At the Big East men’s basketball media day in New York City on Wednesday, Syracuse and Connecticut were voted co-favorites to wear the conference crown at the end of the season.
UConn received seven first place votes, compared to five for Syracuse, but the two teams were even on 209 total points. Also receiving first-place votes were Louisville (3) and Pittsburgh (1). Big East coaches do not place their own school on their ballots.
USF was picked to finish 14th out of 16 teams, with 43 points.
Pittsburgh point guard Ashton Gibbs was selected as the Big East Preseason Player of the Year. Gibbs is joined on the first-team by Connecticut guard Jeremy Lamb, Marquette guard Darius Johnson-Odom, Notre Dame forward Tim Abromaitis, Syracuse forward Kris Joseph and West Virginia forward Kevin Jones.
The preseason second team consists of Cincinnati forward Yancy Gates, UConn forward Alex Oriakhi, Louisville guard Peyton Silva, Syracuse guard Scoop Jardine and Villanova guard Maalik Wayns.
USF forward Augustus Gilchrist received an honorable mention, the only USF player recognized.
