Durzblog

Taking Seton Hall, St John's, DePaul, Rutgers and USF out of the mix you have 11 teams in the BE playing for post season positions and BE hardware. As we approach the halfway point in the season, looking ahead at the schedules is very interesting..I will predict below where these teams are going to finish in league, their NCAA seed or an NIT prediction and add some overall thoughts on each program:







Predictions:

T1) Louisville: 14-4 (23-7)
The Cards will tie for the Big East crown this season, partially because they have the easiest schedule of the top teams (USF, ND, WVU as home and homes). If Uconn loses to them Monday at Freedom Hall, they might just win it all alone. Every team likes to say this, but Pitino's squads actually do get better as the season goes on. NCAA 2 seed

T1) Uconn:14-4 (26-4)
Winning 8 in a row after a stinker against Gtown should have this team ranked # 1 in the country on Monday. Three left with Pitt (2) and Louisville, the schedule does not look easy. The balanced attack of Uconn should have them in the top three the rest of the season and in the enviable double bye position for the BE tournament. NCAA 1 seed

3) Pitt: 13-5 (25-5)
Pitt showed last night that foul trouble can really hurt them. I think they will split with Uconn and lose at least two more along the way. Look for the Panthers to have a nice run at the Garden and perhaps an even nice run in the Big Dance. If healthy and under control, they have all the pieces. NCAA 2 seed

4) Marquette: 13-5 (24-7)
Marquette's last four games are a real who's who of BE talent. They may have had a bush schedule thus far, but the challenges are coming. They will lead the league most of the way, courtesy of their veteran guards but will split with Gtown and likely lose at Nova -- I seem them losing at least 2 of the last 4. NCAA 4 seed

T5) Syracuse: 11-7 (23-8)
The Orange are a talented bunch who are going to have some highs and lows. With Flynn and Devo in the back court they will have enough to win their share of tight ones. Their next three are challenging (WVU, VU, UConn) and will tell us a lot about the club, they end with a relatively soft slate. Boeheim gets back to the dance after a two year drought. NCAA 5 seed

T5) West Virginia: 11-7 (22-9)
Huggins has the athletes now and will benefit from a nice stretch at the end of the schedule where his club will load up on some wins. Morgantown is not a fun place to play and they have nice mix of solid guards and forwards, they are not going to light the world on fire, but they should quietly get their wins NCAA 6 seed

T5) Providence: 11-7 (19-11)
I am asking this team to go 5-5 from here on out and it could be a tall order, but keep in mind they have 2 with Rutgers and 1 with USF. Davis has the boys playing hard and smart hoops, if they can keep their friends and family off the court they could be in business this year. Curry, McDermott and Brooks are nice players. NCAA 10 seed

T5) Georgetown: 11-7 (20-9)
Remember Nova last year? The Hoyas have the tools to go on a nice run and the schedule will calm down a bit. They have 4 game left vs the bottom 5 of the league, that can be a major help. They will go to New York looking for some help. NCAA 10 seed

T9) Villanova: 9-9 (21-10)
Nova got the signature win it needed last night at Pitt. The Cats would do themselves a favor by winning either at the Dome or in ND, the OOC resume is not going to be helpful. They will need a win in the BET. Somebody is going to miss the party. NIT

T9) Notre Dame: 9-9 (18-11)
The Irish may have the hardest league slate of them all and a loss to St John's may end up being the one that kills them. At minimum they will need to split the Pitt/UCLA games and avoid any more lapses. Still the hole is too deep for a team without a third scoring threat. NIT

11) Cincinnati: 8-10 (18-13)
Cinci does look good right now and do play everyone hard, but at this point Cronin does not have the talent to get over the hump in this league. No post season

Should be fun to watch, lots of great games.