Busting Brackets
Fansided

Big East Basketball Power Rankings: Providence, SJU trending oppositely

By Lukas Harkins

ANAHEIM, CA - DECEMBER 01: Head coach Ed Cooley of the Providence Friars looks on in the second half of the game against the Pepperdine Waves during the Wooden Legacy at the Anaheim Convention Center at on December 1, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - DECEMBER 01: Head coach Ed Cooley of the Providence Friars looks on in the second half of the game against the Pepperdine Waves during the Wooden Legacy at the Anaheim Convention Center at on December 1, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
8 of 11
Next
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – JANUARY 04: Coach McDermott of the Bluejays reacts (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – JANUARY 04: Coach McDermott of the Bluejays reacts (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Creighton might sit at just 1-2 in Big East play so far this season but it is hard to really fault the team for dropping games to Butler and Villanova. Those are two of the toughest opponents in the conference and the Bluejays performed well in both games. Additionally, they were absolutely dominant in dismantling Marquette in the conference opener and boast one of the better overall resumes in the conference. With body-of-work and strength-of-schedule taken into account, Creighton still belongs in the upper half of these rankings.

Looking ahead, though, the schedule does not get any easier for head coach Greg McDermott’s team. The Bluejays are about to embark on a two-game road trip to face Xavier and Georgetown and winning one of those games would pay dividends for their resume and their confidence moving forward. That latter part is extremely important considering the defenses of Butler/Villanova seemingly broke Creighton’s offense a bit.

Creighton has now been held to fewer than 60 points in back-to-back games after averaging nearly 80 points per game in its previous 14 contests.

The Bluejays have improved defensively but still rely on their offense to win games. The team shot just 7-for-36 from three combined against Butler/Villanova and a resurgence is bound to happen sooner rather than later. That will hopefully occur during this coming road trip as the Bluejays would certainly be happy to see a few shots find the bottom of the net.

Defenses will not be able to contain Marcus Zegarowski, Ty-Shon Alexander, and Mitchell Ballock for long. This team is too explosive offensively.

Home/Big East