As a stark reminder that the universe will not implode on itself if football is not played at all times, the Big East Conference got together today to discuss basketball, and only that of a Big East nature.Included in the press day was the coaches picks for the best teams and players. Assumedly, Villanova's Jay Wright didn't let 50 Cent make his picks for him. I've always found these things fascinating...they're basically just best guesses. Do you get a trophy or a plaque for your hypothetical skill? Do they keep records of most Preseason Awards somewhere? Is there a guy out there who touts his Preseason Awards to people he meets while serving them breakfast?
Preseason All-Big East Team
Terrence Roberts, Syracuse
Jeff Adrien, UConn
Wilson Chandler, DePaul
Sammy Mejia, DePaul
Jeff Green, Georgetown
Roy Hibbert, Georgetown
Juan Palacios, Louisville
Dominic James, Marquette
Lamont Hamilton, St. Johns
Curtis Sumpter, Villanova
Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh
Honorable Mention
Louisville's David Padgett
Notre Dame's Colin Falls
Syracuse's Eric Devendorf
Preseason Rookie of The Year
Syracuse's Paul Harris
Preseason Player of the Year
Pittsburgh center Aaron Gray
And as for the Coaches Preseason Big East Poll...
1. Pitt (10)
2. Georgetown (4)
3. Syracuse (1)
4. Marquette (1)
5. UConn
6. Louisville
7. Villanova
8. DePaul
9. St. John's
10. Providence
11. Notre Dame
12. West Virginia
13. Cincinnati
14. Rutgers
15. Seton Hall
16. South Florida
Preseason #5 in the Big East...No National Championship talk...There will be hell to pay in Storrs tonight!
It was also mentioned that the Big East Tournament will remain at 12 teams, which, is a shame. Would it really screw things up that bad to have one more day of exciting do-or-die basketball?
Check out the Big East Media Guide for more info.