Syracuse

In its first contest since suffering a heartbreaking overtime loss to Georgetown last Monday evening, Syracuse rebounded for a 71-64 home victory over a scrappy Providence squad on Sunday afternoon. Behind the combined 36 points and 80 minutes from freshmen Jonny Flynn and Donte Green, Syracuse ended a two-game skid and upped its record inside the Carrier Dome to 10-3. Sophomore forward Arinze Onuaku continued his dominance on the glass, grabbing 14 rebounds including seven offensive boards.

Currently a bubble team for the 2008 NCAA Tournament, the Orange continue to compete without star guard Eric Devendorf, who is out for the season after tearing his left ACL in Syracuse’s 50-point triumph over East Tennessee State on Dec. 15. Prior to its victory over Providence, Syracuse had lost four of five, including three Big East away games, which came at Cincinnati, West Virginia and Georgetown. The schedule remains difficult for the Orange, as they face four currently-ranked opponents in their final ten games.

Next up for the Orange is a Jan. 30 meeting at DePaul.

Against Georgetown: Feb. 16, at Syracuse

Marquette

Coming off a pair of double-digit losses on the road against Louisville and Connecticut, the Golden Eagles returned home and bounced back with a 79-71 win over DePaul on Saturday. After being held to a combined 12 points in his previous two games, 5-foot-11 junior guard Dominic James, the team’s leading scorer, paced Marquette with 19 points on a sparkling 7-of-11 from the field. Fellow junior guard Jerel McNeal added 15 points, and sophomore forward Lazar Hayward posted 14 points and seven boards.

While they have been in the top 25 for the entire season, Marquette has struggled away from home (3-4 in away games), losing its only three Big East road games at West Virginia, Louisville and UConn. The Golden Eagles’ last road victory came nearly two months ago on Dec. 8, 2007, at Wisconsin.

Marquette has taken care of business at home, however, with an 11-0 record in Milwaukee.

Marquette remains at home for a Tuesday night contest against South Florida before hitting the road for three of its next four Big East matchups.

Against Georgetown: Mar. 1, at Milwaukee

Rutgers

It’s safe to say that the Rutgers Scarlet Knights came out of nowhere last week to pull off two upset shockers in the Big East.

After starting 0-6 in conference play, RU responded with a convincing 80-68 home victory over then-No. 18 Villanova on Wednesday. Junior guard Anthony Farmer had his best game of the season, dropping 23 points and collecting four assists in 37 minutes of action. Freshman guard Mike Coburn also scored 23 points and starred in the upset.

For a Saturday night encore, the Scarlet Knights traveled to the Petersen Events Center, where Georgetown fell on Jan. 14, and caged the No. 17 Pittsburgh Panthers in a 77-64 win. After going to the locker room down seven at the break, Rutgers outscored Pitt by 20 points in the second half to pull off another upset, this time on the road. Again, it was Coburn (17 points, five assists) producing baskets for the Scarlet Knights. Another freshman guard, Corey Chandler, came off the bench to add 18 points on 70 percent shooting to go along with five rebounds.

Rutgers (10-11, 2-6) returns to the hardwood on Wednesday to host in-state rival Seton Hall Pirates at the Louis Brown Athletic Center before a road contest at Louisville to open up the month of February.

Against Georgetown: Lost 58-46, Jan. 5

Connecticut

Since a three-pointer from Georgetown senior center Roy Hibbert sent the Huskies to their second loss in Big East play on Jan. 12, UConn has rallied to capture three of its past four contests. On Jan. 17, a disappointing 77-65 loss to Providence marked UConn’s only home setback this year, but UConn has played better basketball in key triumphs over Big East foes Marquette and Cincinnati.

This past Saturday, the shorthanded Huskies captured their third straight victory with a monumental out-of-conference upset of Big Ten power and then-No. 8 Indiana, 68-63. Less than 24 hours before the game, Head Coach Jim Calhoun had suspended sophomore guards Jerome Dyson, a starter, and Doug Wiggins, a backup, for an undisclosed violation of rules, but that did little to deter UConn. The Huskies put together an outstanding effort on the boards, outrebounding the Hoosiers 44-28 to capture the difficult road victory. Junior guard A.J. Price tallied 14 points and eight boards to help the Huskies halt Indiana’s 29 game home win streak.

Last night, the Huskies beat Louisville 69-67 to move into a tie for second place in the conference.

Connecticut must ready itself for an important series of nationally televised conference matchups, starting with a home date against Pittburgh this Saturday, and followed by a game against Syracuse next Wednesday in New York.

Against Georgetown: Lost 72-69, Jan. 12

Notre Dame

In the Fighting Irish’s first six games of this young Big East season, Notre Dame has held serve at home in triumphs over West Virginia, Connecticut and Cincinnati, but has struggled on the road.

The Irish were blown out 92-66 in a loss to Marquette, a game in which the Irish had a season-high 24 turnovers, and Notre Dame struggled to score against the Hoyas, shooting only 33 percent in an 84-65 setback.

However, this past Saturday torrid shooting from junior guard Kyle McAlarney and company proved too much for Villanova as the Irish cruised to a 90-80 victory at the Pavilion in Villanova, Pa. McAlarney went 10-of-16 from the field, and fired 5-of-9 from three-point range to finish with 30 points. Sophomore forward Luke Harangody had 25 points and 10 rebounds in the victory.

Notre Dame comes home for its next two contests on Thursday and Saturday against Providence and DePaul.

Against Georgetown: Lost 84-65, Jan. 19

Cincinnati

After notching impressive wins over Louisville, Syracuse and Villanova in three of their first four games in the Big East, the Bearcats have struggled to be consistent in dropping three of their past four games.

On Jan. 23 Cincy lost a heartbreaker to UConn by blowing a 12 point deficit in the final six minutes. The Huskies connected on 32-of-37 free throws, and Vaughn once again led the Bearcats with 34 points.

This past Sunday they could not steal one on the road as Cincy fell back .500 in the league in a 64-61 setback to Seton Hall. Cincinnati had opportunities down the stretch to take the lead or tie the game, but the Bearcats misfired on all five of their jumpers. Cincy has two tough matchups in the coming week with a game on Wednesday in Morgantown against West Virginia and a big contest with No. 16 Marquette this Saturday.

Against Georgetown: Feb. 23, at Verizon Center

— Compiled by Dave Finn and Brett Depenbrock