Big East Big Five: Week 3

We just had a wonderful week of Big East basketball.  Luckily, we're watching one of the greatest conferences in the country, so even as we move out of a week that's naturally going to have a giant pile of great games, we move right into another great week of games.

Heck, this week, we even get a flashback to an old school Big East matchup.  It's a good time to be a college basketball fan.

Last Week: 4-1 (Thanks for nothing, St. John's)

This Season: 10-5

Tuesday, December 1: #8 Villanova at St. Joseph's (6pm Central, CBS Sports Network) - It's the Big Five in the Big Five!  Amazing how that works, huh?  The Wildcats are currently the #1 team on KenPom, and they have the #1 adjusted defense rating in the country.  I am going to be so, so, so, so mad if they get clipped by the Hawks here.  I hope they're 16-0 when Marquette goes out east to play them.

Wednesday, December 2: Butler at #17 Cincinnati (6pm Central, CBS Sports Network) - Show of hands: Who realized that the Bearcats were undefeated AND ranked?  Their first five wins weren't over anyone particularly impressive, but they were blowing them out.  They went to Brooklyn over this past weekend for the Barclays Center Classic, and came back to the Queen City with wins over Nebraska and George Washington.  They had to make plays late to come away with the wins, so they'll be battle tested.  If Butler has their eyes on the top of the Big East this season, a win against UC and their #3 KenPom defense will go a long way towards proving that they have what it takes.

Wednesday, December 2: Seton Hall at George Washington (6pm Central, ASN) - How about them Colonials?  They very famously beat Virginia already this season, and they also have a top 100 win against Tennessee on a neutral court.  They seem to be on track to the top of the Atlantic 10 this season, giving the Pirates a wonderful shot at a big time RPI booster here.  Seton Hall got caught in their opening game at the Charleston holiday tournament, but bounced back to win their next three, including against Mississippi at that tournament and a home date against Georgia.  They're on a roll for Kevin Willard, let's see if they can keep it going.

Saturday, December 5: Georgetown vs #14 Syracuse (12pm Central, FOX) - It's the first meeting between these two teams since the Orange downed the Hoyas in Madison Square Garden in the 2013 Big East Tournament after Georgetown took both games in the regular season that year.  Georgetown is on track to do well in conference play, but they're only 2-3 right now after taking losses against Maryland and Duke.  Oh, right, and also at home against Radford.  But the less said about that the better.

Saturday, December 5: #23 Providence at Rhode Island (6pm Central, ESPNU) - Ok, yes, Rhody has lost their games against their two best opponents this season.  Yes, the Rams aren't as tough as an opponent as they might have been had E.C. Matthews not gotten injured.  But as of right now, they're a top 50 KenPom opponent, and this is still a road game for the Friars, who will have their hands full with Four McGlynn, who is hitting threes at a 46% clip.