Big East Basketball Rankings: Villanova rising, Creighton struggling

VILLANOVA, PA - NOVEMBER 06: Jermaine Samuels #23, Phil Booth #5, Eric Paschall #4, Collin Gillespie #2, and Dylan Painter #42 of the Villanova Wildcats huddle prior to the game against the Morgan State Bears at Finneran Pavilion on November 6, 2018 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The Wildcats defeated the Bears 100-77. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

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VILLANOVA, PA – JANUARY 08: Simon reacts. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

St. John’s is clearly one of the most talented teams in the Big East but their overall resume does not really show it. Sure, the Red Storm hold a great 14-3 record but only one win over a KenPom top-100 team. They also suffered a home loss to DePaul and, even though Shamorie Ponds did not play, that is a game that they should be able to win. Their other two losses on the year are nothing to be ashamed of as they came on the road against Seton Hall (*cough* controversy *cough*) and Villanova.

The key for the Red Storm moving forward will be the health of Ponds. Easily one of the top two players in the conference, Ponds is the focal point of the St. John’s offense and they need him to be at full strength in order to make a run at the Big East title. When on their game, the Red Storm are incredibly tough to beat and worthy of a top-25 ranking in the nation. Their inconsistencies, though, have continued to crop up throughout the year and could hurt them down the road.

Due to SJU’s weak non-conference strength of schedule, the Red Storm could easily sit on the NCAA Tournament bubble for the rest of the year despite clearly being worthy of a bid from a talent perspective. With four of their five games coming on the road, SJU has a few big chances coming up to improve its resume.

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