5 Burning Questions: Big East Hoops Edition

1)   Is there any conference that will have to replace more from last season than the Big East?

It’s not even close. Louisville had 2 players selected in the top 15 in the draft. UConn lost Hasheem Thabeet, A.J. Price, Jeff Adrien, and Craig Austrie. Pitt will be without frontcourt stars Sam Young and DeJaun Blair (along with 2 other starters). Georgetown’s DeJuan Summers left early for the NBA draft. Notre Dame lost 3 starters. Providence has only 3 players that contributed last season. Syracuse will be without last season’s top 3 scorers. Villanova lost every frontcourt starter. Getting the picture?

There should be a lot more parity in the league, and coaches will have to take the training wheels off some young players. Fortunately, the league brings in enough in the way of blue chip recruits, transfers, and maturing underclassmen from last season to fill the void.

2)   How quickly can UConn reload?

More quickly than you might think. Kemba Walker should step right in at the point for A. J. Price and Jerome Dyson and Stanley Roberts return at the 2 and 3 spots respectively. Calhoun has said that he expects Dyson to be the team’s go-to scorer, and Roberts averaged more than 17 ppg. In the postseason last year.

It get a little more iffy on the interior. The Huskies have plenty of size in 6-9 Gavin Edwards getting every opportunity at PF and Charles Okwandu, another 7 footer from Africa, starting the season at C. McDonald’s All-American Alex Oriakhi is a 6-9 245 post player that could be the first big off of the bench.

3)   Is this the year that West Virginia makes a run in the NCAA tournament?

It should be. Bob Huggins has as talented a frontcourt duo as anyone in the nation in Devan Ebanks and Da’Sean Butler. Turkish C Deniz Kilicli could be this year’s John Brockman, a linebacker down low that craves contact and comes out of nowhere to take over games. Wellington Smith is a decent shooter that dives after loose balls and gives up his body to make plays.

The only real issue will be keeping the PG’s out of trouble. Darryl Bryant had 2 hit and run accidents over the summer and is a question mark for the season. Joe Mazzulla played in only 7 games last season before a shoulder injury sidelined him for the year. Mazzulla was charged with domestic battery over the summer, but that looks to be behind him now.

4)   How will Louisville respond to their offseason losses and distractions?

We don’t expect Pitino’s troubles to distract the team. Work is often the best vehicle of escape from personal issues, and no one has ever questioned Pitino’s work ethic.

Replacing Terrence Williams, Earl Clark, and Andre McGee will be a completely different story. PG Edgar Sosa has to become a consistent player. Sosa showed flashes of greatness, but has disappeared for complete games at times during his career. Jerry Smith is a nice outside shooter and defender at the 2, but isn’t really a big-time scorer. It’ll be up to sophomores Samardo Samuels and Terrence Jennings to get it done in the paint . If those two can work the blocks effectively, that should open things up for Sosa, Smith, and Preston Knowles on the outside.

Don’t be surprised if freshman Peyton Silva takes over at the point. He’s a pure playmaker, while Sosa’s struggles forced Williams and Clark to initiate offense the majority of the last two seasons.

5)   Is Villanova really a final four contender?

It’s possible. The Wildcats boast as strong of a backcourt as anyone. Scottie Reynolds returned for his senior year and will be flanked by Corey Fisher, Reggie Redding, and Corey Stokes. Add to the backcourt mix McDonald’s All-Americans Dominic Cheek and Maalik Wayns, and it’s easy to see why many have Jay Wright’s team in their preseason top 5.

Replacing Dante Cunningham, Dwayne Anderson, and Shane Clark on the blocks may be more of a challenge. Duke transfer Taylor King joins the roster this year, but he looks to be more of a SF than the PF than the inside presence that the Wildcats need. Antonio Pena will be asked to do a lot more after averaging 5.1 ppg and 4.2 rpg. in 20 starts last year.