2023-24 Big East Basketball power rankings ahead of conference play
By John Makuch
4. Villanova Wildcats
Villanova is the most difficult team to gauge in this conference, they are a seven-win team but find themselves in the top five of these rankings and many others. How can the team that has lost to Drexel, Penn, and Saint Joseph’s be ranked so high? If that is the question, then how does the team that has beaten North Carolina, Memphis, UCLA, and Texas Tech not be up there with the best in the conference?
This is the Villanova problem, they play up and down to their competition. It is a curse that makes it so they can beat anybody in the nation but can also lose to anybody in the nation.
The Wildcats are one of the most well-rounded and veteran-heavy teams in the conference, yet they have these ugly losses along with them. Eric Dixon is one of the best big men in the entire conference, Justin Moore has a ton of talent and Tyler Burton is a great transfer. But these players have not hit that next gear they have in them, and Kyle Neptune had to get the most out of this talented roster.
When they are at their best, Nova is right up there with the best teams in the conference, but if they continue to play down to their competition, they can find themselves in the lower half of the standings much quicker than they would realize it.
3. Creighton Blue Jays
Creighton is undeniably one of the best teams in the entire nation, not just the Big East conference. They have a well-rounded unit with Baylor Schierman stepping up in a big way this season. He leads this team in points, rebounds, and assists And has emerged as the number one option.
Ryan Kalkbrenner has been handling business down low as well with 16.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. Trey Alexander has also come through as a main ball handler and provides that crafty scoring and facilitation this team needs.
They have picked up some solid wins along the way, but there have been a few hiccups for this team. Losses to Colorado State by double-digits, and a recent one to UNLV has the alarm bell ready to ring, but not just yet. They are still one of the most talented teams in the nation, have national respect, and have the wins to support their tough losseshave.
The big question is if the Blue Jays have closed the gap enough between the clear top two teams in this conference, and that will be found out soon enough.