Kansas topped the USA TODAY/ESPN Top 25 men’s basketball preseason coaches’ poll released Thursday, and six Big East clubs made the rankings.
Kansas, the 2008 NCAA champion, was voted the preseason No. 1 despite several off-the-court issues, including recent fights between members of the football and basketball teams that left New Jersey guard Tyshawn Taylor with an [...]

Hit the Video Player at right for interviews with these players from Big East Media Day: Devin Ebanks of West Virginia; Edgar Sosa of Louisville; Andy Rautins of Syracuse; Kemba Walker of UConn; Herb Pope of Seton Hall; Deonta Vaughn of Cincinnati; and Luke Harangody of Notre Dame.
“I definitely feel it’s going to be our [...]

Hit the Video Player at right for my interviews from Big East Media Day with Jay Wright of Villanova, Jim Calhoun of UConn, Bob Huggins of West Virginia, Mike Brey of Notre Dame, Mick Cronin of Cincinnati, Bobby Gonzalez of Seton Hall and Jamie Dixon of Pitt.
“It’s an honor and I want our guys to [...]

Big East Media Day is set for Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. I’ll be there interviewing players and coaches for video that will appear on SNY.tv…then I’m off to see AC/DC in Philly that night.
Here are my Preseason awards ahead of Wednesday’s action. Click on the blue names of selected players to read the features [...]

The Big East will not alter its men’s basketball tournament format for the second time in two years.
League officials toyed with the idea of doing away with the double-bye system and having the top four teams play the bottom four teams on the tournament’s first day, Tuesday, and then giving the winners a day off [...]

Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson says the school’s first priority would be to join the Southeastern Conference — not the Big East.
“Quite honestly, the truth of the matter is the lifelong dream of Memphis is to get in the SEC,” Johnson said Thursday in a phone interview. “We’re surrounded by SEC country. When Arkansas got [...]

Memphis wants to join the Big East Conference and has hired former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese to help accomplish that goal.
Yet, Tranghese says he cannot single-handedly get Memphis into the Big East or any other Bowl Championship Series conference.
“I’ve been hired to help them evaluate their athletic program, not to get them in a [...]

The Big East released its hoop schedule today and here’s the official release.
The league also announced its schedule of non-conference games which will be televised on national networks.  At least 27 games will receive national exposure.
Forty-four conference contests will be carried on ESPN or ESPN2.  ESPNU, which has increased its reach to over 47 million [...]

ESPN has announced the 2009-10 Big Monday Big East men’s college basketball schedule.
The programming begins January 11 with Villanova at Louisville in a showdown between NCAA Tournament participants from last year. Villanova reached the Final Four and Louisville the Elite Eight.
Louisville, the defending Big East Tournament champions, beat Villanova in both matchups last season, including [...]

The Big East Conference has reached a four-year agreement with Florida Citrus Sports and the Champs Sports Bowl to send a team to the Orlando Fla., game beginning in the 2010 season.
The Champs Sports Bowl will have the first selection from the Big East after the league’s BCS representative has been determined.  The Big East’s [...]