Busting Brackets
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Big East Basketball: 5 questions heading into conference play

By Lukas Harkins

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 05: Members of the Villanova Wildcats bench react to a defensive play by Bridges
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 05: Members of the Villanova Wildcats bench react to a defensive play by Bridges /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – JANUARY 16: St. John’s Red Storm players stretch before the game against the Butler Bulldogs wearing tee shirts honoring Butler player Andrew Smith at Hinkle Fieldhouse on January 16, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Butler defeated St John’s 78-58. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – JANUARY 16: St. John’s Red Storm players stretch before the game against the Butler Bulldogs wearing tee shirts honoring Butler player Andrew Smith at Hinkle Fieldhouse on January 16, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Butler defeated St John’s 78-58. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

3. Who is the fifth-best team in the league?

Villanova, Xavier, Seton Hall, and Creighton are holding down the top four spots in the league right now and that does not look like it will change anytime soon. After that group, though, there look to be three teams in contention for the No. 5 spot in the conference: Butler, St. John’s, and Marquette. At the beginning of the season, it was expected that Providence would also be in this group but they have dealt with injuries and struggled overall so far this season.

Butler is off to a solid start this season, with quality wins over Ohio State and Utah and no bad losses. Yet, they also haven’t done anything to separate themselves from the pack. The Dawgs are in their first year under head coach LaVall Jordan and are clearly led by senior Kelan Martin. The key for them to finish fifth in the league is improvement from sophomore Kamar Baldwin, who has struggled early this season.

Next, St. John’s has done nothing to truly prove themselves either. The Red Storm has an excellent record at 10-2 but they do not have any truly high-quality wins. They have also dealt with some injuries in the early portion of the year and it is their health that will determine whether or not that can keep pace with Butler and Marquette.

Lastly, Marquette is led by arguably the best trio in the country. Markus Howard, Andrew Rowsey, and Sam Hauser are incredibly impressive as players who can score from just about anywhere on the court. This team is one of the more high-powered offensive teams in the country and that is because of this trio. Going forward, they will need to prove that they can play defense as well as score in order to snag big-time victories.

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