2011/12 NCAA College Basketball

[faldor]

The season kicked off with March Madness this past weekend, let the pre-season begin.

http://www.bigeast.org/News/tabid/435/Article/228746/Connecticut,-Syracuse-Tie-For-First-Place-In-Preseason-Coaches%E2%80%99-Poll-.aspx

Connecticut, Syracuse Tie For First Place In Preseason Coaches? Poll

NEW YORK -- Connecticut and Syracuse are the co-favorites to win the 2011-12 BIG EAST men?s basketball regular-season crown in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches? Poll.  The Huskies, who won the 2011 NCAA national championship, received seven first-place votes and a total of 209 points.

The Orange, who finished last season with a 27-8 record, collected five first-place votes.  It is the third tie for first place in the history of the BIG EAST with the last coming in 2007-08.  The league?s head coaches do not place their own teams on their ballots.

The Huskies, coached by Jim Calhoun, welcome back three starters, including sophomore guard Jeremy Lamb, a 2011-12 Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team pick, and junior forward Alex Oriakhi, a Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team selection.  Freshman forward Andre Drummond was named BIG EAST Preseason Rookie of the Year.
 
The strength of the Orange in 2011-12 starts with senior forward Kris Joseph, a member of the Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team.  Junior guard Scoop Jardine who led the BIG EAST in assists with a 6.1 average in league play, is a Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team pick. 
 
Louisville finished third in the poll with 201 points and three first-place votes.  The Cardinals return 11 lettermen including three starters from last year?s team that finished 25-10 overall and 12-6 in the BIG EAST.  Junior guard Peyton Siva is a top all-around contributor to the UofL success.  Last season, he averaged 9.9 points, was fourth in the league in assists with a 5.2 average and second in steals at 2.0.  He is a Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team selection. 
 
Pittsburgh is a solid fourth in the poll with 188 points and one first-place vote.  The Panthers won the BIG EAST regular-season crown last season and finished 28-6 overall.  This year, Pitt will depend on senior guard Ashton Gibbs, the 2011-12 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year.   
 
Cincinnati was placed fifth in the poll, its highest position since joining the BIG EAST in 2005-06.  Last year, the Bearcats finished 26-9 overall, 11-7 in the league and earned an NCAA berth for the first time since 2005.  Coach Mick Cronin welcomes back three starters, including senior forward Yancy Gates, a Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team selection.
 
Marquette, placed sixth in the poll, will be aiming for its seventh straight NCAA bid.  Guard Darius Johnson-Odom, a Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team pick, will give coach Buzz Williams a proven scorer.  Last year, the Golden Eagles finished 22-15 and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003.
 
West Virginia was picked seventh.  The Mountaineers figure to be led by senior forward Kevin Jones who made the Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team.  Last season, WVU compiled its seventh straight 20-win season, finishing 21-12.
 
Villanova was slotted for eighth place.  Like West Virginia, the Wildcats finished 21-12 and were one of the BIG EAST?s record 11 NCAA tourney teams.  This season, coach Jay Wright will not have a senior on his squad.  Junior guard Maalik Wayns is the top returning scorer with a 13.8 average. 
 
The coaches chose Notre Dame ninth.  The Irish recorded the second highest win total in school history last year when they finished 27-7 overall and were 14-4 in the BIG EAST.  Notre Dame will miss guard Ben Hansbrough, last year?s BIG EAST Player of the Year, but will lean on Tim Abromaitis who made the 2011-12 Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team.
 
Georgetown is 10th in the poll.  The Hoyas will look to senior guard Jason Clark while finding replacements for Clark?s backcourt partners, all-conference players Austin Freeman and Chris Wright.
 
Rutgers was tabbed for 11th place, the Scarlet Knights? highest position in the poll since the BIG EAST became a 16-team conference in 2005-06.  Rutgers, under second-year coach Mike Rice, expects to improve on last year?s 15-17 record.

St. John?s is 12th in the poll.  Under coach Steve Lavin, the Red Storm earned their first NCAA bid last season since 2002.  This season, Lavin will have a team with only one returning scholarship player.

Seton Hall was placed 13th in the poll.  USF is 14th followed by Providence and DePaul. 
 
 
2011-12 Preseason Coaches? Poll
1. Connecticut (7) 209
    Syracuse (5) 209
3. Louisville (3) 201
4. Pittsburgh (1) 188
5. Cincinnati 169
6. Marquette 155
7. West Virginia 132
8. Villanova 127
9. Notre Dame 114
10. Georgetown 104
11. Rutgers 75
12. St. John?s  71
13. Seton Hall  56
14. USF          43
15. Providence 40
16. DePaul         27
 
First-place votes in parentheses

[faldor]

I agree with Trader Rick, although things ain't looking good for the Big East.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7152103/rick-pitino-louisville-cardinals-big-east-add-memphis-tigers-temple-owls

Rick Pitino presses for Memphis, Temple

By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
Archive

Louisville coach Rick Pitino is actively lobbying the Big East Conference and its member schools to add Memphis and Temple for basketball, regardless of whether the Big East adds Central Florida, Houston or SMU.

Pitino said Wednesday that he has expressed his opinion to Big East commissioner John Marinatto and wants the league to seriously consider raising the basketball profile of the conference during the turbulent period of realignment.

Pitino said the Big East has to combat the ACC's move of taking away two of the league's best basketball programs in Syracuse and Pittsburgh, and then possibly the Big 12's desire to take West Virginia, if the Mountaineers end up replacing Missouri -- a potential SEC member -- in the Big 12 Conference.

But West Virginia has been notified by the Big 12 that its expansion process is on hold, a school source told ESPN's Joe Schad on Wednesday.

The Big 12 is waiting on Missouri formally to withdraw from the conference and that there has been some late "hard lobbying" by Louisville for Big 12 inclusion, the source told Schad.

West Virginia had been told that the Big 12 was willing to announce it would be adding the Mountaineers regardless of the timing of the departure announcement of Missouri, but at least for now, that has changed, the source told Schad.

Multiple sources told ESPN.com that Louisville also is actively pursuing Big 12 membership -- not at the expense of West Virginia, but in addition to the Mountaineers, or ahead of West Virginia if the Mountaineers' move doesn't happen.

For the time being, though, Pitino continues to push for Memphis, of Conference USA, and Temple, which plays in the Mid-American Conference for football and the Atlantic 10 for all other sports.

"We have to take a page out of the ACC in what they did to us," Pitino said. "Taking Syracuse and Pittsburgh was a stroke of genius. We have to do the same thing and we have that available to us with two programs that also have football."

Pitino, who understands the moves are being driven by football, said he has been talking to Memphis basketball coach Josh Pastner to see what kind of commitment the Tigers are willing to make to upgrade the football program. He said Temple's football program already is on an upward trajectory.

But it's the basketball programs that Pitino said have to be involved in any discussion.

"I understand what we're doing for football, but the Big East core is inner-city basketball, and Memphis and Temple fit that core," Pitino said. "They are everything we need. We have to get back to our core.

"Memphis has 18,000 season tickets in basketball and a gigantic following. It's a major city. Temple is in a major city (Philadelphia) and is a top 30 program with Fran Dunphy. We need them. Having Temple in the Big East would be great for all the other sports. And here Memphis is a great rival for us. Our fans would be excited to play Memphis."

Pitino said he has spoken to Villanova coach Jay Wright as well, to gauge if the Wildcats are attempting to block Temple, their Philadelphia Big 5 rival. Pitino is trying to work various sources to convince the Big East to consider Memphis and Temple.

"Everybody thinks SMU can be back in football and Houston is fashionable now," Pitino said, "but we can take them and Memphis and Temple. We have to get to 18 teams and get Boise State and Navy and Air Force in football if they want to commit.

"I'm giving my opinion and the Big East has told me that all my points are valid. We just lost two really important basketball programs in Syracuse and Pitt and maybe a third in West Virginia. We have to make the Big East strong again. Memphis and Temple is what we need right now."

[D]

Kentucky are gonna win it all this year. team is absolutely stacked.


Don't call him Trader Rick.. C'mon only UK fans are allowed to say that.

[Axl4Prez2004]

Pitino's a used car salesman.  Same with Calipari...I'm not a fan, sorry.

[D]

Pitino has never had a recruiting infraction i am aware of in over 25 years.

Stand up guy *well other than the 10 sec restaurant fucking* LOL

[faldor]

Kentucky are gonna win it all this year. team is absolutely stacked.


Don't call him Trader Rick.. C'mon only UK fans are allowed to say that.

Kentucky is stacked every year. It's hard to win relying on so many frehmen though. And as horribly as Pitino did in his short stint with the Celtics, I should be able to call him whatever I want. I think the C's are still paying Travis Knight's contract.

[D]

well in his defense.. had those ping pong balls landed right and he got tim Duncan... We'd be calling him one of the greatest of all time.

[WAR41]

Fuck Kansas.... a bunch of bullshit calls all night.  Yeah CJ Leslie had 4 fouls with 12 mins left.  What bullshit.  As Etown would say "fuck the world cuz the world fucked me"

[WAR41]

LOL I said that??

[D]

In Heaven

UL and UK gonna be in the final four!

[D]

Banner number 8 on the way baby!!!!!!!!!