By: David Kay
1. Villanova: 8-0, 19-1 (LWR: 1)
‘Nova’s had a fairly soft start to their conference schedule but things will pick up after this week with road trips to Georgetown, West Virginia, Pitt, Syracuse, and Cincinnati still remaining.
Up Next: vs. Seton Hall (Tues)
2. Syracuse: 7-1, 20-1 (LWR: 2)
The Orange quickly erased a 14-0 deficit to Georgetown by out-scoring the Hoyas by 31 the rest of the way. Their top seven players are averaging at least 8 points per game.
Up Next: at DePaul (Sat), vs. Providence (Tues)
3. West Virginia: 5-2, 16-3 (LWR: 3)
The Mountaineers came to life in the second half to avoid being upset at home by Ohio State. Bob Huggins continues to juggle his rotation to find the right mix of players off the bench.
Up Next: vs. Louisville (Sat), vs. Pitt (Wed)
4. Georgetown: 6-3, 15-4 (LWR: 4)
The Hoyas have a tough follow-up after blowing a 14-0 lead against ‘Cuse earlier this week when they host Duke on Saturday. Austin Freeman has been filling it up from deep, shooting 56% from three during Big East play.
Up Next: vs. Duke (Sat), vs. South Florida (Wed)
5. Pitt: 6-2, 16-4 (LWR: 5)
Even though they have a better conference mark than G-Town, Pitt is ranked one spot below them since the Panthers lost at home to the Hoyas. It has been all about defense this season for Jamie Dixon’s crew as they are 13th in the Big East in points per game.
Up Next: at South Florida (Sun), at West Virginia (Wed)
6. Louisville: 4-3, 13-7 (LWR: 9)
This Cardinal team just lacks the star power they have had in year’s past. If their full court press is not forcing turnovers, L-Ville is very beatable.
Up Next: at West Virginia (Sat), vs. UConn (Mon)
7. UConn: 3-4, 13-7 (LWR: 6)
I still don’t understand how you beat #1 Texas by 14 and follow that up by laying an egg, losing at Providence by 15. That’s college basketball though.
Up Next: vs. Marquette (Sat), at Louisville (Mon)
8. Cincinnati: 4-4, 13-7 (LWR: 8)
I think Lance Stephenson needs to be more assertive for the Bearcats who lack a go-to scorer who can consistently take you off the bounce. I know he is trying to shake his reputation of being a selfish player, but if Cincy wants to make the tourney, Mick Cronin might need to unleash Stephenson a little bit more.
Up Next: vs. Providence (Sat), at Notre Dame (Thurs)
9. Notre Dame: 4-4, 15-6 (LWR: 7)
There is no bigger flopper in college basketball than Luke Harangody. The Irish’s schedule eases up for the next couple of week and they will need to take care of business if they want to avoid having their bubble burst on Selection Sunday.
Up Next: at Rutgers (Sat), vs. Cincinnati (Thurs)
10. Marquette: 3-5, 12-8 (LWR: 11)
MU did what they were supposed to do in beating up on winless Rutgers, something they failed to do last versus DePaul. Winning at UConn Saturday is a must if there is an NCAA Tournament hope for the Golden Eagles. By the way, Maurice Acker is shooting 78% from three in conference play. Re-dic!
Up Next: at UConn (Sat), vs. DePaul (Wed)
11. Seton Hall: 3-5, 12-7 (LWR: 10)
The Pirates have only played four true road games this season and are just 1-3 in those games, 0-3 away from home in conference. That is not a good sign with road trips to ‘Nova and Pitt on the horizon.
Up Next: at Villanova (Tues)
12. Providence: 4-4, 12-8 (LWR: 12)
The Friars stole one from a flat UConn team on Wednesday, but six of their final ten conference games come against ranked teams meaning a slide is expected.
Up Next: at Cincinnati (Sat), at Syracuse (Tues)
13. South Florida: 3-5, 13-7 (LWR: 14)
The Bulls gutted out back-to-back overtime wins this past week in which Dominique Jones scored 74 points.
Up Next: at Rutgers (Tues)
14. St. John’s: 2-6, 12-8 (LWR: 13)
The Red Storm just lacks the offensive fire power to compete with the upper echelon teams of the Big East. On the bright side, they do only have one senior on their roster so they should be more competitive next year.
Up Next: vs. Villanova (Sat), at Pitt (Thurs)
15. DePaul: 1-7, 8-12 (LWR: 15)
Hey, they have already won a Big East game this year. What more can you ask for?
Up Next: vs. Syracuse (Sat), at Marquette (Wed)
16. Rutgers: 0-8, 9-11 (LWR: 16)
3-13, 3-15, 2-16, 0-8. Those are the Scarlet Knights conference marks in their last four years. Even DePaul fans are laughing at that.
Up Next: vs. Notre Dame (Sat), vs. St. John’s (Tues)