Big East Men’s Basketball Power Rankings as of December 5, 2012

Added by Greg Rappaport on December 5, 2012.

St. John's currently sits in the middle of the pack in the Big East Power Rankings.

Big East Power Rankings: December 5th
 

1. Syracuse (6-0) – With 6th man James Southerland dropping a career high 35 points against Arkansas, the Orange look primed for success this season.
 
2. Louisville (7-1)- The loss against a strong Duke team was excusable, the narrow victory against Illinois State was not.
 
3. Georgetown (6-1) – The 37-36 victory over Tennessee looked more like a football box score than basketball, but taking #1 ranked Indiana to overtime (albeit a loss) shows this squad is legit.
 
4. Notre Dame (7-1)- The win over then #8 Kentucky (now unranked) has put opponents on notice – Notre Dame is a force in basketball as well as football this season.
 
5. Cincinnati (7-0)- One of the two unbeatens remaining in the Big East. The Bearcats haven’t really been tested much this year, but they’re 3rd in the country in total rebounds per game, which bodes well for the future.
 
6. Connecticut (6-2)- Although UConn isn’t eligible for the Big Dance this season, their 6-2 record shows that they’re still fighting. Their close loss to #23 NC State was promising.
 
7. Pittsburgh (7-1)- Forward Talib Zanna is leading the team in both scoring (13.6 ppg) and rebounding (5.9 rpg). More players will need to step up for Pitt to succeed this season.
 
8. Marquette (5-2) – Marquette’s two losses have come against good teams – Butler and #7 Florida – but the fact that the Gators completely destroyed them (82-49) makes the Golden Eagles look like a shell of last year’s squad.
 
9. St. John’s (6-3)- The Red Storm suffered back-to-back losses but have won their other games with relative ease.
 
10. Rutgers (4-2) – The loss to Ole Miss exposed the Scarlet Knights’ reliance on their two main offensive threats — Eli Carter and Myles Mack.
 
11. Seton Hall (6-2)- Forward Fuquan Edwin is leading the team with 17.9 ppg and shooting a dead-eyed 48.3% from behind the 3-point line.
 
12. Providence (6-2)- The Friars have actually looked solid in their 6 wins (despite a nail-biter against NJIT to start the season). An early January game against Louisville should be an indicator of how tough Providence really is.
 
 
13. South Florida (5-2)- USF doesn’t rank in the top 100 in any meaningful statistical category. Not a good sign for a team that reached the sweet 16 last season. 
 
14. DePaul (4-3)- the Blue Demons were beaten handily by the likes of Gardener Webb, Wichita State and Western Kentucky. That about says it all.
 
15. Villanova (4-3)- The only team in the Big East that has suffered a 3-game losing streak thus far. The skid included a loss to Columbia University, who is currently  4-4!