Big East Basketball Power Rankings: Top tier emerging, Xavier plummeting

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 15: Romaro Gill #35 of the Seton Hall Pirates celebrate with teammates after scoring against the Butler Bulldogs in the second half of the game at Hinkle Fieldhouse on January 15, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Seton Hall defeated Butler 78-70. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – DECEMBER 30: Gage of the Blue Demons shoots. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /

DePaul is the only winless team in conference play so far and therefore sits at No. 10 in the power rankings. With that said, though, the Blue Demons’ record is not necessarily indicative of its level of play to this point. Unlike some teams that are 1-4, DePaul is yet to get blown out in a conference game. The team has just been unable to finish down the stretch. Through its first four Big East games, the Blue Demons have lost all of them by single-digits. They even forced Villanova to overtime on the road in their most recent game.

By efficiency standards, DePaul has played to expectations so far in conference play (-2 spots on KenPom). The fact of the matter is that the Big East is consistently difficult and DePaul is likely stuck in the bottom half of the league. I think that the Blue Demons still have the potential to compete for an NCAA Tournament bid this season but they have a lot of work to do. That could start as early as this weekend though as DePaul will play host to Butler. Really tough game, but DePaul has the ability to beat anyone this season.

DePaul is, at the very least, a lot more fun this season. The Blue Demons feature a high-level point guard in Charlie Moore, an elite big man in Paul Reed, and plenty of supporting pieces worth keeping an eye on. Romeo Weems, most notably, looks the part of a future NBA player.

The Blue Demons just need to find a way to consistently win in conference play, which is far easier said than done.

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