Earlier in the week, I explored the downside of the biggest conference in the nation. Of course, any glass that is half-filled with air also has some good juice in its other half. While the Big East has some dregs, it boasts the best depth of any conference. While it may have hit its high point two years ago, the Big East will likely send another seven to ten teams to the NCAA tournament this year. Since we started at the bottom in Part 1, we will continue up the list in Part 2 (using last year's standings as a guide). Based on these teams, it should be another very competitive year in the Big East.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
If I had included a Big East team in my rebuilding report, the Fighting Irish would have been a prime suspect. Luke Harangody has gone to his proper place (the bench of the Boston Celtics, where he will fight with Brian Scalabrine for the Brian Scalabrine role) and leaves a huge, flat haircut hole in the Irish lineup. Surprising senior Tim Abromaitis does return. He scored 16.1 points last year and hit 42.9% of his three-pointers. Ben Hansbrough might be the top fantasy player on the squad since he will have sole possession of the point guard role. Keep an eye on Tyrone Nash who could replace some of Harangody's inside production.
Georgetown Hoyas
I have often wondered what kind of impact a first round upset loss has on team's production in the following season. The Hoyas 2009-2010 season ended in a first round loss to Ohio. The game turned out to be the last of Greg Monroe's Hoya career. The team does bring back a lot of talent in the backcourt. Austin Freeman led the team in scoring at 16.5 points and had a great run from January to February. He slowed down a bit in March, but he should be a leading scorer in conference. He'll be supported by Chris Wright who provided 15.2 points and 4.1 assists. The vaunted Hoya frontcourt will be a committee affair, Julian Vaughn could be the player to have in his senior season.
Louisville Cardinals
The Cardinals enter the season with a lot of question marks, and I won't even mention those related to coach Rick Pitino. The leading returning scorer is forward Jared Swopshire who provided 7.5 points and 6.1 rebounds as a sophomore. He opened the 2009-10 season with a double-double and didn't achieve the feat again. For a big body, he spent far too much time on the perimeter and made just 32.4% of his threes. Rakeem Buckles and Peyton Siva are two returners who figure to get more minutes. Buckles scored a season-high 20 points in the first round NCAA loss to California. The recruiting class is highlighted by center Gorgui Sy Dieng, a 6-foot-9 Senegalese player.
Marquette Golden Eagles
I am sensing a trend here: Marquette marks the fourth straight team that is going to be without its best low post option. Lazar Hayward proved he could be a top shelf fantasy player even without all of the perimeter talent last year. This year, the pendulum switches back to guard play for the Golden Eagles with swingman Jimmy Butler and guard Darius Johnson-Odom returning. Butler averaged 14.7 points and 6.4 rebounds, but slowed down during the stretch run of the season. He scored in single-digits in three of the last six games. Odom-Johnson hit 47.4% of his threes and averaged 13 points. Freshman Vander Blue may be the team's point guard although he may be more of a shooting guard in a point guard's body.
Pittsburgh Panthers
We discussed Brad Wanamaker in our Big East Top 10 and he may be the best option in the Big East who is not a dominant scorer. Wanamaker will be flanked by junior Ashton Gibbs, who led the Panthers in scoring at 15.1 points. Gibbs hit 39% of his three-pointers and took just a shade under half of his shots from beyond the arc. Gibbs did little apart from scoring. Dante Taylor was supposed to take the DeJuan Blair role, but he was not ready. Maybe a year under his belt will help Taylor fulfill his potential. The low post option to monitor is center Gary McGhee, who averaged a team-leading 6.9 rebounds.
West Virginia Mountaineers
Kevin Jones should step into the light as a junior and he was mentioned in the Top 10. Bob Huggins likely won't start five 6-foot-7 players this season. While Joe Mazzulla can't seem to stay out of trouble, his problems may lead to more playing time for Darryl Bryant. The 6-foot-2 junior provided 9.3 points and 3.1 assists before breaking his foot and missing the last three NCAA tournament games. Freshman Noah Cottrill could see extended minutes as the point as well. I liked what I saw from active big man Deniz Kilicli, who missed 20 games after being suspended for playing professionally in his native Turkey.
Villanova Wildcats
For the past five years, the Wildcats have been dominated by wave after wave of excellent guards. While the team still boasts a deep backcourt, there may be some balance on this year's roster. Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes are now seniors. Both players came to Villanova with some fanfare and neither has been terrific. Fisher is the better fantasy bet of the two and averaged 13.3 points and 3.9 assists last season. Hopes are high for center Mouphtaou Yarou, a 6-foot-10 sophomore who played limited minutes as a freshman. If Yarou doesn't come through, you can probably count on Antonio Pena to continue to bolster the frontcourt.
Syracuse Orangemen
Syracuse will have new look (if not a new color) in 2010-11. We've already discussed Wesley Johnson's heir apparent, Kris Joseph, and the Orange's huge freshman, Fabricio Melo. Rick Jackson is a rather dull fantasy prospect, but his near double-double production should not be ignored. Brandon Triche had an impressive freshman season as a big point guard who fits the Syracuse offense very well. He will still share minutes with Scoop Jardine, which means neither player will be desirable for fantasy purposes. Make sure you don't forget Dion Waiters, who was rated as the second best shooting guard prospect in the country.