Villanova second in Big East preseason hoops poll
And Corey Fisher is on the all-conference preseason first team.
Villanova second in Big East preseason hoops poll
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
I am not in New York this year because of the baseball playoff schedule, but via the wonder of the Internet we know that Villanova has been picked second in the Big East presason media (whoops - big mistake by me) poll. Pittsburgh, with Philadelphia native Bradley Wanamaker and Chester native Nasir Robinson, was picked to win the conference.
The Wildcats got one first-place vote, which is interestingly fewer than third-place Syracuse. St. John's also got one first-place vote.
Here's the rundown, with first-place votes in parentheses followed by total points:
1. Pittsburgh (12) 222
2. Villanova (1) 208
3. Syracuse (2) 187
4. Georgetown 173
5. West Virginia 164
6. St. John’s (1) 145
7. Notre Dame 123
t-8. Louisville 121
t-8. Marquette 121
10. Connecticut 113
11. Seton Hall 104
12. Cincinnati 91
13. South Florida 54
14. Providence 36
15. Rutgers 32
16. DePaul 26
You might like to know that 'Nova was also picked second in the informal writers' poll conducted annually by Mike Waters of the Syracuse Post-Standard.
Corey Fisher is on the preseason All-Big East first team, while Philadelphia native Rick Jackson of Syracuse is honorable mention. The individual honors in full are:
Preseason Player of the Year
Austin Freeman, Georgetown
Preseason Rookie of the Year
Fab Melo, Syracuse
Preseason First Team
Austin Freeman, Georgetown (Player of the Year), G, Sr., 6-3 ½, 227, Mitchellville, Md.
Kemba Walker, Connecticut, G, Jr., 6-1, 172, Bronx, N.Y.
Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh, G, Jr., 6-2, 190, Scotch Plains, N.J.
Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall, G, Sr., 6-5, 188, Bronx, N.Y.
Corey Fisher, Villanova, G, Sr., 6-1, 200, Bronx, N.Y.
Kevin Jones, West Virginia, F, Jr., 6-8, 255, Mount Vernon, N.Y.
Preseason Second Team
Chris Wright, Georgetown, G, Sr., 6-1, 208, Washington, D.C.
Jimmy Butler, Marquette, F, Sr., 6-7, 220, Tomball, Texas
Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame, F, Sr., 6-8, 235, Unionville, Conn.
D.J. Kennedy, St. John’s, G/F, Sr., 6-5, 214, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Kris Joseph, Syracuse, F, Jr., 6-7, 207, Montreal, Quebec
Preseason Honorable Mention
Yancy Gates, Cincinnati, F, Sr., 6-9, 260, Cincinnati, Ohio
Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette, G, Jr., 6-2, 215, Raleigh, N.C.
Rick Jackson, Syracuse, F, Sr., 6-9, 240, Philadelphia, Pa.
Reach Jonathan at jtannenwald@phillynews.com or 215-854-2330.
