TicketsOct. 25, 2007
NEW YORK -- The University of Cincinnati was picked to finish 14th in the 2007-08 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll. The poll was released at the BIG EAST Women's Basketball Media Day held at the ESPN Zone in New York.
The Bearcats, led by first-year head coach J. Kelley Hall, received 49 votes. The poll is determined by a vote of the league's 16 head coaches who are not permitted to select their own teams. UC finished last season with a 15-14 overall record (6-10 BIG EAST) and earned a its second straight trip to the BIG EAST Championship.
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 untainted 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.
Rutgers 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. 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. Pittsburgh was picked fourth in the 2007-08 preseason poll and earned 169 points.
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.
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