Big East Basketball Power Rankings: Providence, Xavier surging
Seton Hall dropped its first conference game of the season during this past week when it was stunned at home by Xavier. I am not concerned about this team whatsoever, though. The Pirates have proven time and time again throughout this season, and especially the last month and a half, that they are one of the best teams in the entire country and one game certainly doesn’t change my opinion on that. Seton Hall is a legitimate national title contender and will deservedly hear its name called on Saturday as a member of the NCAA Tournament committee’s current Top 16.
With Myles Powell leading the way, Seton Hall has the elite caliber scoring guard necessary to win in March. It also doesn’t hurt that he is a senior oozing fearlessness with his shot-making. It is the supporting cast around Powell, though, that makes this team a title contender.
Quincy McKnight and Romaro Gill both deserve to mentioned among the best individual defenders in the entire country and they’ve also taken respective leads on the offensive end as of late. Additionally, Jared Rhoden‘s growth as a small-ball forward should not be understated. Sandro Mamukelashvili can also add another scoring threat to the rotation when needed now that he has returned to action.
The Pirates are about to face another tough test this weekend by traveling to face Villanova in Philly in a heavyweight battle. I have already discussed the implications of this game, though, so the Villanova page has you covered for that.
Next. Complete Bracketology Bubble Watch. dark
That concludes this week’s edition of my Big East Basketball Power Rankings. As a quick overview, here is how I view the tiers of the league right now:
Tier I: Seton Hall
Tier II: Villanova, Butler, Creighton, Marquette
Tier III: Providence, Xavier
Tier IV: Georgetown
Tier V: St. John’s, DePaul
Check back again next Thursday/Friday for the next update to the rankings!