Big East Rankings

Here are the Big East teams in the Associated Press top 25 men's basketball poll. The team's RPI ranking as of yesterday is in parentheses:

2. Connecticut (9). The Huskies lost their conference opener but boast two top rebounders in Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien.

3. Pittsburgh (1). The Panthers feature the 1-2 punch of Sam Young (20.1 points per game) and DeJuan Blair (eight double-doubles).

7. Notre Dame (77). This teams has great players in Luke Harangody and Kyle McAlarney, but the Fighting Irish rank 211th in strength of schedule.

11. Georgetown (7). The Hoyas didn't miss a beat on defense, with 6-foot-10 freshman Greg Monroe replacing Roy Hibbert in the middle.

13. Syracuse (23). The Orange are getting guard Eric Devendorf back from a suspension.

15. Villanova (34). The Wildcats are getting strong play from 6-8 Dante Cunningham. But do they have enough size to win consistently?

18. Louisville (35). Unhappy coach Rick Pitino revamped his starting lineup, bringing Earl Clark and Andre McGee off the bench.

Also receiving votes:

26. West Virginia (13). The Mountaineers moved into the national spotlight with shocking 28-point win at Ohio State, then No. 15.

27. Marquette (51). The Golden Eagles are the only Big East team to have three players averaging more than 17 points.

- Joe Juliano