Big East Power Poll - 11/21/09

Here are my Big East PPI Rankings as of 11/21 - keep in mind that teams like Louisville who have played only one game will move up as they play more games.

#1 Syracuse: What a performance in MSG. First, they destroy California and then they do the same to UNC after coming out of the locker room in the second half with a head of steam. The early observation is that they are a ton better defensively than last year and transfer Wesley Johnson is the real deal.
#2 South Florida: While they lost a nailbiter to South Carolina, they destroyed Virgina and defeated mid-major Davidson. It will be interesting to see whether the recruiting scandal is going to be a distraction.
#3 Villanova: In Puerto Rico, Villanova needed a late 3 to beat George Mason, but they played better in the second round against A-10 standout Dayton. Villanova plays Ole Miss on Sunday in the Finals.
#4 Pittsburgh: Three quick wins for Pittsburgh coming out of the gate, including vs. Wofford who won @ Georgia.
#5 Georgetown: Georgetown squeaked out a defensive struggle against Temple after winning big @ Tulane. Greg Monroe needs to be more assertive asking for the ball and with the ball.
#6 Seton Hall: Seton Hall may be the sleeper of the Big East with 3 straight wins including an underrated win @ Cornell. As many don't know, Cornell won at Alabama and at UMass to start the year.
#7 DePaul: CNN Breaking News! DePaul is undefeated! However, this is likely to end against SEC favorite Tennessee tomorrow.
#8 Connecticut: Very unimpressive to start the year - they need to improve on their perimeter defense, 3-point shooting, and most importantly, their rebounding. Surprisingly, I think this team misses Jeff Adrien more than Hasheem Thabeet. Reinforcements are on the way as 6'11" Ater Majok is eligible on 12/20 and C Jonathan Mandeldove returns later from academic ineligibility.
#9 Louisville
#10 St. John's
#11 Notre Dame
#12 Rutgers
#13 West Virginia
#14 Cincinnati
#15 Marquette
#16 Louisville