James Stowell gives his Big East basketball power rankings for week 2 of the 2025-26 season.
Matchup of the week: Creighton at #21 Gonzaga
Darkhorse matchup of the week: Georgetown vs Clemson
Team of the week: UConn Huskies
Game of the week: Georgetown over Maryland
Player of the week: Chase Ross, Marquette
These rankings are based solely on the first week of games and will only account for each team’s performances so far this season.
All games are listed as EST.
1. UConn Huskies
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. New Haven (79-55), W vs. U Mass Lowell (110-47)
Next week: vs. Columbia (Nov. 10 – 6:30 p.m.), vs. #8 BYU (Nov. 15 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
The Huskies start on top of the Big East basketball power rankings following two blowout victories over nearby schools in New Haven, with a 24-point win over their neighbors from an hour away by car. They followed that up with a 63-point demonstration win over the River Hawks.
Alex Karaban started off against New Haven with a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double performance while shooting 60% from the field and 75% from downtown. In their second game, the Huskies were led by Tarris Reed Jr. with his own double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds. He was also a threat on the defensive end, with a steal and four blocks.
There’s also plenty of contributors across the board, from familiar faces in Jayden Ross and Solo Ball, to new transfers and recruits in Silas Demary Jr. (transfer from Georgia) and Eric Reibe (freshman recruit from Hannover, Germany).
2. Marquette Golden Eagles
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. U Albany (80-53), W vs. Southern (100-82)
Next week: vs. Indiana (Nov. 9 – 1 p.m.), vs. Little Rock (Nov. 12 – 8 p.m.), vs. Maryland (Nov. 15 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Shaka Smart led the Golden Eagles to a pair of blowout wins of their own against U Albany (27-point win) and Southern (18-point win).
Chase Ross has been leading the team on and off the court and can help put them in a position to contend for the top of the Big East as the season progresses.
However, Marquette started off rough from beyond the arc to the season, shooting barely above 20% against U Albany (20.8%). Adrien Stevens was the only player on the team to convert on more than one three-point attempt, going 2-4 against the Great Danes. They did improve tremendously for their second game, nearly doubling their three-point shooting percentage against the Jaguars (38.9%).
3. Georgetown Hoyas
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Morgan State (87-70), W vs. Maryland (70-60)
Next week: vs. Binghamton (Nov. 12 – 6:30 p.m.), vs. Clemson (Nov. 15 – Noon)
Quality wins: Maryland
Bad losses: N/A
The Hoyas started off with a 17-point victory over Morgan State and followed it up with a great win against a team that finished second in the Big 10 last year in the Maryland Terrapins.
The Hoyas, like Marquette, have struggled from downtown, shooting 15.4% and 25% to begin the new season.
Malik Mack had a great performance against Maryland, scoring 19 points and 4 assists. But like the rest of the team, he too has struggled to shoot from long range, shooting 28.6% in the first two games of the season. The Hoyas have got to improve their shot-taking and convert on those opportunities.
4. St. John’s Red Storm
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 1-1
Last week: W vs. Quinnipiac (108-74), L vs. #15 Alabama (96-103)
Next week: vs. William & Mary (Nov. 15 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Despite the tough loss to the Crimson Tide, Zuby Ejiofor and the Red Storm land fourth in the Big East basketball power rankings.
Ejiofor led the way in the loss with a 27-point, 10-rebound double-double. He also shot 66.7% from beyond the arc while also being a pest defensively with a pair of steals and blocks.
In both games this season, St. John’s has shot great from long range. Against Quinnipiac, they shot 42.1%, and they followed it up with 35.3% from downtown against the Crimson Tide. If they can keep it up as the season progresses and not lose to bad opponents, the team should see itself rise above the rest of the conference.
5. Creighton Bluejays
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 1-0
Last week: W vs. South Dakota (92-76)
Next week: at #21 Gonzaga (Nov. 11 – 10 p.m.), vs. MD Eastern (Nov. 14 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
The Bluejays have only played one game to start off a new era, one without Ryan Kalkbrenner and Steven Ashworth.
Against South Dakota, they were led by Owen Freeman, who scored 19 points off the bench. The Iowa transfer shot 81.8% from the floor and was all over the place defensively, securing 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block.
The team shot 30.8% from downtown against the Coyotes and showed a lot of promise as they face a ranked opponent in the Gonzaga Bulldogs this week.
6. Butler Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Southern Indiana (88-58), W vs. IU Indy (112-80)
Next week: vs. Chicago State (Nov. 11 – 7 p.m.), at SMU (Nov. 15 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
The Bulldogs are one of only four 2-0 teams left on the Big East basketball power rankings.
Against Southern Indiana, they were led by Michael Ajayi with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Butler shot 44.4% from beyond the arc and held down the fort defensively, with their opponents only shooting 29.6%.
Their second game was also a blowout win with another double-double from Ajayi (11 points, 14 rebounds), but the team shot poorly from downtown, only converting on 5-24 from downtown (20.8%). The silver lining in that poor performance was how bad IU Indy shot from downtown, a poor 21.7%.
7. Seton Hall Pirates
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. St. Peter’s (77-50), W vs. Wagner (68-61)
Next week: vs. Fairfield (Nov. 10 – 7 p.m.), vs. Monmouth (Nov. 13 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
The Pirates started off the season with a good win against the Peacocks. Najai Hines was the leading scorer with 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 blocks, something you don’t often see from a freshman forward. The game also saw the team shoot 33.3% from downtown.
Seton Hall then followed it up with a narrow win against Wagner, which saw Elijah Fisher, a familiar name for DePaul fans, score 21 points despite shooting poorly from beyond the arc (25%).
That game against Wagner was a poor defensive performance as a whole. Against the Pirates, Wagner shot a red-hot 48% from long range. This game was close throughout the second half, a game that saw the Pirates down 31-30 at halftime. Under four minutes to go, Seton Hall led by 10 points, Wagner kept firing back, making it close before, eventually, good defensive performances from Stephon Payne III (5 blocks) and clutch free-throw shooting from Fisher (4-7 from the line) allowed the Pirates to squeak by.
8. DePaul Blue Demons
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Chicago State (92-62), W vs. Stonehill (72-64)
Next week: vs. Buffalo (Nov. 11 – 8 p.m.), vs. Northwestern (Nov. 14 – 8:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
The Blue Demons started off the season with a dominating, 92-62 victory over their nearby neighbor in Chicago State. N.J. Benson showcased his skills from last year with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Their second win against Stonehill was an ugly win that saw DePaul squander a 10-point lead early in the second half, then the Skyhawks took the lead with about eight minutes to go. C.J. Gunn would lead the Blue Demons, scoring 28 points, a career high.
Throughout the game, the Blue Demons shot poorly from downtown, only converting 5-24 (20.8%) of the time. That has to improve if DePaul seeks to rise in the Big East basketball power rankings. A win is a win, but blowing a 10-point lead is not a good thing to see, even this early on.
9. Xavier Musketeers
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Marist (66-62), W vs. Le Moyne (74-69)
Next week: vs. Santa Clara (Nov. 10 – 8:30 p.m.), at Iowa (Nov. 14 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
The Musketeers also had a close, ugly win to start the new season. Against Marist, the team was led by Montana transfer Malik Messina-Moore, who scored 16 points despite shooting 20% from beyond the arc. The team as a whole shot a poor 26.9% from downtown.
Like the Blue Demons, Xavier squandered a lead in the second half. Only leading 29-19 coming out of halftime, the Musketeers exploded early on, leading 40-20 about four minutes into the second half. Over the next 10 minutes, the teams would exchange scoring plays, but Xavier would always keep Marist at bay.
After two free throws from Jordan Gabriel with 3:22 left in the game, Marist took its first lead in the second half. Xavier would quickly take it back, but the win was still too close to call.
Their second game against Le Moyne saw a much better shooting performance, shooting 52% from downtown. Messina-Moore shot 50% from beyond the three-point line in a solid 17-point performance. The win was still a bit too close to call against a team that beat Texas in the first four to sneak into March Madness.
10. Villanova Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 1-1
Last week: L vs. #8 BYU (66-71), W vs. Queens (94-74)
Next week: vs. Sacred Heart (Nov. 11 – 7 p.m.), vs. Duquesne (Nov. 15 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Villanova clawed back in the second half against BYU, one of the best teams in the nation. Coming back from a 10-point deficit, the Wildcats fought back and forth with the Cougars throughout the rest of the game.
The starting five struggled throughout the game, which saw the bench, mainly Bryce Lindsay, force their way into a close game. Lindsay himself scored 22 points and shot 55.6% from long range.
In their blowout win over Queens, despite a poor team performance from downtown (21.1%), Villanova bounced back from their tough loss to a ranked opponent and showcased a positive direction, and even a possible bright future with Lindsay, who scored 25 points and shot 10-11 (90.9%) from the line. The transfer from JMU has the potential to shock the rest of the conference.
11. Providence Friars
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Record: 1-1
Last week: W vs. Holy Cross (89-79), L vs. Virginia Tech (107-101 OT)
Next week: vs. Penn (Nov. 11 – 7 p.m.), at Colorado (Nov. 14 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: Virginia Tech
After starting off the season high with a win like almost the rest of the Big East, the Friars got upset at home against Virginia Tech.
Despite an amazing 28-point performance from Jason Edwards, Providence blew the lead. Throughout the second half, the Friars and Hokies changed leads, and neither team could secure it for the rest of the half. After four points from Edwards off a mid-range jumper and a pair of free throws with 1:21 left in the game, the Friars’ defense collapsed with 21 seconds left in the game.
In overtime, Virginia Tech led the entire time, and Providence only got close with 2:11 left in overtime, where the Hokies had a 96-95 lead. Virginia Tech had an amazing performance from downtown, shooting 42.9%.