Big East Basketball Rankings: Villanova, Marquette creating distance

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 27: Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree #21 of the Villanova Wildcats reacts after dunking the ball against the Seton Hall Pirates in the second half at the Wells Fargo Center on January 27, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Villanova defeated Seton Hall 80-52. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – JANUARY 18: Marshall of the Musketeers reacts. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

10. Xavier Musketeers

Record: 11-10 (3-5 Big East)

Like just about everyone else in the Big East this season, Xavier has struggled. With a record barely hovering over .500, the Musketeers are all but out of NCAA Tournament consideration (would need to win the conference tournament). This season, though, should put Xavier in a tailspin. I know how easy it can be for fans to immediately start calling for an unproven head coach to be fired but Travis Steele needs more time. Xavier has been one of the most consistent programs in the nation in recent years but down seasons are bound to occur. This is especially true when you consider how much talent the Musketeers lost this offseason.

In terms of where Xavier stands at this point in time, the program has to be disappointed with their recent three-game losing streak. And while this could easily slip to five straight with back-to-back road games coming up, this team has enough talent to notch some conference wins. The Musketeers, like just about everyone in the conference, should be able to win at least three or four more games.

9. DePaul Blue Demons

Record: 11-9 (3-6 Big East)

A couple of weeks ago, it seemed likely that DePaul would escape the cellar of the conference this season. Since then, though, they have dropped three consecutive games (and four of five). Still, in my opinion, the Blue Demons will be able to add at least a few more conference victories this season thanks to the play of Max Strus and emergent star Paul Reed. This is one of the more talented DePaul teams of late and they might be a program on the rise again.

Head coach Dave Leitao, after slowly developing the program in recent years, might be hitting a bit of a stride. The Blue Demons are recruiting at a fairly high level and the team is playing well at the same time. DePaul has a fair amount of improvement to do in order to actually reach the NCAA Tournament in the future but they might on their way.

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