Posted on 10/26/2006 6:43:08 AM PDT by CT-Freeper
It never comes as a surprise when the Big East produces teams good enough to win a national championship in men’s basketball. That is the case again this season; the conference is loaded, and two teams are showing up in the top 10 in nearly every preseason poll. It may be a familiar story, but the names have changed.
With Connecticut, Villanova and Syracuse dominating the Big East standings and headlines the last few seasons, it has been hard for Georgetown and Pittsburgh to break out of the pack. But that does not figure to be the case this season. With the Villanova and Connecticut rosters having been decimated by defections to the N.B.A., it is the Panthers and the Hoyas who look like the class of the conference. Both are returning many of the players from 2005-6 teams that were not quite good enough to steal the spotlight.
“This conference has two great teams this year, and they are Pitt and Georgetown,” Louisville Coach Rick Pitino said.
In the league’s coaches’ poll, Pitt received the top ranking with 10 first-place votes and 219 points; Georgetown was close behind with four first-place votes and 212 points. Syracuse and Marquette each received one first-place vote.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Surprising to me, in the very last paragraph of the article, my St. John's Redmen are actually both mentioned and they have something good written about them!
There are some great basketball schools in the Big East, but having two teams in the top 10 - how many schools are in the Big East these days? Twenty?
Go Pitt BB!
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