It's that time once again, college hoops are back!  The preseason rankings are out, and the Big East reigns supreme.  North Carolina is #1 in every poll, but the Big East has a mind-blowing 7 teams ranked in the top 25, with 2 more teams receiving some votes, but just out of the top 25.  There are 3 teams ranked in the top 5 in the AP poll, and the top 6 in the USA Today/Coaches poll.  The Big East has become the butt of almost every joke when it comes to football, but when basketball season rolls around, this conference is one of, if not THE best conference in the country. 

We'll start off with some key players to watch.  Here are the returning players who made the 2008 All-Big East team last year.

First Team:
Deonta Vaughn - now a Junior at Cincinnati
Jeff Adrien and A.J. Price - now Seniors at UConn
Luke Harangody - now a Junior at Notre Dame
Kyle McAlarney - now a Senior at Notre Dame
Sam Young - now a Senior at Pitt

Second Team:
Hasheem Thabeet - now a Junior at UConn
Terrence Williams - now a Senior at Louisville
Lazar Hayward - now a Junior at Marquette
Dominic James - now a Senior at Marquette
Paul Harris - now a Junior at Syracuse
Scottie Reynolds - now a Junior at Villanova

Honorable Mention:
Dejuan Blair - now a Sophomore at Pitt
Geoff McDermott - now a Senior at Providence
Anthony Mason Jr. - now a Senior at St. John's
Dominique Jones - now a Sophomore at South Florida
Jonny Flynn - now a Sophomore at Syracuse

All-Big East Rookie Team from 2007-2008 (those returning):
Mac Koshwal & Dar Tucker - Depaul
Austin Freeman - Georgetown
Dejuan Blair - Pitt
Corey Chandler - Rutgers
Justin Burrell - St. John's
Jeremy Hazell - Seton Hall
Dominique Jones - South Florida
Jonny Flynn - Syracuse
Corey Fisher - Villanova

In addition to these guys, keep an eye on Levance Fields, who missed quite a few games for Pitt last year with a foot injury, but is back for his senior year.

Here's how this conference will shape up in the 2008-2009 season...

This year, all 16 teams will be invited to the Big East Tournament.  First, we're going to give a shout out to the (not so) fortunate teams in the Big East who will make the conference tournament, but won't deserve to be in it.  Those 4 (un)lucky teams this year will be South Florida, Depaul, Seton Hall, and Rutgers.  Every conference has a couple weak links.  These are the 4 of the 16 teams in the Big East who will have the worst records.  South Florida built their football team from the ground up, but the hoops team is still a couple years away.  Rutgers has a good team on the women's side, but the men's team is awful.  Seton Hall and Depaul will be lousy as well.

Now here's 2 other teams who won't make complete fools of themselves like the bottom 4, and will make the Big East Tournament, but no further.
12. Cincinnati
11. St. John's
These two teams will just squeak in, but they'll be ousted in the first round of the Big East Tourney.  They won't be at the very bottom, but they'll be right above the 4 bottom feeders.

There are 2 teams who will make the Big East Tournament, and go to the NIT Tournament.
10. Providence
9. Syracuse
Both of these teams are teetering on the edge.  It wouldn't be a big surprise if one of these teams made the NCAA Tourney, but I don't think it will happen.  Jim Boeheim and the Orange haven't been a top-notch team the past couple of years.  I don't see that changing, but they could be the 9th Big East team to make the big dance.

Now for the top 8 in the Big East.  All 8 of these teams will make the NCAA Tournament.
8. West Virginia: WVU won't set the world on fire, but they'll still do well enough to get themselves a tournament bid.

7. Villanova: From Villanova on up to the top-ranked team in the conference, they're all in the preseason top 25.  The Wildcats are ranked 23 in the AP poll and 25th in the USA Today/Coaches poll.  This team will make the big dance, but may be one of those 8-9 matchups.

6. Marquette: The Golden Eagles are ranked 16 in the AP poll and 17 in the USA Today/Coaches poll.  They're nearly a guarantee to make the tournament every year.  That will continue this year.

5. Georgetown: The Hoyas are 22 on the AP poll and 18 in the USA Today/Coaches poll.  Why are they so low after the incredible season they had last year?  They lost the big man.  There's no more Roy Hibbert, and the height advantage they had with him underneath the hoop is gone.  They'll still make the tournament, but don't count on them being as good as they were last year.

4. Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish are one of 4 Big East teams ranked in the top 10, #9 in both polls to be exact.  They've been one of the top 5 teams in the conference for a couple years, and look for that to continue again this season.  They'll be in the Big East Semifinals at the very least, and should at least make the Sweet 16.

3. Louisville: The Cardinals are ranked #3 in both polls, and they'll be one of the top teams in the nation all season.  They'll be among the conference leaders, and they'll at the very least get to the Sweet 16, and the Elite 8 is certainly a possibility.

2. Pittsburgh: The Panthers may not have Levance Fields for the first few games since his foot is injured again.  However, they'll still have a ton of talent and depth.  They're ranked #5 on the AP Poll and #6 on the USA Today/Coaches poll.  They lost a couple key players, but they still have a great team.  Look for the Panthers to go to the Big East Championship game (again), and this could finally be the year they get past the Sweet 16!

1. Connecticut: As much as I want to be a homer and pick the Panthers to win the Big East, they're not going to get past Jim Calhoun and the Huskies of UConn.  This Huskies team is ranked right behind UNC on both polls, preseason ranked #2 in the country, and there's no reason to believe they won't live up to that ranking.  They're a more experienced team than they were a year ago, they've got a height advantage, and they look like the team to beat.  I wouldn't be surprised at all to see them win the Big East regular season title, the championship game in the Big East Tournament, and go to the Final Four at the very least.

So there you have it, UConn, Pitt, Louisville, and Notre Dame have a lot to live up to this year, all being ranked in the top 10 on both of the major polls to start the 2008-2009 college basketball season.  All 4 teams will live up to the expectations, make the Tournament, and go at least to the Sweet 16, possibly the Elite 8 for 3 of them.  This conference is a monster in basketball, and there will be no lack of love for the Big East.

BK over and out