Big East Tournament

March 9th-13th at Madison Square Garden

Favorite: #1 Syracuse- The Orange present the most balanced and prolific top 7 in the country. They have shooters and distributors, slashers and bangers. Forward Wesley Johnson was named to the All-Big East first team, and could be the conference's Player of the Year. Big man Arinze Onuaku finished the season strong with four consecutive strong efforts. When he plays aggressively, with his raw power he's nearly impossible to stop. Syracuse has gotten tremendous bench work from Kris Joseph and "Scoop" Jardine all year. Joseph is a relentless attacker of the tin and force in transition, while Jardine is a creative point guard who runs the show and gets people the ball in a position to succeed. The Cuse's 2-3 zone hasn't hampered them on the boards most of the season, but in their 3 losses they failed to control the glass. Louisville's two victories over the Orange are not aberrations- they are one of only a handful of teams with the athletes to hang with Syracuse on the defensive side of the ball and on the backboards. Cuse will have a double bye into the quarterfinals.If the motivation is there, they are a solid favorite.

Top Contender: #2 Pittsburgh-So you think preseason rankings are a waste of time? Well, you're right. The Panthers were picked to finish 9th in the Big East, behind the likes of Cincinnati and Connecticut. They lost Levance Field, Sam Young and DeJuan Blair to graduation, but they retained the services of head coach Jamie Dixon. Dixon instills a toughness and defense first attitude that simply wins games. He has his team believing that if a game is close late, they're going to take it. There is no quit in them. They allow under 62 points per game and under 40% shooting in the most acclaimed conference in America. Guard Ashton Gibbs is a silent assassin, making countless clutch shots, but never showboating. He is playing with extreme confidence. Center Gary McGhee doesn't get much recognition, but his dirty work inside is a big reason for Pittsburgh's success. The Panthers style of play does not lend itself to blowout victories, so there opponent is usually in the game. They lack a post presence on the offensive end to get cheap points and are forced to work for every bucket. The Panthers will also have a double bye until Thursday.

Sleeper: #10 Seton Hall- The Pirates shot selection, decision making and free throw shooting have been their achilles heel all season. They've had numerous opportunities at signature wins, but always came up short late. Seton Hall is 0-4 in overtime games this season, with three losses against tournament caliber teams in West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Marquette. If they finish off just one of those games their season has a different feel . Instead, they're in desperation mode. Nevertheless, the Pirates have shot makers and athletes and are a very dangerous team. Guard Jeremy Hazell has no conscious, for better or for worse, when it comes to shooting the rock. He might miss 10 in a row, but he can explode at any time and single-handedly carry his team to the winners circle. They have two point guards, in Eugene Harvey and Jordan Thedore, that love to push the pace and create in the open floor. Power forward Herb Pope has had a tremendous rebounding season at 11 per game, but his 45% from the free throw line is unacceptable and has clearly inhibited his aggression. The Hall probably require a minimum two wins to realistically crack the field.

Atlantic Ten Tournament

March 9th-13th Atlantic City, NJ

Favorite: #2 Xavier- Winning basketball and Xavier go hand in hand. The Musketeers have made the NCAA Tournament 8 of the past 10 seasons. Head coach Sean Miller took off for Arizona, but Xavier hasn't skipped a beat under Chris Mack. Since an embarrassing loss to Dayton of February 6th, the Musketeers have won 7 straight. They have been absolutely mashing opponents on the glass. The trio of Jason Love, Jamel McLean and Kenny Frease on the front line is quite formidable. Jordan Crawford and Terrell Holloway in the backcourt combine for 30 points per night. Both shoot extremely well from the free throw line- if they have a lead late, goodnight the lights. Xavier loves to play pressure D, but it's that same pressure that gives them headaches on the offensive end. The Musketeers lack a true playmaker off the dribble. X has the most balanced squad in the Atlantic 10 and will likely be a 6 seed in the dance.

Top Contender: #1 Temple- There is nothing pretty about Temple's approach to the game- but they win. Their goal is to turn every game into a grind it out battle. The Owls are 4th in the nation in scoring defense and 6th in defensive field goal %. They don't push up flashy numbers on the scoreboard, but they take care of the ball and never waste a possession. They have two guards in Ryan Brooks and Juan Fernandez that have a knack for making difficult shots in late clock situations. Both shoot over 80% from the FT stripe. Forward Lavoy Allen has been a huge presence in the paint, both on the boards and on the defensive end. When he decides to play assertively on offense, there is no better talent in the conference. The Owls will have their highest tourney seed since 2000 when they were a #2 behind the wizardry of Pepe Sanchez.

Sleeper: #4 Saint Louis- Rick Majerus has his young team playing excellent basketball. And young is an understatement- The Billikens have only one upperclassmen on the roster, a junior, the rest of the team is freshmen and sophomores. St. Louis has won 8 of 10 games, with the only two defeats coming at the hands of Xavier and Temple by a combined eight points. Typical of the A10 this season, the Billikens are 10th in the country in scoring defense holding teams to 59 points per game. They also hold teams to under 40% shooting from the field. They have 10 players that see more than ten minutes of action per game. Depth is a great strength and they have many interchangeable pieces in their lineup. Forward Willie Reed is the best athlete in the conference, scoring 12 points, grabbing 8 boards and blocking 2 shots a game. Guard Kwamain Mitchell is their best scorer at 16 per game, and their only real volume shooter. The Billikens are probably a year away, but they will put a scare into Temple in the semi's at the very least.