Bearcats Breakfast 10.19.11

I want to start off with a brief apology to my routine addicts out there. You know who you are. Must eat the muffin before the cereal and always use the same bowl with oversized spoon? Never put on the flannel pants for bed before untucking the corner of the sheets? It's OK. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Anyway, you're probably used to reading a Tuesday afternoon lunch edition with reaction from the UC football media luncheon. If you know much about myself or this blog you know I also work for CBSsports.com covering the Bengals. And, well, let's just say yesterday was a little more hectic than anticipated over at Paul Brown Stadium. You may have heard something about it. It pretty much took over my Tuesday -- and my Wednesday for that matter -- but don't worry, I promise to make it up to you. (Do I sound like the deadbeat dad yet? Maybe I'll show up tomorrow with a pony before I take another work road trip)

Point being, I am headed to UC's media availability today, to get everyone caught up on the Bearcats. Hope you've been enjoying the Mick Cronin conversations in the mean time. I know I found them pretty enlightening.

Let's eat....

--- Speaking of basketball, today is the Big East Media Day. UC was picked fifth in the coaches poll. Also, Yancy Gates was selected to the All-Big East Second Team.

Here are the particulars:

2011-12 Preseason Coaches' Poll

Team     Pts.

1. Connecticut (7) - 209
Syracuse (5) - 209
3. Louisville (3) -201
4. Pittsburgh (1) -188
5. Cincinnati - 169
6. Marquette - 155
7. West Virginia - 132
8. Villanova - 127
9. Notre Dame - 114
10. Georgetown - 104
11. Rutgers - 75
12. St. John's - 71
13. Seton Hall - 56
14. USF - 43
15. Providence - 40
16. DePaul - 27

First-place votes in parentheses

2011-12 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year
Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh

2011-12 BIG EAST Preseason Rookie of the Year
Andre Drummond, Connecticut

2011-12 Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team
Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh (Player of the Year), G, Sr., 6-2, 190, Scotch Plains, N.J.
Jeremy Lamb, Connecticut, G/F, So., 6-5, 185, Norcross, Ga.
Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette, G, Sr., 6-2, 215, Raleigh, N.C.
Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame, F, Gr., 6-8, 235, Unionville, Conn.
Kris Joseph, Syracuse, F, Sr., 6-7, 210, Montreal, Quebec
Kevin Jones, West Virginia, F, Sr., 6-8, 260, Mount Vernon, N.Y.

2011-12 Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team
Yancy Gates, Cincinnati, F, Sr., 6-9, 260, Cincinnati, Ohio
Alex Oriakhi, Connecticut, F/C, Jr., 6-9, 240, Lowell, Mass.
Peyton Siva, Louisville, G, Jr., 5-11, 180, Seattle, Wash.
Scoop Jardine, Syracuse, G, Sr., 6-2 190, Philadelphia, Pa.
Maalik Wayns, Villanova, G, Jr., 6-2, 200, Philadelphia, Pa.

2011-12 Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention
Andre Drummond, Connecticut, C, Fr., 6-11, 275, Middletown, Conn.
Shabazz Napier, Connecticut, G, So. 6-0, 170, Roxbury, Mass.
Cleveland Melvin, DePaul, F, So., 6-8, 208, Baltimore, Md.
Jae Crowder, Marquette, F, Sr., 6-6, 235, Villa Rica, Ga.
Augustus Gilchrist, USF, F/C, Sr., 6-10, 245, Clinton, Md.

What does this mean? Very little. UC was picked 12th in last year's  poll and finished 6th.

One of my favorite things to do is look back at last year's poll and predictions and see how right/wrong everybody was.

Here's the 2010 preseason poll:

2010-11 Preseason Coaches' Poll

1. Pittsburgh (12 first-place votes)
2. Villanova (1)
3. Syracuse (2)
4. Georgetown
5. West Virginia
6. St. John's (1)
7. Notre Dame
T8. Marquette
T8. Louisville
10. Connecticut
11. Seton Hall
12. Cincinnati
13. South Florida
14. Providence
15. Rutgers
16. DePaul

There were a few hits and misses. For hits, the coaches did pick PItt to win the conference, which the Panthers did with a 15-3 mark.

As for misses, take a gander at the number of teams off by four or more spots . Villanova (picked 2nd, finished T-9th), Georgetown (picked 4th, finished T-8th), Louisville (picked 8th, finished T-3rd), Notre Dame (picked 7th, finished 2nd), UC (picked 12th, finished T-6th).

That's five of 16. There was a 30 percent chance you are misjudged in these rankings by at least a four to five win margin in conference.

Also, last year's preseason POY wasn't Kemba Walker, it was Georgetown's Austin Freeman. And the Rookie of the Year was  Syracuse's Fab Melo (10 min, 2.3 pts per). Yikes.

Moral of the story: Take those preseason rankings and light them on fire (in a safe environment, of course, those of us at the Breakfast are trying to prevent forest fires).

--- Here is Butch Jones' Tuesday press conference for those of you who missed it.

--- USF talks about their suddenly stagnant offense.

--- The Big East held a conference call yesterday regarding realignment and their plans to increase the teams to 12. They also will escalate the exit fee to $10 million from $5 million as soon as one team joins the conference through expansion.

Bill Koch has a roundup ofeverything said on the conference call.

--- Would you want a Big East Championship Game? Eh. I vote no. Which I'm sure will sway John Marinatto's decision. Here's the debate from Andrea Adelson.

--- Butch Jones blog had this behind-the-scenes video from Saturday's pregame against Louisville. Should get you pretty jacked up.