Connecticut
Unfortunately for all the other teams in the Big East, and pretty much any team in the country, the Huskies haven't lost a single letter winner starter since going 32-4 and making it to the Elite 8. What's even scarier is that Huskies freshmen forward Maya Moore was named Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year.,”The Contenders:
Connecticut
Unfortunately for all the other teams in the Big East, the Huskies haven't lost a single letter-winning starter since going 32-4 and making it to the Elite 8. What's even scarier is that Huskies freshmen forward Maya Moore was named Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year. Not surprising, fifteen coaches picked UConn to win the 2007-2008 Big East regular season title in the preseason coaches poll.
Pittsburgh
The Panthers return senior center Marcedes Walker, who averaged a double-double in conference play last season with 16.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Pittsburgh went 24-9 last season and 10-6 in the Big East. The team's leading scorer is redshirt junior guard Shavonte Zellous. Zellous averaged 19.1 points and 5.9 rebounds last season en route to earning the 2006-2007 Big East Most Improved Player award.
The Potentials:
DePaul
After going 19-13 (8-8 in Big East) and then losing a last-second heartbreaker to seventh-seeded Georgia Tech in the NCAA tournament, the Blue Demons signed head coach Doug Bruno to a contract extension that will last through the 2011-2012 season. Returning are senior guards Allie Quigley and Missy Mitidiero, as well as senior forward Caprice Smith. Quigley led the team in scoring (15.8) followed closely by Smith (15.3), who also led the team in rebounding (8.5).
Louisville
Whenever your team centers around the Preseason Player of the Year you have chance to do some damage in your conference. Angel McCoughtry, this year's recipient, averaged 21.5 points and 10.3 rebounds on the season. In conference play she led the Big East in points (23.3), rebounds (11.3), steals (58) and double-doubles (19). The team lost its second- and third-leading scorers but will still have decent inside-out combo with returning senior point guard Patrika Barlow.
Notre Dame
The Irish are returning their four leading scorers from last season's team that went 20-12 and 10-6 in the Big East. They will be led by their three leading scorers, senior guards Charel Allen (17 points per game) and Tulyah Gaines (9.6), as well as sophomore guard Ashley Barlow (10.3). Gaines led the team in assists with 3.9 per game, while Allen and Barlow led the team in rebounding with 6.2 and 5.4 rebounds per game. All three had more than 60 steals on the season.
The Pretenders:
Cincinnati
The Bearcats lost three of their top five leading scorers from their 15-14 team a year ago, but there is a silver lining in that they found two new stars in breakout point guard Carla Jacobs and versatile guard/forward Shelly Bellman. Jacobs' assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.03 was second best in the Big East, while Bellman led the team in rebounding (6.6) and was a close third in scoring (10.4).
Marquette
The departure the team's second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-leading scorers will hurt the Golden Eagles. But with junior Krystal Ellis still leading the way, as well as a bench filled with shooters, the team shouldn't have a problem putting up points. What will end up being the bigger problem is that those four graduates from last year's team were also the team's four leading rebounders. A group of three promising freshmen forwards will not be enough to slow down Rutgers forward Kia Vaugh, Louisville forward Angel McCoughtry, Pittsburgh center Marcedes Walker or UConn center Tina Charles.
The Punching Bags:
Georgetown
The good news is that leading scorer Kieraah Marlow (16 points per game) is returning for her senior season. The bad news is that the team's next-leading returning scorer, Kristin Heidloff, averaged only 7.4 points per game. After a 13-16 season (3-13 in the Big East), the Hoyas are in for another rough season and were predicted to finish last in the Big East in the preseason coaches' poll.
Three Guarantees:
St. John's senior point guard Kia Wright will lead the Big East in assists, averaging more than six per game; a full dime per game more than runner up Patrika Barlow from Louisville. What will be even more shocking is that she will put up 10 points more per game than Barlow.
Despite having three players average more than two steals per game, Notre Dame's defense will finish worst in the Big East in points allowed per game.
Angel McCoughtry will average more than 20 points, 10 rebounds and three steals per game and will win the Wade Trophy for the Division I National player of the year.
Three Freshmen to Watch
F Devereaux Peters (Notre Dame) – Named a 2007 McDonald's All-American and Illinois Miss Basketball runner-up. Will immediately be the team's top option at the forward position.
G Khadijah Rushdan (Rutgers) – Do-it-all guard averaged 21.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 5.7 steals per game as a senior. Was ranked 10th-best incoming freshmen by both Full Court Press and HoopGurlz.
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