UConn struggles in new Big East

The thought that came to mind after watching West Virginia blow out Marquette, Villanova squeeze past Pittsburgh and Connecticut drop a heartbreaker to Notre Dame this weekend was this: The Huskies picked a bad time to be average.

Make no mistake about it, UConn is drowning in mediocrity. They’ll beat the Seton Hall’s and South Florida’s of the world, but even the middle of the pack teams in the Big East are going to present a challenge this season.

And it’s not going to get much easier.

That’s because Bob Huggins, an even scarier addition to the Big East than Louisville or Marquette, is building a powerhouse in Morgantown. Yes, West Virginia was already a quality program, but John Beilein’s system wasn’t stealing recruits away from the Huskies or Syracuse. Huggins, who is right there with Rick Pitino in terms of recruiting ability, is going to do just that.

It’s not just Huggins and Pitino that are going to win the recruiting battles either. Both Georgetown and Villanova are experiencing resurgences and with their young coaches, there is nothing that suggests these schools will fade out.

If you add Syracuse and Pittsburgh to the mix, you’ve got at least six teams who are more talented than the Huskies right now, and are set up to be as good or better in the future.

When the Big East added all those schools a few years ago, many questioned how some of the current ones would be able to compete in this super conference.

But no one ever thought Connecticut would be one of those schools.