Dejuan Blair and Pitt currently rule the Big East, the nation, and....THE WORLD!

With the conference season winding down and March Madness just a few weeks away, I figure it might be a good idea to take a quick snapshot at how the teams are playing right now. 

Disclaimer:  These are my personal rankings so they are absolutely correct objective.  If you disagree, or think you can do better, leave a comment or three.

1.  Pittsburgh:  The new #1 team in the land.  The way that Dejuan Blair is playing right now (20 points, 18 rebounds vs. Depaul over the weekend), they have to be the favorite to win the NCAA Tournament at this moment. 

2.  Connecticut:  The loss of Jerome Dyson hurts, and it showed in the loss to Pitt last week.  Still, with Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrian down on the blocks, they look like a Final Four Contender.  They really need Kemba Walker to step up in the absense of Dyson.

3.  Villanova:  They ran into a buzzsaw at WVU, but besides that hiccup, this team is playing fantastic on the offensive end.  They are averaging over 90 PPG in their last 6, and their 4 conference losses have come to the upper echelon of the Big East (3 on the road).  I really like Nova to be a sleeper Final Four pick come tourney time.

4.  Louisville:  The Cardinals rebounded from the smackdown Notre Dame layed on them (90-57), to win 3 straight in convincing fashion.  They face a stiff test at a desperate Georgetown team tonight.  Louisville is positioning itself for a one seed come tournament time should UNC, Oklahoma, Pitt, or UConn slip-up.

Read the rest, after the jump....

Here's the rest of the Power Rankings:

5.  Marquette:  This is probably too low for the #10 team in the country, but the Golden Eagles lost at South Florida, and then got blown out to Nova in back-to-back games, which still sits on my mind.  They will have a chance to prove themselves with a impossible brutal finishing stretch (UConn, @UL, @Pitt, Syr).  Jerel McNeal deserves some serious consideration for BE Player of the Year.

6.  West Virginia:  There's a serious drop-off from the top five, and West Virginia is the top team of the second squad.  They've won 3 in a row and have a relatively easy schedule down the stretch (@UC, @USF, Dep, UL).  They're in good shape to get to at least 10 Big East wins, and position themselves nicely in the BE tournament.  Showed against RU that they have multiple players they can rely on (5 in double figures).

7.  Syracuse:  This team has way too much talent to be 7-7 in the Big East.  They have 5 players that average in double figures, and solid bench play.  They've lost 5 of their last 7 against a tough schedule, but should be able to pick it up with an easier schedule over their last 4 (@SJU, UC, RU, @ Marq).  Expect them to win 3 of 4 and finish 10-8 in-conference.

8.  Notre Dame:  Scored a big victory on Saturday against Providence (even with an ineffective Luke Harangody), and they've won 3 out of their last 4.  Even with the mid-season tumble, this is a team that no one wants to see in the BE tournament or in the Big Dance.  If sharpshooter Kyle McAlarney can stay hot, I see this team making a serious run.  Wouldn't be surprised to see them win 3 of last 4 (RU, @UConn, Nova, SJU).

9.  Providence:  The surprising Friars are 8-7 in the Big East, but have lost 2 straight.  Providence owns a victory over Syracuse, but that's their only win over a team in the top half of the BE.  The season sweep of Cincy looms large if they're pitted head-to-head on the bubble.  They finish with a tough stretch (Pitt, @RU, @Nova), and might need to win a few games in the BE tournament to give themselves a chance for an NCAA bid.

10.  Cincinnati:  After starting the season 0-4 in the conference, the Bearcats have bounced back tremendously to fight their way back to 7-7.  Like Providence they have bulked up against the bottom-feeders of the BE, with no wins against the top-half of the league.  They do own victories against Georgetown (2), and Notre Dame.  They finish at home to WVU and SHU, and on the road against SYR & USF.  Win 2 and they finish at .500 in the BE, a pretty impressive accomplishment.

11.  Seton Hall:  They started the conference season 0-6 before running off 5 consecutive wins.  Though they've lost 3 straight, they come hard every night, and are capable of beating any team in the Big East.  Sophomore Jeremy Hazell has been spectacular this year averaging over 22 PPG.

12.  Georgetown:  Barring a miraculous run in the Big East tournament, it seems that the once promising Hoyas will be relegated to the NIT.  They've lost 8 of 10, with the only victories coming over Rutgers, and USF.  The loss to Marquette over the weekend all but crippled the GU's chances.

13.  St. John's:  Picked up a nice win over the weekend against Seton Hall.  They also own a win over ND earlier in the season.  Norm Robert's has taken a lot of heat over where his program is headed, but I think that SJU is on the rise.  They have dealt with a lot of injuries this season and it looks like they have some solid recruits coming in next season.  The moral of the story:  It's just not that easy to win in the Big East.

14.  USF:  The Bulls have lost their last 4, but own a stunning victory over Marquette (while they were undefeated in BE play nonetheless).  Dominique Jones has been solid all season averaging 18 PPG.  They have a chance to tack on a few more wins with games remaining with both Seton Hall and Rutgers.

15.  Rutgers:  Scarlet Knights have lost 14 of their last 15 with the only victory coming against Depaul.  The lone bright spot has been the play of freshman Mike Rosario who is scoring over 17 PPG.

16.  Depaul:  0 conference wins.  Just go back to C-USA already.