Big East Basketball Schedule | Big East Tournament 2011 : Kemba Walker & UCONN Huskies Ready to Dance

Big East Basketball Schedule | Big East Tournament 2011 : Kemba Walker & UCONN Huskies Ready to Dance

Here’s what we call in the business a capsulized look at the 16 teams in the Big East before the tournament kicks into gear Friday at the XL Center with day-night, first-day doubleheaders.

No. 1 Connecticut (29-1, 16-0)

The Huskies, the two-time defending national champion, are 48-0 in regular-season conference play the last three years and have won 19 titles in 23 years. They have the best player (Maya Moore), the best coach (Geno Auriemma), the best tradition and the home court. They have won 17 straight since losing at Stanford on Dec. 30, their only loss in the last 108 games.

No. 2 DePaul (26-5, 13-3)

The Blue Demons are coached by Doug Bruno, Auriemma’s USA Basketball assistant and friend. They have an experienced team with many five- and six-year players, one of which, Deirdre Naughton, played her first college game when this year’s freshmen were still in middle school. They have great guards and an impressive front court.

No. 3 Notre Dame (24-6, 13-3)

The Irish lost their chance at the No. 2 seed by losing at DePaul on the season’s final day. For some time it appeared UConn and ND, head-to-head all season, might have to flip a coin to determine the No. 1 seed. The luck of the Irish, you know? But Muffet McGraw’s team, led by sophomore Skylar Diggins and senior Devereaux Peters, faltered a bit at the end.

No. 4 Rutgers (18-11, 11-5)

The Scarlet Knights were tied with Louisville and Marquette for the No. 4 spot before the final night of the season. Their victory over Seton Hall, coupled with losses by Louisville and Marquette, made their highest seed since 2007-08 possible. Not much changes with Rutgers. Coach C. Vivian Stringer’s teams are tough and methodical and play tight defense. They also have one player – this year it’s Khadijah Rushdan – capable of carrying the offense.

No. 5 Marquette (22-7, 10-6)

A stunning loss to Cincinnati Monday night – the Bearcats hadn’t won since Jan. 5 – cost the Golden Eagles a chance to earn a top-four seed and a double-bye. Maybe it was the 13 three-pointers Cincinnati made? Still, Marquette has a lot of experience in seniors Angel Robinson, Jasmine Collins and Paige Fiedorowicz. By the way, coach Terri Mitchell is a big Steelers fan.

No. 6 Louisville (19-11, 10-6)

Now two years removed from All-American Angel McCoughtry, the Cardinals are working their way back in the nicest new arena in the nation, the KFC Yum! Center. Future Big East tournament, anyone? They have one of the league’s most exciting freshman, Shoni Schimmel, a four-time Rookie of the Week, and a veteran core that has the experience of playing in the 2009 Final Four.

No. 7 St. John’s (20-9, 9-7)

The Red Storm began its season 12-1 and then struggled for continuity throughout the conference season. They never won more than two straight after the first of the year, mainly because they had problems scoring. Shenneika Smith and DeShena Stevens, the former Connecticut high school all-stater, took on most of that responsibility all season.

No. 8 Georgetown (21-9, 9-7)

On Nov. 27 at the Paradise Jam tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Hoyas defeated No. 4 Tennessee, 69-58, behind 28 points from sophomore Sugar Rodgers and the Big East nodded in approval. But the Hoyas also struggled down the stretch, losing 4 of 5, even though they put a bruising on UConn last Saturday before losing, 52-42.

No. 9 Syracuse (21-8, 9-7)

If there is a team in the middle of the pack with some momentum it’s the Orange. They lost big to UConn Monday night, but they had won their last five after suffering through a three-game losing streak to Notre Dame, Rutgers and DePaul. Seniors Erica Morrow, Tasha Harris and sophomore center Kayla Alexander make Syracuse a tough out.

No. 10 West Virginia (22-8, 8-8)

This is quite the interesting case study. After defeating South Florida on Jan. 22, the Mountaineers were 19-1 and the NCAA likely was looking for a spot in the Tournament to make them a top four seed. Now you wonder if they’ll even make it there after free-falling though the final month. Coach Mike Carey lost his cool after a loss at Rutgers last Saturday. No wonder.

No. 11 Providence (13-15, 6-10)

Frankly, there were two highlights for the Friars this season. On Monday, senior forward Mi-Khida Hankins hit a game-winner on a short baseline jumper with 10-seconds remaining to knock Louisville down a peg in the bracket. It was the perfect finish for Hankins, honored in a pre-game ceremony as the team’s lone senior. And on Feb. 12, the program attracted a sellout of 2,137 for the UConn game after averaging about 265 a game prior to that.

No. 12  Pittsburgh (13-16, 5-11)

No coach looks at a cloud and sees a rainbow with more clarity than Pitt’s Agnus Berenato. But not making it to the NCAAs last year, when the program was hosting an opening-round event, was crushing. And this season hasn’t been much better. Its best win of the season was at No. 14 West Virginia on Feb.  5. Its other conference wins were against Seton Hall, Providence, Cincinnati and South Florida.

No. 13 South Florida (12-18, 3-13)

November and December are usually the best months for the Bulls, but even they couldn’t rely on that this year. Early losses at Middle Tennessee State and at home to Morgan State did not bode well and they basically waded through the conference before landing one big punch Monday against No. 17 Georgetown when Leondra Doomes-Stephens scored a game- and career-high 25 points and Andrea Smith added 24.

No. 14  Villanova (11-18, 3-13)

Since the 1920s, or so it seems, the Wildcats have been a program that has relied on perimeter offense. So what does it say that Villanova was last in the Big East in scoring? The Wildcats ended the regular season with a win at Pittsburgh. They also ended it shooting 29.8 percent from three-point range and scoring nearly 1,000 points fewer (1,486) than conference leader Notre Dame (2,369).

No. 15 Cincinnati (9-19, 2-14)

The transition to becoming a head coach at Cincinnati has been exasperating for former UConn player/coach Jamelle Elliott. Losing so often, after winning so frequently, takes time to adjust to. And Elliott wasn’t even able to play with a full deck. Many injuries barely left her with enough healthy players to play ping-pong. But the Bearcats never gave up and rewarded their coach with the big win over Marquette

No. 16 Seton Hall (8-21, 1-15)

Speaking of adjustments, no one has made a bigger one that Pirates coach Anne Donovan. In 2008 in Beijing, she was coaching Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi in the Summer Olympics. Last summer, she was coaching Cappie Pondexter, Kalana Greene and Nicole Powell with the New York Liberty. This year, well, junior Tajay Ashmeade recorded the third double-double of her career Feb. 26 at Louisville.

The Big East Tournament 2011 schedule is arriving very soon for all the conference teams in search of an NCAA Tournament bid. Among the pack, the UCONN Huskies seem to be in search of some wins against