Big East Breakdown: Syracuse leads conference, Pitt falls to last

The Pitt women’s basketball team will travel to No. 21 DePaul on Saturday in pursuit of its… Every year, experts claim that Big East men’s basketball will have a down year, and seemingly every year, the conference proves all of the naysayers wrong.

Despite a lot of pessimism about the conference’s teams at the beginning of this season, it’s now January, and at least five teams from the Big East are ranked in the top 25 of both major national polls.

While one particular team stands above the rest, most of the other 15 teams in the league have ensured that the Big East will remain in the debate for the best college basketball conference in the country.

So with the grueling battle of attrition that is Big East conference play under way, here are my first rankings of the season for all 16 teams:

1. Syracuse — Not only are the Orange (18-0, 5-0 Big East) the clear favorites to win the conference, but they are currently the No. 1 team in the country after receiving 30 of the 31 first place votes in this week’s ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Led by seniors Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine as well as imposing sophomore center Fab Melo, Syracuse is easily the most experienced and talented team in the Big East.

2. Seton Hall — After Syracuse, the surprising Big East leader is upstart Seton Hall (15-2, 4-1 Big East). Second-year head coach Kevin Willard’s team has won four consecutive conference games and was ranked in the top 25 of the Associated Press Poll for the first time in 11 years this week. Senior forward Herb Pope — who is from nearby Aliquippa High School — is the man carrying the Pirates. If he keeps up his current pace of 17.5 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, he might just win the Big East Player of the Year award.

3. Georgetown — After an impressive 13-1 start, the Hoyas (13-3, 3-2 Big East) find themselves on the back of two straight losses and facing three road trips in their next four games. For now, head coach John Thompson III’s team — led by senior guard Jason Clark and sharp-shooting junior forward Hollis Thompson — sits third in my standings based on what it has already accomplished. But if the Hoyas don’t right the ship quickly, Georgetown could find itself slipping quickly down the conference and national rankings.

4. Connecticut — As the defending Big East tournament and national champions, the Huskies (13-3, 3-2 Big East) couldn’t have asked for a better 2011. Although last year’s hero Kemba Walker is now gone, Connecticut has another bona fide superstar in sophomore Jeremy Lamb, who is third in the conference with 18.6 points per game. After recent road losses at Rutgers and Seton Hall, the Huskies must successfully deal with upcoming trips to Notre Dame, Georgetown, Louisville and Syracuse if they are to remain one of the conference’s elite.

5. Marquette — The Golden Eagles (13-4, 2-2 Big East) have lost four of their last seven games after an 8-0 start, but head coach Buzz Williams’ team’s effort in its loss at Syracuse keeps Marquette relatively high in my first rankings. Down as many as 23, the Golden Eagles cut the deficit to two points later on but couldn’t come out with the victory, as the No. 1 team in the country held them off. With senior guard Darius Johnson-Odom and his 18 points per game leading the team, Marquette could once again be a surprise threat come tournament time.

6. West Virginia — The Mountaineers (12-5, 3-2 Big East) — a team flying under the radar right now — might be set for a strong second half of the season. Bob Huggins’ team boasts the Big East’s leading scorer and rebounder in senior forward Kevin Jones, who is at 19.9 points and 11.5 boards per game. With a strong supporting cast and a schedule that includes only one remaining road game against a ranked team, West Virginia looks ready to make a big surge up the standings.

7. Notre Dame — Despite struggling in nonconference play, the Irish (11-6, 3-1 Big East) seem to be far more comfortable against familiar Big East opposition. Losing leading scorer Tim Abromaitis to a season-ending injury might hurt Notre Dame more down the road, but confidence-building wins against Pitt, Louisville and South Florida and a relatively favorable schedule should be enough to keep the Irish in the top half of the standings throughout the season.

8. Cincinnati — When starting center Yancy Gates was suspended for throwing punches in a loss to Xavier, not many would’ve predicted that the Bearcats (13-4, 3-1 Big East) would win their next seven games. But that’s exactly what Mick Cronin’s team did. The sixth-year head coach has had to employ some unconventional tactics in the absence of Gates, including playing five guards at once for stretches. Now that its center is back, Cincinnati could be a team to watch out for.

9. Rutgers

10. Louisville

11. St. John’s

12. Providence

13. South Florida

14. Villanova

15. DePaul

16. Pittsburgh — It might be surprising for some to see the defending Big East regular-season champions last in this year’s standings. However, anyone who has watched the Panthers’ (11-6, 0-4 Big East) recent performances knows the ranking is justified. The Panthers are on a five-game losing streak and are coming off their worst performance of the season in a blowout loss to Rutgers at home. Still, things might get worse before they get better for Pitt. Four of the Panthers’ next five games are against ranked opponents, and as long as starting point guard Travon Woodall is sidelined with his abdomen and groin injuries, Pitt’s offensive struggles will likely continue.

What to watch for next week — Just how good is Syracuse? With no ranked matchups in Big East play over the next week, I’ll be curious to see just how good the undefeated Orange are. Two homes games against Providence and Pitt — who have a combined one win in conference play so far — might not be the most daunting of tasks for the No. 1 team in the country. However, with two more dominating victories, talk of an unprecedented perfect season in Big East play will begin to emerge.