14th???

I am not as optimist as another posters for next season but I think that 14th is very low.

http://www.zagsblog.com/2011/05/13/syracuse-louisville-lead-big-east-preseason-rankings/#more-52209

I am not as optimist as another posters for next season but I think that 14th is very low.

http://www.zagsblog.com/2011/05/13/syracuse-louisville-lead-big-east-preseason-rankings/#more-52209

What number would you think?

And yes I think Zags is off his rocker with this.

I'm one of those optimistic posters and I'll agree that 14th is "very low!"  I believe we'll be between 7-10 (if, not higher) once the Big East season ends.  I would take this early prediction and post it in in the lockers of the Johnnies players and maybe, they'll use it as ammunition.

I think its a fair ranking. I do believe that they will prove themselves at the mid point of the big east season

Biancardi of ESPN has us us as a 12 seed and ninth team in big east already.

Biancardi of ESPN has us us as a 12 seed and ninth team in big east already.

Lunardi....but close enough.

14 is too low.  With ND losing Hansborough, Nash and now Carleton Scott I think SJU can mix it up with them let alone Georgetown, S. Florida, SHU and RU.

Between 8-11 is about right.

last year's team had a lot of scoring woes going a number of minutes without a basket.  this year's group has a lot more scoring ability from all over the floor.  they will be inexperienced early but mid/late January, they will put things together.  if they go 8-10 they will be in the middle of the pack.if they go 11-7 then Steve will be COY.  I like setting expectations low because surprises can happen with good coaching.

Please...They will only miss Hardy, Kennedy, and Brownlee.  Hardy is the only player whose production may be difficult to replace since he was so good last year.  Otherwise everyone else on the team was pretty much only good at defending, hence the offensive weakness of the team.  I feel like offensively St. John's will actually improve despite the lack of experience because of the increase in talent...they'll take a step back on defense though.  I'm thinking 8th-10th in the conference is fair.  Maybe a NCAA bid on the back end if they get some key wins and avoid terrible losses which last years team didn't do in losing to Fordham and St. Bonaventure.  12 seed in the NCAA's or a high seed in the NIT next year I'd say.  Then big things from then on.

Please...They will only miss Hardy, Kennedy, and Brownlee.  Hardy is the only player whose production may be difficult to replace since he was so good last year.  Otherwise everyone else on the team was pretty much only good at defending, hence the offensive weakness of the team.  I feel like offensively St. John's will actually improve despite the lack of experience because of the increase in talent...they'll take a step back on defense though.  I'm thinking 8th-10th in the conference is fair.  Maybe a NCAA bid on the back end if they get some key wins and avoid terrible losses which last years team didn't do in losing to Fordham and St. Bonaventure.  12 seed in the NCAA's or a high seed in the NIT next year I'd say.  Then big things from then on.

So the team won't miss Horne? Boothe? Burrell? Evans?

I think thats kind of crazy.

Not that I'd shoot St. John's up but I'd certainly push Villanova, Georgetown, Seton Hall, and South Florida down.

 I love low expectations.   That much sweeter when they are proven wrong. 

I love low expectations.   That much sweeter when they are proven wrong. 

That only goes so far.  Personally I get tired of slights especially when not much thought goes into it.

I can DEFINITELY see us finishing 14th.  I personally think we'll be in the 9th-12th range but 14th wouldn't surprise me too much.  It's going to be extremely hard to win games in this conference with 10 first year players.  While our recruiting class is VERY good the fact is that most of these players aren't top 30 talents and many of them need work to be solid contributers in the Big East.  However, the fact of the matter is that this team can't really be predicted because we've never seen them play on the college level.  I wouldn't be surprised to see us picked anywhere from 6th to 14th. 

adam zagoria should stfu and get a good haircut

I can DEFINITELY see us finishing 14th.  I personally think we'll be in the 9th-12th range but 14th wouldn't surprise me too much.  It's going to be extremely hard to win games in this conference with 10 first year players.  While our recruiting class is VERY good the fact is that most of these players aren't top 30 talents and many of them need work to be solid contributers in the Big East.  However, the fact of the matter is that this team can't really be predicted because we've never seen them play on the college level.  I wouldn't be surprised to see us picked anywhere from 6th to 14th.

adam zagoria should stfu and get a good haircut

We will play zones early and often which will help our learning curve on defense much like it did this past year.  The difference is that instead of going 6 deep, we'll be going 12 deep.  We'll also be taller, much faster, more athletic with more dynamic players than last season.  I think our guys this coming season will do a better job than last season's guys were capable of at the defensive end.  I think we'll also be a better team rebounding group.  Add that to the fact that last season we had one big scorer in Hardy.  This season, we'll have 3-5 guys who can really score and I think we'll be a lot better than 14th.  I'm looking at the 6-10 range and another NCAA berth.  Lavin has done it again and again at ucla and he will get these guys playing at a high level by mid season. 

I can see as low as 14 and as high as maybe 7. Honestly with as many freshman as we have coming in I dont think any prediction is outrageous this year unless someone tried picking us top 5

Tim Abromaitis is back? Geez, that guy just wont go away. Him and Scoop Jardine.

I think Pitt is a lil too high, but I think that every year and they usually finish near the top. I would have Marquette at the 3

Seton Hall ahead of us? I predict they finish behind Depaul. Syracuse isn't a top team. They lost their best player, and they have a supporting cast of assh*les. Pitt is my early pick. It's always the safest one. No world beater here. There are a lot of teams here that just don't scare me. I think on any night, any of them to lose to any conference team.

What number would you think?

I think that we have a similar team (talent and experience) to Connecticut in 2006-07 season. Connecticut finished 12th in Big East that season. Five teams finished in the top 25.

So, I would expect 10-12th.

I think 14 is just about right