The Way I See It: The Big East's Power Rankings (Jan. 25)

1. Syracuse (19-1)

The Orange continues to be atop the Big East Mountain. They’ll have their hands full with Georgetown this week, but then slide into a soft spot on the schedule for a few games before going to Cincinnati. Wesley Johnson continues to impress, as he leads Syracuse through another successful season.

2. Villanova (18-1)

Villanova still remains undefeated in conference play and only has the lone loss to Temple on the season. They still have Georgetown, West Virginia, and Syracuse on the schedule before the season ends, so their up-tempo play needs to continue.

3. Georgetown (15-3)

The Hoyas brought Pittsburgh back to Earth this week and are now 6-2 in conference play. They take on Syracuse this week for what looks to be a heavy weight title fight amongst Big East elites.

4. West Virginia (15-3)

The Mountaineers continue to build an impressive resume for the selection committee, as they beat Ohio State 71-65 this week. They have three very respectable losses on the season and still have several tough games left on the schedule for a few more quality wins.

5. Pittsburgh (15-4)

The Panthers watched the wheels fall off this week with losses to Georgetown and Seton Hall. They get St. Johns and USF for their next two games, and should get back on track quickly before going to Morgantown for the start of February.

6.  Connecticut (13-6)

How do you handle hosting the No. 1 team in the country? Beat them by 12 after trailing 42-34 at halftime. This win gave the Huskies the confidence in themselves that they’ve been lacking this season. I expect a different look to an already dangerous team from here on out.

7. Notre Dame (15-5)

The Irish continue to navigate the trials and tribulations of a Big East schedule. They lose game to elite opponents, but win the games they should. Luke Harangody is arguably one the best post players in the country, and his 24 points and 10 rebounds a game solidify that.

8. Louisville (13-7)

The Cardinals broke the three game losing streak they’ve been mired in with a win over Cincinnati. They get another chance to prove they’re tournament worthy went they travel to Morgantown this week. A win there will give them momentum to take on a red-hot Husky team.

9. Seton Hall (12-6)

The Pirates picked up two big wins over Louisville and Pittsburgh this week.  They now begin a three game road test that includes both Villanova and Pittsburgh once again.

10. Cincinnati (13-7)

The Bearcats continue their up and down season with a loss to Louisville 68-60. The loss ended both the momentum and the two game winning streak Cincinnati had built up. It’s going to take a serious winning streak and impressive Big East Tournament play for the Bearcats to get into the NCAA Tournament.

11. St. John's (12-7)

The Red Storm lost both their games this week, but they shouldn’t have won either of them. The two game losing streak will most likely extent to three games as Pittsburgh come up next on the schedule. After that however, there will be several winnable games remaining on the schedule before the season ends.

12. South Florida (12-7)

The Bulls have got to be happy with their progress this season. They have two conference wins and a 12-7 record all without their best player in Augustus Gilchrist. Dominique Jones will be glad to have another offensive threat when Big Gus comes back the first week of February.

13. Marquette (11-8)

The Golden Eagles disappointed me with the loss to DePaul, it’s the first really bad loss on their record. They continued the encore with a five-point loss to the Orange on the road. This is a team that competes, fights and battles the entire game, but in the end will come up short time and time again.

14. Providence (11-8)

The Friars launched threes against USF all night long but in the end it wasn’t enough as they fell 109-105 in overtime at home. They currently have a two game losing streak going, and neither are good losses for this team. They get a Connecticut team that’s caught fire for their next game, not good timing.

15. DePaul (8-11)

The Blue Demons stole a win from Marquette given them their first conference win on the season. They enter new territory as they find themselves with both a conference win and out of the Power Ranking basement.

16. Rutgers (9-10)

The Scarlet Knights stretched their losing streak to eight games with no end in sight. I’m fairly impressed they dethroned DePaul as the worst team in the conference that took some work.