Villanova gets nod in Big East

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By Barker Davis

NEW YORK | Villanova scored the first points of the Big East basketball season Wednesday, collecting 10 of 16 first-place votes from the conference's coaches to earn the target as the preseason favorite.

"When teams in this league think that much of your program, it's an honor," said coach Jay Wright, who last season directed the Wildcats to their first Final Four appearance since 1985. "We're going to enjoy that recognition today, but it's over tomorrow because what's most important is how you finish the season."

Though the Wildcats return a trio of perimeter stalwarts in senior scorer Scottie Reynolds (Herndon, Va.) and juniors Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes, Wright and Co. must replace two of the Big East's most seasoned contributors in Dante Cunningham (Silver Spring) and Dwayne Anderson (the District). The pair averaged more than 25 points and 13 rebounds last season, providing the leadership and frontcourt grit that drove the Wildcats to Detroit.

"I understand why people are picking us number one in the league," Wright said. "But I also know we lost a couple of big-time Big East players in Dante and Dwayne."

Villanova's selection is a result of two factors: First, this year's Big East isn't nearly as strong at the top as the league that sent two teams to last season's Final Four and had three squads enter the NCAA tournament as No. 1 seeds (Connecticut, Pittsburgh and Louisville).

Second, Villanova replaces its superb frontcourt tandem with 6-foot-6 Duke transfer Taylor King and a recruiting class highlighted by a pair of McDonald's All-Americans in guards Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek and coveted big man Mouph Yarou (6-foot-10, 250 pounds).

"The Final Four trip last season was great, but it's time to start over," said Reynolds, a preseason all-conference selection who averaged 15.2 points last season and worked out for several NBA teams before deciding to return for his senior campaign. "It's time for this group to run our own race and author a new journey."

Georgetown is hoping to write a different script after last season's 16-15 disaster. The Hoyas plummeted from a top-10 ranking to a first-round loss in the NIT thanks to a 4-12 slide to the finish line. The coaches tabbed Georgetown to finish fifth behind Villanova, West Virginia, Connecticut and Louisville.

"There's been a lot of talk about our chemistry last season, but that wasn't a problem," said sophomore center Greg Monroe, a first-team preseason selection who was the rookie of the year last season. "The problem was that we struggled to close games due to our inexperience. Learning how to finish in tight games is going to be the key for us this season."

The versatile big man from New Orleans will make his first and likely only homecoming in a Georgetown uniform when the Hoyas open their season Nov. 13 at Tulane.

Notre Dame's Luke Harangody was named the preseason player of the year. Last season, the center became the first player in Big East history to lead the conference in scoring and rebounding in league play in consecutive seasons, and Harangody doesn't need to equal either season's productivity to become the conference's career leader in both categories.

Cincinnati's Deonta Vaughn, West Virginia's Da'Sean Butler and Marquette's Lazar Hayward rounded out the first-team picks.