‘ ‘ ‘ During college football season, most sports analysts criticize the Big East for being a… ‘ ‘ ‘ During college football season, most sports analysts criticize the Big East for being a weak overall conference. ‘ ‘ ‘ Then basketball season rolls around. ‘ ‘ ‘ The Big East Conference is widely considered the strongest league in the country, particularly this season. Some people are going as far as to say that it might be the strongest league ever. ‘ ‘ ‘ The league has seven teams ranked in the top 25 in the AP poll, with an absurd four teams ranked in the top nine. ‘ ‘ ‘ Leading the way in the polls is Connecticut at No. 2. The Huskies are closely followed by Louisville at No. 3, Pitt at No. 5 and Notre Dame at No. 9. ‘ ‘ ‘ Marquette falls in at No. 16 and Georgetown at No. 22, and Villanova rounds out the Big East teams at No. 23. ‘ ‘ ‘ Many prognosticators project that Connecticut will stand on top once the season is complete. The Huskies could have a monster trio to combat any Big East foe. Center Hasheem Thabeet is a defensive force, Jeff Adrien does a little bit of everything, and point guard A.J. Price could be the best at his position in the conference if he is completely healed from a knee injury in last year’s NCAA Tournament. ‘ ‘ ‘ Louisville lost key contributors David Padgett and Derrick Caracter, but a wave of talent remains. Juniors Earl Clark and Edgar Sosa pace the Cardinals’ attack this year. ‘ ‘ ‘ Notre Dame can’t be ignored, either. Reigning Big East Player of the Year Luke Harangody looks to reclaim the award with another great season. Harangody is joined by junior sharpshooter Kyle McAlarney, who looks to spark the Notre Dame offense. ‘ ‘ ‘ While the rankings are nice, Pitt coach Jamie Dixon realizes that because the league is so strong, some teams might eventually fall from the top 25. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘At the end of the day, we’re probably not going to have that many teams ranked because we’re going to beat each other up,’ said Dixon. ‘ ‘ ‘ Take Villanova, for example. It is a team that made a run to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament last year and returns its top seven scorers from last season. ‘ ‘ ‘ Yet the Wildcats were picked to finish fifth in the league in 2008-09. Connecticut was picked by the coaches to win the Big East. ‘ ‘ ‘ However, it is not just the teams in the top 25 that make the conference so powerful. ‘ ‘ ‘ There are no or few weak teams in the league this year, and every conference game will be a battle. Coaches such as Dixon hope that the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee recognizes this strength. ‘ ‘ ‘ Out of the 21 players named to last year’s All-Big East first and second teams, only six are no longer with their respective teams. ‘ ‘ ‘ The conference also became much stronger when several key players decided to come back to school. These include preseason first team All-Big East members such as Pitt’s Sam Young, Notre Dame’s Harangody and Connecticut’s Thabeet. ‘ ‘ ‘ Besides the players who stayed in school, there are also several newcomers to the Big East who will make an immediate impact and add to the overall depth of the league. Freshmen Greg Monroe of Georgetown and Samardo Samuels of Louisville are included in this bunch. ‘ ‘ ‘ Both were McDonald’s All-Americans as high school seniors last year. Samuels was tabbed by USA Today as the 2008 High School Player of the Year. ‘ ‘ ‘ The Big East has been a very strong league for many years. Yet the addition of Louisville, Marquette, Cincinnati, South Florida and DePaul to the league a few years ago has put the conference over the top. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I said when the conference was being formed that this thing was going to turn into a monster, and that’s what it’s become,’ said Dixon.