Big East Basketball: Xavier, Seton Hall rises, Villanova slides in latest power ranking

4. Marquette Golden Eagles

Marquette is yet another Big East team that has looked phenomenal at times but has also looked like a team that can really struggle. Ever since their scare against St. Thomas-Minnesota, they have not been able to really get that foothold back for their great play they had earlier in the year. This is a team that dominated Kansas and almost defeated Purdue in back-to-back games, but they just have not looked the same since conference play began.

They are winning, but there was a concerning two-game stretch they had in early January. They suffered a loss to Seton Hall on the road and then immediately came back home and lost to the Butler Bulldogs. This was a team that lost three Big East games all of last season, and they matched that total already in early January. A lot of this had to do with poor performances from Tyler Kolek, in both games, he struggled to score at all and only had one field goal in each of those losses. 

However, they have finally gotten back to form with a dominant win over Villanova, and by scraping by against St. John’s. The big three of Kam Jomes, Kolek, and Oso Ighodaro have found their groove once again, and now they have opportunities to solidify themselves. They have a tune-up against DePaul before a chance at home for revenge against the Seton Hall Pirates, and given how Marquette has been playing there is a great chance for them to do that. All this team needs is consistency, and it is up to Shaka Smart to keep his players locked in the rest of the way.