Early in conference play the Big East sure is living up to it’s advance billing. The conference is so tough, and it is beating itself up. Tonight it was Georgetown that totally beat up on Syracuse. That creates some upheaval in the standings and the rankings, as Syracuse was higher ranked coming into the game. The single most telling game coming up this weekend will be when Louisville hosts Pitt. The Panthers are the top ranked team in the country, and it’s hard to dispute that they deserve it. Louisville has had a few rough patches this year, but I had them tabbed as a Final Four team coming into the season, and I’m not wavering on that yet. They have won four in a row,including a win at Villanova and a big win over Notre Dame in their last two. They are finally playing up to their potential, and Samardo Samuels is showing why he was such a highly touted recruit. Pitt has looked almost flawless, but they haven’t been challenged at all, with Georgetown being their only top rate opponent. This is going to be a very tough game, and the winner is going to be a formidable force in the Big East.
(more…)