Coaches' Poll
Wednesday, November 8, 2006; Page E09
Coaches' Poll
1. Pittsburgh
(10 first-place votes)
Center Aaron Gray considered jumping to the NBA, but ultimately returned, in part because he felt that the Panthers were capable of something special this season. With Gray, they are. Pittsburgh is experienced and deep (eight of its top 10 scorers are back), and its home court (the Peterson Events Center) has become one of the toughest places to play in the conference.
2. Georgetown (4)
Seven Big East players are on the preseason Wooden Award list, and the Hoyas have two of them: multitalented forward Jeff Green and center Roy Hibbert. But Georgetown needs to develop a back court that can complement one of the country's best front lines; junior Jonathan Wallace and sophomore Jessie Sapp are the only guards with any Big East experience.
3. Syracuse (1)
The Orange lost only one starter from last season's Big East tournament championship team, but it was guard Gerry McNamara, the player who essentially willed the team to the title. Talented but volatile guard Eric Devendorf will anchor the back court, which will be bolstered by versatile freshman Paul Harris.
4. Marquette (1)
The Golden Eagles were expected to struggle in their first season in the Big East; instead, they beat Connecticut by 15 in their first conference game and finished a surprising fourth overall. Dominic James is one of the best point guards in the country, and he is flanked by two underrated classmates, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews. The trio averaged 35.4 points and 10.3 assists as freshmen.
5. Connecticut
The Huskies haven't finished lower than second in the conference since 2001, when they were tied for third in the East division. They could be underrated because of their youth; they have three returning players of consequence, and all three are sophomores. Coach Jim Calhoun says that this is the quickest and fastest team he has had in 21 seasons.
6. Louisville
