http://basketballpredictions.blogspot.com/2009/04/2009-10-preview-big-east.html (more article at that URL)
1. Villanova - I'm not sure if Villanova is going to be better next year than they were this year, because the presence and leadership of Dante Cunningham was so important, but they don't have to be much better. The top of the Big East won't be nearly as good as it was last season.
2. West Virginia - This might be pushing them too high, but I don't have any doubt that this will be a Top 25 team next season. Bob Huggins has the talent he needs to make a run at a conference title. We'll see if he can coach it.
3. Louisville - They lose a lot, but I can't drop them too much. The top of the Big East will be weaker next season, and a marginal Top 25 team like Louisville should compete for one of the top spots.
4. Cincinnati - I like what Mick Cronin is building at Cincy, and I feel like 2009-10 is the year that they finally break through and make the Tournament. They bring back basically everybody, and also bring in Ibrahimi Thomas, who was kicked off of Oklahoma State's team last season. Yancy Gates really has the potential to be one of the best players of the Big East, and I think he leads this team to their first Tournament as a member of the Big East.
5. UConn - They will be young and inexperienced, but they will have a lot of talent.
6. Georgetown - They should be motivated after the disappointing way that last season ended. This assumes that Greg Monroe comes back.
7. Pittsburgh - They will be a Bubble team at best after all that they lose to graduation.
8. Seton Hall - Bobby Gonzalez gets almost everybody back from last year's team. They lack the blue chip recruits that the top Big East teams have, but they were closer to being a Bubble team last season than most people realized.
9. Syracuse - So much depends on the trio of stars looking at the draft. But the odds are that all three go pro, which means that they'll need a great performance out of Jim Boeheim just to get back to the Tournament.
10. St. John's - They bring absolutely everybody back, and even get another year out of Senior Anthony Mason, Jr, who redshirted. Norm Roberts is a good guy and he deserves the long leash that St. John's has given him, but he's got to make a run at a Tournament sooner rather than later, or they're going to go find another coach.
11. Notre Dame - They will have two or three very good players, but will be very, very thin. Things will get even worse if Harangody does decide to go pro.
12. Rutgers - They should be improved, especially if Mike Rosario lives up to the hype.
13. Marquette - It's going to be a long year for Buzz Williams.
14. Providence - Keno Davis will finally get to prove whether he can build a program, because there isn't a lot left at Providence right now.
15. South Florida - Stan Heath continues to struggle to recruit top high school players to South Florida.
16. DePaul - This was a young team last season, but they still do lose a bit. There is a possibility of two players actually going pro early off of this team, which is remarkable when you think about how bad the team was, but most likely both of them (Dar Tucker and Mac Koshwal) will return. Still, just winning a game or two more than last year might be all they'll be able to achieve with this squad. Like South Florida, they just haven't had a lot of success recruiting high school kids to last place Big East teams. The conference is just too big.