Rob Dauster of Ballin is a Habit is the RTC correspondent for the Big East Conference.
You all were waiting for it. And it finally happened.
You may not have noticed due to the beer and football induced stupor you were in on Sunday, but the Big East had a pretty rough weekend. Louisville, Providence, DePaul, Notre Dame, Villanova, Cincinnati and Marquette all lost as the Big East went 7-7 over the course of Saturday and Sunday. That’s seven losses in two days from a league that had 20 losses over the first month of the season. Throw in the losses that UConn and Pitt suffered in the Garden during the week, and nine different teams from the league lost this week. The question now becomes, is this simply the Big East coming back down to earth – hey, they had to lose at some point, didn’t they – or is it a sign that the league is not quite as powerful as some of us speculated in the last few weeks?
Last season, the consensus was that the Big East was one of the strongest in the history of college basketball, but most of that strength was at the top of the league. Less than half of the teams in the Big East made the NCAA Tournament, but of the seven that did, five reached the Sweet 16, four made the Elite 8, and two reached the Final Four. Can a league be one of the best even when 9 of the 16 teams don’t even qualify for the Big Dance? Part of the reason there was so much hype regarding the Big East was that they started off so strong. At one point early in the year, nine teams were ranked in the top 25. Two teams that spent time in the top 10, Notre Dame and Georgetown, ended up missing the dance completely.
So, as any reasonable blogger would do, I’ll compare. Last year on December 16th, the Big East was 116-28 as a league. This year? 119-29. That’s a one game difference in the loss column. Crazy, right? Now take into account the disastrous weekend the league just had, and it is pretty obvious that as of last Friday, the Big East was well beyond where they were at this same point last season, and last season the conference was considered one of the best ever.
There’s more. Seven teams that got out to great starts last season fell way off as the year went along:
- Seton Hall and St. John’s both started the season 8-1 before hitting a mid-year swoon and finishing 17-16 and 16-18, respectively. Both the Pirates and the Johnnies are much improved this season, and despite neither playing at full strength right now, St. John’s is 8-1 while Seton Hall is 8-0.
- Notre Dame (7-2) and Georgetown (7-1 on Dec. 16th, 10-1 to start the season) both shot up the polls early in the season, but for a variety of reasons collapsed during the rigors of Big East play, finishing 21-15 and 16-15, respectively. Georgetown is 8-0 this season and once again approaching the top 10, while Notre Dame is 9-2.
- Cincinnati started the year 7-2 and looked like a team that could compete for a bubble spot, but struggled during conference play as a result of their lack of balance offensively and finished 18-14. They are 6-2 this year and have much more help for Deonta Vaughn.
- Providence looked like they could also compete for an at-large bid as they started the season 6-3. They are 7-4 this year, but don’t look like they will be a factor come March.
What does all this mean? Could the Big East actually be better this season than it was last season? Depends on what you mean by better.
No, they don’t have the same powerhouses at the top of the league. Sure, Syracuse, West Virginia and even Villanova and possibly Georgetown may compete for #1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, but will three of those teams be #1 seeds? Not with Kansas, Kentucky, and Texas around. But the Big East is deeper this season. Teams like Marquette, Louisville, Pitt and UConn, traditional Big East powers, are going to occupy the middle of the league standings. Seton Hall, South Florida, St. John’s, Cincinnati and DePaul, teams that have been consistently at the bottom of the league, also look to be middle of the pack teams. Does that make it a better league?
Player of the Week: Greg Monroe, Georgetown. Monroe carried the Hoyas to a 2-0 week against top 25 teams. On Tuesday against Butler, he went for 24 points and grabbed 15 boards while dominating in the paint. On Saturday against Washington, Monroe was much more of a distributor, as he went for 15 points, 8 boards, and 6 assists while orchestrating the Hoya offense. The most impressive part of his week was that he was seamlessly able to move between the roles of being a dominant post presence and being a a guy that the Hoyas can run their intricate offense through. While I still believe he needs to be assertive in the post for Georgetown to reach their potential, his versatility makes you realize just how good of a basketball player he actually is.
Honor Roll
- Jamel Jackson, Seton Hall – Jackson scored 40 points and hit 12 threes off the bench in a 134-107 win over VMI.
- Kevin Jones, West Virginia – Keep an eye on this kid. He averaged 19 ppg and 10 rpg in a 2-0 week for the Mountaineers, grabbing 15 offensive rebounds.
- Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame – Fresh off of a 31 point performance, Abromaitis averaged 20.5 ppg in a 1-1 week for the Irish. His ability to shoot, score, and take prressure off of Harangody will be a huge factor in the Irish success this season. Full disclosure – I’m biased, Abro is a product of the same AAU program as me.
Team of the Week: Syracuse Orange.
Syracuse gets the nod thanks to their win over Florida in the SEC/Big East challenge in a game played in Tampa. What can I say about the Orange that hasn’t already been said too many times? Their ability to create points off of turnovers is astounding for a zone team, they can shoot, they are big, and they have a star in Wes Johnson. The Orange are arguably the best team in the East.
POWER RANKINGS
1. Syracuse
Last Week: 12/10 vs. Florida 85-73; 12/13 vs. St. Francis NY 75-51
Next Week: 12/19 vs. St. Bonaventure
See above.
2. West Virginia
Last Week: 12/9 vs. Duquesne 68-39; 12/12 vs. Coppin State 69-43
Next Week: 12/19 @ Cleveland State
The Mountaineers just keep rolling along, as they have been playing suffocating defense, overwhelming smaller, less physical teams. If there has been a knock on WVU this year, it is that they are not the most efficient offensive team. That could change once Devin Ebanks starts playing better. As I mentioned above, Kevin Jones might be the most pleasant surprise in the league this side of Abromaitis.
3. Georgetown
Last Week: 12/8 vs. Butler 73-65; 12/12 vs. Washington 74-66
Next Week: 12/19 vs. Old Dominion
I’m not completely sold on the Hoyas yet, but you can’t argue with their performance thus far. In depth analysis here.
4. Villanova
Last Week: 12/9 @ St. Joe’s 97-89; 12/13 @ Temple 65-75
Next Week: 12/19 @ Fordham
While you never want to lose a game, dropping a game on the road against a Big 5 rival is not the worst loss in the world. As you should know, you can throw the records out when rivals play, and it also serves to note that Temple is not a terrible team this season. They were a Greg Monroe layup away from winning at Georgetown. Two things to be concerned about: Nova allowed 53 combined points from Juan Fernandez and Ryan Brooks, and Antonio Pena was out played (especially on the glass) by Lavoy Allen, who had 17 rebounds.
5. UConn
Last Week: 12/9 vs. Kentucky 61-64
Next Week: 12/20 vs. Central Florida; 12/22 vs. Maine
Tough to knock the Huskies after their loss to Kentucky. UConn is going to be up and down all season. Their success is going to be a result of their effort. When this team is hustling defensively, crashing the boards, and attacking in transition, they are going to be able to compete with anyone in the league. But when they get pushed around inside like they did against Duke, UConn will look like a NIT team.
6. Cincinnati
Last Week: 12/10 vs. Miami OH 63-59; 12/13 @ Xavier 79-83; 12/16 vs. UAB 64-47
Next Week: 12/19 vs. Lipscomb; 12/22 vs. Winthrop
Like Villanova, take the loss at Xavier with a grain of salt. Losing a double overtime dogfight on the road against your rival isn’t a bad loss. The bigger worry should be the Bearcats offensively. Cincy can bang inside with anyone in the country, and they really have embodied their coach by playing intense defense, but until they become a more efficient offensive team and figure out how to utilize talents like Lance Stephenson, Deonta Vaughn and Yancy Gates, they are going to suffer some losses like this.
7. Seton Hall
Last Week: 12/12 vs. VMI 134-107
Next Week: 12/19 vs. Temple; 12/22 vs. Navy
Its pretty obvious that the Pirates are going to be able to score with just about anyone, but how well they defend this year is going to be the determining factor in where they end up this season. This team has so much talent. You should know about guys like Eugene Harvey and Jeremy Hazell and Herb Pope, but how many teams in the country have a guy like Jamel Jackson on the bench, capable of scoring 40 in a game? Seton Hall will finally play at full strength when Keon Lawrence returns Dec. 19th.
8. St. John’s
Last Week: 12/9 vs. Georgia 66-56; 12/13 vs. Fordham 73-56
Next Week: 12/20 vs. Hofstra
DJ Kennedy is one of the most underrated players in the league, and have quite a few talented role players. When SJU finally gets Anthony Mason back (and that could be a few more weeks), this may be a team that can make the tournament.
9. Louisville
Last Week: 12/12 vs. Western Carolina 83-91; 12/16 vs. Oral Roberts 94-57
Next Week: 12/19 vs. Western Kentucky
Simply put, Louisville just isn’t playing well. Jerry Smith isn’t hitting threes, Terrence Jennings isn’t playing defense, and Samardo Samuels isn’t rebounding. Typical early season swoon for Louisville?
10. Pitt
Last Week: 12/12 vs. Kent State 71-59
Next Week: 12/19 vs. Mt. St. Mary’s
This isn’t your typical Pitt team, but getting Jermaine Dixon healthy and Gilbert Brown eligible will help this team get better offensively.
11. Marquette
Last Week: 12/12 @ Wisconsin 63-72
Next Week: 12/19 vs. North Florida
Marquette has now lost three of four before losing Jeronne Maymon, who left the team. Could that cost them Vander Blue as well? I’m not sure that the mismatches on the offensive end for Lazar Hayward and Jimmy Butler outweigh their ovewhelming lack of interior size.
12. Notre Dame
Last Week: 12/9 vs. IUPUI 93-70; 12/12 vs. Loyola D 85-87
Next Week: 12/19 vs. UCLA, 12/22 vs. Bucknell
Tim Abromaitis and Ben Hansbrough have been nice complimentary players for the Irish, but this group still needs to get better defensively on in the paint.
13. South Florida
Last Week: 12/12 vs. Central Michigan 56-59; 12/16 vs. Central Florida 69-65
Next Week: 12/19 vs. San Francisco; 12/20 vs. San Diego
I wonder how much the NCAA investigation (if there actually is one) will effect this team, that could get a boost from the return of PG Anthony Crater.
14. DePaul
Last Week: 12/10 vs. Mississippi State 45-76; 12/13 vs. Illinois Chicago 77-56; 12/16 vs. American 57-62
Next Week: 12/19 vs. Texas State
DePaul came back to earth when they played MSU. They really need to get Mac Kowshal back.
15. Rutgers
Last Week: 12/9 vs. Monmouth 66-52; 12/15 vs. Rider 80-70 OT
Next Week: 12/19 vs. NJIT; 12/22 vs. St. Peter’s
The Scarlet Knights may end up dropping down these rankings in the coming weeks as second leading scorer Gregory Echinique is out for eight weeks with an eye injury.
16. Providence
Last Week: 12/9 @ George Washington 110-97; 12/12 vs. Iona 73-82
Next Week: 12/21 vs. Yale
With guys like Greedy Peterson, Marshon Brooks and Sharaud Curry, the Friars can put up points. But defense and depth is going to be an issue all season long.