difference between the top half of the Big East and the bottom half. Now with Miami and Va. Tech gone, things are different.

After you get through the bottom 3, and the top 3 the middle 6 teams could arguably be anywhere from 4-9. So, in the reverse order:

12. Georgetown. New coach, and even less talent than last year. The Princeton offense may work, but it will be ugly while it is being implemented.

11. St. John’s. They probably have the least amount of talent in the Big East, but I like their new coach to get this team to max out on heart and to steal a couple games.

10. Rutgers. Supposedly a good coach, that gets interest from other teams in the offseason. Like their football program, a “sleeping giant.” They lose their best player to graduation, so it is a rebuilding year. Sadly for Rutgers in the deep Big East, that means from middle of the pack to the lower third.

9. Seton Hall. Another team that is rebuilding after losing key players to graduation, but with a coach that has a good reputation. I see Seton Hall as being a good home team but real issues on the road.

8. West Virginia. You know, there are a lot of good coaches in the Big East, John Beilen, is one of them. He kicked off, arguably their best player last year, and the team improved. He returns all 5 starters, and has improved depth on the bench. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them as high as 6th.

7. Providence. Yes, they still have All-American, Ryan Gomes, who is also the Big East Pre-Season Player of the Year. Problem is they don’t have their center, Douthit any longer. I question the ability of this team to bang inside in the Big East. They came on strong in the middle of the Big East season, but weren’t strong in the final games and had nothing left by the time they reached the Big East Tournament. Some consider them a potential winner of the Big East. I think they would be lucky to finish 5th.

6. Villanova. I agonized over this one. The most unpredictable team to rank. You keep waiting for them to put all that talent together like they finally did in the Big East Tournament and even in the NCAA, but then you think of how many games they just couldn’t close out. I see nothing from their coach, Jay Wright, to think he will push them over the hump. The loss of Jason Fraser for the season hurts them, but not as much as their inconsistency. They would be fully capable of beating UConn, Syracuse or Pitt one night then losing to St. John’s or Georgetown the next. They are just that strange a team.

5. Notre Dame. A popular dark horse to win the Big East. Hah. Mike Brey is biding his time for Mike Ksdfakladfkli at Duke to retire. Chris Thomas, the point guard, long on potential but short on consistent performance. Everyone likes this team because they are convinced that this year Chris Thomas will finally put it together. And surely a big center like Torin Francis will not have back problems again this year. I mean, back problems don’t flare up or anything once they start happening. Still this team is dangerous with Quinn at shooting guard and Denis Latimore, the Arizona transfer at power forward.

4. Boston College. Another solid coach, Al Skinner, who has built this team to bang, compete and play in the Big East. They may be the toughest, most physical team in the Big East this year starting with forward Craig Smith. This team plays a tough defense that will draw comparison’s to the Pitt D from last year. My dark horse pick to win the Big East.

3. Pitt. The defending Big East regular season champs. It’s not because of the loss of Brown and Page that I put them 3rd. It’s just that the talent above is so good on paper that before the season begins I have put them here. The big question to me is not replacing Brown and Page, but can Coach Dixon work in his bench more and rest the starters. This is the first time in Pitt’s rise in the Big East that there is actual depth on the bench. I still maintain that part of Pitt’s problem in the Big East championship and in the NCAA, was that the starters were just worn down from the amount of minutes played during the season. Troutman, Taft, and Krauser will lead the team. McCarroll, DeGroat, Kendall and Milligan will battle for starting at forward, but figure they will all be seeing a lot of action early in the season. Freshmen Ronald Ramon and Keith Benjamin will battle with Sophomore Antonio Graves for the starting shooting guard and to back-up Krauser.

2. Syracuse. The polls have Syracuse #1 in the Big East, but I’m not so sure. They have a lot of returning talent, but this talent has been inconsistent. On paper, it is an easy call. They have been a great team, but capable of easily losing focus and losing a few games they shouldn’t. A typical Jim Boeheim team really. This team’s starters should scare any opponent and they have a strong bench. This is more of a team built for the NCAA than to win the Big East.

1. Connecticut. This team has reloaded and had so much talent waiting that they could lose the #2 and #3 picks in the NBA draft, and I still like them to win the Big East. It doesn’t hurt to have one of the best coaches in the game. Josh Boone should lead this team. With Villanueva, Anderson and Dehham Brown to start. They have one of the top recruits in the country — Rudy Gay, along with the former ACC rookie of the year, Ed Nelson, who transferred from Georgia Tech. I just find it hard to pick against the defending national champs.