With the preseason poll and all-conference team being announced at Big East media day set for tomorrow morning in New York, I figured I would take a stab at how I think the vote will turn out.

Consider this a disclaimer: this (especially the all-conference list is not how I would vote but how I think the coaches will cast their ballots).

I will say this was no easy chore. Teams that usually finish near the top of the standings (Louisville, Pittsburgh and Rutgers) lost some vital cogs while second-tier teams (Georgetown comes to mind) have most of its nucleus back.

Here goes

1. UConn: that was pretty easy. Not only do the Huskies have the league's top two players in Maya Moore and Tina Charles but Kalana Greene, Tiffany Hayes and Caroline Doty would be star attractions at any other programs.
2. Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish return every single player from last season's team and welcome two freshman including Skylar Diggins, the Gatorade national high school player of the year.
3. DePaul: Deirdre Naughton and Keisha Hampton lead a veteran squad returning six of its top seven scorers.
4. Louisville: Had the Cardinals not reached the Big East and NCAA championship game, I would and should probably drop them a couple of spots lower. But out of respect for Louisville coach Jeff Walz and the return of center Chauntice Wright, who missed last season with a knee injury, to go with a solid group of returnees should have Louisville fighting for a top four finish.
5. Pittsburgh: The Panthers will miss Shavonte Zellous and Xenia Stewart but the other nine players who scored a year ago are all back.
6. Rutgers: This is another case where I go with pedigree and a history of success over what the roster looks like. Replacing Kia Vaughn, a WNBA first-round pick, and Epiphanny Prince, who bypassed her senior season to play professionally in Europe, will not be easy. Brittany Ray will assume a greater role in the offense while it is time for sophomores April Sykes and Nikki Speed to showcase the talent which made them such sought-after recruits.
7. Syracuse: If Syracuse focuses on basketball and loses the collective chip on its shoulders that it seemed to play with last season, the Orange is a team which could make some noise. There is certainly plenty of talent led by Erica Morrow, Nicole Michael and Juanita Ward.
8. St. John's: Last season former Trinity Catholic star Da'Shena Stevens made an immediate impact. Now Shenneika Smith could be the Red Storm's latest freshman phenom.
9. Marquette: With the graduation of Krystal Ellis, this should be Angel Robinson's team now. Robinson has plenty of help as six of the top seven scorers are back. I think the chemistry will be much better on this year's squad.
10. Villanova: The Wildcats lost three of their top four scorers and six of the 13 players are freshmen so it is pretty hard to get a read on when Villanova will end the season.
11. Georgetown: With six of the top seven scorers back from a team which finished 7-9 in Big East play, the Hoyas could move up in the standings very easily but a lack of offensive firepower could be an issue. The Hoyas should get some bonus points for having a player with the last name of Fuller as Shanice Fuller is the second-leading returning scorer for Georgetown.
12. South Florida: There are five freshmen and three junior college transfers on the roster. If the newcomers adapt quickly to the college game, the Bulls could make a run at another .500 season in conference play.
13. West Virginia: Mike Carey is a top-flight coach but losing high-scoring Takisha Granberry and point guard Ashley Powell leave some huge holes for a team with four freshmen among its 10 players.
14. Cincinnati: I think Jamelle Elliott will get it done in Cincinnati and the Bearcats could make immediate strides with three of their top scorers back but Elliott will have a lot of work to do.
15. Providence: The biggest shocker is that Chelsea Marandola is still on the roster. I could have sworn she was at Providence when Rebecca Lobo was playing at UConn. With the top three scorers back, the Friars figure to be better but will it be enough to move up in the standings?
16. Seton Hall: Somebody has to be picked last. With Ebonie Williams, Nicole Emery and Kandice Green back, the Pirates won't lack for offensive options but replacing rebounding maniac Noteisha Womack will not be easy.

Now for the preseason all-conference team. I will go with 11 since that was the number the league had last year. I limited it to three Huskies even though I think you could make the argument that five Huskies are among the league's top 11 players.

Here we go:
Ashley Barlow, Notre Dame
Tina Charles, UConn
Tiffany Hayes, UConn
Maya Moore, UConn
Erica Morrow, Syracuse
Deirdre Naughton, DePaul
Brittany Ray, Rutgers
Liz Repella, West Virginia
Angel Robinson, Marquette
Kayla Roudebush, Cincinnati
Da'Shena Stevens, St. John's