Big East men earn record bids to NCAA Championship

For the second time in three seasons the Big East Conference earned a record eight bids to the NCAA championship. Louisville made it to the Elite Eight while West Virginia and Villanova played in the Sweet 16.

Pittsburgh beat Georgetown in the conference tournament finals and both advanced along with Connecticut, Notre Dame and Marquette.

Syracuse was in the NIT. Cincinnati made it into the College Basketball Invitational.

A team breakdown follows in order of last season's conference finish:

Georgetown (28-6, 15-3)

Coach John Thompson III is looking to replace some key players, but the cupboard is hardly bare.

DaJuan Summers and Jesse Sapp are returning starters. Summers, a 6-foot-8 junior, averaged 11.1 points and 5.4 rebounds. Sapp is a 6-3 senior guard who scored 9.7 points per game while handing out 3.2 assists.

Big East All-Rookie Team member Austin Freeman, a 6-4 guard, averaged 9.1 points.

Louisville (27-9, 14-4)

The Cardinals came within one game of the Final Four. All-Big East center David Padgett is gone, but four starters return.

Forwards Earl Clark and Terrence Williams both scored 11.1 points a game. Clark, a 6-8 junior, also grabbed 8.1 rebounds while the 6-6 Williams, a senior, averaged 7.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists.

Junior guard Jerry Smith (10.7 ppg) made 68 3-point shots.

Reginald Delk is a 6-4 junior transfer from Mississippi State.

Notre Dame (25-8, 14-4)

Luke Harangody was the Big East Player of the Year as a sophomore and Mike Brey won Coach of the Year honors.

Harangody, a 6-8 forward, led the Big East in scoring (23.3) and rebounding (11.3).

Senior guard Kyle McAlarney averaged 15.1 points and made 108 3-pointers.

Connecticut (24-9, 13-5)

Coach Jim Calhoun has just about everyone back from a 24-9 team A.J. Price, Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien received Big East accolades.

Price, a 6-2 senior, made All-Big East first team, averaging 14.5 points and 5.8 assists. The 7-3 Thabeet, a junior, blocked 4.5 shots a game (10.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg) as the conference defensive player of the year. Adrien, a 6-7 senior, led the Huskies in scoring (14.8) and rebounding (9.2).

West Virginia (26-11, 11-7)

Coach Bob Huggins is replacing three starters from an NCAA Sweet 16 club, including NBA first-round draft pick Joe Alexander.

Da'Sean Buter, a 6-7 junior, aveaged 12.9 points and 6.2 rebounds.

Alex Ruoff, a 6-6 senior, is one of the league's best shooters and averaged 13.8 points.

Junior Joe Mazzullo (5.8 ppg) is a possible starter at point guard while 6-7 junior Wellington Smith (5.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg) is eyeing a forward job.

Marquette (25-10, 11-7)

Buzz Williams was promoted to head coach, replacing Tom Crean who left for Indiana. Most of the players are back.

Jerel McNeal, Dominic James, Wesley Matthews and Lazar Hayward all scored in double figures.

McNeal, a 6-3 senior, averaged 14.9 points, 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals. The 5-11 James, a senior, averaged 12.9 points and 4.4 assists. Matthews, a 6-5 senior, completes the guard trio. He had averages of 11.3 points and 4.4 rebounds.

Hayward is a 6-6 junior (12.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg).

Pittsburgh (27-10, 10-8)

Pitt won four games in four days to claim the Big East tournament title, beating Georgetown in the finals.

Big East Most Improved Player award winner Sam Young, a 6-6 junior, led the Panthers in scoring (18.1).

Six-foot-seven sophomore DeJuan Blair (11.6 ppg, 9.1 rpg) shared conference rookie of the year honors.

Levance Fields, a 5-10 senior, returns after missing 12 games injured in January and February. He averaged 11.9 points and 5.3 assists.

Villanova (22-13, 9-9)

The Wildcats made the NCAA tournament as a No. 12 seed and advanced to the Sweet 16.

Team captain Scottie Reynolds, a 6-2 junior, averaged 15.9 points, 3.2 assists and 3.1 rebounds. Sophomores Corey Fisher (9.1 ppg) and Corey Stokes (6.4 ppg) will contribute in the backcourt.

Six-foot-six junior forward Dwayne Anderson (6.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg) became a mid-season starter.

Dante Cunningham, a 6-8 senior, averaged 10.4 points and 6.5 rebounds.

Syracuse (21-14, 9-9)

Junior guards Andy Rautins and Eric Devendorf return from ACL injuries. Two seasons ago, Rautins averaged 7.2 points and made 40.6 percent from 3-point range. Devendorf was averaging 17.0 points through 10 games when he was injured.

Arinze Onuaku, a 6-9 sophomore, averaged 12.7 points and 8.1 rebounds. The other returning starter is 6-5 junior Paul Harris (14.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg).

Cinncinati (13-18, 8-10)

Junior guard Deonta Vaughn (17.3 ppg) was an all-conference first team player.

Six-foot-three sophomore Larry Davis is aiming for a starting role along with 6-3 freshman Dion Dixon and 6-0 freshman Cashmere Wright.

Mike Williams, a 6-7 senior, missed last season because of an Achilles injury.

Seton Hall (17-15, 7-11)

Duquesne transfer Robert Mitchell, a 6-6 sophomore, is getting a look as all-conference player Brian Laing's replacement. Mitchell averaged 16.4 points two seasons ago for the Dukes.

Junior guard Eugene Harvey (13.3 ppg) and sophomore guard Jeremy Hazell (12.8 ppg) return.

Providence (15-16, 6-12)

Keno Davis, who earned national coach of the year honors last season at Drake, is the new Friars' head coach.

Sharaud Curry is a 5-10 junior who missed most of last season injured. Two seasons ago Curry averaged 15.3 points and 4.4 assists.

Jeff Xavier, a 6-1 senior, scored 12.4 points a game and led the Big East in steals (2.3).

Geoff McDermott is a 6-8 senior (10.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg).

Depaul (11-19, 6-12)

Six-foot-10 center Mac Koshwal (10.7 ppg, 8.4 rpg) and 6-5 forward Dar Tucker (13.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg) made the Big East all-rookie team as freshmen.

Junior guard Will Walker scored 9.6 points a game, mostly coming off the bench. Forward Mario Stula, a 6-7 sophomore, was academically ineligible last season.

St. John's (11-19, 5-13)

Anthony Mason Jr., a 6-7 senior, led the Red Storm scoring (14.0) while averaging 4.4 rebounds. The only other senior is 6-11 Tomas Jasiulonis (2.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg).

Justin Burrell made the Big East All-Rookie Team. The 6-8 sophomore averaged 10.8 points and 5.9 rebounds.

St. John's scored only 62.1 points per game.

South Florida (12-19, 3-15)

Sophomore guard Dominique Jones (17.1 ppg) was a unanimous choice for the Big East All-Rookie Team. Starting guards Jesus Verdejo (10.7 ppg) and Chris Howard (8.4 ppg) also return. Verdejo is a senior and Howard a junior.

Georgia transfer 6-4 Mike Mercer is eligible after the first semester.

Rutgers (11-20, 3-15)

Team MVP Anthony Farmer (6-1 Sr.) averaged 10.2 points and 2.3 assists. Corey Chandler, a 6-2 sophomore (11.9 ppg) was on the Big East All-Rookie Team.

Recruits Mike Rosario, a McDonald's All-American, and Patrick Jackson will press for playing time.

-- Information from www.bigeast.org