Big East Basketball: Grading Each Team Halfway Through Conference Play

With the NFL winding down, college basketball is getting ready to step up. The Big East Conference is wide open and any team can swoop in and take the crown.

The Big East is currently halfway done with conference play. The usuals are at the top of the conference, while there are some surprises as to who is succeeding and who is failing. 

Over the next 16 slides, I will grade each team's play so far and tell you what the team should be doing come the Big East Championship Tournament and March Madness. 

Cincinnati Bearcats

Cincinnati Bearcats (15-7, 5-4) 

Key Wins: Georgetown (68-64); UConn (70-67)

Key Losses: St. John's (57-55); Rutgers (61-54)

Cincinnati stole the headlines on December 8 in a game against Xavier. The brawl at the end of the game saw four Bearcat players suspended, three of them for six games. These suspensions did not affect conference play, which makes the losses hurt even more. Teams such as St. Johns and Rutgers are below the Bearcats in conference play; Cincinnati should have won these games.

Bright spots for the Bearcats are their two wins against ranked opponents Georgetown and UConn. The Bearcats' advantage is their size.

When they use it to exploit weaknesses in teams, they can win some basketball games. Sean Kilpatrick is the anchor on the Bearcats offense, averaging over 15 points per game and over four rebounds. 

The Bearcats look to finish in the middle of the Big East Conference, and will get a bid to March Madness with a few more quality wins. 

Grade: C

Connecticut Huskies

Connecticut Huskies (14-6, 4-4)

Key Wins: South Florida (60-57); Notre Dame (67-53)

Key Losses: Notre Dame (50-48); Rutgers (67-60)

After losing Kemba Walker last year, the defending champs are having a rough start to conference play. A .500 start is not what the team or its fans had in mind. 

The Huskies have had a relatively easy first half of conference play, but had some big wins by defeating Notre Dame at South Bend and USF at home. Sophomore Jeremy Lamb is doing his best to fill the void Walker left, averaging more than 17 points this season, and fellow sophomore Shabazz Napier is right behind him with 14 points.

However, the Huskies' defense has been lacking. The Huskies lost to Notre Dame at home, and lost to Rutgers earlier in the season. Rutgers is currently sitting lower than the Huskies in the conference standings. With half of their remaining games against ranked opponents, the defense needs to hold for the Huskies to have any chance of stealing a win.

The Huskies are another Big East team bound to end up in March Madness, and will do some damage in the Big East Championship Tournament. But if the Huskies can steal a couple wins from ranked opponents, they could grab a high seed in both.

Grade: C-

DePaul Blue Demons

DePaul Blue Demons (11-9, 2-6)

Key Wins: Pitt (84-81); Rutgers (69-64)

Key Losses: Villanova (87-71); Seton Hall (94-73)

The bottom of the conference has been a familiar home for the Blue Demons, as they have been 12th or lower in the conference in five of the last six seasons. It appears that they will continue the trend this season.

The Blue Demons' only wins have come against a hugely under-achieving Pitt team and Rutgers. These may be the only quality wins the Blue Demons will get all season. However, the offense of the Blue Demons has been fairly potent.

Sophomore Cleveland Melvin leads the team in points and rebounds with 17.8 and 6.3 per game, respectively. Sophomore Brandon Young is second in points and first in assists with 16.0 and 4.7 per game, respectively.

Defense has been lacking. DePaul lost big to Seton Hall and lowly Villanova, as well as ranked opponents Syracuse, Louisville and Georgetown. In order for the Blue Demons to win any quality games, the defensive side will have to get better.

DePaul made itself comfortable in the Big East basement and if it ever wants to move to the middle, now would be the time to do it. DePaul has only two more games against ranked opponents. DePaul will not make the NCAA tourney, but a late push may get them a decent seed in the NIT and Big East Championship Tournament.

Grade: D 

Georgetown Hoyas

Georgetown Hoyas (16-4, 6-3)

Key Wins: Louisville (71-68); Marquette (73-70)

Key Losses: West Virginia (74-62); Pitt (72-60)

Georgetown was dominant in non-conference play, and has been great in Big East. While three of their four losses have come in Big East play, this team is legit.

The Hoyas have not had a bigger win than their victory against Marquette. The Hoyas had a 17-point deficit, and thundered back in the second half to take the lead with 24 seconds left. The winning shot came off the hands of Hollis Thompson, Georgetown's second leading scorer with 14 points. Leading scorer Jason Clark (15.6) has carried the team all season.

Defense and rebounding were prevalent issues in the Pitt game as well as contributing to the 17-point deficit in the Marquette game. These weaknesses represent the collective Achilles' heel of the Hoyas. They need to address these flaws when Syracuse comes to Washington, as well as in the season finale in Milwaukee against Marquette.

Georgetown is a lock for the NCAA tournament and a high seed in the Big East Championship Tournament. Look for Georgetown to make a deep run in both tournaments.

Grade: B+

Louisville Cardinals

#25 Louisville Cardinals (17-5, 5-4)

Key Wins: St. John's (73-58); Seton Hall (60-51)

Key Losses: Providence (90-59); Marquette (74-63)

Louisville has had a roller coaster season already, and it seems like it will continue throughout the rest of the season. 

The Cardinals' offense has contributed to some of their key wins, but the key wins are anything competitive. All five of the Cardinals' wins have come from the bottom half of the conference. The biggest win has come from St. John's, as the Cardinals handily beat the Red Storm.

Their offensive production has come from numerous places, as four players are averaging more than 10 points per game. Rebounding is also a high point for the Cardinals, as they are ranked 22nd in the nation in rebounding (39.1 per game). 

However, three of the Cardinals' four losses have come from the top four teams in the conference. The fourth came from the last-place Providence Friars, and it was a big loss. The Marquette game is the next biggest loss, as the Cardinals had a 16-point lead in the first half before losing by 11. Letting games get out of hand is the largest part of the high and low season the Cardinals are having.

In order for the Cardinals to have a good second half, the defense needs to tighten up and keep games in control. The Cardinals have a relatively easy conference schedule, and needs to take advantage of that to do anything in the postseason tournaments. 

Grade: C+

Marquette Golden Eagles

#15 Marquette Golden Eagles (18-4, 7-2)

Key Wins: Louisville (74-63); Villanova (82-78)

Key Losses: Georgetown (73-70); Syracuse (73-66)

The Marquette Golden Eagles have been towards the top of the Big East for the past few seasons, and this is the season for the Golden Eagles put themselves in the upper echelon of college basketball.

Marquette may not have many wins over ranked opponents, but they do have some huge wins in conference play. In the Louisville game, the Golden Eagles stormed back from a 16-point deficit to take the game in double digits. But in the Villanova game, the Golden Eagles rebounded from an 18-point deficit in the first half and a 10-point deficit at halftime. The Golden Eagles won by four in the end. 

They are currently the hottest team in the Big East. The Golden Eagles' offense rides on the shoulders of seniors Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder, who lead the team in scoring with 18.5 and 16.4, respectively. Freshman Todd Mayo has been the best bench player with 9.3 points per game.

However, the Golden Eagles have also had their share of blown leads. The Golden Eagles blew a 17-point lead against the Hoyas, losing it in the second half. Their other loss came from then-No. 1 Syracuse, and the potential upset adverted. Marquette could have a couple more losses because of their inability to start games effectively. 

Marquette needs to start playing games with the same amount of intensity they end games with. The Golden Eagles have the ability to finish the Big East in first place, and it will depend on their first half of play. Expect the team to make deep runs in the tournaments. They are a dark horse to win the Big East and maybe even the Final Four.

Grade: A-

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-8, 6-3)

Key Wins: Syracuse (67-58); Louisville (67-65 2OT)

Key Losses: Cincinnati (71-55); Rutgers (65-58)

The Fighting Irish are at the top of the Big East despite the fact that five teams below them have a better overall record. But, it's the conference play that matters most.

Notre Dame may have sealed the biggest win the in the Big East Conference beating then-No .1 Syracuse. The Irish took advantage of Syracuse's leading scorer Fab Melo sitting out, and followed Jack Cooley, their prolific scorer, to victory. The Irish are spreading the points around after losing Tim Abromaitis for the season due to a torn ACL. 

Notre Dame's defense has been relatively good, with only one team getting more than 70 points in conference play. But in every loss, they have lost by seven-plus points. The loss to Cincinnati hurt the most for the Irish. The team started off conference play with a big win followed by a big loss.

Notre Dame has been on the cusp of being ranked, and always suffer a loss that stops their momentum. The Irish need to have a couple quality wins in order to be respected in the Big East Championship and March Madness tournaments. This team will continue to be in the middle of the pack and will play as expected.

Grade: B 

Pittsburgh Panthers

Pittsburgh Panthers (14-9, 3-7)

Key Wins: Georgetown (72-60); West Virginia (72-66)

Key Losses: DePaul (84-81); Rutgers (62-39)

Pittsburgh has fallen from grace this season. The team started out with a No. 10 preseason ranking, but has failed to make the Big Dance.

Pittsburgh started out conference play with a seven-game losing streak. But the offense has picked up in the last three, propelled by a huge upset over then-No. 10 Georgetown. Second leading scorer Nasir Robinson led the Panthers attack. With leading scorer Ashton Gibbs contributing an average 16.5 points, the Panthers' offense seems to be righting the ship.

The Panthers' defense had their work cut out for them in conference play this year. The Panthers have lost to five of the top seven teams in the conference. Their other losses came to Rutgers and DePaul, both in the bottom half of the conference. The Panthers have allowed 70 plus points in four of the seven losses, while only scoring 70-plus points once, in the loss to DePaul.

The Panthers have a very tough schedule, and it will not let up for the second half. But, if the Panthers were the No. 10 team they said they were, they wouldn't be the second to last team in the Big East. The Panthers will have to claw their way into a NCAA birth, but it looks like the NIT is calling for Pitt.

Grade: F 

Providence Friars

Providence Friars (12-10, 1-8)

Key Win: Louisville (90-59)

Key Losses: Pitt (86-74); St. John's (91-67)

What can I say about the Friars? They are in dead last for a reason.

Their sole win in conference play comes against ranked Louisville, which is huge for the team. It showed that the Friars could play with some of the best in the conference if they want to. However, the Friars tend to let games get out of hand and then are unable to come back from their defect. Vincent Council has been the leader of the team, averaging 16.3 points per game.

As the stat sheet shows, defense has never been a strong suit for the Friars. They had a great game holding Georgetown to only 49 points, but they have allowed 80-plus points in five of their last eight losses.

The Friars have the ability to win maybe two more games this season, but they better get comfortable. The Friars will stay in the basement for the rest of the season and fizzle out.

Grade: F 

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (12-10, 4-5)

Key Wins: UConn (67-60); Notre Dame (65-58)

Key Losses: DePaul (69-64); West Virginia (85-64)

Rutgers has had a very interesting season so far. They've had some big wins in and out of conference, but also had some bad losses. The Scarlet Knights are a bubble team that has the ability to be like last year's St. John's if they work hard.

Rutger's biggest win in conference play has to be their game against Notre Dame, where they played their most well-rounded game of the season. Dane Miller and Eli Carter led the team in every major category, which should come as no surprise.

Carter contributes the points, while Miller leads the team in rebounds and assists. If the Knights create a balanced attack every game, they can come away with some upsets on their resume. 

The defensive side of the ball has been inconsistent. Some games they will show up, like in the Georgetown game, but in others they drop the ball. The one that hurts the most for Rutgers is the DePaul game. Those are the games they need to win in order to have any chance at making the NCAA bracket in March. 

Rutgers is currently on the outside looking in on March Madness. But, with a couple more upsets and good wins, Rutgers may be able to squeak in.

Grade: C-

St. John's Red Storm

St. John's Red Storm (9-12, 3-6)

Key Wins: Cincinnati (57-55); West Virginia (78-62)

Key Losses: South Florida (64-49); Villanova (79-76 OT)

The Red Storm is in an unfamiliar role this season after being the bracket busters they were last year. But the lack of success comes from a very difficult schedule.

Four out of the nine opponents the Red Storm faced in conference play have been ranked opponents. Three of them were in the top 15 on game day. While they haven't pulled the upsets like last year, the two biggest wins have been against teams in the top half of the conference. Freshmen Moe Harkless and D'Angelo Harrison have been carrying the team, averaging 16.6 and 15.8 points, respectively. 

The Red Storm are in a transition year. They will end the season quietly, but look for this team to be big in the coming years.

Grade: C

Seton Hall Pirates

Seton Hall Pirates (15-6, 4-5)

Key Wins: West Virginia (67-48); UConn (75-63)

Key Losses: South Florida (56-55); Villanova (84-76)

Seton Hall started conference play on a tear, winning four of their first five games. Their only loss came to No. 1 Syracuse. But offense has slowed and the Pirates have dropped four straight.

The Pirates were extremely hot in the first quarter of conference play, upsetting then-No. 8 UConn, and getting it done against bottom feeders DePaul and Providence.

The Pirates' offense is led by Jordan Theodore and Herb Pope. Theodore leads the team in average points (16.1) and assists (7.0), while Pope is second in points (15.9), and first in rebounds (10.4). The Pirates need to keep those points up to stop this skid and climb back into the elite of the Big East.

The Pirates' defense has been fairly good, holding its opponents to 60 points in three of its five losses. However, the offense has proved to be the poison. The Pirates rely on their offense to get their job done in order for the defense to play more aggressive.

The Pirates are on the bubble. If they can stop the skid quickly and end conference play the way they started it, the Pirates could make some noise in the Big East Championship Tournament and keep their spot in March Madness.

Grade: C+

South Florida Bulls

South Florida (13-9, 6-3)

Key Wins: Seton Hall (56-55); Rutgers (67-65)

Key Losses: Notre Dame (60-49); Marquette (67-47)

South Florida is a team that could be 7-2 or 3-6 right now. They have played some close games, and those are the kinds of games that make and break teams in the postseason.

The Bulls don't have big, quality wins in conference play so far. They have taken care of the bottom feeders easily, but haven't gotten any upset wins. No player has high scoring games, as the team's leading scorer, August Gilchrist, averages only 10.7 points. Toarlyn Fitzpatrick has been clutch behind the arc with a .463 three-point percentage. 

The Bulls' defense has been good, keeping all but Providence under 70 points. The Bulls have played two out of their five ranked conference opponents, and so far are 0-2. Their defense can handle the lower half of the division, but have to work harder to beat those at the top.

South Florida currently is in good position for the Big East Championship Tournament. However, strength of schedule is a problem for the Bulls. More quality wins are needed in order to make the Big Dance.

Grade: B- 

#2 Syracuse Orange

#2 Syracuse Orange (22-1, 9-1)

Key Wins: Marquette (73-66); West Virginia (63-61)

Key Loss: Notre Dame (67-58)

Syracuse has been dominant in both conference and non-conference play. The team has made some noise and will continue to do so for the rest of the season.

The Orange aren't number two in the nation for no reason. However, their schedule has had some help. So far, the Orange has only played one ranked conference opponent in Marquette.

Even with Fab Melo averaging 5.7 rebounds and Kris Joseph averaging 13.7 points, the Orange need to lock down opponents and win when playing ranked opponents.

Syracuse's defense has also been great. But, again, the Orange need to put teams away. Late game rallies, especially ones like in the West Virginia game, can come back to bite teams when trying to get postseason bids.

The Orange have gotten comfortable in the top of the conference, and teams are looking to knock them off. The Orange cannot take the foot of the gas pedal; otherwise their No. 1 seed for the Big East Championship Tournament and Final Four could be in jeopardy.

Grade: A 

Villanova Wildcats

Villanova Wildcats (10-12, 3-7)

Key Wins: Seton Hall (84-76); St. John's (79-76 OT)

Key Losses: West Virginia (83-69); Marquette (82-78)

Villanova started out the season as a bubble team for the Top 25. Now, they are sitting at rock bottom trying to salvage a season.

The Wildcats' offense has been getting better over the last few games. They clawed at an 11-point deficit against St. John's before ultimately pulling the upset in OT. That win, fueled by leading scorer Maalik Wayns, jump-started the Wildcat offense. Wayns averaged 18.4 points this season, and doesn't look to slow down in the second half.

The Wildcats' defense has been the opposite of the offense, unfortunately. The defense let an 18-point lead slip away against then-No. 18 Marquette. If the defense could have held, that win would have paid dividends for a postseason rebirth as well as getting the team on the right track for the second half.

It may be too little, too late for the Wildcats. Five of their last eight opponents are in the top half of the conference. Villanova may put up a fight, but it seems this team is not going to fair well in the postseason.

Grade: D- 

West Virginia Mountaineers

West Virginia Mountaineers (15-8, 5-5)

Key Wins: Georgetown (74-62); Cincinnati (77-74 OT)

Key Losses: St. John's (78-62); Pitt (72-66)

The Mountaineers are the definition of a .500 team. They are the last team in the top half of the Big East, and have some big wins and losses.

The pride of West Virginia had a big win against then-No. 9 Georgetown. It was Georgetown's first conference loss, and it showed that West Virginia could hang with the best of the Big East. Kevin Jones has been incredible for the Mountaineers, averaging 20.7 points and 11.5 rebounds. Jones is the key for the Mountaineer offense and will determine just how far the team will go.

Defense has been less dominant than Jones' play, but hasn't been terrible either. Two of West Virginia's losses have come from ranked opponents. However, the Mountaineers have lost three straight, most recently to a very underachieving Pitt team. If the Mountaineers want to do big things, they need to step up and shut down teams. 

The Mountaineers have a tough second half, playing two ranked teams and playing Notre Dame twice. If the Mountaineers want to be a dark horse for the Big East Championship and move up in the March Madness seeding, they have to steal a game and handily beat the bottom feeders.

Grade: B