Big East Breakdown: Syracuse, Louisville make early statements in conference play

Through just 10 days of Big East men’s basketball play, the final year of the conference as it stands looks as thought is will not disappoint. All 15 teams have a winning record and are playing the exact style of physical, brutal basketball the Big East gained recognition for en route to becoming arguably the best basketball conference in the nation.

But that will change next year, as Pitt fans know, when the Panthers and Syracuse head to the Atlantic Coast Conference, where Louisville will join the two schools in 2014. But for now, enjoy Big East basketball while it lasts — I guarantee you will never see anything like this again after this season.

With that being said, here are my first power rankings of the Big East’s men’s basketball teams:

1. No. 7 Syracuse (15-1, 3-0 Big East)

Yes, Louisville is ranked higher than Syracuse. But so far, the Orange have won two conference games by an average margin of 18 points after smacking the bejesus out of Rutgers with a 25-point victory and an 11-point win on the road at South Florida.

Michael Carter-Williams may be the most dynamic player in the conference this year, leading the nation in assists per game with 9.8 and also swiping the basketball from the opposition more than three times per night. The 6-foot-6 guard also scores 11.7 points per game and pulls in almost five rebounds per contest. Although he received no mention on any preseason awards list, one has to think Carter-Williams is making a case for Big East Player of the Year, leading the Big East’s current top team.

2. No. 3 Louisville (14-1, 2-0)

The preseason Big East favorite — a team near-unanimously chosen to win the conference, receiving 14 out of 15 votes — has lived up to expectations thus far, suffering only a five-point loss to No. 5 Duke in late November. The Cardinals have played just one conference game so far, and Coach Rick Pitino’s squad handled business as usual by taking out Providence with an 18-point home victory.

Louisville will face a test soon, though, with a home matchup against Syracuse looming on Jan. 19 — a game that will prove if Syracuse is the true challenger to the conference dominance Louisville is expected to have this season.

3. No. 17 Notre Dame (14-1, 2-0)

The only other team to receive a first-place vote in the preseason polls, the Irish have at least proven themselves worthy of the small honor with an impressive win on the road against the Cincinnati Bearcats. Senior forward Jack Cooley commands the paint against nearly every opponent, and puts up a double-double on a nightly basis with his tallies of 15.2 points and 11.2 rebounds per game.

4. Marquette (11-3, 2-0)

Although currently unranked, do not be surprised if the Golden Eagles vault into the polls next week.

Marquette started Big East play strong, defeating Connecticut in overtime and Georgetown by one point. Juniors Vander Blue and Davante Gardner have succeeded early in replacing the production of two of last year’s top conference players in Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom, with Blue and Gardner combining for more than 26 points per game.

5. No. 21 Cincinnati (13-3, 1-2)

Head coach Mick Cronin’s Bearcats will likely see a fall from the rankings next week with recent losses to Notre Dame and St. John’s after delivering a stifling road win against Pitt on New Year’s Eve, but Cincy still has plenty of time to rebound.

6. Rutgers (10-3, 2-1)

The Scarlet Knights may not have as much talent as other Big East teams, but Rutgers picked up a solid home victory against Pitt on Saturday, even if the Panthers delivered a lazy effort.

With its backcourt duo of Eli Carter and Myles Mack combining to put up more than 30 points per game, Rutgers will find itself with a chance to win most every game it plays.

7. Pittsburgh (13-3, 1-2)

The Panthers fell from the top-25 national rankings this week after consecutive losses to Cincinnati and Rutgers, but Coach Jamie Dixon took the team’s three-day stay in the nation’s capital as an opportunity to address Pitt’s weaknesses. Dixon’s efforts paid off, as Pitt delivered its best performance of the season in 40 minutes of domination over No. 19 Georgetown on Tuesday night.

8. No.19 Georgetown (10-3, 0-2)

Obviously, the Hoyas have not won a conference game yet. Georgetown faced a tough start on the road against Marquette and a hungry Pitt team at home. But the Hoyas will not stay down for long with the talent they possess in Otto Porter Jr., Markel Starks and Greg Whittington and head coach John Thompson III patrolling the sidelines.

9. Connecticut (11-3, 1-1)

The Huskies rebounded from their tough overtime loss on the road against Marquette with a dominant home victory over DePaul, scoring 99 points and winning by 21 points. UConn does not have anything to truly play for in terms of postseason achievements, but Coach Kevin Ollie has done well enough in keeping his team on track; he recently earned a five-year deal from the university after taking over on an interim basis after Jim Calhoun’s retirement.

10. St. John’s (9-5, 1-2)

Sophomore guard D’Angelo Harrison is starting the year by playing lights out for the Red Storm, who finally have head coach Steve Lavin back on the sidelines. Harrison leads the conference in scoring at 21.6 points per game, but he has received help in the form of freshman sensation JaKarr Sampson, who is scoring almost 14 points per game halfway through his rookie campaign.

11. Villanova (10-4, 1-0)

After only one game in conference play, the Wildcats earned a solid win over St. John’s in overtime by 12 points at home. Coach Jay Wright’s team should be better this season than the train wreck it was in 2011-2012, but not much better than a middle-of-the-pack team.

12. Seton Hall (12-3, 1-1)

The Pirates from New Jersey raided a one-point win against DePaul, one of the conference’s likely punching bags, and then proceeded to take one on the chin in the form of a 19-point loss delivered by Notre Dame. One bright spot for Seton Hall has been the play of Fuquan Edwin, the conference’s fourth-leading scorer with 17.9 points per game.

13. DePaul (10-6, 1-2)

Blue Demon fans haven’t had much to cheer for at the Allstate Arena lately, and that will likely continue throughout the season. DePaul did take advantage of a contest against Providence and does have talent in junior forward Cleveland Melvin (16.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game) and leading scorer junior guard Brandon Young, who averages 17.3 a game. But expect this team to stay in and around the conference cellar.

14. South Florida (9-4, 0-1)

USF is only this high — relatively — because the Bulls have played only one game — a loss to Syracuse by 11 points. As the year progresses, the win total for this team likely will not increase too much, and it could sink to the bottom of the conference.

15. Providence (8-6, 0-3)

The Friars currently may be the most disappointing team in the Big East. Providence has studs in juniors Bryce Cotton and Kadeem Batts, but it slogged through a nonconference schedule that shouldn’t have troubled the squad too much. The Friars currently ride a four-game losing skid with a game against Syracuse looming.