Andy Katz’s NEW Top 25
ESPN’s Katz has already revised his pre-pre-season Top 25, and Marquette is not mentioned. BIG EAST rivals are listed as follows:
#6 Villanova – “The Wildcats drop a tad, as Scottie Reynolds’ decision to enter the draft without an agent has resulted in some uncertainty. But the incoming class — Maalik Wayns, Dominic Cheek and big man Mouphtaou Yarou all are top-25 recruits — is so good the Wildcats get the benefit of the doubt here. With the departure of three Syracuse underclassmen, Nova should be the pick to win the Big East.”
#21 Syracuse – “The Orange take a huge tumble from the top five to the back end of the top 25 with Jonny Flynn’s decision to stay in the draft and the departures of Paul Harris and Eric Devendorf. But Brandon Triche at the point, Iowa State transfer Wesley Johnson on the wing, Andy Rautins shooting 3s, and the scoring ability of Rick Jackson and Arinze Onuaku inside make the Orange a top-25 team.”
#24 Pittsburgh – “The Panthers re-emerge in the rankings despite losing the top three scorers/leaders of their Elite Eight team, Sam Young, DeJuan Blair and Levance Fields. The rotation of four guards — Jermaine Dixon, Ashton Gibbs, Brad Wanamaker and Gilbert Brown — should be a tough matchup in the Big East. The key will be how quickly newcomers up front — namely top-five power forward Dante Taylor — develop into productive posts.”
This is interesting, considering 7 BIG EAST teams made the Tournament this year, and earlier in the season, 8 teams made the Top 25, to set an NCAA record. The departure of talent in the league is astounding, but considering the excellence this conference prides itself on, it should be no surprise to see more than Katz’s potential three teams in the polls.