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South Florida at Syracuse (Saturday, 12 p.m. ET): I discuss this game at length on the latest BigEastCast. South Florida is a good 3-point shooting team who might expose the Syracuse zone that has been eminently exposeable this season. Kentrell Gransberry will need help on the defensive glass against Syracuse's frontcourt trio. This will be the toughest test of the season for Stan Heath's defense, which has been spotty, but USF will also test Syracuse's D. This should be an exciting 40 minutes of ball -- and when's the last time we thought that about South Florida? Orange by 10.

Morgan State at Seton Hall (Saturday, 1 p.m. ET): Former Cal coach Todd Bozeman has a decent team -- one that's lost close games to Miami (Fla.) and Connecticut, so Seton Hall ought to be aware. Morgan State is not much for offense, although the Bears do a pretty good job of holding on to the ball. That will be tested by Seton Hall's pack of aggressive guards.

Georgetown at Rutgers (Saturday, 2 p.m. ET): After an opening loss at South Florida, Rutgers heads home to face the Big East favorites. GU tends to keep scores from getting out of hand thanks to its slow style, but you won't find a bigger mismatch in the Big East this season. Rutgers has to hope the defense is at its best and someone can make a shot -- and that's just to stay close. Georgetown by 19.

Louisville at Kentucky (Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS): The two Bluegrass State teams meet, and it's hard to remember a time when the teams entered in worse combined form. The Wildcats have shot the ball well and defended against other teams' shooting, but nothing else has gone well for UK. Without a dependable point guard, Kentucky is one of the most turnover-prone teams in the country, and UK doesn't rebound much either. Freshman forward Patrick Patterson is a stud in close and on the glass, but after him, Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford, no one's played very well for Billy Gillispie in his first season. The Wildcats have already lost four times at Rupp Arena this season, and despite Louisville's offensive problems, this should be No. 5. It better be for the sake of Rick Pitino and UofL.

Cincinnati at St. John's (Saturday, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN Classic): The Bearcats have to be riding high into Jamaica for this game, but SJU needs to win games like this to get into the Big East Tournament. The Red Storm just need to hit some shots and erode a bit of the newfound Cincy confidence. I wouldn't expect many points in this game, or well-executed offense, but you should see plenty of free-throws and intense defense. Johnnies by 6.

Providence at DePaul (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN Classic): The Friars must leave Chicago with a win or the calls for Tim Welsh's head will reach a fevered pitch (if they haven't already). Providence still doesn't figure to have a point guard, but the Blue Demons don't play the kind of pressure defense that Marquette featured. In fact, DePaul doesn't play much defense at all, and neither does Providence, so this has all the makings of a game in the upper-70s or low-80s. DePaul is, of course, coming off a surprising win against a ranked Villanova team, but with Dar Tucker hobbled the Demons will be even thinner than the banged-up Friars. These two teams are so hit-and-miss that's it hard to pick a winner, but I'll go with my Smith Hill boys with the understanding that I won't be a happy blogger on Monday if I'm wrong. Friars by 4.

Connecticut at Notre Dame (Saturday, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN): The Big East's marquee game on Saturday features a pair of teams fresh off impressive openers. Like Notre Dame, Connecticut has a short turnover and the Huskies play a second road game in three days. The big question will be whether UConn's frontcourt will be able to defend Luke Harangody and Rob Kurz. A couple of other involve Notre Dame's ability to take care of the ball, and UConn's guards' ability to hit shots.These are a couple of evenly-matched teams, but with the Irish at home and so solid offensively, Mike Brey's team should be the pick. If Connecticut does win, then my preseason third-place prediction won't look as farfetched as it did a couple of weeks ago. Irish by 8.

Pittsburgh at Villanova (Sunday, 12 p.m. ET): The Panthers will get their first true test since Levance Fields went down, and Jamie Dixon can only hope that Ronald Ramon and Keith Benjamin play as well as they did against Lafayette. Villanova's first test will be to control the inside game of Sam Young and DeJuan Blair. The Wildcats defense was exposed against DePaul, and I'm sure Jay Wright will be spending almost every hour of preparation looking for ways to improve the defense. I would guess that Pittsburgh won't quite be ready to win on the road against a quality opponent so soon after losing two starters. Wildcats by 6.

Marquette at West Virginia (Sunday, 2 p.m. ET): Both of the Sunday games offer plenty of intrigue. West Virginia's Coliseum is a house of horrors for most Big East opponents, but if there is one conference team with the experience and poise to go in there and win, it's the Golden Eagles. Coming off a demolition of Providence, Marquette will be as confident as any team can be entering a game. At the same time, West Virginia now has to question how good it is after two straight losses. If the Mountaineers don't get back to hitting the boards and don't start making 3's, they're going to have a tough time making the NCAAs. The last two times these team played, the home team won by 18 and 19 points. I'll take the 'Neers in a barnburner and learn to live with the embarrassment if the two teams' current forms continue. Mountaineers by 3.