Syracuse tops Big East rankings

With just a few weeks left in Big East men’s basketball regular season play, it’s crunch… With just a few weeks left in Big East men’s basketball regular season play, it’s crunch time for the conference’s 16 teams.

After Pitt’s loss to West Virginia Thursday night,  the Panthers’ hopes of earning at at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament all but disappeared. In order to make the Tournament, the Panthers will likely have to win the Big East Tournament in March.

The Big East’s top five teams have all but punched their tickets to the NCAA Tournament, while another group of six teams still has work to do in these next few weeks to make the Big Dance.

To get you ready for another crucial week of Big East basketball, here are my weekly power rankings of all 16 teams:

1. Syracuse — It isn’t always pretty, but the Orange (26-1, 13-1 Big East) just keep winning. Following a tough overtime victory against Georgetown, Syracuse crushed Connecticut last Saturday, but needed a one-point win to survive a scare at Louisville last Monday. When you consider that the Orange’s lone loss came on the road at Notre Dame without their starting center Fab Melo, the possibility that Syracuse could have still been undefeated in the Big East had Melo played that game is downright scary.

2. Notre Dame — Maybe it’s the fact that they weren’t ranked in the top 25 of both national polls until this week, but something has been motivating the Fighting Irish (18-8, 10-3) since they started their season at 5-4 and lost leading scorer Tim Abromaitis for the season because of an injury. Not many teams play better in the Big East than in nonconference, but Notre Dame has done exactly that. The Irish handily beat DePaul and Rutgers this week to stretch their winning streak to seven games.

3. Marquette — Because of previous losses to both Syracuse and Notre Dame, the Golden Eagles’ (21-5, 10-3 Big East) hopes of a Big East regular season title may be finished, barring collapses from the Orange and Irish. But if star senior guard Darius Johnson-Odom continues to lead the explosive Marquette offense through a very manageable five-game stretch to close out the regular season, the Golden Eagles will earn high seeds in both the Big East and NCAA Tournaments.

4. Georgetown — Head coach John Thompson III may not be leading the Hoyas (19-5, 9-4 Big East) to the Final Four anytime soon like his father did, but he has the program playing consistent and fundamentally sound basketball this season. Georgetown continues to win the games it should and, with minimal weaknesses, the Hoyas won’t be an easy out for anyone come tournament time.

5. Louisville — The Cardinals (20-6, 8-5 Big East) had their six-game winning streak snapped by Syracuse this week, but that doesn’t mean head coach Rick Pitino’s team is going to go away anytime soon. Louisville is finally healthy, and the loss to the Orange shouldn’t deter the Cardinals from proving to everyone that their top-10 preseason ranking in the national polls was justified. Saturday’s trip to lowly DePaul should help Louisville start another winning streak.

6. South Florida — Nobody in the Big East plays defense like the Bulls (16-10, 9-4 Big East). South Florida hasn’t conceded more than 51 points in any game during its current three-game winning streak. However, until the Bulls record a quality road victory in the Big East, it will be impossible to tell if they will be genuine contenders for a run in either the Big East or NCAA Tournaments. Either way, this season has been a huge step in the right direction for the program.

7. Cincinnati — The Bearcats (18-8, 8-5 Big East) are quietly having a solid season in the top half of the Big East this year. Head coach Mick Cronin’s team definitely has the resume of an NCAA Tournament team, and Cincinnati has responded well from its three-game losing streak with victories in three out of its last four games. With quality players like Sean Kilpatrick and Yancy Gates in the lineup, the Bearcats are capable of pulling off a surprise or two in the month of March.

8. Seton Hall — After a six-game losing streak seemingly ended the Pirates’ (18-8, 7-7) chances for an NCAA Tournament bid, Seton Hall has scrapped its way back into contention. Tough wins against Rutgers and Pitt were followed by a dominating performance versus St. John’s this week and the Pirates now find themselves squarely on the bubble. Games against Cincinnati and Georgetown next week will likely determine Seton Hall’s fate.

It shows how crazy of a Big East season this has been when rivals West Virginia (9) and Pitt (10) are both in the bottom half of the standings — something nobody could’ve predicted. Connecticut (11) finally ended its losing streak on Wednesday night, but wins have been tough to come by for the rest of the Big East. Villanova (12) will likely finish with a rare losing season, while both Rutgers (13) and St. John’s (14) are in the middle of four-game losing streaks. This wasn’t a breakthrough season for Providence (15) and DePaul (16), but the future looks bright for both programs.