Compared to last season, the Big East has improved as a league. Four teams are projected to be safely into the NCAA Tournament field, along with a few others still within range. There are still a few weeks left in the regular season so there’s plenty to still be decided. Here’s a look at the latest power ranking for the conference.
11. Seton Hall Pirates - 6-18 (1-12)
It’s been a disastrous campaign for the Pirates, one of the worst-scoring teams in the nation at just 62.4 ppg. They’ve lost nine straight games, including a 17-point road loss at DePaul. Add the mounting injuries the team has been facing, and it’s just been a struggle for them to be competitive.
10. DePaul Blue Demons - 11-14 (2-12)
After a strong non-con campaign, DePaul only winning two games in league play feels a bit disappointing for first-year HC Chris Holtmann. They have home wins over Georgetown and Seton Hall and have been more competitive as of late. The Blue Demons can play spoiler soon, taking on Xavier on the road.
9. Providence Friars - 11-14 (5-9)
The season-ending injury to star forward Bryce Hopkins has decimated the Friars, who have lost four straight games. Guards Jayden Pierre and Bensley Joseph are the lone double-digit scorers for the team, but the lack of frontcourt production has been their downfall.
8. Butler Bulldogs - 11-13 (4-9)
A nine-game losing skid (including the first 6 Big East games) ended any hope of postseason play for Butler this year. But to their credit, they’ve played better as of late, winning four of the last seven matchups. Three of them were against Seton Hall and DePaul, but at least the Bulldogs are clear from the league's bottom tier.
7. Georgetown Hoyas - 15-9 (6-7)
At one point, Georgetown was 12-2 and had a chance at an at-large bid. But a home loss to DePaul and an inability to get any more key wins has dropped them down a few spots. But they’ve still managed to overachieve preseason expectations, thanks to star big man Thomas Sorber, along with TCU transfer Micah Peavy, who leads them with 15.2 ppg and 5.4 rpg.
6. Xavier Musketeers - 15-10 (7-7)
Xavier has had a top-heavy schedule to open Big East play but managed to get a couple of big wins out of it, including over UConn and Marquette. They only have one game left against the top five teams (Creighton at home) and still play Butler twice and Seton Hall and DePaul. It’s an opportunity for them to rack up some wins to improve their NCAA Tournament odds.
5. Villanova Wildcats - 15-10 (8-6)
A weak non-con performance and a stretch of five losses in six games didn’t help Nova’s resume, but they’ve won three straight, including at home over both Xavier and top-10 St. John’s on Wednesday night. He may not win Big East POY due to where his team finishes, but Eric Dixon has been one of the most important players in the country, leading his team with nearly 24 ppg.
4. Marquette Golden Eagles - 19-6 (10-4)
These following teams are in a tier of their own, starting with a Golden Eagles squad that lost three straight games recently, all to the three above them in the rankings. As long as they have Kam Jones (19.2 ppg and 5.9 apg), they still have a chance at winning the Big East, but they’ll have to sweep the next four games against the middle before rematches versus UConn and St. John’s in the final week.
3. Creighton Bluejays - 18-7 (11-3)
A home loss to UConn snapped a nine-game win streak that put the Bluejays back into the title picture. They’ve managed to overcome the season-ending injury Pop Isaacs with Steven Ashworth (16.7 ppg and 6.8 apg) playing at an all-league level, while Ryan Kalkbrenner (19 ppg and 8.5 rpg) has made a strong case for Big East Player of the Year and potentially another DPOY prize as well.
2. UConn Huskies - 17-7 (9-4)
UConn has some surprise league losses to Xavier and Villanova but they’ve put themselves back into contention in the last week, beating Creighton and Marquette. Freshman wing Liam McNeeley is back after missing a few weeks with an ankle injury, while Soloman Ball and Alex Karaban have become the go-to guys this season, each putting up over 14 ppg. They might not be as good as the past two teams that won it all, but this group is still good enough to do damage in March.
1. St. John’s Red Storm - 21-4 (12-2)
Yes, the blazing momentum for the Red Storm was halted with Wednesday’s loss to Villanova. But it doesn’t take away the team’s 10-game win streak prior to that, which had included wins over Marquette and UConn. RJ Luis has been the breakout star with nearly 18 ppg, while Kadary Richmond is playing some of his best ball of the season.
St. John’s has a one-game lead over Creighton in the standings, making Sunday’s matchup between them so big. A win by the Red Storm would get them closer to the program’s first Big East regular-season title since 1992.