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

I’m not quite a believer in the idea that Providence has become a Top 5 team in the Big East but it’s impossible to place the team anywhere else in these rankings. After all, the Friars are 4-1 in conference play and hold victories over each of the teams placed Nos. 6-10. Their lone loss to date came at home to Butler and that’s nothing to be ashamed of. Even with Providence’s awful non-conference performances, the team has earned the No. 5 spot by defeating everyone behind it (expect Xavier, who it hasn’t played). That matters.

With that said, Providence still has a long way to go if it wants to reach the NCAA Tournament this season. In order to be in the conversation, it feels like the Friars will need to go at least 11-7 in conference play. Considering their hot start (4-1), this is starting to look a bit more feasible with each passing day. It is important to note, though, that Providence has played arguably the easiest schedule of any team in the conference so far. The Friars still have to play five games against the “Big 3” and that includes all three road games.

It is no secret that Providence’s margin for error moving forward is slim.

Head coach Ed Cooley’s team appears to be on the right track, though, and they are gathering momentum in a hurry. The Friars’ upcoming schedule includes five of their next seven games coming on the road. They absolutely need to come out with a winning record during that stretch and that is far easier said than done. It’s a shame that Providence started so poorly in non-conference play because it is a much better team now than it was two months ago.