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

Placing Villanova at No. 3 simply feels disrespectful. This ranking, though, is just a reflection of how well the top two teams have played as of late rather than anything against the Wildcats. Villanova has started this season with a solid 10-2 record that most recently includes home victories over Kansas and Xavier.

It appears as though this team is starting to find its rhythm on the defensive end of the floor and that spells trouble for the rest of the conference. Villanova is already well-known for its potent offensive attack centered around strong rebounding and a barrage of 3-pointers. With a solid defense now in its bag of tricks, Villanova could easily be the favorite to win the Big East.

While Villanova’s improvement defensively was my biggest takeaway from the team’s win over Xavier, Collin Gillespie was the headlining performer offensively. The junior guard has really asserted himself as a star through the first couple of months this season and that was evident against the Musketeers. He posted 24 points, four rebounds, and five assists to lead the way.

Jermaine Samuels was also excellent as he supplied 14 points and five rebounds (three offensive). To summarize Villanova’s win, the team shot well below its season average with just a 28.0% performance from three but still came away victorious. That speaks volumes about this team.

The Young Cats are growing up with each game.