2008 College Hoops Betting Preview: Why the Big East is BETTER THAN EVER

Devendorf and Rautins have Matty believing the Orange will be dancing in 2009

If I was a real homer, I would tell you that Syracuse is one of the top teams competing for the Big East championship this year.  But I'm just hoping the Orange can play well enough to make the NCAA tournament this year as one of potentially nine teams from the nation's best conference - a goal that fell just short each of the last two years.

Instead, I'll brag about how the Big East is BY FAR the best conference in the country in 2008 if not the best of all-time.  I'm tired of hearing about the ACC and can honestly tell you there's no comparison to the Big East this year.  Duke and North Carolina have good teams, but are they really better than UConn or Louisville?  The Big East has four teams in the ESPN/USA Today Top 10 and seven in the Top 25.  The question is, will one of those teams be cutting down the nets at Ford Field in Detroit on April 6, 2009?

There is no doubt in my mind that UConn and Louisville are every bit as good as Duke and North Carolina. No big man in the country will dominate like 7-foot-3 Huskies center Hasheem Thabeet this year.  The guy has bulked up and will be a force to be reckoned with both offensively and defensively.  UConn also may have the best group of guards in the nation led by A.J. Price and freshman Kemba Walker, who was the MVP of USA Basketball's Under-18 team.  Meanwhile, the Cardinals may be even better without David Padgett because his absence means more shots for guys like Terrence Williams, Earl Clark, Jerry Smith and Andre McGee.  They are my pick to win it all.

Besides those two legitimate national title contenders though, the key to the 18-team Big East though is depth and quality.  When half the teams in a monster conference like this have a shot at making the Big Dance, you know we're talking about a special league of talent.  In fact, the only thing keeping teams like Georgetown, Marquette and Syracuse from being considered in the upper tier with UConn, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Villanova is that they are all going through unpredictable transitions while the others return a bulk of their pieces from a year ago.  

Georgetown replaces NBA center Roy Hibbert with McDonald's All-American Greg Monroe.  Marquette has a new head coach in Buzz Williams, an assistant under former head coach Tom Crean who bolted for the greener pastures of Indiana.  Syracuse brings back its top two perimeter players in Andy Rautins and Eric Devendorf, who both missed a majority of last season with knee injuries.  Many Orange fans like myself believe their addition will more than compensate for the departure of Donte Greene and his selfish game to the NBA.  The Big East definitely has quantity AND quality.

I've already placed my bet on Louisville (15/1 at BetUS) to win the national championship and also placed a wager on Notre Dame to win the Maui Invitational (+350) over a field that includes the favored Tar Heels (-250).

Who's your pick to win it all this year?