James Stowell gives his week 12 picks for each team in the Big East basketball power rankings.
Week 11 team of the week:Â UConn Huskies
Week 11 game of the week: UConn over #25 Seton Hall (69-64)
Week 11 player of the week: C.J. Gunn, DePaul
Week 12 matchup of the week: St. John’s vs. Seton Hall (Jan. 20 – 7 p.m.)
Week 12 under-the-radar matchup of the week: Creighton vs. Xavier (Jan. 21 – 7 p.m.)
All games are listed as EST.
1. UConn Huskies
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 18-1 (8-0)
Last week: W at #25 Seton Hall (69-64), W at Georgetown (64-62)
Next week: vs. Villanova (Jan. 24 – 12:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Kansas, Illinois (Neutral), Florida (Neutral), BYU (Neutral), at Seton Hall, Texas
Bad losses: N/A
Another week, another time the UConn Huskies remain on top of the Big East basketball power rankings.
A pair of close wins against Seton Hall and Georgetown, with the former being their first win against a ranked opponent since their 77-73 win against the defending champion Florida Gators. That game saw poor shooting all around, with the Huskies shooting 3-17 (18%) from beyond the arc and 16-26 (62%) at the line.
Tarris Reed Jr. led the team in scoring and nearly recorded a double-double with 21 points and 9 rebounds.
A short week is ahead for the Huskies with one game this weekend against Villanova.
2. St. John’s Red Storm
Last week’s ranking: 3 (+1)
Record: 13-5 (6-1)
Last week: W vs. Marquette (92-68), W at Villanova (86-79)
Next week: vs. #25 Seton Hall (Jan. 20 – 7 p.m.), at Xavier (Jan. 24 – 2:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Villanova, Baylor (Neutral), at Creighton, Ole Miss
Bad losses: Providence
St. John’s climbs back into the top two of the Big East power rankings, following another week of wins. The team is currently riding hot with a four-game winning streak.
Oziyah Sellers and Zuby Ejiofor scored a combined 46 points against the Golden Eagles (24 points for Sellers, 22 points for Ejiofor). The team attacked the basket aggressively, which resulted in St. John’s shooting 21-24 (88%) from the charity stripe.
Bryce Hopkins and the Red Storm followed that up with a close win against Villanova in terms of the box score. After leading 36-35 at halftime, the team scored 50 points to Villanova’s 44 to get a great win on the road.
3. Villanova Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 4 (+1)
Record: 14-4 (5-2)
Last week: W at Providence (88-82), L vs. St. John’s (79-86)
Next week: vs. Georgetown (Jan. 21 – 7 p.m.), at #3 UConn (Jan. 24 – 12:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Seton Hall, Wisconsin, at Butler
Bad losses: N/A
An up-and-down week for the Villanova Wildcats sees them climb up to the top three in the Big East basketball power rankings.
A close win on the road against Providence despite being outscored 48-42 in the second half by the Friars. Devin Askew went off from the bench, leading the team with 20 points and 7 assists.
In their next game against the Red Storm, the team did well from the perimeter, shooting 11-26 (42%) from beyond the arc. However, they didn’t perform well in the paint, as they were outscored inside 42-22.
4. Seton Hall Pirates
Last week’s ranking: 2 (-2)
Record: 14-4 (4-3)
Last week: L vs. #4 UConn (64-69), L vs. Butler (66-77)
Next week: at St. John’s (Jan. 20 – 7 p.m.), at DePaul (Jan. 24 – 5 p.m.)
Quality wins: NC State (Neutral), Creighton
Bad losses: N/A
After a great start to conference play, the Pirates have hit a road block, with back-t0-back losses to a strong UConn Huskies and an upset loss to a hungry Butler Bulldogs squad.
Their loss to UConn was a tough pill to swallow. They couldn’t get a bucket from long range, shooting 1-16 (6%) from downtown. Mike Williams led the team with 16 points and was the only player to score from beyond the arc, going 1-8 (12.5%) in his attempts.
Their follow-up game against Butler saw similar poor perimeter shooting, with the team going 3-17 (18%) from downtown, spoiling a great double-double performance from Najai Hines (11 points and 16 rebounds).
5. Creighton Bluejays
Last week’s ranking: 5 (-)
Record: 11-8 (5-3)
Last week: W vs. Georgetown (86-83), L at Providence (88-93)
Next week: vs. Xavier (Jan. 21 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Villanova
Bad losses: at Providence
Like Villanova, Creighton also had a rollercoaster of a week. Since their win against Butler a few weeks ago, they haven’t been able to create a winning streak, ironically they’ve been able to avoid a losing streak as well.
In their win against Georgetown, the Bluejays were led by Austin Swartz with 33 points while shooting 12-16 (75%) from the field and 8-12 (66.7%) from downtown.
6. Butler Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: 6 (-)
Record: 11-7 (2-5)
Last week: L at Xavier (75-89), W at #25 Seton Hall (77-66)
Next week: vs. DePaul (Jan. 20 – 7:30 p.m.), vs. Marquette (Jan. 23 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Seton Hall, Virginia (Neutral)
Bad losses: Boise State
After starting the week off rough with a loss to Xavier, they responded with an upset road win over Seton Hall. Finley Bizjack had an amazing performance with 25 points and 3 rebounds. He shot 7-11 (63.6%) overall, 4-7 (57.1%) from beyond the arc, and 7-7 (100%) at the line.
7. DePaul Blue Demons
Last week’s ranking: 7 (-)
Record: 11-7 (3-4)
Last week: W vs. Marquette (80-75)
Next week: at Butler (Jan. 20 – 7:30 p.m.), vs. #25 Seton Hall (Jan. 24 – 5 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: Buffalo, Northwestern
DePaul beat its hated rivals, the Marquette Golden Eagles, at home in a game for the ages. After trailing 44-36 at halftime, Chris Holtmann and the Blue Demons flipped the script and outscored Marquette 44-31 in the second half.
C.J. Gunn had a night to remember, with 31 points and 7 rebounds. He shot 11-23 (47.8%) overall and 7-13 (53.8%) from downtown. This game saw DePaul dominate the glass, outrebounding Marquette 42-30. Holtmann followed up the win by buying a round for the fans at a local bar to celebrate the victory over their rivals.
8. Xavier Musketeers
Last week’s ranking: 8 (-)
Record: 11-7 (3-4)
Last week: W vs. Butler (89-75)
Next week: at Creighton (Jan. 21 – 7 p.m.), vs. St. John’s (Jan. 24 – 2:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: West Virginia (Neutral), Cincinnati
Bad losses: at DePaul, at Marquette
Like DePaul, the Xavier Musketeers had a short week with a win over a team not too far away from them geographically in a win over Butler. Tre Carroll nearly recorded a double-double with 29 points and 9 rebounds. He shot 12-22 from the field and 4-5 from the charity stripe.
Xavier faces a tough week coming up, with games against two of the best in the Big East.
9. Providence Friars
Last week’s ranking: 10 (+1)
Record: 9-9 (2-5)
Last week: L vs. Villanova (82-88), W vs. Creighton (93-88)
Next week: at Marquette (Jan. 19 – 6 p.m.), vs. Georgetown (Jan. 24 – 6:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at St. John’s, Creighton
Bad losses: at Xavier
The Friars had an up-and-down week yet again, a close loss to Villanova, followed by a win against a strong Creighton Bluejays team.
Against Creighton, Providence saw two players record double-doubles. Jamier Jones scored 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Oswin Erhunmwunse recorded 14 points and 13 rebounds. These two, along with Stefan Vaaks’ team leading 24 points and 7 assists, led to a great win at home.
10. Georgetown Hoyas
Last week’s ranking: 9 (-1)
Record: 9-9 (1-6)
Last week: L at Creighton (83-86), L vs. #3 UConn (62-64)
Next week: at Villanova (Jan. 21 – 7 p.m.), at Providence (Jan. 24 – 12:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: Clemson
Bad losses: at DePaul, Xavier
It’s been a painful time for the Georgetown Hoyas since conference play got under full swing. From going 1-1 to Marquette and Xavier before losing five games straight to conference opponents, this year had turned upside down for Georgetown.
Both losses were within one possession, which makes it hurt even more for Hoyas fans as the team continues to look for its first win since their blowout win over Coppin State (97-67) nearly a month ago.
11. Marquette Golden Eagles
Last week’s ranking: 11 (-)
Record: 6-13 (1-7)
Last week: L at St. John’s (68-92), L at DePaul (75-80)
Next week: vs. Providence (Jan. 19 – 6 p.m.), at Butler (Jan. 23 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: at DePaul, Georgetown, Maryland
Marquette continues its downward spiral in conference play. From fourth in the Big East the previous season and a March Madness appearance to only one conference win this season has been a confusing experience for the Golden Eagles.
Following a blowout loss to St. John’s, the team traveled to face their rivals in the DePaul Blue Demons and lost at the Wintrust Arena for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
After dominating the first half, leading 44-36, the rug was pulled out from under them as they watched their lead evaporate almost immediately. Like the Hoyas, Marquette still searches for an end to a lengthy losing streak as they face two opponents in Providence and Butler.