Big East Basketball Power Rankings—Version 01.07.09

The Big East is the deepest (and arguably the best) conference in college basketball. It only seems appropriate, therefore, to know where all of the teams in the best conference stand.

I am planning on having this be a weekly piece. If you would like to weigh in and make this a compilation of votes, send me an email expressing your interest. [e-mail].

Big East Power Rankings

1. Pittsburgh Panthers

2-0, 14-0
No. 1 AP, No. 1 Coaches

It seems hard to argue against the top ranked team in the country sitting in the top spot. The Panthers have only faced one Top 25 team so far this season, but in that game they outplayed the Georgetown Hoyas, defeating them by 16 points. Senior forward Sam Young is averaging almost 20 points per game, and sophomore forward DeJuan Blair is averaging a double-double.

2. Connecticut Huskies

2-1, 13-1
No. 5 AP, No. 5 Coaches

The Huskies sole loss on the season game against a top ten Georgetown team in the Big East opener. It has yet to be determined if the Hoyas exposed some of the weaknesses of the Huskies or if they just had an off-night, but it is beginning to look like the latter. Whether it was an off-night or not, the Huskies are now 4-1 against Top 25 teams and have four players averaging double-digit points, with their center Hasheem Thabeet is averaging a double-double.

3. Syracuse Orange

2-0, 14-1
No. 11 AP, No. 9 Coaches

While the Orange have not faced tough opponents in the Big East yet, they are still only a 60-foot desperation shot away from a perfect season. They have been an early-season Big East Cinderella story (that's what you call it when you're picked to finish eighth and sit atop the Big East, right?), and with Eric Devendorf back in the lineup they show no signs of slowing down. The Orange are lead by sophomore guard Jonny Flynn, who tops the list of five Syracuse players averaging double-digit points per game.

4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

2-1, 11-3
No. 13 AP, No. 13 Coaches

The Irish have been a solid team all season—more-so if you realize that they played without their star for two games because of pneumonia. They defeated DePaul in their conference opener, but then lost to St. John's when McAlarney was shut down. But then they came back and handed Georgetown their second straight loss. Their leading player, Luke Harangody, is averaging a double-double with 24.1 PPG and 12.4 RPG.

5. Marquette Golden Eagles

2-0, 13-2
No. 18 AP, No. 15 Coaches

After getting knocked out of the Top 25 early in the season, the Golden Eagles have climbed back in and have proved they deserve to be there. Their two conference wins have been over Villanova and Cincinnati, two very capable teams. Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews continue to impress everyone with their range and scoring ability. Depth on the bench, though, may prove to be an issue for the Eagles down the road—they currently have four players averaging double-digit points per game, and then it drops down to three points per game.

6. Georgetown Hoyas

1-2, 10-3
No. 9 AP, No. 10 Coaches

This is supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Hoyas, but after they stunned the college hoops world with their domination of UConn in the Big East opener, talks of that went out the window. These talks came flying back in after their two losses to Pittsburgh and Notre Dame. Sure these are two great Big East teams, but Georgetown was simply outplayed in these games and they made some crucial errors. They are still 2-3 versus Top 25 teams. The starting lineup for the Hoyas is very solid, but the lack of depth on the bench could very well catch up with them as the season progresses.

7. Villanova Wildcats

1-1, 13-2
No. 18 AP, No. 17 Coaches

While the Wildcats had a relatively easy non-conference schedule, they have proved that they have the ability to win close games—just look at their overtime win at Seton Hall when Scottie Reynolds stepped up and scored 40 points. Villanova is currently 0-2 against Top 25 teams, which is why they are seventh. If they can step up and compete in the Big East, though, they will most certainly improve their power ranking standing.

8. West Virginia Mountaineers

1-1, 11-3
No. 25 AP, No. 22 Coaches

The Mountaineers are the ninth Big East team to be ranked this season. They have had some very convincing wins, such as their dominations of Ohio State and Seton Hall, but also some disappointing losses. Their only Big East loss came in a very close game against Connecticut.

9. Louisville Cardinals

0-0, 9-3
No. 23 AP, No. 21 Coaches

Louisville has not played any Big East games yet, so it should not be overly surprising that they fall at the bottom of the ranked teams in the power rankings. They began the season ranked third, but a bunch of disappointing losses have left them teetering on the edge of the Top 25. They are lead by freshman forward Samardo Samuels, who was preseason co-Big East Rookie of the Year.

10. Providence Friars

2-0, 10-4
NR AP, NR Coaches

The Friars are perfect in conference play, but they suffered some embarrassing losses in non-conference play. Their two conference wins have come against St. John's and DePaul, and their upset of St. John's may have been what lit the spark under the Red Storm to come back and outplay the Irish. The Friars have three players averaging double-digit points, but have sever averaging more than 8.5. This is coach Davis's first season with the program, so it is not surprising that they are struggling right now.

11. Cincinnati Bearcats

0-1, 10-4
NR AP, NR Coaches

The Bearcats impressed many fans with their back-to-back wins over UAB and UNLV earlier in the season, but it seems that their lack of a true point guard is catching up with them (they are on a two game slide where they have faced Memphis and Marquette). They have a chance to right their ship as they play only one ranked team (UConn) in their next six games, but then they face eight ranked opponents in their following nine games. It's not exactly an easy schedule, but it is one that allows them to get their feet wet before facing what the Big East really has to offer.

12. St. John's Red Storm

1-1, 10-4
NR AP, NR Coaches

The Red Storm were embarrassed on the road in their Big East opener at Providence, so they came home and made sure that they would look strong for their home crowd (they upset Notre Dame). Fortunately that win snapped a three game losing streak, but their stock crashed on those losses. Their schedule does not get any easier, though, as their next two games are at Pittsburgh before they host Connecticut.

13. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

0-2, 9-6
NR AP, NR Coaches

The Scarlet Knights just finished their toughest three game stretch—traveling to North Carolina and Connecticut while hosting Pittsburgh in the middle. It comes as no surprise that they have started conference play in an 0-2 hole, but things are not looking good for them as their next two games are against Marquette and Syracuse. Freshman guard Mike Rosario is the only Scarlet Knight averaging double-digit points per game.

14. Seton Hall Pirates

0-3, 9-6
NR AP, NR Coaches

Seton Hall kicked the season off the right way with an upset of then-ranked USC. After that, though, they slipped up on a couple of games and have lost their first three games of conference play. The bad news for the Pirates is that they travel to Notre Dame and Connecticut for their next two games, so it is very plausible that they will start 0-5.

15. DePaul Blue Demons

0-2, 8-7
NR AP, NR Coaches

There was a lot of hope for the Blue Demons before the season started, but a four game losing streak during non-conference hurt them—especially when they only mustered up 36 points against Northwestern. They are two losses away from being the second Big East team with an overall losing record and only have three players averaging double-digit points.

16. South Florida Bulls

0-1, 5-8
NR AP, NR Coaches

The Bulls are the only Big East team with a losing record, so it should not surprise anyone that they land in the bottom spot of the power rankings. Their goal for the season should be to do better than last season, when they went 3-15 in conference play. Aside from that, there is not a lot of hope for their season.

As I said above, if you would like to make this a weekly vote please send me an email ([e-mail]) expressing your interest.