A little "Rivals" love...

[MU_Iceman]

Surprised no one else noticed this...
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=jn-confcall012910&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Jason King from Rivals / Yahoo Sports did a "power ranking" breakdown of all of the major conferences...this is was his assessment of the B-East:

BIG EAST

Jim Boeheim and the Orange are humming.

(Bill Kostroun/AP Photo)
 
1. Syracuse (20-1, 7-1) – With the next two games against DePaul and Providence, the Orange are finally getting a breather. (1)

2. Villanova (19-1, 8-0) – Senior Scottie Reynolds has clearly saved his best for last. (2)

3. West Virginia (16-3, 5-2) – Devin Ebanks is averaging just 8.6 points in his last six games. (3)

4. Georgetown (15-4, 6-3) – The Hoyas blew a 14-point lead in Monday’s loss to Syracuse. (4)

5. Pittsburgh (15-4, 5-2) – Back to reality for the Panthers. They’re good, but not great. (5)

6. Marquette (12-8, 3-5) – The Golden Eagles’ eight losses have been by an average of 3.1 points. Five of the eight losses have been by either one or two points. (10)

7. Seton Hall (12-6, 3-4) – Forward Herb Pope has been coming up big for the Pirates. (12)

8. Connecticut (13-7, 3-4) – Stanley Robinson is averaging 16.9 points and shooting 54.3 percent from the field. (8)

9. Louisville (13-7, 4-3) – The Cardinals had lost three straight before beating Cincinnati on Sunday. (6)

10. Cincinnati (13-7, 4-4) – The Bearcats appear to be headed for the NIT once again. (7)

11. Notre Dame (15-6, 4-4) – The next three games (at Rutgers and at home against Cincinnati and South Florida) all look like wins. (9)

12. Providence (12-8, 4-4) – The Friars surrendered a nine-point lead with 49 seconds remaining in a loss to South Florida. (13)

13. St. John’s (12-7, 2-5) – The Red Storm gave a nice effort in Saturday’s 10-point loss to Villanova. (13)

14. South Florida (12-7, 2-5) – Dominique Jones scored a career-high 46 points in an overtime win against Providence. (14)

15. DePaul (8-12, 1-7) – The Blue Demons face a brutal stretch with three of their next four games on the road. (15)

16. Rutgers (9-11, 0-8) – Fred Hill’s team has lost its last three games by an average of 24.6 points. (16)

RISING

Marquette – Buzz Williams has done an excellent job of keeping the Golden Eagles’ spirits up despite some heart-breaking losses that would’ve caused weaker teams to wilt. Marquette is through the toughest part of its schedule. Expect Williams’ team to finish the season on a high note and contend for an NCAA tournament berth.

FALLING

Louisville – The guess here is that Rick Pitino’s squad won’t make the NCAA tournament. Other than Cincinnati, Louisville hasn’t defeated a good team from a Big Six conference all season. Even worse is that the Cardinals’ next two games are against No. 9 West Virginia and No. 19 Connecticut. Louisville’s already-fragile confidence may be shot a week from now.

THREE TO WATCH

Saturday

Marquette at Connecticut – Will the Golden Eagles finally pull out a close game on the road?

Monday

Connecticut at Louisville – The Huskies embarrassed Louisville at Freedom Hall last season.

Tuesday

Seton Hall at Villanova – The Pirates can beat anyone when Jeremy Hazell is feeling it.

Love that we're getting recognition for our toughness and competitive play...now we just need to start winning some of these close games if we want any chance at making a run at the NCAA's...

[HoopsMalone]

We definately have the chance to prove ourselves in the remainder of schedule and turn out to be the 5th best team.  Like the positive press.