The Way I See It: Big East Power Rankings (Feb. 28)

1. Syracuse (27-2)  

The Orange made sure everyone knows who the best team in the Big East is when they drilled Villanova 95-77 this past weekend. They have a No. 1 seed in the Big East tournament locked up and look to lock up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament very soon.

2. Villanova (23-5)

The Wildcats have done little to separate themselves from West Virginia and Pittsburgh. The fact they have a few more wins over their counterparts gets them the No. 2 spot on the list, but the blowout loss to Syracuse doesn’t look too good.

3. West Virginia (22-6)

The Mountaineers disappointed me this week against the Huskies. I figured this would have been a signature win for the club, but instead they were dominated for the majority of the game. They beat Cincinnati in their second game of the week, which might be their last regular season win. The last two games are against Georgetown and at Villanova.

4. Pittsburgh (22-7)

The Panthers lost to a Notre Dame team without their best player, breaking their five game win streak. Pittsburgh's final two games are against cupcakes, Providence and Rutgers. That being the case, Big East tournament preparations have already begun.

5. Marquette (19-9)

The Golden Eagles have karma working for them now after losing several close games earlier in the season. They’ve survived three straight overtime games, coming out with victories over Cincinnati, St. John’s, and Seton Hall during that stretch.

6. Louisville (19-10)

The Cardinals beat a surging Connecticut team in a battle of bubble teams this past weekend. Edgar Sosa’s layup with two second left sealed the win on the road. The schedule doesn’t get any easier this week though, Louisville will travel to Marquette and then play host to Syracuse. Picking up a couple of wins this week will go a long way in the Cardinals NCAA tournament seeding.

7. Notre Dame (19-10)

The Irish are playing better without Luke Harangody right now. They picked up two impressive wins over Georgetown and Pittsburgh this week, with the absence of their best player. They still are a bubble team, but with games against Marquette, and Connecticut this week there’s plenty of opportunities to impress the selection committee. Has anyone noticed how much Harangody, and his back up Jack Cooley look alike?

8. Georgetown (19-8)

The Hoyas are 1-3 in their last four games. The last week of the regular season won't be any easier as Georgetown travels to Morgantown, and then finishes up at home against Cincinnati. The Hoyas don’t need a signature win to get into the tournament, but a win against the Mountaineers would help their injured pride.

9. Connecticut (17-12)

The Huskies are one of the hottest teams in the country right now. Louisville beat them on a last second layup, but this was after Connecticut recorded three straight wins over West Virginia, Rutgers, and Villanova. They now begin a road trip to Notre Dame and South Florida for their final games of the regular season. Both should be wins, but will be anything but easy.

10. South Florida (17-11)

The Bulls wish they could play Providence every game. In the first meeting of the year, the Bulls scored 100 points for their first and only time this season. The second meeting gave them another win and a 99-point performance. Augustus Gilchrist finally got back into pre-injury form, scoring 21 points and six rebounds in limited action. The Bulls travel to DePaul before finishing up with Connecticut in Tampa.

11. Cincinnati (16-12)

The Bearcats are trying to keep their heads above water going into the home stretch of their Big East schedule. They have back-to-back games against Villanova, and at Georgetown to close out the regular season. Both games presumably will be losses for a team trying to get into the NIT.

12. Seton Hall (16-11)

The Pirates were barley a bubble team; Marquette ended any notion of NCAA play when they beat Seton Hall 84-83 in overtime. The final two games against Providence and Rutgers should be easy wins, and with any success in the Big East Tournament this team should get a decent NIT seeding.

13. Rutgers (15-14)

The Scarlet Knights got their last win of the season last weekend with a 71-62 win over DePaul. Seton Hall and Pittsburgh will have too much to play for to be upset by an inconsistent Rutgers club. I wouldn’t expect this team to do much in the Big East tournament as well, considering their seeding.

14. St. Johns (15-13)

The Red Storm have to travel to Syracuse this week, in what will be another blow out loss on the season. The road trip doesn’t end there however; the final game of the regular season is against DePaul. I’d expect both teams to be playing hard in this game considering neither will have a chance of winning a game in the Big East Tournament.

15. Providence (12-16)

The Friars extended their losing streak to eight games this week with losses to Syracuse and South Florida. I wouldn’t be surprised if that streak extends to 11 considering both Pittsburgh and Seton Hall will most likely be losses and their Big East Tournament game should also be a loss. This team can put up the points, but it couldn’t stop a senior citizen’s pick up squad on defense.

16.  DePaul (8-20)

The Blue Demons continue to trump Providence’s losing streak with their 10 game and counting losing streak. This team has packed it in for the season, and hasn’t been competitive in any game for almost two weeks.