Big East Basketball Power Rankings: Seton Hall on top, Butler recovering

Villanova has slowly but surely risen up the national rankings over the past two months. Now at 17-3 (7-1 BE) on the season, the Wildcats are renowned as a Top 10 team in the country and that is evident with their results on the court. Although the team might not look overpowering most of the time, it simply finds a way to win nearly every game that it plays. Villanova has lost just once since the start of December (at Marquette) and that includes picking up wins over three potentially-ranked teams in Kansas, Butler, and Creighton.

During this past week, Villanova went on the road and secured back-to-back victories over Providence and St. John’s. While neither is a top-tier team in the Big East, there is no such thing as an easy road win in college basketball. Head coach Jay Wright’s team is growing in front of our eyes as it is becoming the group many thought it could be heading into the season. Villanova’s offense currently ranks 10th nationally in adjusted efficiency but its defense has really carried the weight in conference play.

The Wildcats’ defense has ranked second-best in the Big East since the beginning of conference play as they are doing an exceptional job limiting ball-movement and open looks from 3-point range. Add in the fact that they do not allow free throws and rare surrender second-chance opportunities and it’s easy to see how the team’s level of discipline has increased in recent weeks.

Villanova is still very reliant on the 3-point shot offensively but it has so many perimeter weapons that it’s hard to imagine all of them go cold in the same game.