SCOUTING THE BIG EAST CONFERENCE

(Teams in alphabetical order)

CINCINNATI

Last season: 18-14 (8-10)

Strengths: A pair of talented guards will lead Cincinnati. Deonta Vaughn, a senior from Indianapolis, will look to live up to his preseason all-conference team billing, while freshman Lance Stephenson has been tabbed preseason rookie of the year. Yancy Gates adds a scoring punch at forward.

Weaknesses: Inconsistency plagued the Bearcats last year. They started 10-2, then lost four straight. They recovered to win seven of their next nine, then came an end-of-season slide that saw them fall from 17-8 with an eye on the NCAA tournament to 18-14 and out of the Big East tournament after a first-round loss to DePaul.

Projection: Other than Vaughn, there's a lot of talent returning on this roster, and Stephenson should make an immediate impact. But finding that missing consistency will be crucial for the Bearcats' postseason hopes. If they can, this team is good enough to make a run at the field of 65.

CONNECTICUT

Last season: 31-5 (15-3)

Strengths: Connecticut is still Connecticut -- deep and talented. Perhaps the scariest moment of the Huskies' offseason came when coach Jim Calhoun went down on a bike ride, breaking several ribs. He's fine now, and with players like Jerome Dyson and Stanley Robinson at his disposal, his team is poised for another NCAA tournament appearance.

Weaknesses: But maybe Connecticut isn't quite Connecticut, because there is no obvious star. Dyson could be that, perhaps, as could Robinson, or Kemba Walker. But there is no Ray Allen, no Hasheem Thabeet, no single, obvious offensive focus for this team right now, which isn't something you can say about the two teams picked ahead of them in the conference.

Projection: They Huskies have one of the best active coaches in basketball on the bench. Plus, there is plenty of talent, a good amount of depth on the roster, and they know how to play and succeed at a high level, which they probably do again this season.

DEPAUL

Last season: 9-24 (0-18)

Strengths: Junior Mac Koshwal and senior Will Walker give DePaul a nice inside-outside combination. They averaged more than 26 points a game combined last season, and Koshwal was fifth in the conference in rebounding. Munster native Michael Bizoukas could fight for a starting spot at guard.

Weaknesses: Leading scorer Dar Tucker left for the NBA draft last spring, but the Blue Demons' problems are far broader than one man. DePaul won just once against Big East competition last season. A turnaround will require massive individual and team improvement.

Projection: When you lose every regular-season conference game you play, you will probably get picked to finish last in that conference the next season. Koshwal was a highly regarded prospect coming out of high school and could be ready to realize even greater potential. It will still take a lot of work and probably some luck to engineer a significant turnaround in Chicago.

GEORGETOWN

Last season: 16-15 (7-11)

Strengths: The Hoyas get Greg Monroe back, giving them a dominant post force. Two other regular starters, guards Chris Wright and Austin Freeman, return as well.

Weaknesses: The Hoyas were 9-1 when they hit the Big East and their season came apart. There were several close conference losses -- seven by six points or fewer, including the Big East Tournament. Monroe and his team have to show improvement off those close misses, winning just three would have bumped them to a 19-10 regular-season record and a winning conference mark.

Projection: Experience is an understated quality in a conference like the Big East, and Georgetown has it again. Monroe can produce down low, Freeman and Wright bring that experience on the perimeter and a credible recruiting class could add some depth. The Hoyas should be better than last season's record.

LOUISVILLE

Last season: 31-6 (16-2)

Strengths: Off the back of an Elite Eight run last March, Rick Pitino returns a difference maker at forward in sophomore Samardo Samuels, a member of the Big East's All-Rookie team last year. Edgar Sosa, now a senior and likely the team's starting point guard, brings experience to a position that usually requires it.

Weaknesses: Is distraction a weakness? Because Louisville's had plenty of it. Jerry Smith and Terrence Jennings were arrested in the offseason, though neither will miss time for it. Then, of course, there's Pitino's tilt with scandal involving Karen Sypher, a Louisville woman with whom he allegedly had an affair. All of this overshadows the fact that Louisville has to replace its top two scorers from last season.

Projection: Louisville pulled one of the toughest double acts in college sports last season -- winning the Big East regular-season and conference tournament titles. The off-court trouble towers over all of it, and how the Cardinals handle a season full of questions not about basketball could go a long way to determining what kind of season they have.

MARQUETTE

Last season: 25-10 (12-6)

Strengths: Lazar Hayward was named to the preseason all-conference team after averaging 16.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game last season. A deep recruiting class that includes six new faces -- with three in Rivals' top 105 -- will be expected to contribute early.

Weaknesses: Marquette might want to apply for a bailout with all the talent they lost from last year's squad. Saying goodbye to the talented guard trio of Dominic James, Wesley Matthews and Jerel McNeal will be neither a fun nor an easy task for coach Buzz Williams, who will need to lean on Hayward and junior Jimmy Butler for leadership and points.

Projection: Williams had a big first year, coaching a team he helped assemble under predecessor Tom Crean, who's now at Indiana. It's probably going to be a rough transition year in Milwaukee. Williams has some talent on his roster, but it's going to take a lot of skill and maneuvering to keep the Golden Eagles above .500 this season.

NOTRE DAME

Last season: 21-15 (8-10)

Strengths: Ever heard of Andrean graduate Luke Harangody? In all seriousness, it starts and ends this season with Notre Dame's all-everything post player and fellow senior, point guard Tory Jackson. The Irish won't go anywhere those two can't take them, but given Jackson's experience and Harangody's immense talent, there's no telling where that might be.

Weaknesses: Other than those two, there are a lot of questions. Purdue transfer Scott Martin was touted by coach Mike Brey as an offensive threat, but now he's out for the season with a torn left ACL. It's now on relatively unknown players like juniors Tim Abromaitis and Carleton Scott, as well as transfer Ben Hansbrough, to fill the void.

Projection: Notre Dame is a tough team to call this season. The Irish should at least be respectable, with Jackson and Harangody leading the way. Can those two get the Irish to the NCAA tournament by themselves? Who will step up to help them? Those are questions that need to be answered early.

PITTSBURGH

Last season: 31-5 (15-3)

Strengths: The obvious bright spot is Jermaine Dixon, brother of former Maryland star Juan and the team's lone returning starter. He's a tough defender and a senior, so he's their natural fit at floor leader. Five-star recruit Dante Taylor picked Pitt ahead of several schools, including conference rivals Connecticut and Georgetown. He'll need to contribute early at the forward position.

Weaknesses: DeJuan Blair is gone. So are Sam Young and Levance Fields. Coach Jamie Dixon has to replace 80 percent of his starting lineup this season, including his top three scorers. There are some obvious candidates, but replacing the crop of players he just lost likely will not be as easy as simply redrawing the depth chart with former reserves.

Projection: Pitt is likely in for a rebuilding year. Jamie Dixon is skilled at getting players under the radar that work in his system and maximizing their potential, but the void at the top left by those not returning is just so big. Jermaine Dixon will be a solid leader, and Taylor should contribute quickly. Still, Dixon's got his work cut out for him this season.

PROVIDENCE

Last season: 19-14 (10-8)

Strengths: Providence returns experienced and maybe underrated guard Sharaud Curry, now a senior and last season's second-leading scorer. Guard/forward Marshon Brooks also averaged double digits in points last season, and will need to take on a larger role.

Weaknesses: There's so much turnover for a team that wasn't exactly tearing the walls down to begin with. Providence made the NIT last season, but it also has seven freshmen. They'll need to fill in the holes quickly, and Curry or someone else will need to replace talented guard Weyinmi Efejuku.

Projection: A lot depends on how quickly and effectively the new faces blend in. The nonconference schedule can't be slept through, but it's not overly tough either. The Big East seems ripe for one of its perennial bottom-half teams to maybe make some noise this year, but Providence has a lot of work to do if it wants to be that team.

RUTGERS

Last season: 11-21 (2-16)

Strengths: Sophomore Mike Rosario returns after a stellar season in which he set Rutgers' single-season freshman scoring mark and finished 11th in the Big East in scoring. Forward Gregory Echenique and 7-foot center Hamady Ndiaye return as well, and should lend balance to the lineup.

Weaknesses: The records don't lie, and Rutgers wasn't very good last season. The Scarlet Knights have won just eight conference games in the past three years, and found themselves at or near the bottom of key statistical categories in the conference last season, including scoring offense, field-goal percentage and turnover margin.

Projection: Rutgers was respectable in certain areas last season, such as scoring defense and free-throw shooting. But there are some glaring inefficiencies, such as a minus-3.62 turnover margin, easily the worst in the Big East. There are some things to like about the Scarlet Knights this season, but the list of needed improvements is long.

SETON HALL

Last season: 17-15 (7-11)

Strengths: Seton Hall might just be the Big East's best sleeper candidate. They return Jeremy Hazell, who averaged more than 22 points per game last year. Overall, the Pirates' top four scorers are back. Picked 10th preseason in the Big East, the Pirates are higher than they've been ranked preseason in Bobby Gonzalez's tenure.

Weaknesses: Defense and rebounding were areas in which the Pirates struggled last season. Seton Hall finished 15th in the 16-team Big East in scoring defense, 15th in rebounding offense and 16th in rebounding defense. The Pirates need to improve those numbers if they want a top-10 conference finish.

Projection: The returning offense and Hazell's scoring ability make Seton Hall potentially dangerous. The concerns about defense and rebounding make them a question mark. If the Pirates can fix those issues, then they could be strong in a season in which some of the conference's usual powers are rebuilding, or at least not quite as imposing as usual.

SOUTH FLORIDA

Last season: 9-22 (4-14)

Strengths: Dominique Jones, a second-team all-conference preseason selection, brings his 18.1 points per game average back. Also returning are forward/center Augustus Gilchrist and talented but troubled guard Mike Mercer. The two averaged 18.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and two assists per game combined last season.

Weaknesses: The Bulls, frankly, are viewed as one of the conference's weaker teams, and their record shows it. Since joining the Big East in 2005, South Florida has just 11 conference wins. The Bulls averaged a conference-low 59 points per game last season.

Projection: Stan Heath isn't a bad coach. He's got NCAA tournament experience, big-conference experience and overall, a good resume. But the Bulls are a massive project right now. They have some returning talent, but probably not enough to match up with enough Big East teams on a consistent basis.

ST. JOHN'S

Last season: 16-18 (6-12)

Strengths: On paper, St. John's is a coach's dream. The Red Storm welcome back 11 lettermen, 97.2 percent of scoring and 95.1 percent of rebounding from last year's squad. Four double-digit scorers return from last season.

Weaknesses: The Red Storm were in the bottom half of several major statistical categories in the Big East last season, including scoring offense, scoring defense, field-goal percentage, assist-to-turnover ratio.

Projection: It's all about improvement. The record wasn't terrible last season, and the Red Storm got a bid to the College Basketball Invitational. But key areas must improve. It's fine to have lots of returning experience, but without fundamentals, how much difference can it make?

SYRACUSE

Last season: 28-10 (11-7)

Strengths: The Orange return a solid nucleus in the form of guard Andy Rautins, forward Rick Jackson and center Arinze Onuaku, who started a combined 74 games last season. Jackson is a junior and the other two are seniors, which also provides solid experience at the top for coach Jim Boeheim.

Weaknesses: Syracuse is in the unenviable position, however, of having to replace its top three scorers, Eric Devendorf, Paul Harris and Jonny Flynn, all now professionals. The loss of Flynn might hurt the most -- he averaged 17.4 points and 6.7 assists per game last season. Rautins had 112 assists last season, despite starting just 10 games. He'll need to fill that void.

Projection: Much like Connecticut, Syracuse always seems to find a way, and there certainly is talent on this roster for Boeheim to work with. But the losses from last year were heavy, and the incoming freshmen probably aren't going to knock anyone over this year. The Orange have to maximize what they've got if they want to be near the top of the Big East.

VILLANOVA

Last season: 30-8 (13-5)

Strengths: The Wildcats return four seniors and three juniors from last year's Final Four squad, and Scottie Reynolds, one of the country's best guards, returns for his senior season. He and his teammates will be helped by an impressive recruiting class headlined by players like forward Mouphtaou Yarou and guard Dominic Cheek.

Weaknesses: There are starting spots that will need filling this season, although the only consistent starter to graduate was Dante Cunningham. Beyond him, those positions were spread around somewhat last season. With the added weight of expectations this season, Reynolds needs to improve on his scoring average after it went down slightly last year.

Projection: Jay Wright's crew returns nine total players and 105 combined starts, and several impact freshmen could feature prominently in the rotation. The nonconference schedule isn't brutal, but the Wildcats will have to prove they can win with the target on their backs. In a more balanced Big East, they have that chance.

WEST VIRGINIA

Last season: 23-12 (10-8)

Strengths: Da'Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks highlight a squad full of returners for Bob Huggins' third season in Morgantown. The Mountaineers also got stronger with the arrival of junior college guard Casey Mitchell, for whom Huggins has had high praise. Overall, they're a deep squad, and their preseason conference ranking is the highest they've achieved since joining the Big East in 1995.

Weaknesses: This team could have two dynamic guards through which to run its offense, or it couldn't. Last season, starting point guard Joe Mazzulla went down with a shoulder injury, and Darryl Bryant stepped up, starting 28 games and averaging almost 10 points per contest. Mazzulla is healthy, but both he and Bryant were faced with legal trouble and time in Huggins' doghouse. They need to stay out of trouble and keep the offense moving.

Projection: Huggins looks like he's engineering big things at his alma mater, as evidenced by the fact that West Virginia finished just three points behind Villanova for the preseason top slot. Butler can score and Ebanks' numbers should only go up in his second year. If they can get their point guard situation smoothed out, the Mountaineers should be a force.

-- Compiled by Times Correspondent Zachary Osterman

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