With the college basketball season set to tip off tonight, ESPN analyst Dick Vitale previewed the season with The Post and others on a conference call.
Q: Do you think preseason No. 1 Indiana is the best team in the country?
A: I have Louisville at No. 1. A lot of people have Indiana, I love Indiana and I have them in my top 3. But Louisville has great depth, this could be [Rick] Pitino’s best team since he’s been there. I really believe that their second 5 can finish in the Top 25. That’s how athletic they can be and how tough they are.
Q: Any sadness with this being the last year for Syracuse and Pitt in the Big East?
A: It’s the last hurrah for Big East. Losing the great rivalries is what really bothers me with Syracuse and Georgetown. And some of the battles through the years between Pittsburgh and West Virginia, and now Notre Dame is stepping out. Those things will be certainly missed, and to me it’s total chaos figuring out who’s in the league between football and basketball and all those things.
Q: Do you see an improvement from St. John’s with Steve Lavin back on the sidelines
?
A: They have got some real nice players. I really like Green and Garrett coming back. They have some nice, solid players. … I did about five St. John’s games last year and not having your head coach, and Mike Dunlap is a genius with the Xs and Os, but it’s still not the same when the guy that is making the decisions is not on the sidelines.
Q: What about Rutgers and Seton Hall?
A: I am a big believer in Rutgers, and Seton Hall is my alma mater. Rutgers, having coached down there, I believe you can get great players. It’s a state university, if I can’t convince two great kids a year … I think coach [Mike] Rice is heading in the right direction, but it’s just so tough to overcome those top teams in the Big East.
Q: Do you think the criticism against John Calipari for having success with one-and-dones is fair?
A: Well, simply put, he’s following the rules. The rules say a player comes in, one year, he’s allowed to leave. He may not like the rule, I don’t like the rule, but he is following the rules. There aren’t many coaches in America that would say no to kids like the Anthony Davises and now this current crop of [Archie] Goodwin and [Nerlsens] Noel.