If this is a “down” year for the Big East, you can only stop and shake your head at the prospect of what an “up” year might look like. When the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll was released Monday, a record-tying nine Big East teams were ranked. Four programs — No. 3 Syracuse, No. 5 Pitt, No. 7 Villanova and No. 8 UConn — placed in the Top 10. More than half of the league’s 16 teams are ranked, and two others — St. John’s and Marquette — received votes. All 11 of those teams believe they have a shot at making the NCAA tournament. The Big East also has eight of the top 16 teams in this week’s NCAA RPI. No other league has more than two programs in the top 16. Big East teams have an 80 percent winning percentage against out-of-conference opponents and a 64 percent winning percentage (27-15) against the other five BCS conferences. “The good thing is, you always have quality wins to get [inside the league],” Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said Sunday after the No. 9 Irish were upset, 72-54, by the Johnnies at MSG. “The tough thing is, it can break your will.” The Big East also features the favorite for National Player of the Year in junior guard Kemba Walker of UConn, who split two defenders and hit the game-winning shot with 2.5 seconds left Monday and finished with 24 points when the No. 8 Huskies downed No. 7 Villanova, 61-59. “We wanted to double him but he’s just so fast we couldn’t catch him,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “We were very fortunate to win the basketball game,” UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. “We also had Kemba Walker again to win the game for us.” And while Walker is the best player in the league, Pitt is looking like the best team in the conference after Monday night’s 74-66 win over a Syracuse team playing without its best player, Kris Joseph. (He is questionable for Saturday’s game with Villanova after suffering a concussion last Saturday.). The Panthers (18-1, 6-0), the only unbeaten team in the conference, raced out to a 19-0 lead, gave up a 15-0 Syracuse run and then held on behind four players scoring in double-figures, led by Nasir Robinson’s 21. “They’re still tough defensively and are rebounding the basketball as good as they have been,” Orange coach Jim Boeheim said. “I just think they have a really good team. To me, they’ve had good teams but this is a really good team.” In a really good league. Even if it is a “down” year” for the Big East. And like ZAGS on Facebook.
