From Notre Dame upsetting four top-10 teams to Georgetown’s stunning downfall, the first half of this season’s Big East schedule has been full of surprises.

Virginia Tech’s defeat of Connecticut and Rutgers knocking off Syracuse showed the rigors of playing on the road.

With all of the Big East’s 14 teams at least halfway through their 16-game league schedules, here’s a look at how each team has fared so far:

Boston College (11-9, 4-5 Big East)

After losing early to Holy Cross and Northeastern, the Eagles turned it on. Their biggest win, a 95-71 victory at Connecticut, was the Huskies’ worst home loss ever.

Troy Bell, the reigning co-Big East Player of the Year, leads the conference in scoring with 24 points per game.

Without senior Uka Agbai — out for the season with a back injury — BC has relied on freshman forward Craig Smith, who is tied for the conference scoring lead among freshman.

Despite recent success — BC has won three of its last four — the Eagles have still disappointed. Originally expected to make an NCAA Tournament run, BC now needs lots of help and success in the Big East tournament.

Grade: C

Connecticut (15-5, 6-3)

After winning their first nine games, the Huskies have been inconsistent, especially on the road. Four of the Huskies’ five losses have come away from home, including setbacks at Oklahoma, North Carolina and Miami.

Still, sophomores Ben Gordon and Emeka Okafor have formed a dominant inside-outside combination. Gordon averages 21 points, while Okafor averages nearly 11 rebounds and 4.5 blocks.

Grade: B

Georgetown (10-9, 2-6)

The Hoyas are the league’s biggest disappointment.

Forget the NCAA Tournament. Georgetown may now fail to make the Big East tournament — it’s tied for last in the West Division.

Georgetown once again played a weak non-conference schedule (Grambling, Towson and Coastal Carolina). The lesser opponents did little to prepare the Hoyas for the tough conference schedule.

Junior power forward Mike Sweetney has dominated. He averages 22 points, 10 boards and three blocks. But no one around him has contributed. Gerald Riley is the Hoyas’ next leading scorer with 13 points per game.

Since only 12 of 14 Big East teams make the conference tournament, Georgetown needs to improve soon.

Grade: F

Miami (9-10, 2-6)

A year after a 24-win season and a NCAA Tournament berth, Miami is slumping.

Since upsetting UConn on Jan. 20, the Hurricanes have dropped three of four.

Junior forward Darius Rice emerges from Miami’s muck, averaging nearly 20 points. Miami wallows in last place in the East Division, so late-season matchups against Georgetown and St. John’s are important.

Grade: D

Notre Dame (19-4, 7-2)

The early-season success of the Fighting Irish made headlines. After knocking off three top-10 teams (Marquette, Maryland and Texas) in a week, Notre Dame jumped into the Top 25.

With last weekend’s 66-64 victory over No. 7 Pittsburgh, the Irish tied a school record with four victories in a season against top-10 teams. Notre Dame appears a sure bet for the NCAA Tournament.

Head coach Mike Brey has done another excellent job after leading Notre Dame to the NCAAs in his first two seasons. Guard Matt Carroll leads the Irish with 21 points per game.

The Irish sit a half-game ahead of Syracuse in the West Division. Look for Notre Dame to make a long postseason run.

Grade: A

Pittsburgh (16-3, 6-2)

Recent road losses to division-rivals Syracuse and Notre Dame showed Pitt’s weaknesses. Simply put, the Panthers struggle on the road.

Pitt won its first nine games — against mostly cupcakes — and later climbed as high as No. 2 in the Associated Press poll.

Against SU and Notre Dame, the Panthers were up 12 and eight points at the half, respectively, before faltering down the stretch. Poor free-throw shooting (61 percent) has especially hurt the Panthers.

Point guard and preseason Big East Player of the Year Brandin Knight has struggled. The senior averages 10 points, down from nearly 16 last year.

Despite the recent losses, Pitt remains the team to beat. All five starters remain from last year’s Elite Eight squad, leaving the Panthers poised to make a run.

Grade: B+

Providence (10-10, 3-6)

This season has gone just as expected for the Friars — mediocre. The Friars are on track to equal last year’s 6-10 conference record.

Sophomore Ryan Gomes is PC’s all-everything. He leads the Friars in scoring and rebounding, averaging 18 points and 10 boards.

The Friars cling to the East Division’s final slot in the Big East tournament. To hold on, Providence needs late-season wins over Villanova, Miami and Connecticut.

Grade: C

Rutgers (10-10, 2-6)

Coming off last season’s 8-8 Big East run and NIT berth, the Scarlet Knights were again expected to be competitive. They’ve failed to live up to those expectations.

Senior guard Jerome Coleman has shined for the Knights. He leads them in scoring with 18 points per game.

Recent home wins over Syracuse and Boston College give Rutgers reason to hope, but the Scarlet Knights need to play better to make the Big East tournament. They’re tied for last in the West Division, but home games against Georgetown and Notre Dame still lay ahead.

Grade: C-

St. John’s (11-8, 4-5)

The Red Storm returned three starters from last year’s NCAA Tournament team. But St. John’s has slumped into mediocrity. The Red Storm hasn’t won more than two consecutive games since Dec. 14.

Marcus Hatten leads St. John’s, averaging more than 22 points. Freshman point guard Elijah Ingram is SJU’s third-leading scorer.

The Red Storm’s biggest games of the season — Syracuse and Connecticut — still loom. Also on tap is a March 2 battle with Duke at Madison Square Garden.

Grade: C

Seton Hall (10-9, 5-4)

Usually, the Pirates fall short of expectations. Not this year.

In the West Division, Seton Hall has pulled out a win against Notre Dame and two against Georgetown.

Guards Andre Barrett and John Allen lead the Pirates, averaging 18 and 15 points, respectively. Head coach Louis Orr has Seton Hall on a four-game winning streak and playing its best basketball of the season.

Grade: B

Syracuse (16-5, 7-4)

Starting two freshmen and two sophomores, the Orangemen could’ve either tanked or succeeded.

They’ve done the latter.

Freshman forward Carmelo Anthony averages nearly 22 points and 10 boards, while freshman point guard Gerry McNamara averages 14 points and five assists.

Like many other teams around the conference, the Orangemen need to prove themselves on the road. They will get a chance with late-season games at Michigan State, Georgetown and Notre Dame.

Grade: A-

Villanova (13-8, 6-2)

The Wildcats lead the East Division, yet have drawn little national attention. Though the East is the weaker of the two divisions, Villanova still deserves credit.

The Wildcats have wins over Michigan State, St. John’s and Boston College. Struggles against weaker non-conference opponents like Memphis and Dayton will probably cost the Wildcats a shot at the NCAA Tournament.

But a few wins in the conference tournament could go a long way.

Grade: B-

Virginia Tech (10-11, 3-5)

Despite the losing record, the Hokies have pulled off a remarkable turnaround. Tech won four conference games last season but appears on the way to surpassing that total.

The Hokies’ biggest win came in a 95-74 thrashing of Connecticut on Feb. 5. Tech followed that with a 71-54 win at St. John’s.

The Hokies now have a shot at making the Big East tournament for the first time in school history. They’re in fifth place in the East Division.

Grade: B+

West Virginia (12-8, 3-5)

First-year head coach John Beilein has taken a team that won one conference game and turned it into a legitimate Big East contender.

West Virginia is led by sophomore guard Drew Schifino and freshman forward Kevin Pittsnogle. Schifino averages 21 points, while Pittsnogle contributes nearly 13.

Though the Mountaineers upset Florida and Tennessee at home, they’ve struggled with consistency.

Grade: B

This and that

Rutgers junior forward Herve Lamizana and Barrett share Big East Player-of-the-Week honors. … Big East Rookie-of-the-Week honors go to Anthony, SU’s forward, for the sixth time this season. … Pitt guard Julius Page played in the Panthers’ 66-64 loss to Notre Dame with a sprained ankle. His backcourt mate, Knight, has also been playing with a sprained ankle and has not practiced in more than two weeks.

Published on February 10, 2003 at 12:00 pm