2023-24 Big East Basketball Power Rankings: Week 6

Mat Mlodzinski gives his Big East basketball power rankings heading into week 6 of the 2023 season.

Matchup of the week: #5 UConn vs. #10 Gonzaga (Dec. 15 – 10 p.m.)

Sneaky good matchup of the week: Seton Hall at Missouri (Dec. 17 – 5 p.m.)

All games listed are EST

1. UConn Huskies

Last week’s ranking: 2 (+1)

Record: 9-1 (0-0)

Last week: W vs. New Hampshire (84-664), L at #5 Kansas (69-65), W vs. #9 North Carolina (87-76), W vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (101-63)

Next week: vs. #10 Gonzaga (Dec. 15 – 10 p.m.)

Quality wins: North Carolina, Texas, Indiana

Bad losses: N/A

The Huskies added an impressive win over North Carolina just a few days after giving Kansas all they could handle at Allen Fieldhouse. UConn’s trio of quality wins are as impressive as any other team in the country.

What’s even more impressive is how UConn is playing so well while Donovan Clingan continues to try and find his stride. The sophomore big man is only averaging 13.2 PPG and 6.0 RPG, but hasn’t needed to dominate on offense. While Clingan wreaks havoc on defense, Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer, and Alex Karaban have held down the fort putting the ball in the basket.

2. Marquette Golden Eagles

Last week’s ranking: 1 (-1)

Record: 8-2 (0-0)

Last week: W vs. Southern (93-56), L at Wisconsin (75-64), W vs. #12 Texas (86-65), W vs. Notre Dame (78-59)

Next week: vs. St. Thomas MN (Dec. 14 – 8 p.m.)

Quality wins: Kansas, Illinois, Texas, UCLA

Bad losses: N/A

I do believe Marquette is the best team in Big East basketball but the Golden Eagles’ 11-point loss to Wisconsin is more concerning than UConn’s 4-point loss to Kansas.

In all honesty, it’s not very concerning, because Marquette came back the next game and throttled Texas by 21 points. Shaka Smart has his team in an excellent position heading into conference play the following week.

3. Creighton Bluejays

Last week’s ranking: 4 (+1)

Record: 8-1 (0-0)

Last two weeks: W at Oklahoma State (79-65), W at Nebraska (89-60), W vs. Central Michigan (109-64)

Next week: vs. UNLV (Dec. 13 – 9 p.m.), vs. Alabama (Dec. 16 – 8 p.m.)

Quality wins: Iowa, at Nebraska

Bad losses: N/A

Creighton’s schedule finally intensifies this week with a meeting against a very good Alabama team. However, we shouldn’t discredit the Jays for playing back-to-back road games against Power 6 schools and winning both by 14+ points.

Baylor Schierman has been playing lights out so far and Ryan Kalkbrenner is starting to come into his own, averaging 14.5 PPG and 12.0 RPG in the wins over OK State and Nebraska.

4. Butler Bulldogs

Last week’s ranking: 7 (+3)

Record: 8-2 (0-0)

Last two weeks: W vs. Texas Tech (103-95), W vs. Buffalo (72-59), W vs. Cal (97-90)

Next week: vs. Saginaw (Dec. 15 – 7 p.m.)

Quality wins: Texas Tech, Penn State, Boise State

Bad losses: N/A

The Bulldogs have rattled off five straight wins since nearly upsetting FAU. That Matta’s bunch is playing fantastic basketball with Pierre Brooks leading the charge. The junior didn’t play much at Michigan State and you have to believe the 4-5 Spartans are missing him right about now.

The win against Texas Tech showed a lot of grit and determination, two qualities not all teams have. At least right now, Butler’s a team that won’t back down without a strong fight.

5. Providence Friars

Last week’s ranking: 5 (-)

Record: 8-2 (0-0)

Last two weeks: W vs. Wagner (86-52), W vs. Rhode Island (84-69), L at #19 Oklahoma (72-51), W vs. Brown (74-54)

Next week: vs. Sacred Heart (Dec. 16 – 1:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: Wisconsin

Bad losses: N/A

So much for ranking Providence. For a while, I thought the Friars might be the surprise fourth-best team in the Big East, but a 21-point loss to Oklahoma proved it was too good to be true.

Still, this is a Friars team with a lot of talent that has taken care of business and picked up a very quality win against Wisconsin. As long as Devin Carter rebounds at this level (7.8 RPG) few teams will be able to pose a threat to Providence.

6. Villanova Wildcats

Last week’s ranking: 3 (-3)

Record: 7-4 (0-0)

Last two weeks: L vs. St. Joe’s (78-65), L vs. Drexel (57-55), L at Kansas State (72-71), W vs. UCLA (65-56)

Next week: N/A

Quality wins: North Carolina, Memphis, UCLA, Texas Tech

Bad losses: Drexel, Penn

I don’t think the St. Joe’s loss is as bad as people are making it out to be, especially considering the Hawks are a serious contender in the Atlantic 10. What is concerning are the follow-up losses to Drexel and Kansas State. Nova was in both games, and we could be talking about a 9-2 team with five legitimate wins. Instead, the Cats are 7-4, but still have four really good wins, after bouncing back to take down UCLA at the tail end of last week. Maybe if Eric Dixon was a little bit more athletic (cue Mick Cronin), then Villanova would have another win.

7. St. John’s Red Storm

Last week’s ranking: 8 (+1)

Record: 6-3 (0-0)

Last two weeks: W at West Virginia (79-73), W vs. Sacred Heart (85-50), L vs. Boston College (86-80)

Next week: vs. Fordham (Dec. 16 – 3:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: Utah

Bad losses: N/A

While it wasn’t as a quality of a win as beating Utah was, the win over West Virginia showed toughness as St. John’s took down a pesky rival on the road. However, the loss to Boston College set the Red Storm back a bit. The Eagles have been playing well, but it’s still not a loss you would prefer to have, especially with Joel Soriano continuing to dominate in the paint. The Johnnies need to take advantage of having one of the best centers in America.

8. Georgetown Hoyas

Last week’s ranking: 10 (+2)

Record: 5-4 (0-0)

Last two weeks: W vs. Merrimack (69-67), L vs. TCU (84-83), L vs. Syracuse (80-68)

Next week: vs. Coppin State (Dec. 12 – 8:30 p.m.), at Notre Dame (Dec. 16 – 2:15 p.m.)

Quality wins: N/A

Bad losses: Holy Cross

Georgetown’s loss against TCU counts as a win in my book. The Horned Frogs won on a buzzer-beater, but upon review, it was clear the player who hit the shot stepped out of bounds. That part couldn’t be reversed, and TCU still won the game.

Of course, Hoyas fans won’t be excited about a 12-point loss to long rival Syracuse, but the TCU game proved how far this program has come in just nine games under Ed Cooley.

9. Seton Hall Pirates

Last week’s ranking: 9 (-)

Record: 5-4 (0-0)

Last two weeks: W vs. Northeastern (88-75), L at #6 Baylor (78-60), L vs. Rutgers (70-63)

Next week: vs. Monmouth (Dec. 12 – 6:30 p.m.), at Missouri (Dec. 17 – 5 p.m.)

Quality wins: N/A

Bad losses: N/A

Seton Hall is running out of chances for resume wins in the non-conference, with a road trip to Missouri as their final opportunity. Still, a home loss to Rutgers is all we need to know about this Pirates team. That hadn’t happened in a decade. When your three-point specialist, Al-Amir Dawes, is only making 31.4% of his shots from downtown, you can’t expect to win many games.

10. Xavier Musketeers

Last week’s ranking: 6 (-4)

Record: 5-5 (0-0)

Last two weeks: L vs. Oakland (78-76), L vs. #6 Houston (66-60), L vs. Delaware (87-80), W vs. Cincinnati (84-79)

Next week: vs. Winthrop (Dec. 16 – 7:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: Saint Mary’s, Cincinnati

Bad losses: Oakland, Delaware

To lose one buy game is bad, but to drop two of them in the period of about a week and a half is never a good look. By now, we all know the injury problems Xavier has, but the same team that beat Saint Mary’s by 17 should not be losing to Oakland and Delaware.

The Cincinnati win was a plus, and so was picking up transfer Quincy Olivari. While Dayvion McKnight has struggled to get going offensively, Olivari seems like a natural fit in the Big East. The senior had 34 points in the loss to Delaware and 27 to propel Xavier in the win over the Bearcats.

11. DePaul Blue Demons

Last week’s ranking: 11 (-)

Record: 2-7 (0-0)

Last two weeks: L vs. Iowa State (99-80), L at #21 Texas A&M (89-64), W vs. Louisville (75-68)

Next week: vs. #25 Northwestern (Dec. 16 – 5:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: N/A

Bad losses: Purdue Fort Wayne, Long Beach State, Northern Illinois

There’s a real chance DePaul stays in last place of the Big East Basketball Power Rankings all year long. The Blue Demons have separated themselves from the rest of the pack, and not in a good way. Jeremiah Oden had a few big offensive games against the Cyclones and Cardinals, but as a team, DePaul lets up way too many points and can’t consistently finish off 40 minutes of basketball.