Did the young Eagle guards take advantage of the playing time in exhibition while Troy Bell was healing? Can the new big men handle the rigors down low in the Big East? The strongest position for the team is the 2/3 slot, but that also makes it the hardest position to get minutes. Will this team follow in the footsteps of last years Big East Champions and gel as a unit? The BChoop.com crew sure thinks so! The early season challenges will be larger than if Bell was playing straight through, but in the heart of the schedule after the new year, the extra minutes for the rest of the team will pay off. Look for the Eagles to be challenged by Michigan and Iowa State, but they should handle the rest of the early season schedule with relative ease. Then the question is: How healthy is Troy Bell?

Player by Player Breakdown:

Coming off the Big East championship season, a few questions come to mind……

1. Troy Bell's knee changes our first question. The question HAD been how good will Troy be this season? He'd progressed from scorer who also handled the ball, to point guard who got the whole team involved and then scored his points. NOW the question is: How fast can Troy get back on the court and be effective? Can he be back to form and improving in times for conference games?

2. Who will be the next player to step up and play TALL? Under appreciated Michael Cotton began the trend for Al Skinner, playing out of position on D, forced to defend taller players. Last season Xavier Singletary handled that role, backed up by leaper Jon Beerbohm. Will the incoming freshmen centers allow BC to play 2 guards, 2 forwards and 1 guard, or will they look to the 2 guard, 1 wing and 2 forward lineup? Can senior Kenny Walls and redshirt freshman Andrew Bryant handle this role? Will Brian Ross' back hold up over the long haul?