Mat Mlodzinski gives his Big East basketball power rankings heading into week 2 of the 2023 season.
Matchup of the week: Marquette at Illinois (Nov. 14 – 8 p.m.)
Sneaky good matchup of the week: Providence vs. Wisconsin (Nov. 14 – 6 p.m.)
All games listed are EST
1. Marquette Golden Eagles
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Northern Illinois (92-70), W vs. Rider (95-65)
Next week: at Illinois (Nov. 14 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
The Golden Eagles played two buy games to open the season, topping Northern Illinois and Rider by a combined 52 points. That’s just what you’d expect from a Marquette squad that brings back so much talented from last year’s team. Kam Jones has been scorching hot, averaging 21.5 PPG on 56% shooting and 50% from three through two games.
2. UConn Huskies
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Northern Arizona (95-52), W vs. Stonehill (107-67)
Next week: vs. Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 14 – 7 p.m.), vs. Indiana (Nov. 19 – 1 p.m.), vs. Texas OR Louisville (Nov. 20)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
UConn are the defending National Champions and haven’t lost a beat, even though it’s a much different roster from last year’s team. The Huskies downed UNA by 43 and Stonehill by 40, showcasing elite offense and defense in both games. Sophomore Alex Karaban seems to have made a big leap from last year, leading the team with 18.5 PPG. Donovan Clingan, UConn’s 7-footer, has also been big on both ends of the floor, averaging 14.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 2.5 BPG. Next week, the Huskies will play two Power 6 teams, as Dan Hurley wasted no time in prepping a challenging non-conference.
3. Villanova Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. American (90-63), W vs. Le Moyne (83-57)
Next week: at Penn (Nov. 13 – 7 p.m.), vs. Maryland (Nov. 17 – 8:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Year two of Kyle Neptune has started off with no problems. Villanova won games against American and Le Moyne, limiting their opponents to an average of 60 PPG. This week, the Wildcats will play Penn and Maryland, which gives them a chance to earn a rivalry win and a quality win for NCAA Tournament purposes. A pleasant surprise for Nova has been Tyler Burton, who averaged 12.5 PPG and 10.0 RPG in week one. The Richmond transfer could be a difference-maker in the frontcourt.
4. Creighton Bluejays
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Florida A&M (105-54), W vs. North Dakota State (89-60)
Next week: vs. Iowa (Nov. 14 – 10 p.m.), vs. Texas Southern (Nov. 18 – 8:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
In case you’re noticing a pattern here, the top teams in Big East basketball didn’t have the most challenging schedules to open the season. The Bluejays earned a 51 point win over Florida A&M and a 29-point blowout over NDSU. Trey Alexander continues to show why he’s arguably the most skilled scorer in the Big East. It’s been a slow start for Ryan Kalkbrenner, but it shows how many options Greg McDermott is fortunate to have in Omaha.
5. Xavier Musketeers
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Robert Morris (77-63), W vs. Jacksonville (79-56)
Next week: at Purdue (Nov. 13 – 8:30 p.m.), vs. Washington (Nov. 17 – 11:59 p.m.), vs. Saint Mary’s OR San Diego State (Nov. 19)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
There’s no shame in a pair of double-digit wins, especially for a Xavier team trying to keep it together until (hopefully) Zach Freemantle returns from his injury. In his absence, Desmond Claude and Quincy Olivari stepped up in the first two games. Dayvion McKnight was held scoreless against Jacksonville, but has been the leading assist-man through two games. There are pieces in Cincinnati, and they will be thoroughly tested on Monday at Purdue.
6. St. John’s Red Storm
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 1-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Stony Brook (90-74)
Next week: vs. Michigan (Nov. 13 – 6:30 p.m.), vs. North Texas (Nov. 16 – 1:30 p.m.), Charleston Classic (Nov. 17 & 19)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Just one game so far for the Johnnies and Rick Pitino got his first win as their new head coach. Big man Joel Soriano had to be convinced to come back and it was a good thing he did. Soriano dropped 22 points and 11 rebounds on Stony Brook, along with 3 blocks. Harvard transfer Chris Ledlum ripped down 14 rebounds along with his 16 points. There are so many talented players on the Red Storm and if Pitino can get them to gel, St. John’s will be moving up the Big East basketball power rankings in no time.
7. Providence Friars
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Columbia (78-59), W vs. Milwaukee (79-69)
Next week: vs. Wisconsin (Nov. 14 – 6 p.m.), vs. Kansas State (Nov. 17 – 6 p.m.), vs. Miami-Fla OR Georgia (Nov. 19)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Kim English is undefeated in his tenure as the Providence head coach, picking up wins over Columbia and Milwaukee. Eight players are averaging at least 6.5 PPG, a testament to the overall depth English was able to round up. Most notably, Jayden Pierre has been amazing. The Friars had an open starting point guard slot and Pierre has been instrumental in leading the Friars’ offense, averaging 4.0 APG while playing beside veteran Devin Carter. The two guards are also the team’s leading scorers, thanks to a bit of a slow start out of Bryce Hopkins. Regardless, being able to have two facilitators is a blessing for English.
8. Seton Hall Pirates
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Saint Peter’s (70-59), W vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (85-55)
Next week: vs. UAlbany (Nov. 15 – 6:30 p.m.), vs. Wagner (Nov. 18 – Noon)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
A shaky start in the first game with Saint Peter’s was followed up with a dominant win over FDU. Clearly, Seton Hall just enjoys scheduling NCAA Tournament Cinderellas, and teams like Purdue should take notes on how to get it done. Kadary Richmond has been the leader SHU was hoping he would become and Jaden Bediako has been impressive down low.
9. Butler Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Eastern Michigan (94-55), W vs. SEMO State (91-56)
Next week: vs. ETSU (Nov. 13 – 7 p.m.), at Michigan State (Nov. 17 – 6:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Butler wasn’t very good last year and didn’t make any major splashes in the transfer portal. But so far – albeit against two low-majors, the Bulldogs haven’t had an inch of trouble. They’ve won by 39 and 35 points and will look to turn that into confidence. This week, games against ETSU and Michigan State will show us more about what Thad Matta’s bunch is made of.
10. Georgetown Hoyas
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 1-1 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Le Moyne (94-57), L vs. Holy Cross (68-67)
Next week: at Rutgers (Nov. 15 – 8:30 p.m.), vs. Mount St. Mary’s (Nov. 18 – Noon), vs. American (Nov. 19 – 4:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: Holy Cross
Ed Cooley started his Georgetown coaching career with a 37-point win over Le Moyne, a game in which the Hoyas looked like a much different team. In that win, Georgetown won the rebounding battle by 23, and also had 23 team assists. That didn’t carry over against Holy Cross. The Hoyas were outrebounded by 10 and despite only turning the ball over 4 times, shot 36.1% from the field. Back to the drawing board for a 3-game week.
11. DePaul Blue Demons
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 0-2 (0-0)
Last week: L vs. Purdue Fort Wayne (82-74), L vs. Long Beach State (77-73)
Next week: vs. South Dakota (Nov. 14 – 9 p.m.), vs. South Carolina (Nov. 17 – 11:30 p.m.), vs. Grand Canyon OR San Francisco (Nov. 19)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: Purdue Fort Wayne, Long Beach State
It’s the same story all over again for the worst program in Power 6 hoops. DePaul started the season with an 8-point loss to Purdue Fort Wayne and followed it up with a loss to Long Beach State. The Blue Demons are averaging 17.0 turnovers and 32.0 rebounds. It will be a long season if that type of play continues.