Big East Breakdown: Syracuse leads, Pitt jumps in rankings

This season’s Pitt men’s basketball team reminds me of the infamous words from Will… This season’s Pitt men’s basketball team reminds me of the infamous words from Will Ferrell’s character, Frank the Tank, in the movie “Old School”: We’re going streaking.

But when the Panthers go streaking, it comes in the form of wins and losses.

A nine-game winning streak helped head coach Jamie Dixon’s team get to an 11-1 start this season, but a shocking home loss to Wagner over the holidays started an eight-game losing streak that left many people claiming that the season couldn’t be salvaged.

But with starting junior point guard Travon Woodall finally healthy, the Panthers ended their losing skid against Providence and followed that win with upset victories over No. 9 Georgetown and at West Virginia.

The three-game winning streak has Pitt back to 3-7 in Big East play and bumps it up six spots to ninth in this week’s Big East Breakdown.

So with the Panthers quickly gaining ground on the rest of the Big East, here are my weekly rankings of all 16 teams in the crowded basketball conference:

1. Syracuse — With star sophomore center Fab Melo out with academic issues, the Orange (22-1, 9-1 Big East) barely escaped with a controversial two-point win against West Virginia last Saturday. A missed goaltending call allowed Syracuse to pick up that victory. Luckily for the Orange, Melo is set to return this week for a trip across New York to face St. John’s and a home matchup with Georgetown.

2. Marquette — The Golden Eagles (19-4, 8-2 Big East) are on an impressive winning streak of their own as victories over Villanova and Seton Hall this week stretched Marquette’s streak to seven consecutive games. Head coach Buzz Williams’ team suffered its only Big East losses early in the campaign at Georgetown and Syracuse. If the Golden Eagles can survive a road test at Notre Dame this Saturday, their winning streak could soon reach double-digits.

3. Georgetown — As possibly the conference’s most fundamentally sound and consistent team, the Hoyas (17-4, 7-3 Big East) continue to surprise. Georgetown followed a loss at Pitt with an impressive defensive performance at home against Connecticut on Wednesday. The Hoyas held the Huskies to just 44 points. That win — along with another home game versus South Florida on Saturday — will be the perfect preparation for the Hoyas’ road challenge against Syracuse next week.

4. Notre Dame — The Fighting Irish (14-8, 6-3 Big East) are also hitting their stride, which is surprising considering that Notre Dame has spent the better part of this season without injured leading scorer Tim Abromaitis. Following their upset of then-No. 1 Syracuse, the Irish carried the momentum to two road victories at Seton Hall and Connecticut. This Saturday’s matchup between Marquette and Notre Dame pits the Big East’s two hottest teams against each other.

5. Louisville — The Cardinals (17-5, 5-4 Big East) are finally healthy and have started living up to preseason expectations that had them in the top 10 of every national poll. After beginning conference play 2-4, Louisville has rallied to win three straight games and appears to be peaking at the perfect time. With a starting lineup consisting of five players who can explode offensively at any time, it was only a matter of time before the Cardinals got back on track.

6. Cincinnati — I don’t know what to make of the Bearcats (15-7, 5-4 Big East). As the only team in the Big East anywhere near as streaky as Pitt, it’s tough to judge what this group is capable of. Wins against Pitt, Notre Dame and Georgetown will certainly help Cincinnati’s resume come Selection Sunday, but the puzzling losses to St. John’s and Rutgers hurt their credentials. I’m extremely curious to watch how the Bearcats play down the stretch.

7. South Florida — On the other hand, the Bulls (13-9, 6-3 Big East) are the conference’s most predictable team. In its nine Big East games, South Florida — without fail — has won the games it should have won and lost the games it should have lost. The schedule has been kind to the Bulls so far, but it will become tougher in the coming weeks. If South Florida can finish around .500 in the Big East, this season should be considered a huge success for the Bulls.

8. West Virginia — The Mountaineers (15-8, 5-5 Big East) are in danger of a collapse. Some rough luck at Syracuse and lackluster performances against St. John’s and Pitt have put Coach Bob Huggins’ team on a three-game losing streak, and the upcoming schedule doesn’t bode well for WVU. Senior forward Kevin Jones might be the Big East’s best player, but if his teammates don’t start helping him out soon, the Mountaineers will continue to head in the wrong direction.

As for the rest of the Big East, Pitt (9) is a team trending upwards, while Connecticut (10) and Seton Hall (11) both need to immediately end their losing streaks before they get sucked too far down in the league standings. St. John’s (12) and Rutgers (13) continue to trudge along as bottom-tier teams, doing the best they can during rebuilding years. Finally, all isn’t lost for Villanova (14), DePaul (15) and Providence (16), but these teams need to start putting wins together quickly if they plan on playing postseason basketball.