Lieberman: Even with top teams falling early, Big East still winning at near-record pace

Big East play is upon us. No more gimme games, head-scratching matchups or the occasional… Big East play is upon us. No more gimme games, head-scratching matchups or the occasional blockbuster tipoff (Syracuse-North Carolina).

No, it’s down to business for Big East teams. These next couple of months will arguably be Big East teams’ most grueling of the year.

Here’s who’s up, who’s down and what stories to follow in the Big East conference this year:

The ’Gody

Notre Dame senior Luke Harangody will attempt to make history during the Irish’s Big East slate this season.

Depending on his play this year, the All-American forward can become the Big East’s all-time scoring and rebounding leader.

Before the Irish opened Big East play with a 93-78 victory over Providence last Wednesday, Harangody had amassed 1,036 points across three seasons during Big East play. That left him just 369 points behind the record set by Syracuse’s Lawrence Moten, who scored 1,405 points from 1991-95.

Harangody also has 540 total rebounds in three seasons, putting him within striking distance of another Syracuse record-holder, Derrick Coleman, who grabbed 701 rebounds.

Parity

Already through a few games in the Big East, major conference powers have fallen. Syracuse uncharacteristically took on a challenging nonconference schedule this year, yet prevailed.

The Orange beat then-No. 12 California and then-No. 4 North Carolina at Madison Square Garden and beat then-No. 11 Florida 85-73. Yet Syracuse fell 82-72 to a surprising, young Pitt squad.

In fact, Pitt’s 13-2 start has caught the attention of The Sporting News.

Meanwhile, 13th-ranked Connecticut dropped its first Big East matchup to Cincinnati 71-69. Experts picked Cincinnati to qualify for the NCAA Tournament this year, but the Bearcats also dropped to Pitt Monday.

With many past conference powers (Louisville, Pitt, Marquette) lurking in the middle and itching for supremacy, conference powers will struggle to come out of a Big East schedule unscathed.

Nonconference dominance

This could be a great year for the Big East, as far as the NCAA Tournament goes.

According to the Big East’s website, as of last Wednesday, Big East teams had combined for a 150-34 record against nonconference competition.

If the winning percentage of .815 holds throughout the season, it would be the league’s best nonconference record since 1984-85’s mark of 102-20 (.836). Three Big East teams, including Georgetown, St. John’s and national champion Villanova, reached the Final Four that year.

Rooting for an underdog?

I have two for you: Seton Hall and St. John’s.

Seton Hall roared out of the gate with its best start since the 1988-89 season when it went to the national championship game. The Pirates lost just one nonconference game to Temple, took West Virginia to overtime, eventually losing 90-84, and battled Syracuse to the end, losing by seven.

Meanwhile, the Red Storm are 10-4 on the year, the same record as Louisville, with wins over Temple and a close loss to Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Before back-to-back losses to Georgetown and Providence, St. John’s was receiving votes in the Top 25 rankings for the first time since 2006. St. John’s received this recognition despite the absence of one of its stars, Anthony Mason Jr., who has a hamstring injury.

I have a feeling we haven’t heard the last of these two teams.

Emerging stars

Every year, it seems a star emerges in the Big East, whether during the regular season or in the Big East tournament (see Gerry McNamara in 2006). This year, it already looks like a few young stars have made headlines early in the season.

Syracuse’s Wes Johnson is a true star and one of the best players in the nation. He averages 17.1 points per game and 8.8 rebounds per game, showing his true inside-outside game that’s difficult for opponents to stop.

Pitt sophomore Ashton Gibbs, reconized this week by ESPN.com’s Andy Katz, is another budding star. Gibbs has 10 straight games of double-digit points for Pitt. Most recently, he scored 24 points in a win at Syracuse and 19 in a win at Cincinnati.

Georgetown’s Greg Monroe is becoming a beast in the paint. For the year, Monroe is almost averaging a double-double, scoring 14.8 points per game and averaging 9.8 rebounds per game.