For Jim Calhoun, there is never a night off in conference play. Lose focus for one hour of practice or play lazy defense for 10 minutes in a game and it is sure to come back and bite you.

That’s life in the Big East conference, arguably the best college basketball conference in the country. And nobody knows that better than the Connecticut head coach.

‘There are just so many good teams,’ Calhoun said on the Big East coaches weekly teleconference. ‘Rutgers is included, St. John’s fights you for everything and Providence can put points on the board. The bottom line is that this is the best conference in America, and I think it’s the most competitive that it’s been top to bottom in my 24 years.’

As it stands at the moment, five teams are ranked in the AP Top 25, with No. 4 Syracuse (26-2, 13-2 Big East), No. 7 Villanova (23-4, 12-3) and No. 8 West Virginia (21-6, 10-5) all sitting in the Top 10.

But what’s more remarkable than the talent at the ceiling of the conference is the parity from top to bottom. With just two weeks-plus remaining until the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden, eight teams find themselves within three games of each other. And as many as 12 teams have a legitimate opportunity to secure an at-large bid for the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

Throughout the last month or so, the tight contention in the league has been on display. No. 11 Georgetown (19-7, 9-6), has fallen to South Florida (16-11, 6-9); St. John’s (15-12, 5-10) has upset Louisville (18-10, 9-6); Providence (12-15, 4-11) has stunned Connecticut (17-11, 7-8); and DePaul (8-19, 1-14) received its lone Big East victory against a very solid Marquette (18-9, 9-6) team.

‘We’ve played Duke, LSU, Kentucky, Texas and at Michigan outside of the league,’ Calhoun said. ‘And I can tell you right now that if you sit at 10 in the Big East, you can be third or fourth in another conference. Any team that can survive and get through this conference is a very good basketball team.’

The most interesting trend in the latter part of the Big East schedule has been the late- season surges of traditional non-contenders. Both St. John’s and Rutgers (14-14, 4-11), usual pushovers for the powers of the Big East, have suddenly become a thorn in teams’ sides.

After beginning the season just 2-8 in Big East play, the Red Storm had won three of its last four before a last-second loss to Marquette Wednesday. The three wins came against Louisville, Notre Dame (18-10, 7-8) and South Florida, all of which will have a case for postseason play come Selection Sunday.

‘This league is unbelievable,’ St. John’s head coach Norm Roberts said. ‘There is no give in any team in the Big East. Top to bottom, anyone can beat anyone, and anything can happen. It doesn’t matter if you had a two- or three-game win streak. You have to be ready every night. You have to give a full 40 minutes, and you have to give everything you have to win in this league.’

At Rutgers, head coach Fred Hill has his team showing signs of life that weren’t present at the beginning of conference play.

And Georgetown knows that all too well.

Not long after the Hoyas defeated then-No.2 Villanova in a wild game at the Verizon Center, Rutgers shocked the basketball world and downed Georgetown on its home court a week later on Feb. 14.

Back on Jan. 30, Rutgers was winless in conference play and was battling lowly DePaul to stay out of the conference basement. Many were wondering whether the Scarlet Knights had what it took to secure even one victory in its conference.

Nearly a month later, Rutgers has four Big East victories, with a win against Notre Dame in addition to the victory over the Hoyas. Though the Scarlet Knights still need to improve and Hill remains on the hot seat, they have enough talent to illustrate in-conference parity.

On March 9, the much anticipated Big East tournament will begin. All 16 teams will be in attendance, and this conference that nobody can seem to understand will finally be sorted out. But for the remainder of February and the early portion of March, these teams will continue to scratch and claw in order to break away from the rest of the pack.

It’s not easy playing in the toughest conference in the country.

‘Every team in the league can beat you,’ Calhoun said. ‘It is the most competitive conference in America, far and away.’

Player to watch

Kemba Walker

UConn guard Kemba Walker had an excellent week as he led the Huskies to two consecutive road victories. On Feb. 15, Walker scored a career-high 29 points and pulled down nine rebounds as UConn upset then-No. 3 Villanova. The 6-foot-1 sophomore was deadly from the floor, shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 14-of-16 from the free-throw line. Later in the week, Walker tallied 16 points en route to a victory at Rutgers. The Preseason All-Big East Second Team selection is averaging 14.3 point per game.

Game to watch

No. 7 Villanova vs. No. 4 Syracuse

Saturday, 9 p.m., ESPN

The Carrier Dome will be rocking on Saturday as Villanova visits the Carrier Dome for this highly anticipated matchup. A new on-campus attendance record could be set as 34,616 tickets were sold for the game. Despite being second in the conference standings, Villanova has been reeling as of late. The Wildcats have lost three of six and have fallen from their No. 2 ranking in the AP Top 25 poll. Syracuse, on the other hand, continues to roll. A hiccup at home against Louisville aside, the Orange has won 13 of 14 and is in position to win the Big East regular-season title.

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Published on February 24, 2010 at 12:00 pm