The 2007–08

Big East Conference The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

men's basketball season was the 29th in conference history, and involved its 16 full-time member schools. Georgetown was the regular-season champion with a record of .

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

won the Big East tournament championship.

Season summary & highlights

* Georgetown was the regular-season champion with a record of . It was Georgetown's ninth conference championship or co-championship, fourth outright championship, and second consecutive championship. *

won its second Big East tournament championship and first since

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

. * The Big East regular-season schedule expanded from 16 to 18 games. * The Big East introduced its Sixth Man of the Year award, presented at the end of each season to the best reserve player of the year.

Head coaches

Rankings

Georgetown was ranked in the Associated Press poll Top 25 all season, reaching No. 5 and finishing at No. 8. Marquette spent all but one week in the Top 25 and finished at No. 25. Connecticut, Louisville, Notre Dame, and Pittsburgh also appeared in the Top 25 and finished the season as ranked teams. Syracuse, Villanova, and West Virginia also spent time in the Top 25.

Regular-season statistical leaders

Postseason

Big East tournament

Seeding

Teams were seeded in the Big East tournament based on conference record and tiebreakers. The No. 5 through No. 12 seeds played in the first round, and the No. 1 through No. 4 seeds received byes into the quarterfinal round. Teams which finished below 12th place in the conference after the application as necessary of tiebreakers did not qualify for the tournament Seeding was and By finishing below 12th place, DePaul, Rutgers, St. John's, and South Florida did not qualify for the tournament.

Bracket

NCAA tournament

Eight Big East teams received bids to the NCAA Tournament. Connecticut lost in the first round and Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame, and Pittsburgh in the second round. Villanova and West Virginia were defeated in the regional semifinals and Louisville in the regional finals.

National Invitation Tournament

Syracuse received a bid to the

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Since 2023, all rounds of the tournament are played at various sites across the country whi ...

. Seeded No. 1 in the in one of the tournament's unnamed brackets, the Orange lost in the quarterfinals.

College Basketball Invitational

Cincinnati accepted a bid to the inaugural

College Basketball Invitational The College Basketball Invitational (CBI) is a men's college basketball tournament created in 2007 by The Gazelle Group. The inaugural tournament occurred after the conclusion of the 2007–08 men's college basketball regular season. The CBI sel ...

. The Bearcats lost in the first round.

Awards and honors

Big East Conference

Player of the Year Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year. In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award. Association football In association football, this award is held on b ...

: *

Hasheem Thabeet Hasheem Thabeet (born Hashim Thabit Manka; 16 February 1987) is a Tanzanian professional basketball player who currently plays for Dar City. He played college basketball for the UConn Huskies before being drafted second overall in the 2009 NBA ...

, Connecticut, C, So.

Defensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY or DPOTY) is the name of an award given in sports for outstanding defensive play by a single player over the course of a season. Many sports leagues award this type of award. League awards for Defensive Player o ...

: *

Jerel McNeal Jerel McNeal (born June 1, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Marquette University before playing professionally in Belgium, the NBA D-League, Italy, China, Greece, Germany and Israel, inc ...

, Marquette, G, So. Co-Rookies of the Year: *

DeJuan Blair DeJuan Lamont Blair (born April 22, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Pittsburgh Panthers from 2007 to 2009. Blair entered the 2009 NBA draft where he was selected as the 37th overal ...

, Pittsburgh, F, Fr. *

Jonny Flynn Jonny William Flynn (born February 6, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player. A three-year National Basketball Association (NBA) veteran, he last played for the Orlandina Basket of the Lega Basket Serie A and played collegi ...

, Syracuse, G. Fr. Sixth Man of the Year: * Patrick Ewing Jr., Georgetown, F, Sr. Most Improved Player: * Sam Young, Pittsburgh, F, Jr.

Coach of the Year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award. Some of the ...

: *

Mike Brey Michael Paul Brey (born March 22, 1959) is an American basketball coach (sport), coach. Currently an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association, he was previously the men's head basketball coach at the Universit ...

, Notre Dame (8th season) All-Big East First Team * A. J. Price, Connecticut, G, Jr., , ,

Amityville Amityville () is a village in the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 9,500 at the 2020 census. The village maintains its own accredited law enforcement agency, ...

, N.Y. *

Joe Alexander Joseph Anthony Alexander (; born December 26, 1986) is a Taiwan-born American-Israeli professional basketball player who last played for Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. Alexander, who at plays both forward position ...

, West Virginia, G, Jr., , , Mount Airy, Md. * Kentrell Gransberry, South Florida, C, Sr., , ,

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

, La. * Brian Laing, Seton Hall, G, Jr., , ,

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, N.Y. * Sam Young, Pittsburgh, F, Jr., , , Clinton, Md. *

Luke Harangody Luke Cameron Harangody (born January 2, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for Divina Seguros Joventut of the Spanish Liga ACB. He completed his college career at the University of Notre Dame in 2010. He i ...

, Notre Dame, F, So., , , Schererville, Ind. * Kyle McAlarney, Notre Dame, G, Jr., , ,

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

, N.Y. * David Padgett, Louisville, C, Sr., , ,

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

, Nev. *

Roy Hibbert Roy Denzil Hibbert (born December 11, 1986) is a Jamaican–American former professional basketball player. He is a two–time NBA All–Star, and earned NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors in 2014 with the Indiana Pacers. Hibbert was the runne ...

, Georgetown, C, Sr., , , Adelphi, Md. *

Jeff Adrien Jeff Adrien (born February 10, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Piratas de Quebradillas of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the UConn Huskies. High school career Adrien was raise ...

, Connecticut, F, Jr., , ,

Brookline Brookline may refer to: Places in the United States * Brookline, Massachusetts, a town near Boston * Brookline, Missouri, a village * Brookline, New Hampshire, a town * Brookline (Pittsburgh), a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania * Brookl ...

, Mass. * Deonta Vaughn, Cincinnati, G, So., , ,

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, Ind. All-Big East Second Team: *

Terrence Williams Terrence Deshon Williams (born June 28, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. Williams was drafted 11th overall in the 2009 NBA draft by the New Jersey Nets. He was the senior co-captain for the 2008–09 University of L ...

, Louisville, F, Jr., , ,

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Wash. *

Dominic James Dominic Davon James (born October 5, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. College career Freshman season & Big East Rookie of the year In 2005–06, James came in as one of the best freshman in the country, averaging 15 ...

, Marquette, G, So., , ,

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

, Ind. *

, Marquette, G, Jr., , ,

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, Ill. *

Lazar Hayward Lazar Miller Hayward (born November 26, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. He was a college standout for the Marquette Golden Eagles. High school career Hayward went to Buffalo Traditional High School where he was an o ...

, Marquette, F, So., , , Buffalo, N.Y. * Jonathan Wallace, Georgetown, G, Sr., , ,

Harvest Harvesting is the process of collecting plants, animals, or fish (as well as fungi) as food, especially the process of gathering mature crops, and "the harvest" also refers to the collected crops. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulses fo ...

, Ala. *

Draelon Burns Draelon Burns (born October 7, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for Shinshu Brave Warriors in Japan. Standing at 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), he primarily plays as point guard or shooting guard. Playing career Burns joined Úrvalsdeil ...

, DePaul, G, Sr., , ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, Wis. *

, Connecticut, C, So., , ,

Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam (, ; from ) is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of the Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over 7 million people, Dar es Salaam is the largest city in East Africa by population and the ...

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

Donté Greene Donté Dominic Greene (born February 21, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange for one year before being selected with the 28th overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies in th ...

, Connecticut, C, Fr., , ,

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, Md. * Paul Harris, Syracuse, F, So., , ,

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York (s ...

, N.Y. * Scottie Reynolds, Villanova, G, So., , , Herndon, Va. Big East All-Rookie Team: * Dar Tucker, DePaul, G, Fr., , ,

Saginaw Saginaw () is a city in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 44,202 at the 2020 census. Located along the Saginaw River, Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of ...

, Mich. * Mac Koshwal, DePaul, C, Fr., , , Chicago, Ill. * Austin Freeman, Georgetown, G, Fr., , , Mitchellville, Md. *

, Pittsburgh, F, Fr., , ,

, Pa. * Corey Chandler, Rutgers, G, Fr., , , Newark, N.J. *

Jeremy Hazell Jeremy Hazell (born March 25, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Victoria Libertas Pesaro of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for Seton Hall. College career Hazell came to prominen ...

, Seton Hall, G, Fr., , ,

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

, N.Y. *

Dominique Jones Dominique O'Neal Jones (born October 15, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Changsha Wantian Yongsheng of the National Basketball League. A noted scorer in college at the University of South Florida, Jones had the se ...

, South Florida, G, Fr., , , Lake Wales, Fla. * Justin Burrell, St. John's, G, Fr., , ,

, N.Y. *

, Connecticut, C, Fr., , , Baltimore, Md. *

, St. John's, G, Fr., , ,

, N.Y. * Corey Fisher, Villanova, G, Fr., , , The Bronx, N.Y.

All-Americans

The following players were selected to the 2008 Associated Press All-America teams. Consensus All-America Second Team: *

, Georgetown, Key Stats: 13.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.9 apg, 2.2 bpg, 60.9 FG%, 454 points Second Team All-America: *

, Notre Dame, Key Stats: 20.4 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 1.7 apg, 50.0 FG%, 33.3 3P%, 672 points *

, Georgetown, Key Stats: 13.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.9 apg, 2.2 bpg, 60.9 FG%, 454 points AP Honorable Mention *

, West Virginia * A. J. Price, Connecticut * Sam Young, Pittsburgh

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2007–08 Big East Conference men's basketball season

Season summary & highlights

Head coaches

Rankings

Regular-season statistical leaders

Postseason

Big East tournament

Seeding

Bracket

NCAA tournament

National Invitation Tournament

College Basketball Invitational

Awards and honors

Big East Conference

All-Americans

See also

References