9. Georgetown Hoyas 6-3
After starting the season 5-0, including wins over Maryland and Clemson, the Hoyas have dropped three out of their last four games. The losses came to Dayton, Miami and North Carolina. Georgetown will look to stop the bleeding Saturday as they take on St. Peter’s. The Hoyas are led by KJ Lewis, who is scoring 16.7 points per game over 30.8 minutes per game on the court. Georgetown opens Big East play on December 17 as they are on the road at Marquette.
10. DePaul Blue Demons 7-3
The Blue Demons have won back to back games. That came after a blowout loss to the LSU Tigers. The two wins for DePaul were at home over Arkansas Pine-Bluff by four and a massacre win over Morgan State. DePaul will play their final nonconference game on Saturday as they head out on the road to Wichita State. If the Blue Demons want to get back on track in conference play, they have to improve on the glass, where they rank 327th with 34.3 rebounds per game.
11. Marquette Golden Eagles 5-5
Kind of shocking, really, how poor the Golden Eagles have been. They have five losses, and they are all to “brand new” programs, but their best win has come over Central Michigan. This is a Golden Eagles team that is struggling to play any type of effective defense. They are allowing over 76 points per game. Things are not going to get any easier for them, as they finish their nonconference slate on Saturday at the Purdue Boilermakers. December 17 is the conference opener as they host Georgetown.
The Big East picture is still taking shape, but the early signs tell us plenty. UConn looks every bit like a national contender, while teams such as Seton Hall, Villanova and Butler are showing they may have the pieces to challenge once league play begins. Others, like Creighton and Marquette, still have major questions to answer before they can climb back into the conversation.
As conference games get underway, these rankings are guaranteed to shift. The next few weeks will show which teams can sustain momentum, which ones can course-correct, and who is truly built for the grind of Big East basketball.