Mat Mlodzinski gives his Big East basketball power rankings heading into week 10 of the 2023-24 season.
Matchup of the week: #22 Creighton vs. St. Johns (Jan. 13 – 1 p.m.)
Sneaky good matchup of the week: Butler vs. Seton Hall (Jan. 13 – Noon)
All games listed are EST
1. UConn Huskies
Last week’s ranking: 2 (+1)
Record: 13-2 (3-1)
Last week: W vs. DePaul (85-56), W at Butler (88-81)
Next week: at Xavier (Jan. 10 – 8:30 p.m.), vs. Georgetown (Jan. 14 – Noon)
Quality wins: North Carolina, Gonzaga, St. John’s, Texas, at Butler, Indiana
Bad losses: N/A
I’ve been hard on UConn recently but after seeing what everyone else in the Big East did as a whole last week, you have to give the Huskies credit for finding ways to win. I won’t waste much time on DePaul, but playing at Butler is never easy, and UConn left with a win, without Donovan Clingan. After heading into the half down 7 points, the Huskies dominated the second half.
Here’s a stat that needs to be said. After losing Clingan, as good a 7-footer as anyone in the country, the Huskies haven’t missed a beat on the boards. Some of that will be due to good defense forcing more misses, but UConn outrebounded the Pirates by 1, the Red Storm by 3, the Blue Demons by 9, and the Bulldogs by 9. That’s an impressive feat because this isn’t last year’s Huskies team who benefitted from Adama Sanogo AND Clingan.
This week, UConn faces Xavier on the road and Georgetown at home. There’s a great chance UConn wins both to start Big East basketball play with a 5-1 record.
2. Creighton Bluejays
Last week’s ranking: 6 (+4)
Record: 11-4 (2-2)
Last week: W at Georgetown (77-60), W vs. #23 Providence (69-60)
Next week: at DePaul (Jan. 9 – 9 p.m.), vs. St. John’s (Jan. 13 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: Alabama, at Nebraska, Providence, Iowa
Bad losses: UNLV
Talk about moving all over the Big East Basketball Power Rankings. Creighton was third, then they were sixth, and this week they’re second. In all honesty, it has more to do with other teams falling around them than it does Creighton’s play. The Bluejays still don’t own any resume-altering wins, but taking down a spirited Providence group counts for something.
My biggest takeaway in the win over the Friars was how well Steven Ashworth played. On a rare day where Baylor Schierman was extremely cold, Ashworth picked it up, going 4-for-7 for 12 points and tallying 4 rebounds. I recently called on him to step it up, and while I’m sure he didn’t read my article, it’s good to see such an intregal piece of this Creighton team start playing to his potential.
What can the Bluejays accomplish this week? It’s a great chance to get their winning streak to four games and slow the roll of the St. John’s Red Storm. The Big East is tightening up, and Creighton can try and separate themselves from the pack.
3. Marquette Golden Eagles
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-2)
Record: 11-4 (2-2)
Last two weeks: L at Seton Hall (78-75)
Next week: vs. Butler (Jan. 10 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins: Kansas, Illinois, Texas, Creighton
Bad losses: N/A
Marquette only played one game last week and lost to Seton Hall, a game in which the Pirates were ahead for most of the time. The Golden Eagles didn’t play terribly overall, but when Tyler Kolek only goes 1-for-6 for 5 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 turnovers, it will either end in a loss or escaping with a win.
Still, Marquette is the better team. That game was on SHU’s home court, a team coming off beating Providence and taking down UConn just a few weeks earlier. The Pirates have all the confidence in the world and Marquette didn’t have their A-game. But let’s not write off a Golden Eagles team that has already taken down some of the best teams in the country. I’ve got Creighton ahead of Marquette since the Bluejays picked up two convincing wins, but let it be known that I have full confidence in Marquette as the better team.
Unfortunately, they may not be able to prove that this week. It’s another one-game week for Shaka Smart’s group and at home against a reeling Butler Bulldogs group. But in Big East basketball, it’s never smart to underestimate your opponent (unless it’s Depaul, of course).
4. Seton Hall Pirates
Last week’s ranking: 7 (+3)
Record: 10-5 (3-1)
Last week: W at #23 Providence (61-57), W vs. #7 Marquette (78-75)
Next week: at Georgetown (Jan. 9 – 6:30 p.m.), at Butler (Jan. 13 – Noon)
Quality wins: UConn, Marquette, at Providence, Missouri
Bad losses: N/A
I thought long and hard about putting the Hall in 2nd or 3rd this week, but as an alum, I try and keep bias out of it as best as I can. However, for a team that has already taken down UConn, and won at Providence and against Marquette last week, the Pirates are worthy of a top-4 spot in this week’s Big East Basketball Power Rankings.
While Seton Hall may not be a top-three team when these power rankings end, they certainly are playing like one. Kadary Richmond has gone from an inconsistent player who just happens to be the best player on an okay team to a potential First-Team All-Big East player on an NCAA Tournament team. His ability to break down defenders, score or pass his way into points, and make winning plays on defense is what separates him from other great guards in the conference.
This week provides an awesome test to see if SHU is for real. A win at Georgetown is a must if you want to be considered an actual threat. A win at Butler would solidify the Pirates as a tier above the middle pack of the conference. A lot is at stake to prove their worth, but as far as bubble team’s resumes go, there aren’t many better than Seton Hall’s.
5. St. John’s Red Storm
Last week’s ranking: 8 (+3)
Record: 11-4 (3-1)
Last week: W vs. Butler (86-70), W at Villanova (81-71)
Next week: vs. Providence (Jan. 10 – 6:30 p.m.), at #22 Creighton (Jan. 13 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Villanova, Utah, Butler
Bad losses: N/A
Overshadowed by last week’s success of the Pirates, did you even know that St. John’s cleared out Butler by 16 points and Villanova – on the road – by 10? It’s almost unfair how little that got talked about, which is a scary thing considering a Rick Pitino-coached team is now 11-4 overall and 3-1 in one of the toughest conferences to rack up wins in.
We need to commend how well St. John’s played on offense against Butler. The team shot 50% from the field, even with a 1-for-6 night from Jordan Dingle. Three-point struggles were evident, but going 28-of-47 from inside the arc is incredible. They didn’t miss a beat, nearly replicating that efficiency against Villanova and holding the Wildcats to below 40%. The Johnnies have an unfair amount of scoring threats and they can also keep teams in check defensively.
Another 2-0 week and St. John’s may need to be ranked. Providence has only played one game without Bryce Hopkins and still gave Creighton all they could handle in Omaha. And speaking about “in Omaha,” that’s where St. John’s will be on Saturday. Even a 1-1 performance would go a long way in helping this team reach March Madness.
6. Providence Friars
Last week’s ranking: 3 (-3)
Record: 11-4 (2-2)
Last two weeks: L vs. Seton Hall (61-57), L at Creighton (69-60)
Next week: at St. John’s (Jan. 10 – 6:30 p.m.), vs. Xavier (Jan. 13 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Marquette, Wisconsin, Georgia, Butler
Bad losses: N/A
It’s unfair to drop a team for losing a key player, but you can’t ignore how important Bryce Hopkins is to this Providence team. He’s the team’s number-one scoring option on any given night and their leading rebounder on the season. That’s a lot to lose for the rest of the season.
Of course, I didn’t drop the Friars based just on Hopkins’ injury. When it comes down to it, they fell twice last week, and once at home with Hopkins for the first half. They’ll have to learn how to play without him, and learning at Creighton wasn’t the easiest start to that process.
This week is much more doable. While St. John’s is playing well, they don’t have the same level of home-court advantage. And skill-wise, Xavier is a much more even matchup and the Musketeers can sympathize with Providnece’s injuries. If the Friars can escape this week with one win, it will help their case to be an at-large team in a couple of months. There’s still a lot of talent on this team, but losing your STAR is never easy to come back from.
7. Villanova Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 4 (-3)
Record: 10-5 (3-1)
Last two weeks: W vs. Xavier (66-65), L vs. St. John’s (81-71)
Next week: vs. DePaul (Jan. 12 – 8:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: North Carolina, at Creighton, Memphis, Texas Tech
Bad losses: Drexel, Penn
Villanova was *this* close to losing to Xavier and potentially going 0-2 last week against Big East teams not named UConn, Marquette, or Creighton. That would have been a disaster, but luckily for the Wildcats, they survived Xavier by a point.
The most concerning part of last week was having two home games and not coming out with enough fire to put both teams away. Only three Wildcats even scored 10+ points against Xavier and that list didn’t include TJ Bamba or Tyler Burton. Bamba led Nova with 23 against St. John’s, but Burton once again had 3 points, Eric Dixon shot 4-of-18, and the team shot 6-for-28 from three.
Offense has been an issue all season for Kyle Neptune’s team, so a game against DePaul couldn’t come at a better time. After Friday’s game, Villanova plays on MLK Jr. Day at Marquette. There should be a lot of eyes on that game, so it’ll be important for them to figure these struggles out.
8. Butler Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: 5 (3)
Record: 10-5 (1-3)
Last two weeks: L at St. John’s (86-70), L vs. #4 UConn (88-81)
Next week: at #11 Marquette (Jan. 10 – 9 p.m.), vs. Seton Hall (Jan. 13 – Noon)
Quality wins: Texas Tech, Penn State, Boise State
Bad losses: N/A
The Bulldogs have now lost three straight games, believe it or not, the longest losing streak in the Big East. In case you didn’t know, that’s not a good fact to hold, especially with DePaul in the conference.
But there is hope! Butler outplayed UConn in the first half, obviously ultimately blowing a halftime lead and losing to the defending National Champions. Thad Matta’s group shot 8-for-17 from three and still almost delivered the upset, but playing a team that knows how to win is never easy, even at home.
Going forward, Butler’s defense needs to be addressed. They’ve now given up at least 85 points in all three of those losses. In fact, in 15 games, Butler’s surrendered 85+ points 33% of the time. Basketball is becoming faster-paced in the college game, but 85 points is still a lot to give up so often. 70-75 is a good happy medium for today’s game. Unfortunately, that streak might continue, because Marquette scores as well as anyone in the country and is coming off a somewhat embarrassing loss to Seton Hall. Good luck, Butler.
9. Xavier Musketeers
Last week’s ranking: 9 (-)
Record: 7-7 (1-2)
Last week: L at Villanova (66-65)
Next week: vs. #4 UConn (Jan. 10 – 8:30 p.m.), at Providence (Jan. 13 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Seton Hall, Saint Mary’s, Cincinnati
Bad losses: Oakland, Delaware
Xavier stays put in 9th after nearing knocking off Villanova in Philadelphia, but ultimately losing their second of the last three games. Forcing Villanova to commit 12 turnovers and shoot less than 40% from the field was the first step. But Xavier shot even worse from the field including 5-of-18 from deep. That part needed to be literally, a fraction better for the win.
Instead, we have a Xavier team with just two wins over Power 6 teams, 14 games into the season. Of course, Seton Hall and Cincinnati are both quality wins, but in early January, the quantity needs to be a bit more.
Can they add a third this week? I’m pretty sure it won’t come against UConn, but I’m intrigued on who will win the battle of second-strings between the Musketeers and Friars. It is unfortunate how both teams have lost some of their most important players, but there’s no changing that now. One team will win, and both have good resumes, so it might mean more than you think down the line.
10. Georgetown Hoyas
Last week’s ranking: 9 (-1)
Record: 8-7 (1-3)
Last week: L vs. Creighton (77-60), W vs. DePaul (68-65)
Next week: vs. Seton Hall (Jan. 9 – 6:30 p.m.), at #4 UConn (Jan. 14 – Noon)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: Holy Cross
What can Georgetown take away from last week? For one, it’s about playing two halves. The Hoyas held Creighton to 30 first-half points, but couldn’t finish the job, letting up 47 in the second half. That problem was solved in the win over DePaul, keeping them below 35 in both halves.
The biggest reason why I still believe Georgetown can end this season with a halfway-decent record in the Big East is because of their three-point shooting. Jayden Epps, Dontrez Styles, and Drew Fielder are all knock-down shooters, while a handful of other Hoyas players are good for threes here and there.
That shooting will be needed against two of the top defenses in the conference this week, in Seton Hall and UConn. A win over either would be a major upset and a testament to what Ed Cooley is doing with this program.
11. DePaul Blue Demons
Last week’s ranking: 11 (-)
Record: 3-11 (0-3)
Last week: L at #4 UConn (85-56), L at Georgetown (68-65)
Next week: vs. #22 Creighton (Jan. 9 – 9 p.m.), at Villanova (Jan. 12 – 8:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: Purdue Fort Wayne, Long Beach State, Northern Illinois, at Georgetown
In case you haven’t noticed by now, I’ve expanded to three paragraphs on each team. But in all honesty, DePaul deserves one. There isn’t much you can really expand on for a team that is 3-11 and 0-3 in Big East basketball competition. The Blue Demons have long been at the bottom of the conference, but they’ve recently hit a new low. DePaul gets blown out against pretty much everyone, and even when they cut the deficit against Georgetown down to a point on multiple occasions, they can’t finish the job. Until then, one paragraph is all they get.