NEW YORK -- Connecticut, which returns three starters and five of its top seven players from a year ago, was picked as the favorite to win the Big East in the preseason coaches' poll released yesterday.

The Huskies received nine of a possible 16 first-place votes and 214 points to edge Louisville (three first-place votes, 205 points). Pitt received three first-place votes (200 points) and was picked to finish third. West Virginia was picked to finish ninth.

Despite the lofty predictions, Pitt senior forward Sam Young said nothing is decided in October.

"It is nice to know that we are thought of as highly as we are and that just comes from earning respect as a good program over the years," Young said. "But I try to tell the younger guys who haven't been through it -- none of this really means much when the games start."

Young, along with Luke Harangody, who was voted the preseason player of the year, were the only two players (out of 11) who were unanimous selections for the preseason all-conference team. But no other Pitt player -- not sophomore DeJuan Blair or senior point guard Levance Fields -- were picked for preseason honors, which was a bit surprising to coach Jamie Dixon.

"Levance and DeJuan probably too, they would be all-conference players in any other league in the country," Dixon said. "But the sheer numbers and size of the conference and talent of the returning guys, I think it is unsurpassed, maybe in history. And we'll see by the numbers that make the NCAA tournament. I mean, you could make an all-conference team out of the guys who weren't on this list and go to war with anybody."

Road doesn't end at Garden

Big East commissioner Michael Tranghese and most of the league coaches gush when talking about how big it is to win the Big East tournament.

One coach who would strongly disagree about the importance of winning the tournament is Louisville's Rick Pitino who said his team's main focus is always on playing well in the NCAA tournament, getting to the Final Four and capturing an NCAA championship.

"It is not life or death unless you need to win the tournament to make the NCAA," Pitino said.

"The NCAA tournament is where memories are created."

Short jumpers

Seton Hall is seeking a hardship waiver for former Aliquippa standout Herb Pope, who transferred from New Mexico State, to be eligible immediately. ... Pitino on his philosophy of scheduling good teams in non-conference games is: "Beating teams by 25 points on your home court accomplishes nothing." ... Although coaches generally believe the new 3-point line -- it has been moved back from 19 feet, 9 inches to 20-9 -- will open up the lane and create some more space for players cutting to the basket, some still are not sold that it will make a difference. "It won't change a thing -- the good shooters will still be able to make that shot," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "It might open things up a little bit, but I don't know by how much." ... "The Big East is toughness, the players take great pride in their toughness, they are mostly inner-city kids," Pitino said. "The kids who play in this conference are not what Barack Obama alludes to in the top 5 percent with respect to the taxing situation."