You know you're in a fancy restaurant when the filet mignon isn't even the best item on the menu.
The Big East is a five-star steakhouse in that case.
No. 8 Connecticut edged No. 7 Villanova on Monday afternoon, but it wasn't even the featured game. That came when No. 5 Pittsburgh downed previously-unbeaten No. 3 Syracuse 74-66 later in the evening.
Nine of the conference's 16 teams are in the Associated Press Top 25 this week, as West Virginia made an appearance at No. 21, Georgetown is No. 23 and Cincinnati hung on at No.25.
Notre Dame is No. 16 and Louisville is No. 19.
Must be a lot of star power in this league, right?
Not really. Other than player of the year candidate Kemba Walker, who scored on a drive with 2.5 seconds remaining to lead UConn to the 61-59 win Monday, the league's best teams are made up of balanced casts of experienced players.
"We try to explain to our guys, if you're maybe the eighth or ninth man, it just means you're on a good team," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "The quality that teams have to have is quality depth. That's hard in college basketball because a lot of times if a kid doesn't think he's getting a lot of playing time, he transfers."
Most fans would be hard-pressed to name the Pittsburgh starting lineup. The Panthers boast seven players scoring 6.8 points per game or better. Ashton Gibbs is one of three players averaging double digits and one of seven who plays more than 14 minutes per game and also shoots at least 44 percent.
Syracuse can use any one of four players scoring at least 10 points per game to be the ring leader for a night.
Villanova and Notre Dame have maintained a high profile despite losing their star players from last season.
Notre Dame, which has lost two straight, has a cast of characters — six who average at least 7.1 points — to help replace Luke Harangody's scoring.
"This nucleus had some confidence (because it played together while Harangody was hurt last season)," Irish coach Mike Brey said. "It's kids being competitors. They have chips on their shoulders. They all love to show we're all right even though we lost that guy."
Villanova, now without Scottie Reynolds, has guards who embarrass most other backcourts on a nightly basis. Corey Stokes and Corey Fisher combine to score nearly 32 points per game.
"When you have a great player, other guys have to sacrifice," Wright said. "When he leaves, the other guys don't have to sacrifice and they get to do a little more. You can make up for it with a number of people, and sometimes that's better."
Duke blues: After residing at No. 1 since the start of the season, Duke finally silenced speculation about its ability to go undefeated.
Florida State handed the Blue Devils their first defeat in 10 months, holding them to 31.1 percent shooting.
Then Duke needed to rally from 10 down to beat Virginia.
Four of the Blue Devils' next five games come on the road, including a nonconference test at St.John's and an ACC game against Maryland, which recently challenged Villanova.
Games to watch: Wednesday — Texas A&M at Texas. This is a Lone Star State duel.
Penn State at Purdue. The upset-minded Nittany Lions aren't coming out of nowhere anymore. Will the Boilermakers be ready?
Thursday — Arizona at Washington. Both teams are fighting for Pac-10 supremacy.
Saturday — Ohio State at Illinois. Here's a chance for the Illini to get back on track — the fast track. The Buckeyes hope to make No.1 their home.
sryan@tribune.com