It’s still mid-January, but it’s entirely possible that former and current Big East teams could win as many as three major conferences this season.
Syracuse and Pittsburgh — both of which defected the Big East for the ACC — now lead that league with matching 4-0 records.
Cincinnati, now part of the American Athletic Conference after breaking off from the Big East, is the lone unbeaten team in that conference at 5-0.
And in the Big East itself, longtime member Villanova (4-0) and newcomer Creighton (5-0) are the lone unbeatens.
As Mike Waters of the Syracuse Post-Standard previously reported, Syracuse could become just the second team ever to win a power conference during its first year in the league. Arkansas won the Southeastern Conference regular season title in the 1991-2 season after moving over from the now-defunct Southwest Athletic Conference.
“If you look at those teams, how many had been league champions in their old league in the past 10 years?” ESPN’s Jay Bilas told Waters. “Syracuse is a power. You don’t often see the power of a league switch leagues. It doesn’t happen that often. Usually, teams in a power position in a league remain in that league.”
Of course, that same logic would apply to Pitt should they win the ACC.
In a battle for first place among old rivals, Pitt visits the Carrier Dome on Saturday.
In the AAC, where Louisville, Memphis and UConn all have at least once loss, Cincinnati improved to 5-0 in league play with last night’s 69-58 win against Temple.
Cincinnati has won 15 straight games at Fifth Third Arena and nine straight overall. The Bearcats have held 25 consecutive opponents to fewer than 70 points.
And in the Big East itself, Big East Preseason Player of the Year Doug McDermott and Creighton appear to be the main challenger to Villanova, with the two teams set for a colossal showdown on Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
All told, six former and current Big East teams are in the latest AP Top 25: No. 2 Syracuse, No. 6 Villanova, No. 18 Louisville, No. 19 Cincinnati, No. 20 Creighton and No. 22 Pitt.
