Big East Power Rankings 2/15

Chris Tripodi and I return for another week of Big East power rankings.

With the Big East Tournament just weeks away, it is time for teams to start making their final push toward the Big Dance. Which teams are shooting their way up the rankings and which are fading away?

Here is how Chris and I see the teams stacking up at this point in the season.

1. Syracuse 26-1 (13-1)

(Ross and Chris' Rank: 1) 

After squeaking out a road victory against Louisville on Monday night, there really doesn't seem to be another serious threat to the Orange's spot at the top of these rankings, even a road test against Connecticut at the end of the month.

Syracuse has the top spot all but locked up here and continues to prove it's a serious Final Four contender. It still hasn't lost with Fab Melo in the lineup. (Tripodi)

2. Notre Dame 17-8 (9-3)

(Ross and Chris' Rank: 2)

 The Irish just continue to shine, extending their winning streak to six games after clipping West Virginia and handling DePaul this week.

Notre Dame has only one game remaining against a team that currently has a winning record in conference play and that comes on Feb. 27 against Georgetown. By now, they probably have not only done enough to get in the NCAA Tournament, but also get a fairly high seed. (Bentley)

T-3. Marquette 21-5 (10-3)

(Chris' Rank: 3) 

You can make an argument for any of Notre Dame, Marquette and Georgetown to be anywhere from two to four in these rankings, and you wouldn't hear much disagreement from me.

I have Marquette above Georgetown for the sole reason that I feel they are a more legitimate Elite Eight contender thanks to the senior leadership of Darius Johnson-Odom and a lack of bad conference losses: Their only three have come on the road against Syracuse, Notre Dame and Georgetown.

(Ross' Rank: 4) 

The Golden Eagles dropped 95 points on an a desperate Cincinnati team last week, which is extremely impressive.

It may also surprise to see that Marquette ranks seventh in the nation in assists per game, a testament to its willingness to share the ball. Marquette doesn't have one superstar but it has four or five players who can beat you on any given night. If Buzz Williams can keep them focused defensively, the Golden Eagles can beat just about anybody.

T-3. Georgetown 19-5 (9-4)

(Chris' Rank: 4) 

It may seem like a steep punishment for me to drop the Hoyas from second to fourth after a close loss on the road against one of the nation's top teams, but unlike Marquette, Georgetown has a few conference losses on its resume (Cincinnati at home, at Pittsburgh) that make you question this team's true identity, especially after letting St. John's hang around on Saturday.

The Hoyas have the talent to make the Elite Eight, but could just as easily lose in the second round and it's time to start evaluating teams based on their potential to go deep into March.

(Ross' Rank: 3) I see no reason really to drop the Hoyas out of the top three after they came so close to upsetting Syracuse on the road last Wednesday and then rebounded with a win over St. John's.

The Hoyas remain a Top 10 team in the polls and will be jockeying for position with Notre Dame and Marquette the rest of the season to see who will finish in second to Syracuse in league play. The Hoyas will close out the regular season against those two teams, so that will likely determine how high Georgetown is seeded in the Big East tournament.

5. Louisville 18-5 (10-6)

(Ross and Chris' Rank: 5) 

The Cardinals couldn't hang on at home against Syracuse in a game they were leading late and have just one game this week on the road against DePaul. Considering they took care of West Virginia away from home just this past week, Louisville should find themselves in the same spot next week. (Tripodi)

6. Cincinnati 17-8 (7-5)

(Ross and Chris' Rank: 6) 

The good news for Cincinnati is that the Big East will get more than six teams in the NCAA Tournament, so, according to these rankings, it should be in. After all, the Bearcats sport a 7-5 conference record, which is better than Seton Hall, UConn and West Virginia can claim.

However, when you look at the numbers, all three of those teams may be higher up on the ladder in terms of grabbing an at-large bid than Cincinnati, who really hurt itself in nonconference play.  Its next three games are all at home against Providence, Seton Hall and Louisville. Losing any of them could be potentially bubble-bursting. (Bentley)

7. South Florida 15-10 (8-4)

(Ross and Chris' Rank: 7) 

It's tough to decide between the Bulls and South Florida when debating the surprise team this season in the Big East. Nobody expected South Florida to be four games over .500 at any point this season in conference play, so I may have to give the Bulls the nod over the Irish despite their lack of quality wins in conference, particularly on the road.

They should have a few more chances to pick up the marquee win.  They're going to need to make the tournament over the next few weeks. (Tripodi)

8. West Virginia 16-10 (6-7)

(Ross and Chris' Rank: 8) 

The free-fall in Morgantown continues as the Mountaineers lost two more games this week to make it five out of their last six.

Neither loss was bad (Notre Dame and Louisville), but West Virginia still needs wins more than anyone right now. If they can manage a win at Pitt, they will have a chance to really impress and move up these rankings by winning at Notre Dame. (Bentley)

9. Seton Hall 17-8 (6-7)

(Ross and Chris' Rank: 9) 

After dropping six straight to fall to 4-7 in league play, the Pirates have shown signs of life with two straight wins over Rutgers and Pitt to at least keep things interesting.

They will get two more winnable games this week against St. John's and at Cincinnati; if they can win both they will be back over .500 in the league, back on the right side of the bubble and back into the top half of these rankings. (Bentley)

10. Connecticut 15-9 (5-7)

(Ross and Chris' Rank: 10) 

Losing at Louisville and Syracuse is certainly excusable, but more was expected out of a group that won the national title last season.

Jim Calhoun's health issues certainly haven't helped this young team, and UConn will likely need to beat the teams like DePaul and Villanova left on its schedule to have any chance at a repeat. (Tripodi)

11. Pittsburgh 15-11 (4-9)

(Ross and Chris' Rank: 11) 

Unlike Connecticut's losses, Pittsburgh's road defeats this week came against South Florida and Seton Hall; winnable games that the Panthers needed to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

Now it seems only a Big East tournament title could keep Jamie Dixon's team in the discussion after a lost season that can be partially blamed on Travon Woodall's health issues. (Tripodi)

12. Rutgers 12-13 (4-8)

(Ross and Chris' Rank: 12) 

This season for Rutgers ended up turning out like most people thought it would with such a young group. The Scarlet Knights are hovering around .500 and have twice as many losses as wins in the league. Still, they have picked up some nice wins they can hang their hat on and absolutely have the capability of winning a game or two in the Big East tournament.

The bad news is that their league record is likely about to get much worse as their next three games will come against Syracuse, Notre Dame and Marquette. (Bentley)

13. St. John's 10-15 (4-9)

(Ross and Chris' Rank: 13) 

The Red Storm gave Georgetown a run for its money on their road last weekend, but that came off the heels of a bad home loss to an average Cincinnati team.

Like Rutgers, St. John's is extremely inconsistent thanks to a lineup that featured five freshmen starting against the Hoyas. Steve Lavin's squad oozes potential, but it won't be recognized until at least next season. (Tripodi)

14. Villanova 11-13 (4-8)

(Ross and Chris' Rank: 14) 

The Wildcats survived at home against Providence by two to keep 'Nova from likely dropping into the bottom two of the Big East rankings.

Villanova can play the role of spoiler from here on out and it can start by ruining South Florida's tournament chances by knocking it off on the road Wednesday night. (Bentley)

15. Providence 13-13 (2-11)

(Ross and Chris' Rank: 15) 

After another two-loss week with winnable games at Villanova and against South Florida at home, the Friars only real chance to pick up a third conference win will come at DePaul on Feb. 25.

Considering they are winless on the road this season, I'm predicting this team to take over the bottom spot in these rankings in two weeks after losing that game. (Tripodi)

16. DePaul 11-13 (2-10)

(Ross and Chris' Rank: 16) 

Despite being a half-game up on Providence in the standings, the Blue Demons remain at the bottom of our Big East rankings.  

DePaul actually played pretty well on the road against Notre Dame last week but weren't able to come up with a victory. Now they will turn their sights to struggling UConn on the road on Wednesday. (Bentley)