Big East Power Rankings: How Good is Cincinnati?

This is my January 19th breakdown of the Big East Conference Power Rankings from top to bottom. Some questions that are begging to be answered: Can Syracuse go undefeated?; How good is Cincinnati?; Does Seton Hall have a chance of making the tournament?; How can Pittsburgh be 0-6 in Big East play?

1. Syracuse Orange, 20-0 (7-0)

Best Wins: Stanford*, Florida, Marquette

Worst Losses: N/A

Analysis: There is no denying that Syracuse is the best team in the country right now. They are undefeated, but the question I have is how good are they. The wins against Florida and Marquette are quality ones, but the rest of their competition hasn't been that tough. They have played mostly lower-tier Big East teams in conference play so far. I don't think they will go undefeated. They have too many tough games left. However, that does not mean they aren't the best team in the country.

Next Game: Saturday @ Notre Dame

2. Cincinnati Bearcats, 15-4 (5-1)

Best Wins: Notre Dame, @Georgetown, @Connecticut

Worst Losses: Presbyterian, Marshall (OT), St. John's

Analysis: December 10, 2011 was one of the ugliest days in University of Cincinnati basketball history. The team lost to Queen City rival Xavier and fell to 5-3 on the season, but that wasn't the worst of it. At the end of the game, the Bearcat players got into a fight with the Musketeer players that led Cincinnati senior Yancy Gates stomp on the head of a Xavier player. Gates and three other Bearcats were suspended as a result. However, the fight seems to be the wakeup call the team needed. Since the fight, Cincinnati has gone 10-1, including three Top 25 upsets. Bearcat sophomore guard Sean Kilpatrick has led the way on the court.

Next Game: Saturday @ West Virginia

3. Georgetown Hoyas, 15-3 (5-2)

Best Wins: @Alabama, @Louisville, Marquette

Worst Losses: Kansas*, @West Virginia, Cincinnati

Analysis: Georgetown has put together an unexpectedly good season so far. The Hoyas are off to a great start at 15-3, including an eleven game winning streak. Senior guard Jason Clark has been leading the way. Clark scored a career-high 31 points in his last game against Depaul. For the Hoyas' success to continue, they are going to need Clark to keep playing well.

Next Game: Saturday vs. Rutgers

4. Marquette Golden Eagles, 15-4 (4-2)

Best Wins: @Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Louisville

Worst Losses: LSU, Vanderbilt, Georgetown

Analysis: Marquette's season started out amazingly as the Golden Eagles were 10-0, including a upset win at in-state rival Wisconsin. But then, things fell apart as the team lost three out of five. The team has righted the ship since winning three in a row, but it is difficult to know how good this team is. They were in position to upset Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, before they let it slip away late. If this team is going to make a deep run in the tournament that is the type of wins they are going to need to get. The heart of this Marquette team is their top two seniors, Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder.

Next Game: Saturday @ Providence

5. West Virginia Mountaineers, 14-5 (4-2)

Best Wins: Kansas State (2OT), Georgetown, @Marshall

Worst Losses: Kent State, @Mississippi State, @Seton Hall

Analysis: West Virginia has had their ups and down this season. While it has been mostly ups, it is difficult to know how good the Mountaineers really are. One thing that isn't difficult to figure out is how good Kevin Jones has been this season. He is averaging 20.4 ppg and 11.4 rpg on the season. In my opinion, he is making a great case to be Big East Player of the Year and even an All-American.

Next Game: Saturday vs. Cincinnati

6. Seton Hall Pirates, 15-4 (4-3)

Best Wins: @Dayton, West Virginia, Connecticut

Worst Losses: Northwestern, South Florida, Villanova

Analysis: Seton Hall might make the NCAA tournament. Who thought that before the season?Not many people I am sure. A pair of seniors, Herb Pope and Jordan Theodore, have stepped up big for second-year head coach Kevin Willard. The Pirates got off to a fantastic 15-2 start, but have now lost two in a row to South Florida and Villanova. Since neither of those teams are very talented, Seton Hall will look to bounce back in their next game after getting a week off.

Next Game: Wednesday vs. Notre Dame

7. Connecticut Huskies, 14-4 (4-3)

Best Wins: Florida State*, Harvard, West Virginia

Worst Losses: UCF, Seton Hall, Rutgers

Analysis: Connecticut is another tough team to get a read on. A big question for the Huskies is who they are going to have on the court. Freshman guard Ryan Boatright sat out games while being investigated by the NCAA, then he was cleared to play some games, and now he is sitting out again. Without Boatright, the team loses one of their scorers and, more importantly, depth at the guard positions. One player that might be the key to success for the Huskies is freshman Andre Drummond. If Drummond can develop into a dominant post player, this team will get much better. If he does not, I am not sold on this team making a deep tournament run right now.

Next Game: Saturday @ Tennessee

8. Louisville Cardinals, 14-5 (2-4)

Best Wins: Ohio, Vanderbilt (OT), Memphis

Worst Losses: Notre Dame (2OT), @Providence, @Marquette

Analysis: Everyone thought Louisville was really good when they were 12-0, but upon examining their schedule, one realizes that it was a mere illusion. Since their 12-0 start, the Cardinals have gone 2-5. Granted some of those games were against difficult opposition, but the problem is that those are the types of teams you are going to play come tournament time. Louisville might have a balanced attack that is distributed by Peyton Siva, but this team doesn't look ready to compete with the big boys.

Next Game: Saturday @ Pittsburgh

9. South Florida Bulls, 11-8 (4-2)

Best Wins: Rutgers, @Villanova, Seton Hall

Worst Losses: Old Dominion*, Penn State*, @Auburn

Analysis: South Florida has benefited from an easy Big East schedule so far to get to this point. The Bulls only have a 7-6 record against a mediocre non-conference schedule. The fact that they have done so well in Big East play so far, doesn't bode well for the conference. Interestingly enough, South Florida's remaining schedule isn't that difficult either. If the Bulls play well, they could be looking at a possible NIT bid.

Next Game: Sunday @ Depaul

10. Rutgers Scarlet Knights, 11-8 (3-3)

Best Wins: Florida (2OT), Connecticut, Notre Dame

Worst Losses: Illinois State*, Richmond*, Princeton

Analysis: Head coach Mike Rice is starting to turn around the Rutgers basketball program. It's a difficult job, but he is doing a great job of it. The upset wins over Florida and UConn are the types of wins he needs to get his players to believe in him and to help him recruit the best players he can. A pair of freshman guards, Eli Carter and Myles Mack, are the main ones helping lead the Scarlet Knight turnaround. If the team keeps playing well, they will definitely be deserving of NIT consideration.

Next Game: Saturday @ Georgetown

11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 11-8 (3-3)

12. Providence Friars, 12-7 (1-5)

13. Depaul Blue Demons, 10-8 (1-5)

14. Pittsburgh Panthers, 11-8 (0-6)

15. Villanova Wildcats, 9-10 (2-5)

16. St. John's Red Storm, 8-10 (2-5)

* Game played at neutral site

Upsets a Plenty on a Busy Saturday of College Basketball

I will breakdown the Top 25 teams that were in action on Saturday.

Convincing Wins

#1 Syracuse 78 Providence 55 - The Orange showcased their supremacy once again as they routed the Friars. They host Pittsburgh on Monday.

#4 Baylor 106 Oklahoma State 65 - The Bears offense keeps getting the job done in convincing fashion. They scored 15 three pointers and nearly doubled the Cowboys on the glass.

#15 Louisville 76 Depaul 59 - The Cardinals bounced back nicely from losing two straight. The travel to Marquette next Monday.

#16 Connecticut 67 Notre Dame 53 - UConn was without Ryan Boatright (being investigated by the NCAA). The most impressive thing about the Huskies win was the play of two of their big men, Andre Drummond and Alex Oriakhi.

#25 Harvard 69 George Washington 48 - The Crimson looked convincing in their final non-conference game. Now, they just have to focus on taking care of business in Ivy League play.

Got the Job Done

#9 Missouri 84 Texas 73 - The Tigers just keep winning. They didn't get frazzled by their first loss of the season to Kansas State. They host Texas A&M on Monday.

#10 Kansas 82 Iowa State 73 - The Jayhawks overcame a sluggish first half to beat the Cyclones. This setups a big Top 10 showdown on Monday when they host the undefeated Baylor Bears.

#14 Murray State 82 Tennessee Tech 74 - The Racers are now off to a school-record 19-0 start. They are 6-0 in OVC play, and their next conference opponent is Morehead State on Wednesday.

#19 Florida 79 South Carolina 65 - The Gators improved to 2-1 in SEC play with a road win over the Gamecocks. Their next game isn't until next Saturday when they host LSU.

#24 Marquette 62 Pittsburgh 57 - The Golden Eagles improved to 3-2 in Big East play, while the Panthers fell to 0-5. Who would have believed Pitt would be struggling this badly right now?

Survived a Scare

#2 Kentucky 65 Tennessee 62 - The Wildcats displayed some poise in a tough road win. The Volunteers showed once again this week that they are much better than their 8-9 record would indicate.

#20 Mississippi State 56 Alabama 52 - Both of these teams want to make the NCAA tournament, so this was a big win for the Bulldogs. The Crimson Tide were ranked in the preseason polls, but they need to find an answer to their struggles quickly if they are going to rebound from this loss.

#23 Gonzaga 62 Loyola Marymount 58 - Coming off a blowout loss at St. Mary's, the Zags barely survived a tough win over the Lions. They look to get back to form against San Francisco at home on Thursday.

Upset Victims

Florida State 90 #3 North Carolina 57 - This might be exactly what Florida State needed. The Tar Heels had no answer for the hot shooting Seminoles. The loss was the worst in the Roy Williams era.

Northwestern 81 #7 Michigan State 74 - The Wildcats showed they still have a shot in the Big Ten, as Michigan State's win streak of fifteen games was snapped. The Spartans look to get back on track on Tuesday when they travel to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan.

Iowa 75 #13 Michigan 59 - The Hawkeyes are a tough team to figure out. They have upset two Top 25 teams, but they have also got blown out by two of them.

Oklahoma 82 #18 Kansas State 73 - The Wildcats might be a bit overrated as they now fell to 1-3 in Big 12 play. They will look to recover on Wednesday when they host Texas.

Thriller

#22 San Diego State 69 #12 UNLV 87 - This might be a sign of what is to come in what is a tough Mountain West Conference this year. Aztec guard Jamaal Franklin made the game winning off-balance layup with 0.3 seconds left in the game.