James Stowell gives his week 10 picks for each team in the Big East basketball power rankings.
Week 9 team of the week:Â UConn Huskies
Week 9 game of the week: Providence over St. John’s (77-71)
Week 9 player of the week: Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s
Week 10 matchup of the week: St. John’s at Creighton (Jan. 10 – 2 p.m.)
Week 10 under-the-radar matchup of the week: Georgetown vs. Seton Hall (Jan. 10 – 6 p.m.)
All games are listed as EST.
1. UConn Huskies
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 14-1 (4-0)
Last week: W at Xavier (90-67), W vs. Marquette (73-57)
Next week: at Providence (Jan. 7 – 7 p.m.), vs. DePaul (Jan. 10 – 12:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Kansas, Illinois (Neutral), BYU, at Florida (Neutral)
Bad losses: N/A
Another strong week for the Huskies. Will they ever fall from the top spot in the Big East basketball power rankings? Not this week, after a pair of blowout wins over Xavier and Marquette.
Both games were one-sided victories for UConn. Against Xavier, they were led by Alex Karaban with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 7-13 (53.8%) from the field, 3-5 (60%) from downtown, and 2-2 (100%) at the line. This game also featured three other double-digit scorers in Tarris Reed Jr. (10 points), Braylon Mullins (17 points), and Solo Ball (17 points).
The team shot 33-62 (53%) overall, 11-14 (79%) from the charity stripe, and a scorching 13-28 (46%) from beyond the arc.
Their follow-up against Marquette was the same deal with the Huskies, never allowing their opponents to gain a lead. This time, UConn was led by Ball with 17 points and 8 rebounds. He shot 6-12 (50%) from the field, 1-5 (20%) from long range, and 4-5 (80%) at the stripe.
The team fell from grace in terms of their shooting across the board, in particular, their perimeter shooting, converting 5-24 (21%) from beyond the arc. Silas Demary Jr. was the only UConn player to convert on more than one three-point attempt, going 3-3 (100%).
The team shot 27-63 (43%) overall and 14-21 (67%) at the line.
2. Seton Hall Pirates
Last week’s ranking: 3 (+1)
Record: 13-2 (3-1)
Last week: W at Marquette (79-73), W vs. Creighton (56-54)
Next week: at Georgetown (Jan. 10 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: NC State (Neutral), Creighton, at Kansas State
Bad losses: N/A
After a loss to Villanova, Seton Hall bounced back with a pair of wins against two teams that made March Madness the previous year.
Seton Hall started their game off against the Golden Eagles with a firm lead off the back of two scoring runs. The first was a 7-0 run to give them a 7-1 lead with 16:01 left in the first half. The second was a 9-2 run to give the Pirates a 16-8 lead with 12:47 left in the half.
With a 39-38 lead at halftime, the Pirates would lose the lead early on in the second half, but would eventually steal the win back from Marquette with a 13-0 run over the last three minutes of the game.
Seton Hall was led by Stephon Payne with a double-double of 14 points and 22 rebounds. He shot 3-8 (37.5%) overall and 8-12 (66.7%) from the line. The team as a whole shot 25-64 (39%) from the field, 7-20 (35%) from downtown, and 22-29 (76%) from the stripe. A big contributor to the win was the rebounding, as the Pirates outrebounded the Golden Eagles 51-33.
Against Creighton, Seton Hall saw itself down for most of the game. Down 20-11 with 6:34 left in the half, they went on a 7-0 run to cut the Bluejays’ lead to 20-18.
In the second, they were down 43-27. The Pirates would go on a lengthy, 16-2 scoring run to put the score within 2 points, as Creighton’s lead was cut down to 45-43. After a Joshua Rivera dunk with 22 seconds left in the game, Najai Hines would seal the win with an and-one putback. Following the completion of the three-point play, Seton Hall stole the win from Creighton to win two conference games in a row.
Seton Hall was led by Elijah Fisher with 10 points and 3 rebounds while shooting 3-8 (37.5%) from the field. 0-2 (0%) from downtown, and 4-4 (100%) at the line. The team shot poorly everywhere away from the free-throw line, converting 19-53 (36%) from the field, 2-7 (29%) from long range, and 16-19 (84%) from the charity stripe. The Pirates had a slight edge in the paint, outscoring Creighton 26-20 in the paint.
3. St. John’s Red Storm
Last week’s ranking: 2 (-1)
Record: 9-5 (2-1)
Last week: W at Georgetown (95-83), L vs. Providence (71-77)
Next week: at Butler (Jan. 6 – 7 p.m.), at Creighton (Jan. 10 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Baylor (Neutral), Ole Miss
Bad losses: N/A
The Red Storm has had an up-and-down week to end 2025.
They started it with a win against Georgetown on the road. In the first half, it was mostly a close matchup. St. John’s would trade the lead with the Hoyas for most of the time until under seven minutes left on the clock for the half, where Oziyah Sellers would kick off a 10-0 run, and the team would take a 41-38 lead with 3:57 left in the half. The Red Storm would eventually take a 52-47 lead at halftime.
St. John’s would grow the lead to seal the win; one notable point came from a 10-2 scoring run, giving them a 75-60 lead with 10:48 left in the game.
Against Georgetown, the Red Storm were led by  Zuby Ejiofor with 25 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 7-9 (77.8%) from the field, 1-2 (50%) from beyond the arc, and 10-13 (76.9%) from the charity stripe.
The team shot 30-60 (50%) from the floor, 15-27 (56%) from downtown, and 20-26 (77%) at the line.
Against Providence, the Red Storm saw their leads ripped out from under them on multiple occasions.
In the first half, they led for the majority of the time until 4:44 left in the half, when they trailed for the first time with the score 25-24. St. John’s would retake the lead and take control at halftime following a 10-1 scoring run.
St. John’s led 38-31 at halftime and would keep that lead until the last few minutes. With 3:19 left on the clock, Providence would rip their lead away with a 9-2 scoring run, with the Red Storm only scoring one point in the last two minutes following Zuby Ejiofor making a free throw after missing the first one.
St. John’s was led by Ejiofor again with 33 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. This double-double performance saw Ejiofor dominate on the offensive glass, recording 11 offensive rebounds. He shot 8-16 (50%) from the field, 3-6 (50%) from beyond the arc, and 14-23 (60.9%) at the line. He was a bit too aggressive with the ball in this game, recording 7 turnovers against the Friars.
The team shot poorly in this game across the board. They shot 20-71 (28%) overall, 7-31 (23%) from beyond the arc, and 24-37 (65%) at the line.
4. Villanova Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 4 (-)
Record: 12-2 (3-0)
Last week: W vs. DePaul (71-66), W at Butler (85-67)
Next week: vs. Creighton (Jan. 7 – 7:30 p.m.), at Marquette (Jan. 10 – 2:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Seton Hall, Wisconsin, at Butler
Bad losses: N/A
After their recent loss to Michigan, Villanova has gone on a tear, a five-game winning streak going into conference play.
Against the Blue Demons, Villanova saw a tightly contested matchup until the critical moments of the game. After Tyler Perkins tied the game 56-56 with a three-pointer with 5:36 left in the game, the Wildcats went on a 13-2 run to take a 69-66 lead to seal the win.
Against DePaul, the Wildcats were led by the duo of Perkins and Bryce Lindsay with 19 points each. Perkins shot 5-12 (41.7%) from the floor, 4-6 (66.7%) from beyond the arc, and 5-5 (100%) from the charity stripe. The team shot 20-58 (34%) from the field, 10-23 (43%) from downtown, and 21-31 (68%) at the line.
Another key stat against DePaul came in transition, as Villanova outscored the Blue Demons 19-8 in points off turnovers.
In their game against Butler, it was a tale of two halves. For Villanova, the second half was pure class. Starting with a 10-0 run within the first three minutes, leading 40-30. Villanova would never stop applying the pressure, going on another 8-0 run to take a 71-56 lead with 4:39 left in the game.
Against the Bulldogs, they were led by Lindsay with 18 points and 2 assists while shooting 7-13 (53.8%) overall, 3-7 (42.9%) from beyond the arc, and 1-1 (100%) at the line. All but 11 of the Wildcats’ points came from the starting lineup.
The team shot 32-58 (55%) overall, 7-21 (33%) from downtown, and 14-20 (70%) at the stripe. Villanova dominated inside, outscoring Butler 46-28 in the paint.
5. Creighton Bluejays
Last week’s ranking: 7 (+2)
Record: 9-6 (3-1)
Last week: W vs. Butler (89-85), L at Seton Hall (54-56)
Next week: at Villanova (Jan. 7 – 7:30 p.m.), vs. St. John’s (Jan. 10 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Oregon (Neutral)
Bad losses: N/A
Creighton had an up-and-down week, with a close win and an even closer loss to close the week out.
Against Butler, it was a tightly contested game throughout the way; despite leading for almost the entirety of the contest. Butler fought constantly to chip away at any leads the Bluejays created.
With over nine minutes remaining in the first half, Creighton led 29-20 before Butler went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 29-28 with 5:36 remaining in the half. Another occasion appeared late in the second half where Creighton continued to score and eventually had a 59-51 lead with under 13 minutes to go. Butler would chip away again to shrink the lead to within three points.
With less than 20 seconds left in the game, Butler clawed back again, cutting Creighton’s lead to 3 points. The Bluejays, however, would seal the deal with Jasen Green and Nik Graves each converting on a pair of free throws to win 89-85.
Creighton was led by Green with 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. He shot 8-11 (72.7%) from the field, 1-2 (50%), and 6-6 (100%) at the line.
Their loss to Seton Hall, Creighton led for most of the game. With 6:34 left in the half, Â they led 20-11. They would then see their lead evaporate as the Pirates went on a 7-0 run to cut the Bluejays’ lead to 20-18.
In the second, Creighton saw itself comfortably leading 43-27. The Bluejays would squander that lead again as Seton Hall would go on a 16-2 scoring run to put the score within 2 points, as Creighton’s lead was cut down to 45-43. The Pirates would steal the win out from under the Bluejays on a last-second putback from Najai Hines to take the game.
The Bluejays were led by Austin Swartz with 16 points and 4 rebounds. He shot 6-14 (42.9%) overall and 4-9 (44.4%) from beyond the arc. Another key player was Josh Dix, with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The team shot 19-55 (35%) from the floor, 6-27 (22%) from beyond the arc, and 10-16 (63%) at the stripe.
6. Georgetown Hoyas
Last week’s ranking: 5 (-1)
Record: 9-5 (1-2)
Last week: L vs. St. John’s (83-95)
Next week: at DePaul (Jan. 6 – 8 p.m.), vs. Seton Hall (Jan. 10 – 6 p.m.),
Quality wins: Clemson
Bad losses: N/A
It was a short, painful week for Georgetown, losing its only game of the week to St. John’s.
Their matchup against the Red Storm was close in the first half. The Hoyas would trade leads with St. John’s for most of the time until under seven minutes left on the clock for the half, where Oziyah Sellers started a 10-0 run. This saw Georgetown trail 41-38 with 3:57 left in the half. The Hoyas would trail 52-47 at halftime.
After that, Georgetown would fail to take the lead in the second half and would end the week with a loss.
Against St. John’s, the team was led by K.J. Lewis with 27 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals. He shot 8-18 (44.4%) overall, 1-5 (20%) from downtown, and 10-10 (100%) from the charity stripe.
The Hoyas shot 28-61 (46%) from the floor, 9-21 (43%) from downtown, and 18-23 (78%) at the line.
7. Butler Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: 6 (-1)
Record: 10-5 (1-3)
Last week: L at Creighton (85-89), L vs. Villanova (67-85)
Next week: vs. St. John’s (Jan. 6 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: Virginia (Neutral)
Bad losses: N/A
A bad week for the Bulldogs with a pair of losses, first a close one to Creighton, then a blowout loss to Villanova.
In their first game of the week against the Bluejays, they only led once in the early stages of the game when Drayton Jones nailed a jumper to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead to start the game. Despite that being their only lead, they were close on several occasions to taking the lead from Creighton.
With over nine minutes remaining in the first half, Butler was down 20-29 before going on an 8-0 run to put the deficit to 28-29 with 5:36 remaining in the half. Another occasion appeared late in the second half where Butler saw itself down 51-59 with under 13 minutes to go. The Bulldogs would go on a 5-0 run to put the score within 3 points with 11:17 left on the clock.
Even with less than 20 seconds left in the game, Butler fought back, eventually putting the score within 3 points again after Evan Haywood nailed a 27-foot jumper to bring Creighton’s lead to only 85-82. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Creighton would convert on four clutch free throws to seal the game.
Butler was led by Yohan Traore, coming off the bench with 20 points and 7 rebounds. He shot 8-13 (40%) overall and 4-4 (100%) at the line. The team as a unit converted 31-75 (41%) from the floor, 8-26 (31%) from downtown, and 15-19 (79%) from the free-throw line.
Despite the loss, Butler was the better team in the paint, outrebounding the Bluejays 42-35 and outscoring them in the paint 46-34.
Their second game of the week against the Wildcats was more of a tale of two halves. While the Wildcats dominated the second half, Butler fought to keep the narrow leads that they had, only to squander them later in the first half.
Early on, Butler led 5-4 with 16:21 left in the first, and the Bulldogs would go on a 7-1 run to create a 14-5 lead in nearly three minutes. After that, they fought off Villanova throughout the first half, never allowing their opponents to get a lead for the rest of the first half. Butler would go on to be outscored 55-34 in the second half and lose 67-85.
The Bulldogs were led by Finley Bizjack with 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. He shot 6-16 (37.5%) from the field, 1-6 (16.7%) from beyond the arc, and 5-5 (100%) from the line.
Meanwhile, the team shot 24-63 (38%) overall, 6-27 (22%) from long range, and 13-14 (93%) from the charity stripe. Butler, like in their loss to Creighton, outrebounded their opponents. This time, the difference was 36-30, and they didn’t outscore Villanova in the paint.
8. Providence Friars
Last week’s ranking: 10 (+2)
Record: 8-6 (1-2)
Last week: W at St. John’s (77-71)
Next week: vs. #4 UConn (Jan. 7 – 7 p.m.), at Xavier (Jan. 10 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: at St. John’s
Bad losses: N/A
Providence proved its mettle with a late comeback victory in enemy territory against a strong St. John’s team. While they trailed for a good amount of the game, they proved they can pull a win from the jaws of defeat in the clutch.
Trailing 69-70 with 2:02 left in the game, Stefan Vaaks kick-started an 8-1 run with a three-pointer to get an upset victory on the road.
Vaaks led the way off the bench with 16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. He shot 5-9 (55.6%) overall, 4-6 (66.7%) from downtown, and 2-3 (66.7%) at the stripe.
The Friars shot 25-64 (39%) from the field, 6-18 (33%) beyond the arc, and 21-28 (75%) at the line.
9. DePaul Blue Demons
Last week’s ranking: 9 (-)
Record: 9-6 (1-3)
Last week: L at Villanova (66-71), W vs. Xavier (86-77)
Next week: vs. Georgetown (Jan. 6 – 8 p.m.), at #4 UConn (Jan. 10 – 12:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: Buffalo
DePaul ended the week with a pair of close matchups against Xavier and Villanova.
On the road against Villanova, the Blue Demons saw a tightly contested matchup until the critical moments of the game. At several points in the game, DePaul had a lead only to squander it, as we’ve seen in several of their conference matchups this season. With 2:30 left in the first, DePaul led 30-21 before seeing their opponents go on a 7-0 run to cut their lead to 30-28.
With under 11 minutes to go in the second half, the Blue Demons led 50-40. Villanova would go on an 8-0 run to cut it down to two points again. Eventually, both teams were tied 56-56 before Villanova broke away, leading 61-60 with 4:18 remaining on the clock. After another 8-0 run, DePaul would never recover.
The Blue Demons were led by C.J. Gunn with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. He shot 6-12 (50%) from the field, 1-3 (33.3%) from downtown, and 2-4 (50%) from the line. The team shot 27-60 (45%) overall, 5-19 (26%) from beyond the arc, and 7-12 (58%) at the stripe. Despite the loss, DePaul dominated in the paint, outscoring Villanova 36-16 in the paint.
In their second game of the week, DePaul got a win at home against the Musketeers.
Like their game against Villanova, DePaul kept it highly contested, only allowing Xavier to have minuscule leads, the highest being 3 points. On multiple occasions, their opponents would cut into the lead, only for Gunn and the rest of the Blue Demons to go on another run. Late in the game, DePaul led 66-65 with a little over five minutes to go in the game. The Musketeers would continue to cut into DePaul’s lead, cutting the lead to within three with 2:22 left in the game. R.J. Smith would perform well in the clutch, scoring a three-pointer and a pair of free throws to help seal the win to give DePaul its first conference win of the season.
Gunn again led the Blue Demons with 22 points and 6 rebounds. He shot 8-16 (50%) from the field, 3-8 (37.5%) from downtown, and 3-4 (75%) at the line. The team would convert 26-52 (50%) overall, 9-24 (38%) from long range, and 25-31 (81%) at the charity stripe.
10. Xavier Musketeers
Last week’s ranking: 7 (-3)
Record: 9-6 (1-3)
Last week: L vs. #4 UConn (67-90), L at DePaul (77-86)
Next week: at Marquette (Jan. 7 – 7 p.m.), vs. Providence (Jan. 10 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: West Virginia (Neutral), Cincinnati
Bad losses: at DePaul
After going 1-1 to start conference play, the Musketeers followed that up with a pair of losses to two teams on the opposite levels of the rankings.
Against the Huskies, Xavier never saw the lead in a blowout defeat. They were led by Malik Messina-Moore with 16 points and 4 assists. He shot 5-10 (50%) from the field, 2-6 (33.3%) from downtown, and 4-5 (80%) at the line. The team shot 24-56 (43%) overall, 4-18 (22%) from long range, and 15-22 (68%) from the charity stripe.
On the road against DePaul, they only had minuscule leads, the highest being 3 points. On multiple occasions, they would cut into the Blue Demons’ lead, only to watch as they went on another run. Late in the game, Xavier trailed only 65-66 with a little over five minutes to go in the game. The Musketeers would continue to cut into DePaul’s lead, trailing by three points with 2:22 left in the game, before DePaul went on a run to end the game.
The Musketeers were led by Tre Carroll with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. He shot 7-16 (43.8%) overall, 1-8 (12.5%) from beyond the arc, and 2-3 (66.7%) at the line.
The team shot 28-69 (41%) from the field, 11-33 (33%) from downtown, and 10-14 (71%) at the free throw line.
11. Marquette Golden Eagles
Last week’s ranking: 11 (-)
Record: 5-10 (0-4)
Last week: L vs. Seton Hall (73-79), L at #4 UConn (57-73)
Next week: vs. Xavier (Jan. 7 – 7 p.m.), vs. Villanova (Jan. 10 – 2:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
2026 hasn’t started well for the Golden Eagles, with a pair of losses to Seton Hall and UConn.
Against Seton Hall, Marquette trailed by one point at halftime. They would take a lead early in the second after going on a 9-0 run to increase the score to 55-45. Later, they would lead 60-58 with 7:48 left to go in the game. The Golden Eagles would go on a 7-2 run to extend their lead, this time to 67-60.
With 3:25 left on the game clock, their momentum stalled out, ultimately going scoreless in the homestretch of the game as Seton Hall went on a 13-0 run to seal another loss for Marquette.
Ben Gold led the Golden Eagles with 19 points and 7 rebounds. He shot 5-11 (45.5%) overall, 1-7 (14.3%) from downtown, and 8-8 (100%) from the charity stripe. The team shot 23-63 (37%) from the field, 8-27 (30%) from beyond the arc, and 19-27 (70%) at the stripe.
Their loss to UConn was one-sided to say the least. The Golden Eagles weren’t able to obtain a lead at any point of the game as the Huskies cruised to their 10th straight win.
Against UConn, Marquette was led by Nigel James Jr. with 15 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists. He shot 5-18 (27.8%) overall, 1-3 (33.3%) from long range, and 4-7 (57.1%) at the line. The team shot 20-62 (32%) from the floor, 5-24 (21%) from downtown, and 12-19 (63%) from the free throw line. Despite the loss, Marquette was the better team in transition, outscoring the Huskies 14-8 in points off turnovers.