Big East Report (Jan. 2)

Big East standings as of 1/2/07:

1. West Virginia 11-1 (1-0)
2. Notre Dame 12-1 (0-0)
3. Marquette 13-2 (0-0)
4. Pittsburgh 12-2 (0-0)
5. Villanova 10-2 (0-0)
6. Syracuse 11-3 (0-0)
7. Georgetown 10-3 (0-0)
8. Providence 9-3 (0-0)
9. Louisville 10-4 (0-0)
10. Cincinnati 9-4 (0-0)
11. St. John's 9-4 (0-0)
12. Seton Hall 8-4 (0-0)
13. DePaul 9-5 (0-0)
14. South Florida 9-5 (0-0)
15. Rutgers 7-6 (0-0)
16. Connecticut 11-1 (0-1)

My Personal Power Rankings: (previous ranking in parenthesis)

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

This week's games and predictions: (home team in CAPS)

Tuesday, January 2, 2007:

CONNECTICUT 77, South Florida 65
PROVIDENCE 83, Longwood 59

Wednesday, January 3, 2007:

NOTRE DAME 82, Louisville 68
DePaul 71, ST. JOHN'S 61
SETON HALL 76, Rutgers 63
WEST VIRGINIA 72, Villanova 70

Thursday, January 4, 2007:

Pittsburgh 75, SYRACUSE 69
Marquette 72, PROVIDENCE 67
MEMPHIS 84, Cincinnati 63

Saturday, January 6, 2007:

GEORGETOWN 84, Notre Dame 81
VILLANOVA 78, DePaul 74
WEST VIRGINIA 74, St. John's 58
PROVIDENCE 77, Seton Hall 76
LSU 80, Connecticut 73

Sunday, January 7, 2007:

PITTSBURGH 82, South Florida 67
CINCINNATI 73, Rutgers 68
MARQUETTE 77, Syracuse 74

Quote to Note: "The 1-3-1 looked like a Rubik's cube to us." ---Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun on West Virginia's tough zone defense which resulted in a disaster for the young Huskies.

Best win:

West Virginia 81, Connecticut 71- This was a statement win for John Beilein's club. They don't have much talent, but Beilein's system certainly gets the most out of his guys. For UConn, they might not be so good after all.

Worst loss:

Hofstra 63, St. John's 51- Hofstra is a good team, but St. John's was on their home floor. The Johnnies will be starved for points all season long, and they only put up 45 in an OVERTIME win over Boston University the night before.

National games to watch:

January 3-

Clemson @ Florida State: Clemson is still undefeated, but I have a feeling they will be headed for their first loss in this one. Playing at FSU is very tough for any team, just ask Duke. A win for Clemson would really let the nation know they're for real.

Illinois @ Michigan: The Illini are struggling right now as they open Big Ten play. A win at Michigan would give them a boost of confidence. Michigan is 12-3, but they have lost to every decent team they've played.

January 4-

Bradley @ Wichita State: The Shockers have lost four in a row after their hot start and a loss here would be cause for major concern. This would be a solid conference road win for the Braves.

USC @ Oregon: Two upstart teams clash in this one. Ernie Kent has moved himself off of the hot seat for the time being. Tim Floyd has the Trojans playing well and they may get Gabe Pruitt back for this one.

January 6-

Ohio State @ Illinois: I have a feeling this could be a trap for the Buckeyes. Illinois is very good at home and has some quality inside players to counter Greg Oden.

UCLA @ Oregon: The second of two big games for the Ducks early in conference play. The #1 Bruins have played excellent so far. One thing is for sure: The undefeated club will lose a member after this game.

Connecticut @ LSU: I'm willing to bet Calhoun's boys won't go quietly in this one. Coming off that stinging defeat at the hands of West Virginia, Connecticut will be fired up in this prime time ESPN College GameDay matchup. LSU presents a problem up front for UConn with Glen Davis.

January 7-

Florida State @ North Carolina: FSU has been a notoriously bad road team over the last five years. A respectable showing against the Tar Heels will impress a lot of people.