Villanova voted 12th best in Big East

It could be another tough season for Jay Wright and Villanova.

It was the annual Media Day for Villanova and the entire Big East conference on Tuesday. The coaches of the conference participated in voting for the league’s best team and player most likely to have the best season.

The Wildcats were slotted as the 12th best team in the conference when all the votes were gathered. The only three teams they are expected to finish ahead of in the standings are DePaul, Seton Hall and Providence. DePaul and Providence were the only teams they finished ahead of in the 2011-12 standings.

Last season, Jay Wright‘s squad actually started the year off well, but slumped tremendously down the stretch when it came time for the conference games. Villanova posted a record of 5-13 against the Big East, the fewest conference wins since 1992-93, when they went 3-15. Against ranked conference teams they were 0-6.

This year, the team brings in a roster that features some resemblance of a turnover. Five freshmen and two transfers have been added to the team as Wright looks to get the program back in the right direction.

As for the rest of the Big East, the Louisville Cardinals, the 2012 Big East champions and a Final Four team, were identified as the best in the conference, and most the favorites to win it. They received 14 of 15 first-place votes. Syracuse came in a distant second, and Notre Dame, the only other team to get a first-place vote, finished third. Here’s the complete list of rankings, based on the votes:

1. Louisville         196

2. Syracuse          175

3. Notre Dame   166

4. Cincinnati        152

5. Georgetown   136

6. Pittsburgh       132

7. Marquette      121

8. USF                   96

9. Connecticut    83

10. St. John’s      73

11. Rutgers         63

12. Villanova      61

13. DePaul           48

14. Seton Hall     42

15. Providence   31

Also announced at Media Day were the preseason picks for Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and All-Big East teams. Villanova did not have a player appear on the first or second team, nor receive honorable mentions.

Here are the All-Big East First and Second teams, and the Honorable Mentions:

2012-13 Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team
Sean Kilpatrick, Cincinnati, G, Jr., 6-4, 221, White Plains, N.Y.
Otto Porter, Georgetown, F, So., 6-8, 205, Sikeston, Mo.
Gorgui Dieng, Louisville, C, Jr., 6-10, 225, Dakar, Senegal
Jack Cooley, Notre Dame, F, Sr., 6-9, 244, Glenview, Ill.
Vincent Council, Providence, G, Sr., 6-2, 180, Brooklyn, N.Y.

2012-13 Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team
Shabazz Napier, Connecticut, G, Jr., 6-1, 171, Roxbury, Mass.
Cleveland Melvin, DePaul, F, Jr., 6-8, 208, Baltimore, Md.
D’Angelo Harrison, St. John’s, G, So., 6-3, 202, Missouri City, Texas
Anthony Collins, USF, So., G, 6-1, 175, Houston, Texas
Brandon Triche, Syracuse, G, Sr., 6-4, 205, Jamesville, N.Y.

2012-13 Preseason BIG EAST Honorable Mention
Chane Behanan, Louisville, F, So., 6-7, 250, Cincinnati, Ohio
Jerian Grant, Notre Dame, G, Jr., 6-5, 185, Bowie, Md.
Tray Woodall, Pittsburgh, G, Sr., 5-11, 190, Brooklyn, N.Y.
C.J. Fair, Syracuse, F, Jr., 6-8, 212, Baltimore, Md.

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Mike Angelina

Mike Angelina is a producer at 94.1 WIP in Philadelphia and will be covering Drexel for Philahoops.com. A Philadelphia area native, Mike has been both a producer and engineer for the Flyers and 76ers, and is a Phillies production engineer during the baseball season. He contributes columns to CBS Philly's online content, and was a featured columnist on Bleacher Report. Mike also covers a number of other sports at Drexel University, writing for the school's paper, The Triangle. He is entering his third year as a Drexel student, studying in their online program.

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