After a disappointing first season in the Big East conference in which they finished the regular season in eleventh place, improvement is expected from the Louisville Cardinals in their sophomore campaign.
U of L was picked to finish sixth in the preseason coaches' poll which was released on Wednesday during Big East Media Day activities in New York City. The Cardinals were represented by Head Coach Rick Pitino, sophomore guard Terrence Williams, and junior forward Juan "Tello" Palacios who was the only Cardinal named to the preseason All-Conference Team.
For just the third time in Big East history, Pittsburgh was picked by the coaches to win the regular season conference title. The Panthers received 10 first-place votes, and 219 total points, seven more than runner-up Georgetown. Jamie Dixon returns eight of his top 10 players, including preseason Player of the Year Aaron Gray, from last year's 25-8 squad.
Georgetown finished second in the preseason poll. The Hoyas are coming off a 23-10 season, as well as a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They will be led by Jeff Green and 7-footer Roy Hibbert.
Syracuse comes in at number three. The Orange return everyone from last year's conference tournament championship squad except Gerry McNamara. SU received one first-place vote. Senior forward Terrence Roberts was a First-Team All-Big East selection, and everypne's least favorite person in the world Eric Devendorf was on the honorable mention list. Freshman Paul Harris is the preseason pick as the newcomer of the year in the conference.
2006-07 Preseason Coaches' Poll
- Pittsburgh (10) 219
- Georgetown (4) 212
- Syracuse (1) 182
- Marquette (1) 181
- Connecticut 173
- Louisville 149
- Villanova 146
- DePaul 134
- St. John's 105
- Providence 102
- Notre Dame 80
- West Virginia 72
- Cincinnati 52
- Rutgers 49
- Seton Hall 42
- USF 22
Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh
2006-07 BIG EAST Preseason Rookie of the Year
Paul Harris, Syracuse
2006-07 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh (Player of the Year)
Jeff Adrien, Connecticut, F
Wilson Chandler, DePaulh.
Sammy Mejia, DePaul
Jeff Green, Georgetown
Roy Hibbert, Georgetown
Juan Palacios, Louisville
Dominic James, Marquette
Lamont Hamilton, St. John's
Terrence Roberts, Syracuse
Curtis Sumpter, Villanova
2006-07 Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention
David Padgett, Louisville
Colin Falls, Notre Dame
Eric Devendorf, Syracuse