Big East Basketball power rankings: Villanova drops lower, St. John’s rises

2. Providence Friars – 14-4 (6-1)

The national rankings are starting to reflect how good Providence is after originally flying under the radar. They won nine straight games after beating St. John’s in a closer-than-expected 83-80 home win. Noah Locke led the team with 20 points with five made three-pointers, while Devin Carter had 19 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Ed Croswell, who has become the starting center on the team, had 14 points and nine rebounds.

The Friars couldn’t win every game and went up against a fairly desperate Creighton squad last weekend. The Bluejays jumped up to a 12-point halftime lead and despite a couple of runs to make it a close game, Providence took its first Big East Basketball loss, losing 73-67. Bryce Hopkins led the team with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Crosswell had a double-double.

Neither team shot the ball well from deep, making a combined 7/35 from three-point attempts. But the Friars made just 39% from the field overall and couldn’t take advantage of its 43-29 edge on the boards.

Providence stays on the road in an important conference matchup against Marquette, before going home to play DePaul and Butler. If they can find a way to beat the Golden Eagles this week and hold steady at home, you can potentially see the Friars in first place in the Big East Basketball standings.