Must-See Games
Dec. 7: Memphis vs. Pittsburgh (Jimmy V Classic)
Jan. 22: Pittsburgh at Connecticut
Villanova junior Allan Ray is part of a disappointing recruiting class.
(Frank Franklin Ii -- AP)
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| __ College Basketball Preview __
ATLANTIC 10
• George Washington's Karl Hobbs, pictured, and his Colonials have high expectations this season. OTHER AREA COLLEGE CAPSULES
• American
• Howard
• George Washington
• Navy
• George Mason ACC
• North Carolina's Roy Williams, pictured, and his Tar Heels are one reason the ACC continues to be the country's strongest conference.
• Scouting Report: Players
• Media Poll
• Who's Hot, Who's Not?
• Must-See Games WOMEN
• Despite success on the court, area teams are having a difficult time filling the stands.
• Area Capsules BIG EAST
• John Thompson III, pictured, and the Hoyas are hoping for a fresh start this season.
• Scouting Report: Players
• Coaches' Poll
• Who's Hot, Who's Not?
• Must-See Games
• Schedule Changes Next Year NATIONAL
• This season is about the upperclassmen like Providence forward Ryan Gomes who spurned the NBA and returned for a title run.
• On Basketball: Nothing is certain in college basketball.
• Scouting Report: Teams
• Scouting Report: Players
_____ This Week's Previews _____
The college basketball season opens this week. Look for the following previews:
• Thursday: National outlook
• Friday: Big East
• Saturday: Women
• Sunday: ACC
• Monday: Atlantic 10, CAA and others.
___ On Our Site ___
• Talk about the season.
___ Quantity, Quality? ___
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Jan. 30: Connecticut at Notre Dame
Feb. 7: Connecticut at Syracuse
Feb. 12: Notre Dame at Pittsburgh
Feb. 13: North Carolina at Connecticut
Feb. 14: Pittsburgh at Syracuse
Underrated
Rutgers' home-court advantage.
Rutgers has gone 41-10 the past three years at the RAC, a uniquely designed building that gets surprisingly loud. No Big East coach likes to play there, especially when it's crammed and the Scarlet Knights are playing well. However, this is expected to be a down year for Rutgers after a breakout season last year, when it won 20 games.
Overrated
Villanova's golden recruiting class.
The Wildcats haven't been to the NCAA tournament since 1999, and the recruiting class hauled in a few years ago was supposed to end the drought. But those players -- Jason Fraser, Allan Ray, Curtis Sumpter and Randy Foye -- are juniors, and Villanova still is awaiting a berth in the tournament. The recruiting class is starting to look like Seton Hall's great crop of freshmen from a few years ago, which included Eddie Griffin and Andre Barrett and didn't live up to high expectations.
