NEW YORK --- Ed Cooley would already seem to have all the bulletin board material he needs for his sixth season at the Providence College helm.
Only perennial Big East doormat DePaul ranks below his Friars – qualifiers for the NCAA Tournament three years running – in the preseason conference predictions unveiled at Tuesday’s Big East Media Day. Providence was selected ninth in the 10-team league, well behind defending national champion Villanova and runner-up pick Xavier.
The Wildcats received all nine possible first-place votes, the preseason conference favorite for the third straight year. The Musketeers earned the other first-place vote, one that almost certainly came from Villanova’s Jay Wright – Big East coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team in the preseason poll.