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Villanova Tops Big East Preseason Poll

ByPhil Watson|
Mar 20, 2014; Buffalo, NY, USA; Villanova Wildcats forward JayVaughn Pinkston (22) drives to the basket as Milwaukee Panthers forward Austin Arians (34) defends in the second half of a men
Mar 20, 2014; Buffalo, NY, USA; Villanova Wildcats forward JayVaughn Pinkston (22) drives to the basket as Milwaukee Panthers forward Austin Arians (34) defends in the second half of a men

The Villanova Wildcats won the Big East last season, going 16-2, and were a unanimous choice to repeat in a vote of the league’s coaches.

Villanova was 29-5 last season and save for a couple of blowouts at the hands of Creighton and NCAA scoring champ Doug McDermott, ran through the conference race in a clean sweep.

With four starters returning, the Wildcats received nine of the 10 first-place votes from the league’s coaches in the Big East’s preseason poll.

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Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams and, by process of elimination, Villanova coach Jay Wright picked Georgetown to win the conference.

James Bell is the only starter lost from last year’s squad, but the Wildcats return Darrun Hilliard II, who averaged 14.3 points per game, and JayVaughn Pinkston, who dropped in 14.1 points a game last season.

Villanova was a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, but was upset in the third round by eventual national champion Connecticut.

The complete preseason poll, with last year’s records in parentheses:

  1. Villanova (29-5, 16-2)
  2. Georgetown (18-15, 8-10)
  3. St. John’s (20-13, 10-8)
  4. Xavier (21-13, 10-8)
  5. Providence (23-12, 10-8)
  6. Seton Hall (17-17, 6-12)
  7. Butler (14-17, 4-14)
  8. Marquette (17-15, 9-9)
  9. Creighton (27-8, 14-4)
  10. DePaul (12-21, 3-15)

The coaches were bearish on Creighton, which lost Dougie McBuckets to the NBA.

Junior guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera was named the Big East Preseason Player of the Year and was joined on the preseason all-conference team by Kellen Dunham of Butler, D’Angelo Harrison of St. John’s, Pinkston and Xavier’s Matt Stainbrook.

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