Big East Report: Who's In the Fight?

We are now half way through the gauntlet that is the Big East schedule. The contenders are throwing punches and the pretenders are gasping for air. Let's see how the battle for the heavyweight title is shaping up:

KO'd:

• DePaul (6-14, 0-8): The past two season, the Blue Demons were a combined 1-35 in Big East play. New coach Oliver Purnell clearly admires tradition, leading DePaul to a typical 0-8 start in conference play.

Oliver Purnell: doing it the DePaul way (depaulbluedemons.com)

• South Florida (8-14, 2-7): The bright side for the Bulls; 1) they pushed BYU to double overtime earlier this year which is good, 2) they're ranked 300th in the nation in points per game, so they know what to work on, and 3) at least they beat DePaul.

• Rutgers (12-9, 3-6): Their overall winning record looks somewhat impressive, especially when you ignore the fact that some of their wins came against teams like Norfolk State, Farleigh Dickinson, and Marist.

Down for the Count:

• Providence (13-9, 2-7): After starting out 0-6 in Big East play, the Friars pulled off two straight upsets over Louisville and Villanova. If only they were consistent.

• Seton Hall (10-12, 4-6): Jeremy Hazell has had a rough season, having to overcome injury and getting shot, but has still managed to lead the Pirates with 19 ppg. And when he's on, Seton Hall can be a handful. The rest of the squad needs to step up though.

Hazell can't be stopped; on the court or off (AP Photo/Kevin Rivoli)

• St. John's (12-8, 4-5): New coach Steve Lavin has the Johnnies in good shape, and their recent win over Duke should give them loads of confidence. Let's see them translate that into more wins.

Bruised:

• Cincinnati (18-4, 5-4): Started out 15-0, but like always, the Big East shows what a team is really made of. The Bearcats lack an impressive win, beating only the teams they should. Nothing special here.

• Marquette (14-8, 5-4): The Golden Eagles feature an offense with four double digit scorers, and nationally they're 15th in scoring, 8th in assists and 11th in field goal percentage. Marquette's mediocre start is understandable though; its four losses are to ranked teams, three on the road.

• West Virginia (14-6, 5-3): Beginning conference play with two losses was bad, and so was losing to Marshall. But the Mountaineers have won 5 of their last 6 Big East games. They don't have Da'Sean Butler or Devin Ebanks anymore, but they can make a deep postseason run.

• Villanova (17-4, 5-3): They've lost three of their last four, but don't be fooled; this team is good. And Maalik Wayns has lessened the loss of Scottie Reynolds. They could be stronger than last year.

Sucker Punched:

• Syracuse (18-4, 5-4): They kinda remind me of that Planet Fitness commercial; the 18-0 start lifts you up, but the four game losing streaks sends you crashing down worse than their defense. Maybe the Orange should hit the gym?

• Georgetown (17-5, 6-4): Their 1-4 start to Big East play had the nonexistent hairs on coach John Thompson III's head standing up. But now they're like the bizarro Orange; their five game winning streak has put them back into contention.

Thompson to team: "Don't scare me like that again." (AP Photo)

Still Fighting:

• Connecticut (17-3, 5-3): Kemba Walker has been the story in Storrs and the rest of the country, and for good reason. But this team's success hinges on the success of the rest of Kemba's crew.

• Louisville (17-5, 6-3): On paper the Cardinals look good, a consistent defense and balanced offense. But as great as their recent win over Connecticut is, that's how perplexing their loss to Drexel was.

Kemba Walker: "It's tiring when you have to do it all yourself." (U.S. Presswire/Rich Kane)

• Notre Dame (17-4, 6-3): Nothing too flashy here, just a very good team. Are they a top team? I'm not sold yet. Beating Pittsburgh was impressive, but unless Ben Hansbrough morphs into brother Tyler I don't see them competing with the national powers.

The Champ:

• Pittsburgh (20-2, 8-1): It's clear who the real heavyweight is. Despite the recent loss to Notre Dame and scare from Rutgers, the Panthers are playing all around great basketball. Now can Jamie Dixon finally lead his team to the Final Four, or will he continue to fall in big games?

Monkey: last seen on Jamie Dixon's back

So this is what we have so far. The best part? There are still so many great games to be played before all is said and done.