Big East Breakdown: Syracuse stays at top of conference

There certainly were signs of improvement from the Pitt men’s basketball team in its two close… There certainly were signs of improvement from the Pitt men’s basketball team in its two close losses this past weekend against No. 22 Marquette and the now unanimously ranked No. 1 Syracuse.

Senior guard Ashton Gibbs scored a career-high 29 points against the Golden Eagles Saturday, and if head coach Jamie Dixon’s team would have shot better from the free throw line Monday at Syracuse, the Panthers might have beaten the nation’s top team.

However, Pitt (11-8, 0-6 Big East) is still the only Big East team without a conference win this season, and because of this the Panthers remain in last place of my weekly Big East men’s basketball power rankings.

As conference play in the Big East nears its halfway point, here are my rankings of the other 15 teams that currently sit above the Panthers, with special attention paid to the top eight.

1. Syracuse — If the Orange (20-0, 7-0 Big East) continue playing like they did last week against Providence and Pitt, it will be hard to imagine them finishing anywhere except first in the Big East this season. So far, coach Jim Boeheim’s team hasn’t displayed any weaknesses, and Syracuse boasts the most experienced and most talented squad in the conference. With no other powerhouse teams on its tail, dreams of a perfect season in upstate New York are slowly becoming a legitimate possibility.

2. Cincinnati — While many of the conference’s middle-of-the-pack teams beat each other up, the Bearcats (15-4, 5-1 Big East) have emerged as the Big East’s second-best team. Since getting blown out at Xavier in early December, Cincinnati has won 10 of its past 11 games, including impressive road wins at Pitt, Georgetown and most recently Connecticut. As long as coach Mick Cronin’s team stays on fire from beyond the arc, the Bearcats will continue to pose problems for Big East opposition.

3. West Virginia — Seniors Kevin Jones and Darryl Bryant are not only among the Big East’s leading scorers, but they also have the Mountaineers (14-5, 4-2 Big East) off to a strong start in conference play and near the top of the standings. West Virginia’s schedule has been friendly so far, but upcoming match-ups with Cincinnati and Syracuse will reveal if the Mountaineers have enough depth beyond Jones and Bryant to continue their decent start.

4. Georgetown — The Hoyas (15-3, 5-2 Big East) play the most fundamental and balanced basketball in the Big East conference. All five starters average more than eight points per contest and the rebounds and assists are just as equally spread out. Coach John Thompson III’s team might not have any superstars, but any team expecting to beat Georgetown must play a complete, team-oriented game to do so.

5. Marquette — Following narrow road defeats to Syracuse and Georgetown, the Golden Eagles (15-4, 4-2 Big East) bounced back with a three-game winning streak. The senior duo of Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder — who each average more than 16 points per game — lead one of the best backcourts in the conference, and the victories against St. John’s, Pitt and Louisville might just propel Marquette into a longer winning streak as its next six games likely will be against unranked opponents.

6. Connecticut — This season’s Connecticut Huskies (14-4, 4-3 Big East) share similar traits to the one that surprised everybody by winning the Big East Tournament and a National Championship in 2011. Like last year, the Huskies are coasting along in the middle of the pack in Big East play. While sophomore stud Jeremy Lamb isn’t Kemba Walker, he has an even better supporting cast than Walker had. Don’t sleep on Connecticut when tournament time rolls around.

7. South Florida — In a year where some of the conference’s traditional powers — mainly Pitt and Louisville — find themselves at the bottom of the standings, the Bulls (11-8, 4-2 Big East) are one of the perennial bottom feeders finding success in 2012. No South Florida player averages more than 11 points per game, but a stingy defense and respectable 10-1 home record have the Bulls off to a surprisingly successful start to conference play.

8. Seton Hall — Of course after I gave the Pirates (15-4, 4-3 Big East) credit last week by ranking them at No. 2 in my standings, they lost both of their games this week against South Florida and Villanova. Barring a complete collapse, senior forward Herb Pope and the rest of his Seton Hall teammates can take pride in the fact that they have transformed the attitude of the program and it is definitely headed in the right direction.

As for the remaining teams in the Big East, there is still hope for each of them to climb into the top half of the standings. Rutgers (9) is a team trending up after winning three of its last four games after a slow start in conference play. Despite entering the season with high expectations, Notre Dame (10) and Louisville (11) both nullified early Big East wins with recent bad losses. Meanwhile, Villanova (12) and St. John’s (13) are struggling to perform during what is a rebuilding year for both programs. Providence (14) and DePaul (15) are the only teams with a solitary victory, but their fans can take solace knowing that both teams have shown signs of improvement and that — for the time being — at least they aren’t as bad as Pitt (16).