As we head into the closing stretch of the regular season some of the Big East teams are starting to separate themselves from the rest of the pack in the middle of the conference standings (Connecticut and Marquette), while others are struggling at just the wrong time (Cincinnati and South Florida). Earlier in the week I posted my thoughts on what all of the Big East bubble teams have to do to earn a birth to the big dance. Going into the second to last weekend of conference play here are my updated power rankings:
- Syracuse (13-2, 26-2) (W @Prov 99-85)
- Villanova (12-3, 23-4) (L @Pitt 70-65, W USF 74-49)
- Pittsburgh (10-5, 21-7) (W Vill 70-65, L @ND 68-53)
- West Virginia (10-5, 21-6) (W SH 75-63, L @Conn 73-62)
- Georgetown (9-6, 19-7) (W @Lou 70-60)
- Louisville (9-6, 18-10) (W @DeP 68-59, L Gtwn 70-60)
- Marquette (9-6, 18-9) (W @Cin 79-76 OT, W @St.J 63-61 OT)
- Connecticut (7-8, 17-11) (W @Rut 76-58, W WVU 73-62)
- Notre Dame (7-8, 18-10) (W Pitt 68-53)
- Seton Hall (7-8, 16-10) (L @WVU 75-63, W Rut 76-70)
- Cincinnati (7-8, 16-11) (L Marq 79-76 OT, W DeP 74-69)
- South Florida (6-9, 16-11) (L St.J 74-58, L @Vill 74-49)
- St. John’s (5-10, 15-12) (W @USF 74-58, L Marq 63-61 OT)
- Providence (4-11, 12-15) (L Syr 99-85)
- Rutgers (4-11, 14-14) (L Conn 76-58, L @SH 76-70)
- DePaul (1-14, 8-19) (L Lou 68-59, L @Cin 74-69)
Weekend Preview
Main Event
Villanova @ Syracuse, Saturday, 9:00 PM
This is the game Syracuse and Villanova fans have been waiting for…the matchup between the two teams that have sat on top of the Big East all season. More than 34,000 will pile into the Carrier Dome to witness the battle. Both teams have had to scrap their way through some tough games lately. The Wildcats lost to Connecticut and Pittsburgh before beating USF most recently. The Orange had a tough home loss to Louisville, but have rallied with consecutive wins against Georgetown and Providence. A key to this game will be Syracuse’s defensive intensity. They are willing to give up the three in the zone, but they need to be aggressive out front. They need to make Villanova uncomfortable and to start their transition offense through forced turnovers. I think the Orange will be focused and motivated and will win this one. Although, a hot night from Big East Player of the Year candidate Scottie Reynolds could ruin the evening for the mass of Orange fans.
Best Matchup
Louisville @ Connecticut, Sunday, 2:00 PM
A classic matchup of legendary coaches, this game brings together two teams that are fighting for their NCAA tournament lives. After being written off upon Coach Jim Calhoun’s return and a bad loss to Cincinnati, Connecticut has won three in a row. Louisville had also been playing well until they failed this week to capitalize on a big opportunity by losing to Georgetown at home. Louisville won the first matchup of these two teams handily on February 1st, 82-69. That was before Calhoun’s return. The Cardinals shot well and forced the Huskies into 17 turnovers. I think Connecticut has rediscovered their swagger and will get an important win in this one.
Upset Alert
Providence @ South Florida, Saturday, 7:00 PM
The first matchup between the Friars and the Bulls was an overtime barn-burner that South Florida pulled out 109-105. That was the big coming out party for Dominique Jones in which he scored 46 points. While Providence has lost seven games in a row I keep expecting them to pull out an upset win. South Florida may give them a good chance to do it, having lost four of their last five games. Of course if Jones goes off for 40+ again they’ll have no chance.
Rest of the Slate (in chronological order)
Notre Dame @ Georgetown, Saturday, 12:00 PM
As good as Georgetown is, they’ve certainly been uneven. They’ve easily won at Pittsburgh and at Louisville, but also have losses to USF at home and at Rutgers. Notre Dame was expected to just play out the season after Luke Harangody’s injury, but they scored a dominant win over Pittsburgh this week. I expect the Hoyas to come out strong in this game and handle the Irish.
Pittsburgh @ St. John’s, Saturday, 12:00 PM
The Red Storm has proven they can be a dangerous team having scored upset road wins the past two weekends at Notre Dame and South Florida. They can count on Pittsburgh coming to play in this one though. The Panthers will be angry after losing, and really not being competitive, this week at Notre Dame. Pitt rode a late game rally to win the first matchup of these teams at the end of January, 63-53. Expect the Panthers to come out strong and win this one as well.
Cincinnati @ West Virginia, Saturday, 2:00 PM
Cincinnati is fighting for their season and really needs to win two of their last three games to even merit consideration for the NCAA tournament. That’s much easier said than done considering they play at West Virginia, then home against Villanova before finishing their season at Georgetown. Meanwhile West Virginia has looked like one of the best teams in the country at times. They have struggled lately though, winning only two of their last five games and coming off a loss at Connecticut. As much as they need this game, I don’t think the Bearcats can win it. Expect Bob Huggins to get his first win over his former team.
DePaul @ Rutgers, Saturday, 4:00 PM
What can you really say about this game? How about this…somebody’s got to win.
Marquette @ Seton Hall, Sunday, 12:00 PM
Seton Hall is holding on to a slight chance to play their way into the big dance while Marquette is looking to solidify their seeding. Both of these teams have played well lately. The Golden Eagles have won seven of their last eight games and the Pirates have won four of their past five. Marquette will have to contain dangerous scorer Jeremy Hazell while generating good scoring opportunities when they have the ball. I expect Marquette to find a way to win this game but I will not be surprised if Seton Hall is able to pull it out because they will feel that they need the victory more.
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