The NCAA men’s basketball season has begun, and Big East [6] teams have not disappointed. The conference currently has three undefeated teams, four one-loss teams and three two-loss teams rounding up the top 10 Big East teams. The conference also has three teams ranked in the top 10, as Syracuse [7], Louisville [8]and Connecticut [9]are ranked third, fourth and ninth, respectively, entering Friday.
Connecticut, the only Big East team with a loss ranked in the top ten, lost [10]to Central Florida, 68-63, on Nov. 25 after leading by as much as 17 points in the game. The defending national champions, however, bounced back by defeating [11]then-No. 22 Florida State 78-76 in overtime and again against Arkansas, winning [12]75-62.
Louisville has gotten off to a good start this year, as the Cardinals have won four of the eight games they’ve played by 20 points or more. The Cardinals did face a scare [13]against then-No. 19 Vanderbilt, but won 62-60 in overtime. Louisville has been led by junior point guard Peyton Siva [14], who leads the team in assists with 6.0 per game.
Syracuse is currently 9-0 despite the ongoing investigation regarding former associate head coach Bernie Fine. Fine was fired in late Nov. after sexual assault allegations. SU leads the nation in steals with 112.
The bottom six of the Big East currently consists of Villanova [15], DePaul [16], Notre Dame [17], St. John’s [18], Rutgers [19]and South Florida [20]. Only Rutgers and St. John’s do not have a winning record in the Big East (4-5 each).
