The Way I See It: The Big East Power Rankings (Final)

1. West Virginia (27-6)
The Mountaineers get the top spot, not just for winning the Big East tournament, but by taking a six game win streak into the NCAA tournament. That streak includes two wins over the Hoyas, one of Villanova, two over Cincinnati and another over Notre Dame. All of those teams were on the bubble or considered in the NCAA tournament. Da’Sean Butler’s leadership will be hard to overcome for opposing teams, it was no different this past week.

2. Syracuse (28-4)
The Orange lost their first game in the Big East tournament to the Hoyas. I’m still trying to figure out if they really cared about that game or not. They didn’t have much to prove or play for considering they’ve beaten the Hoyas twice this season and won the regular season Big East crown. Potentially losing Arinze Onuaku could really hurt this team.

3. Georgetown (23-10)
Third times the charm for the Hoyas, they finally bested the Syracuse Orange 91-84 in the Big East tournament. I think hurdling that mental roadblock will provide dividends for this team from here on out. Georgetown is build to go far in NCAA tournament this season, and I wouldn’t expect anything less.

4. Notre Dame (23-11)
The Irish needed some wins in the Big East tournament to punch their ticket to the dance. They did just that, before falling to eventual Big East tournament Champion West Virginia 53-51. If they keep this high level of play going into the tournament this team could make it to the Sweet 16 perhaps more.

5. Villanova (24-7)
The Wildcats are in trouble right now. Going into NCAA Tournament they are 2-5 in the last seven games. In the tournament Villanova is going to see Big East quality team from the second round on, and it’s showing it cant compete right now. If they don’t improve quickly look for a quick exit from this team.


6. Pittsburgh (24-8)
The Panthers disappointed me during the Big East tournament. I know Notre Dame caught fire, but I expect Pittsburgh to contend for the tournament crown. I really wanted to see a rematch of the Backyard Brawl after that 98-95 overtime game the Panthers won earlier this season.

7. Marquette (22-11)
The Golden Eagles knocked off Villanova before losing to Georgetown in the Big East tournament. The Villanova win I think moves them up a seed now considering they now have 22 on the season. They could have made a little better showing against the Hoyas though, losing 80-57 didn’t look to good.

8. Louisville (20-12)
The Cardinals got upset in their first game of the Big East tournament by the Bearcats. Coach Pitino says this team is in, and I have to agree with him. They have some good wins and come out of a brutal conference. Those two wins of Syracuse are huge right now.

9. South Florida (20-12)
The Bulls have their best record since the 1989-1990 season. The wont be dancing this year, but the NIT is more than was expected for the team back in November. Dominique Jones and Augustus need a full season together for the Bulls to reach their full potential. Hopefully Bulls fans get a chance to see that, but I bet Jones opts for the NBA draft this summer.

10. Seton Hall (19-12)
The Pirates took part in a virtual “play in” game against Notre Dame; unfortunately they lost to the Irish 68-56. The bubble has officially burst for Seton Hall, but look for this team to make some noise in the NIT with Hazell and Pope leading the charge.

11. Cincinnati (18-15)
The Bearcats had me believing they might run the table in the Big East tournament. The dream ended with a heart breaker to West Virginia 54-51, and at 18-15 they look NIT bound. This team is going to get better next season. The incoming recruiting class looks very good, but they need to replace Deonta Vaughn before we get ahead of ourselves.

12. St. Johns (17-15)
The Red Storm had a decent Big East tournament. They destroyed the Huskies 73-51, and lost a nail biter to a good Marquette team 57-55. This team gets buried with all the great teams in the Big East, but finishing above .500 is admirable.

13. Connecticut (17-15)
The Huskies will have Jim Calhoun back next season, but will have to rebuild after losing six seniors and possibly Kemba Walker. Calhoun needs a relaxing offseason after this up and down year he had. The recruiting class doesn’t look bad; expect to see the Huskies rebound after this dismal year.

14. Rutgers (15-17)
The Scarlet Knights had a respectable season when considering the injuries and transfers that happened this season. They finished just below .500, but in the Big East that’s not bad for a team that wasn’t expected to do much. Next years team should be able to get them over .500, but I wouldn’t expect much more than that.

15. Providence (12-19)
The Friars gave a tremendous effort in the second half to come from 18 down against Seton Hall. In the end it wasn’t enough as they fell 109-105 in overtime. Providence is better than its record, but unfortunately its defense is not.

16. DePaul (8-23)
The Blue Demons extended their losing streak to 13 games as it finished the season with a 58-49 loss to USF in round one of the Big East tournament. DePaul has some talent coming back, and should have a better season next year; well just about anything is better than this season.