Big East Re-Ranked Following Non-Conference Play

Following a record-setting 2010-11 campaign that saw 11 of its members punch tickets to the Big Dance, the Big East is set to start this season's slate of conference match-ups. The current 18-game gauntlet that ensures every team plays all other conference rivals kicks off on Tuesday.

Heading into the season, the Preseason poll produced the following predictions:

1. Connecticut
2. Syracuse
3. Louisville
4. Pittsburgh
5. Cincinnati
6. Marquette
7. West Virginia
8. Villanova
9. Notre Dame
10. Georgetown
11. Rutgers
12. St. John's
13. Seton Hall
14. South Florida
15. Providence
16. DePaul

Syracuse and Connecticut were tied atop the preseason rankings. But, now that each team has roughly a dozen games under their belts, we are beginning to see how the league is truly stacking up.

Here are the true rankings from bottom to top heading into conference action, with movement in relation to the above poll in parenthasis.

16. Rutgers (-5)

Someone must bring up the rear, and with a pedestrian 7-5 record and no quality wins, that team is Rutgers.

Despite a preseason rank of 11, the Scarlet Knights have played uninspired basketball for head coach Mike Rice. With losses to the likes of Richmond, Princeton and Illinois State, it is shaping up to be a long regular season at the RAC.

If Rutgers has a chance to salvage their season, it will need serious production out of its new freshman backcourt of Myles Mack, Jerome Seagears and Eli Carter.

15. Villanova (-7)

Villanova is not accustomed to appearing this far down the list, but their play has made it hard to justify a more typical rank.  

Coming off a 10th place finish in 2011, Nova was ranked 8th in the preseason poll.

After a disappointing season that saw the Wildcats drop first-round games in both the Big East and NCAA tournaments, Villanova has continued this lowly trend into this year's non-conference play.

Nova is sitting at a 7-5 overall record, which includes a loss to Santa Clara. They also squeaked out an overtime win against Lasalle to avoid an 0-4 record against the Atlantic 10.

Without Cory Fisher, Corey Stokes and Isaiah Armwood, Jay Wright has a long road of rebuilding back to the Big East elite.

14. South Florida (unchanged)

A team that is, on the other hand, a regular in the Big East basement is South Florida.

With a 7-6 record through the holiday break, South Florida is headed to yet another losing season in 2012. A solid victory against Cleveland State is the only reason Stan Heath's squad is not dead last on this list.

Other than freshman point guard Anthony Collins, the Bulls' main rotation is almost all juniors and seniors. So if there is any hope in Tampa, it's that an experienced set of players can be the difference against some of the more freshman-heavy competition.

13. St. John's (-1)

Speaking of freshman-heavy teams, St. John's is finding out how difficult it is to rebuild with youth.

The Red Storm returned only one scholarship player this year. And despite a truckload of incoming talent, they are having a hard time producing wins against tough competition.

At 7-5, Steve Lavin's rookies were predicted to finish 12th in the league after securing the 5th seed in the conference tournament a year ago. The Johnnies played well in losses to Texas A&M and Arizona, but also dropped games to Northeastern and Detroit.

To make matters worse, talented JuCo transfer Nurideen Lindsey announced that he would be transferring again at the end of this semester.

Expect the Storm to struggle for the remainder of the season, but keep an eye on freshmen Moe Harkless and D'Angelo Harrison. Both are already averaging 14 points per contest.

12. Notre Dame (-3)

Mike Brey can sympathize with Steve Lavin.

Notre Dame is rebuilding after a fantastic 2011 campaign.

The Irish are off to an 8-5 start but have zero signature wins, as they were handed double-digit losses to the three ranked teams they have faced. Predicted to finish 9th in the conference, their stock appears to be falling versus that benchmark.

With senior standout Tim Abromaitis out for the season, sharpshooter Scott Martin is now the only starter from last year's 27-win group. They will need him to make large contributions in his senior season if the Irish are going to make a return trip to the NCAA tournament in March.

11. DePaul (+5)

For a team who finished dead last in 2011 and was predicted to stay put, DePaul has nowhere to go but up.  

At No. 11 on this list, they are at least making progress.

At 9-3 through the first dozen games, the Blue Demons are playing better than expected. While they have yet to pull any major upsets, their three losses were by a combined 12 points—so they have been competitive in every game.

Oliver Purnell's group is scoring a healthy 78 points per game, led by talented sophomores Cleveland Melvin and Brandon Young. Along side seniors Jeremiah Kelly at the point and Krys Faber in the middle, DePaul will not be the usual easy "W" on everyone's schedule.   

10. Cincinnati (-5)

For a team picked to finish 5th in the conference, Mick Cronin has done an awful lot of yelling.

Cincinnati rose above its uneventful non-conference schedule, making national headlines with a bench-clearing brawl against local rival Xavier that resulted in suspensions for 4 players.

Senior forward and leading rebounder Yancey Gates punctuated the event with a right cross that bloodied the face of Musketeer Kenny Frease, earning Gates a minimum suspension of 6 games.

When they were actually playing basketball, the Bearcats worked their way to a 9-3 mark but against the 324th toughest schedule in the nation. Their best win came at Georgia, but Cincy offset that highlight with home losses to Presbyterian and Marshall.

The Bearcats have the personnel to compete in the upper half of the Big East, but they have not demonstrated that ability yet this year.

9. Providence (+6)

First-year head coach Ed Cooley is experiencing life after Marshon Brooks. As it turns out, life is not so bad.

Yet.

Despite a second-to-last preseason ranking, Providence is off to an 11-2 start after losing Brooks to the NBA. The Friars have basically taken care of business, stumbling only against Northern Iowa and Iowa State.

Point guard Vincent Council has done his best to fill the void left by Brooks. The 6-foot-2 junior is averaging a shade under 17 points and 7 assists per game, and will need to carry this production into the Big East schedule.

8. Pittsburgh (-4)

Jamie Dixon said his Panthers had taken a "step back" in a stunning home loss to Wagner.  

The exact number is actually 4 steps back.

The defending regular season champs were ranked 4th in the league at the start of the season, but have delivered a very mediocre performance to date.

At 11-2, Pitt's best wins on its early resume are tight victories against Oklahoma State and Tennessee, a pair of big conference teams whose programs have seen better days. Their losses, both at home, were to a decent Long Beach State team and the aforementioned Wagner Seahawks.

The Panthers will live and die by the performance of their backcourt, led by Big East Preseason Player of the Year Ashton Gibbs. The senior is averaging 17 points per game but had a poor shooting night in the Wagner loss.  

Pitt should get injured point guard and second leading scorer Travon Woodall back within the week, just in time for league play.

7. West Virginia (unchanged)

Many faces have changed in Morgantown, but the scrappy brand of basketball is still the same.

The 2012 Mountaineers head into conference action with a 9-3 record and just three players who saw meaningful action the prior year. Senior forward Kevin Jones has posted All-American numbers thus far, averaging 21 points and 11.9 rebounds per game.  

Point guard Darryl "Truck" Bryant and junior forward Deniz Kilicli—the other recognizable faces from last year's team—are both also scoring in the double digits each night.

Bob Huggins has a total of eight freshman on the roster, and a few of them will need to make meaningful contributions if West Virginia is going to hold their own against the top of the Big East.

6. Seton Hall (+7)

If there is a "sleeper" in the Big East this year, it is the Seton Hall Pirates.

The Hall is off to an 11-1 start, with impressive but off-the-radar victories against Dayton, VCU and St. Joe's. A neutral-court loss to a tough Northwestern team is the only blemish on coach Kevin Willard's record.

Herb Pope has continued to be the monster in the middle, averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds per game for a Pirate team who lost their leading scorer from a year ago in Jeremy Hazell.

Seton Hall finished just 13-18 a year ago, but appear to be on track for a better showing and perhaps a run at the NCAA tournament in 2012.

5. Georgetown (+5)

Another team fighting above its weight class are the Georgetown Hoyas.

The preseason poll picked the Hoyas to finish 10th in the league, not a surprise for a team that lost the likes of Austin Freeman, Chris Wright and Julian Vaughn from a year ago. Despite this attrition, Georgetown is off to an 11-1 start with two wins against Memphis and a thrilling win at Alabama.

Only a 4-point loss to Kansas stands between the Hoyas and a perfect record.

While senior guard Jason Clark leads the team in scoring, the biggest surprise has been the play of forward Hollis Thompson and center Henry Sims. Both were role players off the bench on the 2010-11 squad, and they have moved to the forefront to contribute 14.9 and 12.5 points per game respectively.  

Like West Virginia, the new-look and defensive-minded Hoyas will be a dangerous team during conference play.

4. Connecticut (-3)

Don't let the No. 4 rank fool you; Connecticut is still one of the top teams in the country.

The defending national champions were tied for first with Syracuse in the preseason polls and are 10-1 in the early going. With a confusing loss to Central Florida on their resume however, they are off the medal stand for the time being.

"Time being" are the operative words.

Jim Calhoun's bunch is rife with young talent as always, and, once again, they have the size and athleticism to compete with any team in the nation.

Sophomore forward and highlight reel Jeremy Lamb leads the Huskies at 18.9 points per game.  Three other teammates are scoring in double figuressophomore Shabazz Napier and freshmen Ryan Boatwright and Andre Drummond.

If the young guns can avoid the off-game at the wrong time, they have a good chance to make a return trip to the Final Four. 

3. Marquette (+3)

After a better-than-expected run to the Sweet 16, Marquette is looking to go much deeper in the NCAA tournament this year.

Posting just the 11th best record in the Big East a year ago, the Golden Eagles were ranked 6th in the preseason. They raced out to a 10-0 start before suffering a loss at LSU last week, leaving them with a mark of 11-1 heading into their final non-conference game against Vanderbilt.  

Their most impressive victory came at the unfriendly Kohl Center against in-state rival Wisconsin.

Buzz Williams' only two seniors are pacing the team. Guard Darius Johnson-Odom and forward Jae Crowder are both delivering 17 points per game, and collectively the Golden Eagles are 15th in the nation in scoring at over 80 points per game.  

We will quickly learn how good this team really is, however, as the Eagles take on Georgetown, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Louisville within their first 6 games of the Big East schedule.

2. Louisville (+1)

Despite several injuries and a few games that were closer than they should have been, Louisville is still one of the six remaining unbeatens in college basketball.

The Cardinals will be 12-0 when they face Georgetown on Wednesday for their Big East opener. They then head to Rupp Arena for their annual showdown with Kentucky.

Rick Pitino's crew has done it with defense and rebounding—they are currently 9th in the country on the boards. On the offensive side, 6-foot-4 senior Kyle Kuric leads a balanced scoring attack with 13 points per game.

Louisville is poised to avenge last season's early exit from the NCAA tournament, if they can stay relatively healthy.

1. Syracuse (unchanged)

No surprise at the top.

The No. 1 team in the nation also leads this list.

Despite the off-the-court drama surrounding former assistant coach Bernie Fine, Syracuse rolled through their early schedule, which included a Preseason NIT championship. The Orange beat Florida in the Dome and won at NC State in their only trip out of New York.

Jim Boeheim has perhaps his deepest team ever assembled, with ten players regularly seeing action. While senior forward Kris Joseph leads the team in scoring, the Orange lead the nation in points off the bench and transition scoring.

While it is unlikely that Syracuse will run the table in the regular season, many signs point to a successful year for the Orange. Perhaps the strongest sign is the actual site of the 2012 Final Four—the last time it was in New Orleans, Carmelo Anthony and the 2003 Orange cut down the nets.