Big East Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2021-22 season

When it comes to Big East Basketball, there are typically three storylines going on each season. The first is how many NCAA Tournament bids the conference will get; can DePaul get out the basement of the standings, and whether someone can beat out Villanova at the top.

Even with a pandemic going on and games being cancelled left and right, two of those storylines ended up with the same ending. The DePaul Blue Demons finished with a 5-14 overall record (2-13 in league play) and to their credit, went through at least three different “pauses” that completely affected their play. But that didn’t stop the administration from firing the coaching staff and starting all over.

Villanova finished first in the standings with an 11-4 league record, while Creighton was 14-6. The Wildcats via percentage won out, with the programs splitting their two matchups against one another. They ended up being just two of the four teams from the Big East to make the Big Dance, along with the UConn Huskies in their first season back in the league since moving over from the AAC, along with the Georgetown Hoyas, who went on a miraculous run to win the automatic bid to make the field too.

In the end, both Villanova and Creighton made it to the Sweet 16, falling to Gonzaga and Baylor, the two best teams in the country. But it was a solid year for the conference overall, including St. John’s being very competitive and UConn back home and in the national conversation.

It’s now time to look towards the 2021-22 season for the Big East, which will get here in no time at all. Has there been any change in the hierarchy of the league? Here’s a current ranking for the conference heading into June.