Mat Mlodzinski gives his Big East basketball power rankings heading into week 11 of the 2023-24 season.
Matchup of the week: #1 UConn vs. #18 Creighton (Jan. 17 – 7 p.m.)
Sneaky good matchup of the week: Seton Hall vs. St. John’s (Jan. 16 – 8:30 p.m.)
All games listed are EST
1. UConn Huskies
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 15-2 (5-1)
Last week: W at Xavier (80-75), W vs. Georgetown (80-67)
Next week: vs. Creighton (Jan. 17 – 7 p.m.), at Villanova (Jan. 20 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: North Carolina, St. John’s, Gonzaga, at Butler, Texas, Indiana
Bad losses: N/A
The Huskies are one of the only teams in any Power 6 conference to stay in the top tier of the power rankings every week since the season started. This is the second straight week UConn has been first in my Big East Basketball Power Rankings.
No Donovan Clingan? No problem. UConn has scored 80+ points in four straight games, and according to head coach Dan Hurley, the big man may be back soon. In his absence, Alex Karaban has had a chance to show his game, averaging 20 PPG on the week. Karaban has hit 3+ threes in four straight contests, shooting 50% from deep in all of those games. He’s played like a Big East First or Second-teamer during conference play and is such an underrated part of this Huskies squad.
However, this would be the perfect week for Clingan to make his return to the lineup. UConn has had a fairly easy schedule over the past two weeks, but hosts an improving Creighton team and travels to a dangerous Villanova team this week.
2. Creighton Bluejays
Last week’s ranking: 2 (-)
Record: 13-4 (4-2)
Last week: W at DePaul (84-58), W vs. St. John’s (66-65)
Next week: at #1 UConn (Jan. 17 – 7 p.m.), at Seton Hall (Jan. 20 – Noon)
Quality wins: Alabama, at Nebraska, St. John’s, Providence, Iowa
Bad losses: UNLV
Winners of four straight, some may say Creighton got lucky with a no-call at the end of their game against St. John’s. For the record, I’m not one of those people, and either way, the Bluejays are playing some spirited basketball right now.
Ryan Kalkbrenner is starting to get into form, having averaged 19 PPG, 9 RPG, and 4 BPG last week. The standards have always been high for the Creighton big man and so far this year, he’s responded to the challenge. But Kalkbrenner and the rest of the Bluejays will need to continue to respond with two ranked road matchups in UConn and Seton Hall this week.
3. Seton Hall Pirates
Last week’s ranking: 4 (+1)
Record: 12-5 (5-1)
Last week: W at Georgetown (74-70), W at Butler (78-72)
Next week: vs. St. John’s (Jan. 16 – 8:30 p.m.), vs. Creighton (Jan. 20 – Noon)
Quality wins: UConn, Marquette, at Butler, at Providence
Bad losses: N/A
Seton Hall added another quality win to its resume, taking down Butler in Hinkle Fieldhouse. Even though the Pirates have already put together an impressive resume, their win over Missouri has lost its luster and the loss to Rutgers is nearing ‘bad losses’ territory.
Still, Kadary Richmond nabbed another Big East Player of the Week award and has to be the early frontrunner for Big East Player of the Year. Richmond, along with Dre Davis, Jaden Bediako, and Al-Amir Dawes have totally changed the notion of this team. What looked like a purely defensive squad suddenly also has one of the better offenses in the conference. Make no mistake – they’re not on Creighton’s or UConn’s level, but the Pirates have numerous bucket-getters and believe in Shaheen Holloway’s message.
We’ll see how long this streak can continue as SHU hosts St. John’s and Creighton in one of their most challenging weeks of the season. Even a 1-1 split would help the Pirates stay well within the NCAA Tournament conversation.
4. St. John’s Red Storm
Last week’s ranking: 4 (+1)
Record: 12-5 (4-2)
Last week: W vs. Providence (75-73), L at #22 Creighton (66-65)
Next week: at Seton Hall (Jan. 16 – 8:30 p.m.), vs. #17 Marquette (Jan. 20 – Noon)
Quality wins: at Villanova, Utah, Butler, Providence
Bad losses: N/A
St. John’s played two classic Big East basketball games last week, surviving Devin Carter and Providence in a hard-fought battle. On Saturday, the Red Storm lost to Creighton on a controversial call, but still showed they can hang with pretty much anyone in the country.
The Johnnies will have another challenging week, facing Seton Hall in a tri-state matchup in Newark and hosting Marquette, who somehow is still ranked in the top 20 of the AP Poll. If St. John’s can have a 2-0 week, move them into the top three of next week’s Big East Basketball Power Rankings.
5. Marquette Golden Eagles
Last week’s ranking: 3 (-2)
Record: 11-5 (2-3)
Last two weeks: L vs. Butler (69-62)
Next week: vs. Villanova (Jan. 15 – 2:30 p.m.), at St. John’s (Jan. 20 – Noon)
Quality wins: Kansas, at Illinois, Creighton, Texas
Bad losses: N/A
For the second straight week, Marquette only played one game and lost it to an unranked team. I’m at a loss for words on how the Golden Eagles are still ranked in the AP Poll, and 17th at that.
This doesn’t mean I’m giving up hope. Tyler Kolek has proven enough over the years to make me think he will come back from this slump. But while Kolek, who is 2-for-19 over the last two games, is taking most of the blame, the rest of this team shouldn’t be off the hook. Kam Jones had his first 20-point game since Nov. 10 in the loss to the Bulldogs and the Golden Eagles have only scored 80+ points once in five Big East basketball games.
6. Butler Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: 8 (+2)
Record: 11-6 (2-4)
Last two weeks: W at #11 Marquette (69-62), L vs. Seton Hall (78-72)
Next week: at Xavier (Jan. 16 – 6:30 p.m.), vs. DePaul (Jan. 20 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Marquette, Texas Tech, Boise State
Bad losses: N/A
Butler picked up their best win of the season, winning at a struggling Marquette team by 7. On a day where Pierre Brooks only had a single assist, Posh Alexander was dropping dimes with 7 assists and creating havoc with 5 steals. Butler proved that while they are a bubble team, they can play like a tournament team at times.
Of course, they couldn’t follow it up at home, losing to the red-hot Seton Hall Pirates. Still, a good 1-1 week for a Bulldogs team that desperately needed to add to its resume. This week doesn’t provide much of a chance at resume wins, but the Bulldogs have a good chance to improve their record and get to .500 in conference play.
7. Villanova Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 7 (-)
Record: 11-5 (4-1)
Last two weeks: W vs. DePaul (94-69)
Next week: at #17 Marquette (Jan. 15 – 2:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: North Carolina, at Creighton, Memphis, Texas Tech
Bad losses: Drexel, Penn
Nova had the perfect game to reset and refocus, taking down DePaul by 25 points at home. Eric Dixon found his game, finishing with a game-high 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Villanova’s been up and down throughout the season, but games like this prove when they’re at their best, they play like a top-25 team.
Will it last this week against Marquette? This is an awesome test for both teams. Marquette needs to win at home if they want to earn the trust of the college basketball world back. Villanova can re-enter the conversation with a road win in a tough environment.
8. Xavier Musketeers
Last week’s ranking: 9 (+1)
Record: 8-8 (2-3)
Last week: L vs. #4 UConn (80-75), W at Providence (85-65)
Next week: vs. Butler (Jan. 16 – 6:30 p.m.), vs. Georgetown (Jan. 19 – 6:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: Seton Hall, Saint Mary’s, Cincinnati, at Providence
Bad losses: Oakland, Delaware
Xavier had so many chances to pull off another upset and take down UConn, but couldn’t find a way to consistently stop the Huskies on defense. However, winning at Providence is no joke, especially by 20 points. That’s Xavier’s second Big East win by 20, proving that the Musketeers have the capability of getting hot and picking up impressive wins.
This week, the Musketeers must go 2-0 to keep any chance at making the Big Dance alive. Butler is in a similar position, but Xavier is at home, and Georgetown is still a year or two away from being a serious threat in the conference. Sean Miller’s team needs to take advantage of what’s in front of them.
9. Georgetown Hoyas
Last week’s ranking: 10 (+1)
Record: 8-9 (1-5)
Last week: L vs. Seton Hall (74-70), L at #4 UConn (80-67)
Next week: at Xavier (Jan. 19 – 6:30 p.m.),
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: Holy Cross
Why do the Hoyas move up after going 0-2? They earned some respect, giving SHU a lot of problems down the stretch, and not going away against the Huskies. The Pirates actually trailed by three late in the second half and UConn only saw themselves with an 8-point lead with under six minutes to go.
Ed Cooley is starting to make his new team competitive, and I wouldn’t rule out a Georgetown win against a Xavier team that is susceptible to a loss like this.
10. Providence Friars
Last week’s ranking: 6 (-4)
Record: 11-6 (2-4)
Last two weeks: L at St. John’s (75-73), L vs. Xavier (85-65)
Next week: at DePaul (Jan. 17 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins: Marquette, Wisconsin, Georgia, Butler
Bad losses: N/A
I gave Providence the benefit of the doubt last week, given the injury to Bryce Hopkins, but they’ve now lost four straight games overall. When you see Xavier staying relevant without Zach Freemantle and UConn winning games with no Donovan Clingan, you have to hold Providence to the same standard. Losing by 20 at home to Xavier isn’t acceptable, even under those circumstances.
This week, Providence gets DePaul. It’s a road game, but that never seems to matter when it’s the Blue Demons. For the Friars’ sake, hopefully, this game can get them back on track.
11. DePaul Blue Demons
Last week’s ranking: 11 (-)
Record: 3-13 (0-5)
Last week: L vs. #22 Creighton (84-58), L at Villanova (94-69)
Next week: vs. Providence (Jan. 17 – 9 p.m.), at Butler (Jan. 20 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: Purdue Fort Wayne, Long Beach State, Northern Illinois, at Georgetown
DePaul not only has 13 losses, but 7 of those losses have been by 15 points or more. That’s another level of bad and it doesn’t seem to be getting better, and obviously won’t be in the Big East.