Thursday, January 31, 2008

Big East Power Rankings

It is nearly impossible to do these power rankings lately. There is to much parody from 2 through 6 and 7 through 10.

1. Georgetown. They are living life on the edge but are coming out of these tight games with victories. Their stellar defense and consistent offense has carried this team through adversity and has put them in sole possession of first place. They’ve got to be worried about their poor rebounding margin, 13th in the conference and dead last in offensive rebounding.

2. Louisville. Entering conference play, Louisville looked like a team in a nose dive but since then, they have the league’s best defense. Now that they are healthy, they should remain in the upper echelon of teams positioning themselves for the title.

3. Notre Dame. Their defense has gone south since entering league play but their offense has carried this team. Having a 75.7 points forced and 75.5 points allowed is going to give fans heart attacks but they have a great inside-out game and once they figure out how to slow opposing offenses, this team is primed for the postseason.

4. Connecticut. Amazingly Connecticut has the best offense in league play at 79 points a game. They don’t rely on the perimeter shot and the majority of their points are from attacking the basket. They have a great combination of front and back court players but they are having trouble with perimeter defense.

5. West Virginia. They play excellent perimeter defense and shoot the ball extremely well, though they rely heavily on the outside shot. They don’t have great post play and need their shot to carry them.

6. Syracuse. They’ve stopped the bleeding on defense but their awesome offense, entering league play, has dwindled from 81 points a game to 72.1. They have some excellent freshmen and once they come around, this team will be extremely dangerous.

7. Providence. Scoring 72.9 points a game and allowing 72.9 points a game isn’t what you’re looking for. They are hitting the three ball extremely well but they aren’t hitting the boards like the should. This team needs to find consistency.

8. Pittsburgh. One day they can beat Georgetown and the next lose to Rutgers. They are another team trying to find consistency. They rebound well, have a great outside shot, and have superior guard play but they can’t come out and give solid performances every night.

9. Villanova. They are slipping fast. They lack an inside game and are having a terrible time with perimeter defense. They hang their hat on outside shooting and getting to line.

10. Marquette. This squad possesses the best perimeter defense in the conference and their pressure causes turnovers and easy buckets. But they are getting killed on the boards. The lack of a solid front court has hurt them in league play. With James injured, this team has slipped.

11. Cincinnati. They are an up and coming team. They started conference play exceptionally well but have fallen off a bit. If their outside shot is falling, Cincinnati is a dangerous team but the three is a bit inconsistent. They are dead last in turnover margin and need to protect the ball more.

12. DePaul. Sitting at 4 and 3 in conference play is amazing, considering they are scoring 69.9 points a game and allowing 71.3. They are having problems on defense, especially from the perimeter. They are dead last in rebounding margin but somehow they grit out wins. They have overachieved so far this year but they play hard every game.

13. Seton Hall. Offense is overrated if you can’t stop the opposing team. Seton hall has a talent laden back court but they struggle from the outside and rebounding. They create points with pressure defense, getting to the line and not turning the ball over.

14. St. John’s. They are in desperate need of a point guard. They turn the ball over way to much and can’t shot the ball from the arch that’s a bad recipe.

15. Rutgers. They are an up and coming team but not this year. They have talented players but they haven’t gelled. Hamady Ndiaye is a beast and JR Inman is a player.

16. USF. The hull on this ship is battered. They righted the ship once and now its sunk. Losing 6 straight and nearly all by 10 or more points. It’s a shame because Kentrell Gransberry is having a hell of a season.

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