Big East Basketball Power Rankings: Seton Hall, Villanova leap ahead

Seton Hall has been absolutely rolling as of late. Thanks to its nine-game winning streak, the team has emerged as the favorite to win the Big East and a deserving member of the AP Top 10. The Pirates have been playing at an incredibly high level over the past month as they have been dominating on both ends of the floor. Myles Powell is clearly still the star player of the squad but he is getting a ton of help around him even in the absence of Sandro Mamukelashvili (who will return soon).

Most notably, Romaro Gill and Quincy McKnight have been excellent.

After mostly being utilized as a shot-blocking phenom through the first two months of the season, Gill has emerged as a true secondary star on both ends of the floor next to Powell. The 7-foot-2 senior is starting to see 25+ minutes per game in every single contest and has scored in dobule-figures in each of Seton Hall’s last six games. He is also swatting 4.3 shots per game in conference play and that included 14 in just the team’s last two contests.

McKnight has been similarly excellent defensively as a lockdown guard with the ability to distribute at a high level as well. His assist numbers have been tremendous in the Big East season (8.1 per game). McKnight rightfully belongs among the best two-way floor generals in the conference and is absurdly underrated nationally. He is a huge piece of this team.

Seton Hall’s quality record against an extremely difficult schedule has put it in the No. 1 seed conversation early in the season. The Pirates need to keep winning in order to make that happen but it is not a completely outrageous suggestion.

That concludes this week’s look at my Big East Basketball Power Rankings. Check back again next Thursday for a new version.