Big East Basketball Rankings: St. John's, Marquette vie for the top spot

Big East Basketball Rankings: St. John’s, Marquette vie for the top spot

MIAMI, FL - DECEMBER 01: Shamorie Ponds #2 of the St. John's Red Storm reacts after a basket against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the HoopHall Miami Invitational at American Airlines Arena on December 1, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

5 of 6

CHARLOTTE, NC – MARCH 16: The Creighton Bluejay looks to the crowd. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

4. Creighton Bluejays

Creighton’s offense is a machine. Regardless of who leaves each offseason, head coach Greg McDermott somehow manages to get the machine working like a juggernaut every single year. This season, his talented trio of sophomores (Ty-Shon Alexander, Mitchell Ballock, and Damien Jefferson) has led the way for an offense that is ranked at seventh in the nation in AdjO. Creighton might not be the best defensive team in the land but they will outscore the majority of their opponents.

If there is one concern regarding the Bluejays, it is that they do not hold any “great wins” to this point. Their best wins to date came over Clemson (who has underachieved throughout most of this season) at a neutral site and Providence (another underachiever) on the road. Otherwise, most of the hype regarding this team centers around their exciting style of play and how they have performed against top teams, most notably how they hung around with Gonzaga prior to falling down the stretch.

3. Seton Hall Pirates

Record: 11-3 (2-0 Big East)

Easily the most surprising team in the conference, in my opinion, Seton Hall seemingly has the makings of a team that could do some damage in the NCAA Tournament. I will be the first to admit that I was extremely skeptical of this team in the offseason and head coach Kevin Willard has done a superb job this season. Despite losing arguably the best senior class in program history, the Pirates have stormed out to a strong record. And while their win over St. John’s was controversial (and that’s the understatement of the year), it will still go on the resume as a W.

In addition, Seton Hall is the most battle-tested team in the conference. Unlike several others, the Pirates really challenged themselves in non-conference play and that should have prepared them for the grueling slate that is the Big East. Over the first two months of the season, Seton Hall matched up with Nebraska (L), Saint Louis (L), Miami (W), Louisville (L), Kentucky (W), and Maryland (W). Can they continue their current seven-game winning streak with three of their next four games coming on the road?

Home/Big East