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Big East Basketball Power Rankings: Butler, Seton Hall secure road wins

By Lukas Harkins

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 30: Jared Rhoden #14 and Myles Cale #22 of the Seton Hall Pirates celebrate the win against the DePaul Blue Demons at Wintrust Arena on December 30, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 30: Jared Rhoden #14 and Myles Cale #22 of the Seton Hall Pirates celebrate the win against the DePaul Blue Demons at Wintrust Arena on December 30, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – FEBRUARY 20: Baldwin of the Bulldogs dribbles. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – FEBRUARY 20: Baldwin of the Bulldogs dribbles. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

player. 472. . . . Butler Bulldogs. 1

This selection really is a no-brainer right now. Butler has easily the best resume in the conference as a potential No. 1 seed (currently) and is also playing the best basketball as is referenced by its No. 7 ranking on KenPom. Additionally, the team proved their abilities by securing a true road win over St. John’s in its conference-opener.

Many are still discounting the Dawgs as a potential Big East/NCAA title contender due to their low preseason expectations but that is not fair. This team has simply answered the call on every single occasion so far this season.

Through the first two months of this season, Butler holds a 13-1 record that includes wins over Missouri, Stanford, St. John’s, Florida, Minnesota, Ole Miss and Purdue – five of those coming away-from-home. The team’s lone loss to date came in a true road game against a fellow Top 10 team in Baylor by just one point. To be perfectly honest, Butler might have the best resume in the entire country right now.

Head coach LaVall Jordan’s team is experienced and battle-tested. It deserves respect.

Many will point to the fact that Butler blew a 23-point lead in the second half against St. John’s as a reason why this team is overrated. Well, the Dawgs still managed to regroup and win that game, giving them a true road win over an underrated Red Storm squad. How many teams in the nation would be able to take a punch in the mouth like SJU gave to Butler and still find a way to overcome crowd noise and make a 7-0 run in the final two minutes to leave an opposing gym with a win? Not. Many.

Butler is a really, really good team. The Big East is going to be a gauntlet and everyone will take several losses, in my opinion, but the Dawgs should be one of the top 3-4 contenders for the title.

Next. 13 most pleasant surprises in CBB. dark

That concludes this look at my Big East Power Rankings. Now that conference play has finally started, this weekly piece will become even more fluid but also more concrete as teams start to fall into their spots. Check back again next week for another edition.

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