UConn has been picked to finish ninth in the 15-team Big East this season by the league’s coaches.

Shabazz Napier has been picked for the preseason All-Big East Second Team. He is the only UConn player to earn any type of preseason honors.

Louisville is the consensus pick to win the conference, earning 14 o 15 first-place votes only because coaches can’t pick their own team. Rick Pitino apparently picked Notre Dame, which got the only other first-place vote, but the Irish finish third behind Syracuse in the preseason poll.

Louisville’s Peyton Siva is the preseason Player of the Year and Pittsburgh’s Steven Adams the preseason Rookie of the Year.


1. Louisville (14)
2. Syracuse
3. Notre Dame (1)
4. Cincinnati
5. Georgetown
6. Pittsburgh
7. Marquette
8. South Florida
9. UConn
10. St. John’s
11. Rutgers
12. Villanova
13. DePaul
14. Seton Hall
15. Providence


Player of the Year: Peyton Siva, Louisville
Rookie of the Year: Steven Adams, Pittsburgh

FIRST TEAM
Peyton Siva, Louisville
Giorgui Deng, Louisville
Sean Kilpatrick, Cincinnati
Jack Cooley, Notre Dame
Vincent Council, Providence
Otto Porter, Georgetown

SECOND TEAM
Shabazz Napier, UConn
Brandon Triche, Syracuse
Cleveland Melvin, DePaul
D’Angelo Harrison, St. John’s
Anthony Collins, South Florida

HONORABLE MENTION
Chene Behanan, Louisville
Trey Woodall, Pittsburgh
Jarien Grant, Notre Dame
C.J. Fair, Syracuse