Mat Mlodzinski gives his Big East basketball power rankings heading into week 9 of the 2023-24 season.
Matchup of the week: #23 Providence at Creighton (Jan. 6 – 2 p.m.)
Sneaky good matchup of the week: Butler at St. John’s (Jan. 2 – 8:30 p.m.)
All games listed are EST
1. Marquette Golden Eagles
Last week’s ranking: 2 (+1)
Record: 11-3 (2-1)
Last two weeks: L at Providence (72-57), W vs. Georgetown (81-51), W vs. #22 Creighton (72-67)
Next week: at Seton Hall (Jan. 6 – Noon)
Quality wins: Kansas, Illinois, Texas, Creighton
Bad losses: N/A
At this point, Marquette has convinced me that they’re the best team in Big East basketball. The Golden Eagles hold a direct edge over UConn, considering they beat Kansas, while the Huskies fell to the Jayhawks. Wins over Illinois, Texas, and most recently, Creighton, might give Marquette a case for the best resume in college hoops. Of course, a loss by 15 to Providence isn’t ideal, but lets not forget the Friars are a top 25 team and tough to beat at home.
2. UConn Huskies
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-1)
Record: 11-2 (1-1)
Last two weeks: L at Seton Hall (75-60), W vs. St. John’s (69-65)
Next week: vs. DePaul (Jan. 2 – 6:30 p.m.), at Butler (Jan. 5 – 6:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: North Carolina, Gonzaga, Texas, Indiana, St. John’s
Bad losses: N/A
Seton Hall exposed UConn a few weeks ago at the Prudential Center, forcing 17 turnovers in one of the biggest upsets of the season. With an injured Donovan Clingan, other players on a fairly deep Huskies team will get a chance to showcase their abilities. Against St. John’s, no one stepped up, with only 6 total bench points. A home game against DePaul couldn’t come at a better time as the Huskies hope to get back to playing dominant basketball.
3. Providence Friars
Last week’s ranking: 4 (+1)
Record: 11-2 (0-0)
Last two weeks: W vs. #6 Marquette (72-57), W vs. Butler (85-75)
Next week: vs. Seton Hall (Jan. 3 – 6:30 p.m.), at Creighton (Jan. 6 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Marquette, Wisconsin, Butler, Georgia
Bad losses: N/A
Devin Carter was out of this world in the upset of Marquette, lighting up the home arena with 22 points on 6-of-10 shooting. He and Davonte Gaines both poured in five threes. Against Butler, Carter and Gaines combined for 9-of-21 three-point shooting. If they can keep that shooting up alongside the post play of Bryce Hopkins and Josh Oduro, there’s no reason why Providence can’t finish the season in the top three of the conference.
4. Villanova Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 7 (+3)
Record: 9-4 (2-0)
Last two weeks: W at #12 Creighton (68-66), W at DePaul (84-48)
Next week: vs. Xavier (Jan. 3 – 8:30 p.m.), vs. St. John’s (Jan. 6 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: North Carolina, at Creighton, Memphis, Texas Tech
Bad losses: Drexel, Penn
Villanova’s head-scratching losses to local Philly teams will always make their resume a bit blurry, but there’s no denying that they can be a top team in Big East basketball. The Wildcats won at Creighton – one of the hardest places to play in the country – and then dismantled DePaul on the road. Hakim Hart had 20 points off the bench in the win over the Blue Demons, a very welcome sign for a player who has struggled to come on so far. With winnable games against the Musketeers and Red Storm at home this week, and a home game at DePaul next week, I really like Nova’s chances to get to 5-0 in Big East basketball play.
5. Butler Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: 5 (-)
Record: 10-3 (1-1)
Last two weeks: W vs. Georgetown (74-64), L at Providence (85-75)
Next week: at St. John’s (Jan. 2 – 8:30 p.m.), vs. #4 UConn (Jan. 5 – 6:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: Texas Tech, Penn State, Boise State
Bad losses: N/A
Butler had about the most average week a Big East team could have, winning at home against a team they should beat (Georgetown) and losing to a good Providence team on the road. This week could show more about what this Thad Matta coached team is made of. The Bulldogs will play at St. John’s and host a dangerous UConn team. It will be very cool to see former St. John’s guard Posh Alexander visit his old team for the first time.
6. Creighton Bluejays
Last week’s ranking: 3 (-3)
Record: 9-4 (0-2)
Last two weeks: L vs. Villanova (68-66), L at #10 Marquette (72-67)
Next week: at Georgetown (Jan. 2 – 7 p.m.), vs. #23 Providence (Jan. 6 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Alabama, Iowa, at Nebraska
Bad losses: UNLV
Omaha, we have a problem. Creighton’s lost three of its last four games, albeit with two of those being close games to good Big East basketball teams. Still, this was a potential Final Four team to start the season, and now I don’t see them in the same light. The Jays have failed to score 70 points in all three of those losses, and all four of their total losses this season. Clearly that’s a good benchmark, but it hasn’t been hit lately.
7. Seton Hall Pirates
Last week’s ranking: 8 (+1)
Record: 8-5 (1-1)
Last week: W vs. #5 UConn (75-60), L at Xavier (74-54)
Next week: at #23 Providence (Jan. 3 – 6:30 p.m.), vs. #7 Marquette (Jan. 6 – Noon)
Quality wins: UConn, Missouri
Bad losses: N/A
Seton Hall still doesn’t have any bad losses and picked up a win most bubble teams would pay to have, taking down UConn with ease at home. The next game? A 20 point loss on the road to an underwhelming Xavier Musketeers squad. That’s about what this SHU team is – an up & down team that has enough talent to catch a better team by surprise on any given night. Consistency could make more results, but I’m sure the Pirates would be fine with surprising either Providence or Marquette this week.
8. St. John’s Red Storm
Last week’s ranking: 6 (-2)
Record: 9-4 (1-1)
Last week: W vs. Xavier (81-66), L at #5 UConn (69-65), W vs. Hofstra (84-79)
Next week: vs. Butler (Jan. 2 – 8:30 p.m.), at Villanova (Jan. 6 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: Utah, Xavier
Bad losses: N/A
Rick Pitino nearly shocked UConn at home, which would have changed the trajectory of where St. John’s is in the Big East Basketball Power Rankings. But instead, they lost that game, and struggled against a Hofstra team that isn’t the same as last year’s team led by Aaron Estrada. Jordan Dingle will need to shoot at a higher clip for St. John’s to be successful in the conference. The score-first guard is only 8-for-26 from three over his last three games.
9. Xavier Musketeers
Last week’s ranking: 10 (+1)
Record: 7-6 (1-1)
Last two weeks: L at St. John’s (81-66), W vs. Seton Hall (74-54)
Next week: at Villanova (Jan. 3 – 8:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: Seton Hall, Saint Mary’s, Cincinnati
Bad losses: Oakland, Delaware
We need to appreciate the fact that with a depleted roster, Xavier has three pretty solid wins, and flat-out destroyed Seton Hall, who was coming off the win over Connecticut. Quincy Olivari is a scoring superstar and Abou Ousmane showed some nice touch around the basket against the Pirates. When it gets down to it, Sean Miller is a top-notch coach and will find ways to get the most out of his teams.
10. Georgetown Hoyas
Last week’s ranking: 9 (-1)
Record: 7-6 (0-2)
Last two weeks: L at Butler (74-64), L at #6 Marquette (81-51)
Next week: vs. Creighton (Jan. 2 – 7 p.m.), vs. DePaul (Jan. 6 – Noon)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: Holy Cross
Georgetown showed promise against Butler, pulling within 8 points in the second half at Butler. Then, they lost by 30 to Marquette, leaving me to believe Ed Cooley will need more than one year to turn things around. Patience will be required, because that’s not an easy job. Maybe the Hoyas can catch a Creighton team that can’t seem to buy a win, before a must-win against DePaul.
11. DePaul Blue Demons
Last week’s ranking: 11 (-)
Record: 3-9 (0-1)
Last two weeks: L vs. Villanova (84-48), W vs. Chicago State (70-58)
Next week: at #4 UConn (Jan. 2 – 6:30 p.m.), at Georgetown (Jan. 6 – Noon)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: Purdue Fort Wayne, Long Beach State, Northern Illinois
DePaul, to no one’s surprise, lost by 36 to Villanova, and then, to probably some surprise, won by 12 against Chicago State. The state of this program is really just sad. The Blue Demons won’t be favored in any games for the rest of the season and could wind up finishing the year with the same amount of wins they have right now – three.