Men's Basketball: Big East Preseason Poll
October 29, 2003 09:43 AM | General
October 29, 2003
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| Beilein |
NEW YORK - The Connecticut Huskies have been picked to win the 2003-04 BIG EAST regular season title by a vote of the league's head coaches. The Huskies received 13 first-place votes. Coaches did not place their own teams on their preseason ballots. It is the first time a team has been chosen unanimously to win a regular season crown since UConn received all possible votes in ‘98-99.
The BIG EAST is returning to one division this season. Last year, Connecticut was co-champion with Boston College in the East Division with 10-6 records. UConn finished the season 23-10 and advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Huskies will be building around forward-center Emeka Okafor, the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, and guard Ben Gordon, a preseason first team All-BIG EAST Selection. UConn can also boast the Preseason Rookie of the Year, freshman forward Charlie Villanueva.
Syracuse, the 2003 NCAA champion, is picked a solid second with Notre Dame third. Pittsburgh edged Providence for fourth place. Notre Dame and Pittsburgh were Sweet 16 teams last season. Providence returns most of its key players from an 18-14 squad. The fifth-place projection for the Friars matches their highest preseason ranking in BIG EAST history.
Seton Hall, Villanova and Boston College, all NIT clubs last year, were sixth, seventh and eighth respectively.
2003-04 BIG EAST Coaches' Preseason Poll
1. Connecticut (13) 169
2. Syracuse (1) 153
3. Notre Dame 135
4. Pittsburgh 125
5. Providence 123
6. Seton Hall 112
7. Villanova 104
8. Boston College 73
9. West Virginia 70
10. St. John's 66
11. Miami 47
12. Georgetown 39
13. Rutgers 35
14. Virginia Tech 23
(First-place votes in parentheses)
