Big East Preview: Part One

Can Syracuse claim one more conference title before leaving the Big East?

Varun Raghupathi

The 2012-2013 college basketball season marks Syracuse’s Big East swan song. Under head coach Jim Boeheim, the Orange has won the conference’s regular season title nine times and on five occasions has emerged victorious in the Big East tournament.

With SU heading to the ACC next season (along with conference foes Notre Dame and Pitt), it hopes its final chapter in the Big East is a good one. However, that will prove to be tough.

Let’s highlight these teams gunning for those coveted Big East regular season and tournament titles. We’ll split it up over the course of three weeks. This week, we’ll preview the top third of last year’s Big East standings.

Marquette Golden Eagles:

AP Photo/ John Bazemore

Things aren’t going to get any easier for Marquette this season, who is currently seventh in the Big East preseason poll. Last year’s Big East player of the year, Jae Crowder, and fellow senior Darius Johnson-Odom have moved on to the NBA. There is a bright side though. Marquette returns three starters from last season in guards Junior Cadougan and Vander Blue and forward Jamil Wilson. The Golden Eagles will need all the experience they can get, as their non-conference schedule is brutal.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish:

This senior-laden bunch is ranked third in the Big East coaches’ poll and is expected to compete for the conference title. Captain Scott Martin and the Big East’s most improved player a year ago, Jack Cooley, lead the team. Martin is a sixth year senior, while Cooley was a preseason first team all-conference selection. Supporting these two are junior guards Eric Atkins and Jerian Grant and sophomore forward Pat Connaughton. Simply put, this is a dangerous team with a fairly easy non-conference schedule. Watch out for them come March.

Cincinnati Bearcats:

Gone from last year’s squad are guard Dion Dixon and forward Yancy Gates. Combined, the pair scored 25 points per game last season. However, that didn’t stop Cincinnati from being ranked fourth in the preseason poll and twenty-third in the country. Returning this season are guard/forward hybrid Sean Kilpatrick, guard Cashmere Wright and forward Justin Jackson, who will play a much bigger role for this team in place of Gates. This is a scrappy, tough ball club that can give any team in the country a fit.  

Georgetown Hoyas:

The coaches placed G-town at fifth in the conference, although that might be unrealistic being that three starters are gone from last year. Still, there are bright spots for the Hoyas, especially in the frontcourt. Forwards Otto Porter, Greg Whittington and Nate Lubick are versatile and athletic, with Porter being the guy primed for a breakout. A questionable backcourt may doom Georgetown down the stretch, but they will still be a tough opponent for anyone in the conference.

South Florida Bulls:

The Bulls were ranked eighth in the Big East preseason poll, by far their highest since joining the Big East before the 2005-06 season. However, like the Hoyas, USF is down three starters from last year’s squad. Unlike Georgetown, though, the question for this team lies in the frontcourt. South Florida’s only true center, 7-3 freshman Jordan Omogbehin, needs more time to develop his game, especially on offense. Look for this team to shoot the ball a ton, with guys like Anthony Collins and Toarlyn Fitzpatrick expected to lead the team in that category.

Next week: Louisville, West Virginia, Connecticut, Seton Hall, Rutgers