Louisville looking strong as Big East battles continue

It’s been well documented that there are no games off in the Big East. Looking at recent… It’s been well documented that there are no games off in the Big East. Looking at recent conference games, a steady trend of lower-ranked Big East opponents stretching their higher-ranked opponents to their limits is developing. Watch out, look who is making a charge. No. 20 Louisville is starting to rattle off some decent victories and building momentum toward a huge showdown with No. 1 Pitt on Saturday. And finally, another huge matchup tips off in our nation’s capital tonight with the 13th-ranked Georgetown Hoyas hosting No. 8 Syracuse in an early separation game. These and other stories will be the topic in the roundup of the week that was in Big East basketball. Unranked teams such as Rutgers, Cincinnati, Providence, Seton Hall and St. John’s gave many upper-echelon Big East teams a run for their money for at least one half. Rutgers only trailed Syracuse by one at the half before the Orange caught fire and dropped the Scarlet Knights 82-66. Same story, same result for Cincinnati. It trailed Connecticut by four at the half, only to lose 81-72. Seton Hall and Providence led Notre Dame and Georgetown, respectably, at the half. Seton Hall led the Irish by one only to lose by nine, and Providence led Georgetown by three and lost by seven. St. John’s pushed the No. 1-ranked Pitt in the first half but fell victim to the Panthers 90-67. These games displayed that bench play is a huge determinant of Big East success. When a team like Pitt or Connecticut can dig deep into its bench for minutes to rest its starters, that’s when it can come out in the second half and put teams away. Putting teams away is exactly what Louisville has been doing lately. The Cardinals have rattled off wins against South Florida and Villanova on the road, and they won an overtime game against Notre Dame in just one week. The Cardinals are getting there but are not in the picture of the Big East elite just yet. The question is if the team has enough in the tank for its home game against Pitt this Saturday. A win of that caliber would almost certainly guarantee the team at least a top 15 ranking. There could be an argument that Syracuse plays in three matchups of the week in the Big East this week. Tonight, the Orange travel to Georgetown. On Saturday, Syracuse hosts Notre Dame, and on Monday Syracuse travels to Pitt. But there’s more. On Jan. 25, the Orange host Louisville. Georgetown has a tough stretch of its own with games against Syracuse, at Duke and against West Virginia. The key to the matchup is if the Orange’s 2-3 zone can frustrate Hoyas’ forward Greg Monroe early. If the Orange collapse and neutralize Monroe, the Hoyas are forced to rely on the 3-pointer. This happened against Pitt, and eventually their lack of a post game caught up to them. On to the awards: Big East Hammer on the Hardwood Louisville forward Terrence Williams is starting to heat up. During Louisville’s last three wins, he has scored four, 10 and 24 points. He’s also grabbed 35 rebounds in those three games. The senior led Louisville by slashing and creating off the dribble against Notre Dame. Big East Cupcake Villanova’s Antonio Pena had a chance to tie or take the lead with four seconds to go against Louisville last Saturday. But the sophomore forward missed two free throws. Then the Wildcats missed three consecutive layup attempts to lose by one to the Cardinals. Big East Matchups to Watch As previously mentioned, stay tuned to Syracuse and Georgetown tonight. Also, look out for the Orange’s next game against Notre Dame on Saturday and Georgetown’s showdown with Duke the same day. On Monday, Syracuse travels to Pitt for a huge showdown with the Panthers at the Petersen Events Center. Upset Alert of the Week Louisville could give Pitt plenty of problems by playing a tough press and forcing turnovers from Panthers coach Jamie Dixon’s bench players. Dixon might not be able to sub out his starters as much as he wants to in the game, forcing them to play longer minutes.