Big East Basketball Power Rankings: Butler, DePaul keep rising

Seton Hall entered this season as the preseason favorite to win the Big East and the team has largely lived up to those expectations. Myles Powell is performing at a National Player of the Year level while the defense has been very impressive thanks to the emergence of Romaro Gill as a shot-blocking sensation. The Pirates are, in my opinion, the most well-balanced team in the conference right now and therefore are deserving of the No. 1 spot in the power rankings. With that said, it appears as though the top-tier of the league essentially includes the top-3 (maybe even the top-6) as potential conference champions.

Seton Hall is leading right now, in my opinion, but I’m not sold on the team as a national title contender and therefore there isn’t much separation at the top. The key moving forward for this team will be finding a true second fiddle offensively. Powell is a stud and nobody in the country will question that. Yet, fans have already seen that the Pirates are beatable down the stretch of games by simply making someone other than Powell score. Opposing defenses are throwing everything possible at Powell to slow him down and it’s working because nobody else appears ready to step up down the stretch of games.

Finding that secondary go-to player could launch Seton Hall into the short list of national title contenders. I’m dead serious. If it wasn’t for late-game struggles, the Pirates would likely have beaten both Michigan State and Oregon. Nonetheless, though, Seton Hall looks the part of being the best team in the Big East right now even if there is room for improvement. The Pirates will now play three straight high-major opponents in their non-conference schedule and we will see if they are still at the top spot afterward.

That concludes this week’s look at the Big East basketball power rankings. Check back again next Thursday for another edition as there will surely continue to be changes. Conference play is beginning within the next month and tiers are starting to take shape. Here is my take on the tiers right now:

1) Seton Hall, Villanova, Butler

2) DePaul, Xavier, Marquette

3) Creighton, Georgetown

4) Providence, St. John’s