By: David Kay
1. Villanova: 6-0, 17-1 (LWR: 1)
Man, ‘Nova can fill it up. Their four highly-recruited freshmen have stepped right in and perfectly blended with their veterans as they can go 10, even 11 deep if needed. For the record, the ‘Cats only play Syracuse once this season, at the Carrier Dome on February 27th.
Up Next: at St. John’s (Sat), vs. Notre Dame (Wed)
2. Syracuse: 5-1, 18-1 (LWR: 2)
Very impressive performance from the ‘Cuse this week winning at West Virginia and at Georgetown within three days of each other. Andy Rautins deserves more credit than he gets. He is much more than a sharpshooter from the outside. His defense has been outstanding and he can also handle the rock as serve as a facilitator.
Up Next: vs. Marquette (Sat), vs. Georgetown (Mon)
3. West Virginia: 4-2, 14-3 (LWR: 3)
An interesting stretch for the Mountaineers as they play back-to-back non-conference games in the thick of Big East play which is definitely rare. Don’t underestimate their road win at a very underrated Marshall team. I’m excited to see a potential Evan Turner/Devin Ebanks match-up Saturday.
Up Next: vs Ohio State (Sat), at DePaul (Tues)
4. Georgetown: 5-2, 14-3 (LWR: 5)
Pitt is one the toughest venues to play at in the country so the Hoyas win at the Zoo becomes even more impressive. Their lack of bench production is still a major concern as we get deeper into Big East play.
Up Next: vs. Rutgers (Sat), at Syracuse (Mon)
5. Pitt: 5-1, 15-3 (LWR: 4)
The Panthers had their eight-game winning streak snapped Tuesday night by Georgetown which is why despite having a better record, they are ranked below the Hoyas. Let’s see how they respond Sunday at Seton Hall.
Up Next: at Seton Hall (Sun), vs. St. John’s (Thur)
6. UConn: 3-3, 12-6 (LWR: 7)
The Huskies snapped a three-game skid by knocking off St. John’s Wednesday night and now have a huge home game against Texas. The Huskies have lost to Duke, Kentucky, and Michigan in non-conference play and badly need a win against the ‘Horns to boost their tourney resume.
Up Next: vs. Texas (Sat), at Providence (Wed)
7. Notre Dame: 3-3, 14-5 (LWR: 6)
I get excessively happy when Notre Dame loses. That is how much I hate Luke Harangody. Seriously though, somebody needs to get Tim Abromaitis some Proactiv. I mean it worked for Jessica Simpson and Diddy…
Up Next: vs. DePaul (Sat), at Villanova (Wed)
8. Cincinnati: 4-3, 13-6 (LWR: 9)
The ‘Cats gutted out a last-second win against Notre Dame and then beat South Florida without Lance Stephenson who was sidelined with an ankle injury. Stephenson has been struggling as of late, scoring just 35 points in his last four games while piling up 20 turnovers. His play is critical to Cincy’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament.
Up Next: at Louisville (Sun)
9. Louisville: 3-3, 12-7 (LWR: 8)
Rough week for the Cards losing two close road games. Louisville is now 0-3 since Rick Pitino donned the white suit.
Up Next: vs. Cincinnati (Sun)
10. Seton Hall: 2-4, 11-6 (LWR: 11)
Jeremy Hazell actually scored 25 points without having to chuck up 31 shots and Pirates picked up a win against Louisville. Funny how that works. Seton Hall has another tough stretch coming up before a pretty soft end to the season.
Up Next: vs. Pitt (Sun), at South Florida (Thur)
11. Marquette: 2-4, 11-7 (LWR: 10)
I am so disgusted by their loss to DePaul that I considered putting them 16th in the Power Rankings. Click here to read more on Marquette’s pathetic showing against the Blue Demons Wednesday night.
Up Next: at Syracuse (Sat), vs. Rutgers (Tues)
12. Providence: 3-3, 11-7 (LWR: 12)
They looked like the Friar team I expected to see at the beginning of the season when they were blown out by 30 at Marquette on Sunday.
Up Next: vs. South Florida (Sat), vs. UConn (Wed)
13. St. John’s: 2-4, 12-6 (LWR: 13)
Anthony Mason Jr. is back but has yet to make a real impact for the Red Storm. I know injuries have played a huge part in his career the past couple years, but what a disappointment for a guy who once had league potential.
Up Next: vs. Villanova (Sat), at Pitt (Thurs)
14. South Florida: 1-5, 11-7 (LWR: 14)
The Bulls won their first conference game against lowly Rutgers this week. By the way, freshman Jordan Dumars (son of Joe) who transferred from USF earlier this season, has enrolled at Michigan.
Up Next: at Providence (Sat), vs. Seton Hall (Thurs)
15. DePaul: 1-5, 8-10 (LWR: 16)
The skid is over! The Blue Demons snapped their 24-game regular season Big East losing streak against Marquette in a game where DePaul trailed for 39 minutes, 59.3 seconds. They are still a terrible team though.
Up Next: at Notre Dame (Sat), vs. West Virginia (Tues)
16. Rutgers: 0-6, 9-9 (LWR: 16)
Ladies and gentlemen, the 2008-2009 DePaul of the Big East.
Up Next: at Georgetown (Sat), at Marquette (Tues)