Big Day In Big Est Action

The Big East has shown throughout this season that they are the best conference again, assuming you are not being hard headed and believe that either the Big 10 or ACC has been a stronger conference over the past few years at least. So with that being an assumed consensus, the best conference is having one of their best days of the year this weekend, with multiple match ups that are going to be fun games to watch.

12 p.m. Georgetown at Villanova

Villanova had a week last week that many teams would accept, going on the road to two top 10 teams, and coming away with a record of 1-1, with an 11 point win at Syracuse. They started off this week in a way that most would not, giving Providence only their second Big East win in 19 games.

Georgetown, who was once near the top 10 in the rankings, finds themselves barely cracking the top 10 of the Big East standings currently. They are in no danger at this point of not making the tournament, but this is a big game in terms of their seeding, and where they can finish in the standings before the Big East Tournament, if they are able to give a top tier team another loss, bringing them pack to the pack.

For Villanova to win they have to shut down the Hoyas on the outside, something that their guards can do, though Freeman and Wright are extremely talented. Wayns and Fisher are two of the best defensive guards in the conference, and if you take away the head of the Hoyas then they are in trouble. Georgetown needs to make sure that they can get Hollis Thompson going, because if they can get that fourth scorer to play well then that opens things up for Freeman, Wright and Clark.

Prediction: Villanova 75 Georgetown 73

12 p.m. Louisville at Connecticut

Louisville has seen their early success turn into a rough go of things lately, going 3-2 in their last five, with two of the wins being of the one point variety against teams that are not ranked. Connecticut has seen the opposite, after a great start, followed by a minor lull, they have come back strong with wins over two current top 10 teams.

For Louisville to win this game they will need to shift their pressure defense towards Kemba Walker, and really try to make the other players move the ball against it. Their pressure defense is their best asset, and the more they are able to influence the other players to make plays, though they are growing quickly and very well, the better chance the Cardinals have.

Connecticut will need their defense to focus in on Preston Knowles, much like the pressure Walker will see. Knowles is a deadly outside shooter, and you can just ask Marquette what he can do to you if he gets hot. If they force the other shooters to knock down shots then they will be a lot more comfortable. Secondly, let Alex Oriakhi go after Gorgui Dieng and get him in foul trouble, then they will be able to really dominate the paint.

Prediction: Connecticut 73 Louisville 65

3 p.m. Syracuse at Marquette

To see an extensive look at this game go to the home page.

8 p.m. West Virginia at Cincinnati

This is a game that if it were in about a month it would almost be pegged as an elimination game, given these teams continue their current play. The Big East has been rumored to get anywhere from 8-11 teams in this year's NCAA Tournament, these are two of the teams that will be in those positions that will make or break that number.

West Virginia needs to use their athletes to win this game, and go down low to guys like Kevin Jones and John Flowers, who should be able to use their quickness in order to score on the Bearcat bigs. If Jones is able to get going, and nail his face up jumpers, then Truck Bryant will be able to get some open looks on the outside, and find more lanes to drive the ball.

The Bearcats have to then return the favor and take advantage of Yancy Gates down low, and use their advantage to get points in the paint and then cut off of the big man. Deniz Kilicli and Cam Thoroughman are good defenders, but if Gates can get Kilicli in foul trouble, like he tends to get into, then Thoroughman is not the offensive player that the other Mountaineer big men are.

Prediction: West Virginia 62 Cincinnati 59

8 p.m. Pittsburgh at Rutgers

Pittsburgh is coming off a rare loss at home, and Rutgers is coming off a loss after winning two league games in a row. At this point these two teams are going in different directions, Pittsburgh is looking for a national championship while Rutgers would like just some sort of postseason tournament berth. Though I think Mike Rice is a good hire, and going to have Rutgers moving in the right direction, this is a tough one.

Pittsburgh just needs to play their game, at this points they have better players, more experience, and the cohesiveness that Rutgers should not really be able to handle.

Rutgers has two things they have to do, number one is play defense. Pittsburgh is going to play defense, and make it hard for the Scarlet Knights to score. If they are able to play defense, and get turnovers, then Rutgers will be able to stay in the game and make an upset bid. They have to keep the score low, because they are a team at this point that needs to win a low scoring game, similar to Pittsburgh's loss to Notre Dame, though I am not expecting them to try the "burn" offense. The second thing they need, is for the magic of the RAC to step up and claim another victim.

Prediction: Pittsburgh 78 Rutgers 60