University of Connecticut Athletics
Womens Basketball Picked as Favorite in 2007-08 BIG EAST Preseason Poll
10/25/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Connecticut garnered 15 of 16 first-place votes to total 225 points in the poll. UConn grabbed last season’s regular season title with an unblemished record of 16-0 in conference play. The Huskies went undefeated for the sixth time in program history and became the eighth team in the league to accomplish the feat. UConn returns all its letterwinners from a year ago that held a 32-4 overall mark. UConn advanced to the 2007 NCAA Championship Fresno Regional Final, marking the 13th time that the Huskies has played in a Regional Final.
UConn will be led by 2007-08 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team members Renee Montgomery (St. Albans, W. Va) and Tina Charles (Jamaica, N.Y.). A junior, Montgomery will lead the point for the Huskies, after averaging 13.3 points per game and dishing out 163 assists. Charles was the 2006-07 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and the USBWA National Freshman of the Year. The center topped the UConn books with freshman records in blocks (81) and rebounds (296), while averaging 12.7 points per game. For the second straight year, a Connecticut recruit is named BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year. Maya Moore (Lawrenceville, Ga.), is expected to make a significant impact in the Huskies’ lineup this season.
Rutgers (27-9, 12-4) will be defending its 2007 BIG EAST Championship title for the first time in program history. The Scarlet Knights earned one first-place vote and a total of 211 points in the 2007-08 preseason poll. The Scarlet Knights made a storybook run to the 2007 NCAA Championship title game in Cleveland, Ohio. As the No. 4 seed in the national tournament, RU knocked off No. 13 seed East Carolina and No. 5 seed Michigan State, before upsetting No. 1 seed Duke and No. 3 seeds Arizona State and LSU. Rutgers fell to Tennessee 59-46 in the title game on April 3.
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team members Matee Ajavon, Essence Carson and Kia Vaughn will be counted on to guide the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers returns 98.8 percent of its scoring and all five starters from last season. Carson is the two-time defending BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and the senior is one of four unanimous selections to this year’s preseason team. Ajavon, also a senior, was named to the 2006-07 All-BIG EAST Second Team, and Vaughn was an All-BIG EAST First Team selection in her sophomore year.
Earning its highest ranking in program history in the preseason poll, West Virginia was picked third with 186 points heading into the 2007-08 season. WVU (21-11) is coming off an NCAA Second Round showing, marking its fourth appearance at the national tournament. The Mountaineers ended the 2006-07 season with an 11-5 mark in BIG EAST play and finished fourth in the league standings, earning its first-ever bye to the BIG EAST Championship. For the second consecutive season, West Virginia returns all five starters, including Olayinka Sanni, a unanimous selection to the 2007-08 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. Also leading the way for WVU will be All-BIG EAST honorees, seniors Chakhia Cole, LaQuita Owens and Meg Bulger, who sat out the last season and a half with two separate knee injuries.
Pittsburgh was picked fourth in the 2007-08 preseason poll and earned 169 points. Pitt had a landmark season in 2006-07, including the program’s first-ever trip to the NCAA Championship. The Panthers completed the year with a 24-9 overall record, the most wins in school history, and a 10-6 mark in league play. The Panthers welcome back 93.0 percent of their scoring and 91.5 percent of their starts, having graduated just one player. Senior Marcedes Walker and redshirt-junior Shavonte Zellous return to the Panther lineup. Walker is a unanimous selection to the 2007-08 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, after securing a double-double in league play with averages of 16.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Zellous was named the 2006-07 BIG EAST Most Improved Player as she led the Panthers with 19.1 points per game, and was second on the team with 5.9 rebounds per contest and 21 blocked shots.
The 2008 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Championship Presented by Aéropostale will return to the Hartford Civic Center for the fifth straight year. After crowning a first-time BIG EAST Champion through four days of exciting play in 2007, the 2008 tournament will be held March 8-11. The BIG EAST's top 12 teams will battle for the conference title and will earn the league's automatic bid to the 64-team NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.
The BIG EAST is the largest and most diverse Division I conference in the country. It was formed in 1979 and represents the athletic interests of 16 member institutions including the University of Cincinnati, University of Connecticut, DePaul University, Georgetown University, University of Louisville, Marquette University, University of Notre Dame, University of Pittsburgh, Providence College, Rutgers University, St. John’s University, Seton Hall University, University of South Florida, Syracuse University, Villanova University and West Virginia University. The BIG EAST Conference has captured 25 national championships in six different sports and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series. For more information on the Conference and its membership, please visit .
2007-08 Preseason BIG EAST Coaches’ Poll
1. Connecticut (15) 225
2. Rutgers (1) 211
3. West Virginia 186
4. Pittsburgh 169
5. Notre Dame 165
6. Louisville 154
7. DePaul 152
8. Marquette 124
9. USF 105
10. Seton Hall 93
11. St. John's 83
12. Villanova 77
13. Syracuse 61
14. Cincinnati 49
15. Providence 36
16. Georgetown 20
2007-08 Preseason Player of the Year
Angel McCoughtry, Louisville, Jr., F
2007-08 Preseason Freshman of the Year
*Maya Moore, Fr., F, Connecticut (Lawrenceville, Ga./Collins Hill)
2007-08 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Matee Ajavon, Rutgers, Sr., G
Charel Allen, Notre Dame, Sr., G
*Essence Carson, Rutgers, Sr., F/G
Tina Charles, Connecticut, So., C
Krystal Ellis, Marquette, Jr., G
*Angel McCoughtry, Louisville, Jr., F
Renee Montgomery, Connecticut, Jr., G
*Olayinka Sanni, West Virginia, Sr., C
Kia Vaughn, Rutgers, Jr., C
*Marcedes Walker, Pittsburgh, Sr., C
Shavonte Zellous, Pittsburgh, RS-Jr., G
* - unanimous selection
2007-08 Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention Team
Allie Quigley, DePaul, Sr., G
Charde Houston, Connecticut, Sr., F
Kia Wright, St. John’s, Sr., G
