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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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 15: Brunk/Jorgensen of the Bulldogs celebrate (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

6. Butler Bulldogs

Record: 12-10 (3-6 Big East)

Butler has definitely been one of the more disappointing Big East teams in conference play so far this year. They are just 3-6 to this point and have struggled to win close games time and time again. Most recently, they were absolutely destroyed by Marquette in Hinkle Fieldhouse, a rare occurrence. Kamar Baldwin is playing at a fairly high level but there is no clear secondary scorer. Will it be Jordan Tucker once he becomes more comfortable? Hopefully.

But despite currently being tied for last in the conference, the Dawgs are ranked sixth in these rankings because they are still in consideration to make the NCAA Tournament. They are definitely OUT of the tournament field at this point in time but there are opportunities remaining for them to climb back towards the cutline. They need to turn things around in a hurry, though, so their matchup against Seton Hall this weekend is a must-win.

5. Creighton Bluejays

Record: 12-9 (3-5 Big East)

After dropping four consecutive conference games earlier in the year, Creighton clawed right back to the NCAA Tournament bubble following wins over Georgetown (away) and Butler (home). Then, though, they dropped a tough home game against St. John’s to drop below the cutline. I am still a believer that Creighton is firmly in the bubble conversation but they have a really tough schedule approaching.

Head coach Greg McDermott‘s team will play four of its next six games on the road and they will need to secure at least one or two of those wins. At 3-5 in conference play at the moment, Creighton has some work to do to reach .500 by the end of the year (which I believe will be necessary for any BE team to go dancing). It is definitely possible, though.

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