Scottie Reynolds News

Kentucky's John Wall lets out a yell after dunking the ball during the first half of an NCAA exhibition college basketball game against Clarion in Lexington, Ky., Friday, Nov.

OUTLOOK: The Big East Conference makes and the rest of the basketball world takes should be the theme for this league as it enters the 2009-10 campaign.

Scottie Reynolds' game-winning shot against Pitt in the Elite Eight lifted Villanova to the Final Four last season.

Villanova's basketball team will unofficially begin its season Thursday at the Wachovia Center with a 7 o'clock scrimmage against Kutztown, which is ranked as high as 16th in several preseason Division II polls.

Scottie Reynolds drove to the basket for the winning layup with 0.5 seconds remaining, and Villanova gained a berth in the Final Four with a dramatic 78-76 win over Pittsburgh in the East Regional final of the NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats will be without Reggie Redding for the first 10 games of the season.

Coach: Jay Wright Last season's record: 30-8 Spotlight player Scottie Reynolds has been a 15-point scorer from the moment he walked onto the Villanova campus.

Scottie Reynolds passed up his chance to jump to the NBA. Jay Wright never seriously considered bolting the Wildcats for the Philadelphia 76ers head coaching vacancy.

Villanova, which a week ago was picked to finish first in the Big East, is ranked fifth in the preseason Associated Press Top 25.

Jay Wright wanted to give Reggie Redding a summer pep talk. Wright saw how Villanova's senior guard was putting in the time to become a better player and setting a positive example as a team leader.

Seton Hall guard Jeremy Hazell and the Pirates have been picked to finish 10th in the Big East preseason poll.

It was some time between the end of commissioner John Marinatto's speech and the horde of TV cameras, radio microphones and persistent questions that Jay Wright realized he was atop the new Big East.

Notre Dame senior forward Luke Harangody joined Georgetown great Patrick Ewing as the only players to be chosen Big East preseason player of the year more than once.

Villanova scored the first points of the Big East basketball season Wednesday, collecting 10 of 16 first-place votes from the conference's coaches to earn the target as the preseason favorite.

Acharf Yacoubou drives down the court during a game last season. The Long Island Lutheran guard has committed to play for Jay Wright 's Villanova Wildcats .

WILDCATS NO. 1 -- Fresh off last season's Final Four appearance and sparked by the return of senior guards Scottie Reynolds and Reggie Redding and junior Corey Stokes, the Villanova Wildcats were handed the bull's-eye as the team to beat in the 2009-10 Big East preseason poll.

'New' was the buzzword during Wednesday's Big East Conference men's basketball media day.

The Big East coaches think Scottie Reynolds will lead Villanova to the top of the Big East.

College basketball season got under way recently with teams starting practice. It should be an interesting year for college basketball in the Philadelphia area and throughout the country.

Greetings, Villanova and Michigan State. College basketball practice begins today, and these four teams look like the preseason favorites to be here in 169 days when the Final Four unfolds at Lucas Oil Stadium.