James Stowell gives his week 13 picks for each team in the Big East basketball power rankings.
Week 12 team of the week: St. John’s Red Storm
Week 12 game of the week: St. John’s over Xavier (88-73)
Week 12 player of the week: Nigel James Jr., Marquette
Week 13 matchup of the week: Creighton vs. #2 UConn (Jan. 31 – 8 p.m.)
Week 13 under-the-radar matchup of the week: St. John’s vs. Butler (Jan. 28 – 7 p.m.)
All games are listed as EST.
1. UConn Huskies
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 19-1 (9-0)
Last week: W vs. Villanova (75-67 OT)
Next week: vs. Providence (Jan. 27 – 7:30 p.m.), at Creighton (Jan. 31 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Kansas, Illinois (Neutral), Florida (Neutral), BYU (Neutral), Villanova, at Seton Hall, Texas
Bad losses: N/A
13 weeks with the UConn Huskies on top of the Big East Basketball Power Rankings.
It was a short week for them with a win over Villanova in overtime that was possible thanks to Tarris Reed Jr’s tip-in layup with less than a minute to go. Reed Jr. would record a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds in the victory.
The win came through a combination of Solo Ball’s relentless scoring as he led the team with 24 points and 5 rebounds, but another factor came through Alex Karaban’s clutch free-throw shooting as he scored 8 of his 17 points at the charity stripe (he shot 8-9, 88.9% at the line).
2. St. John’s Red Storm
Last week’s ranking: 2 (-)
Record: 15-5 (8-1)
Last week: W vs. Seton Hall (65-60), W at Xavier (88-73)
Next week: vs. Butler (Jan. 28 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Villanova, Baylor (Neutral), at Creighton, Seton Hall, Ole Miss
Bad losses: Providence
A pair of wins for Rick Pitino and the Red Storm, including his 900th win, one of four coaches to ever accomplish that feat, as St. John’s overcame a 16-point deficit against Xavier to get the win. It was also special for Pitino as he got his 900th win over his son Richard, the head coach of the Musketeers.
Zuby Ejiofor recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Bryce Hopkins wasn’t that far away from one of his own with 18 points and 8 rebounds.
The Red Storm have a short week ahead with a home game against Butler to end January.
3. Villanova Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 3 (-)
Record: 15-5 (6-3)
Last week: W vs. Georgetown (66-51), L at #2 UConn (67-75 OT)
Next week: vs. Providence (Jan. 30 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: Wisconsin, at Seton Hall, at Butler
Bad losses: N/A
Another up-and-down week for the Villanova Wildcats, but they managed to remain in the top three despite an overtime loss to UConn.
Against Georgetown, Tyler Perkins led the team with 16 points and 5 rebounds, while shooting 5-15 (33.3%) from the field. Despite the win, the Wildcats didn’t have the best of times from downtown, going 7-22 (32%) from beyond the arc. They made up for this with an amazing performance in transition, outscoring the Hoyas 20-5 in points off turnovers while recording 12 steals.
4. Creighton Bluejays
Last week’s ranking: 5 (+1)
Record: 12-8 (6-3)
Last week: W vs. Xavier (94-93)
Next week: at Marquette (Jan. 27 – 9:30 p.m.), vs. #2 UConn (Jan. 31 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Villanova
Bad losses: at Providence
A short week for the Bluejays sees them rise from fifth to fourth in the Big East basketball power rankings with a nail-biting win over Xavier.
Nik Graves had a great game, nearly recording a double-double with 16 points and 9 assists. The team itself had a great performance from beyond the arc, going 13-24 (54%) in their attempts.
A tough week is up ahead for Creighton as they face the second-best team in the country in the Huskies, to close out the month.
5. Butler Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: 6 (+1)
Record: 13-7 (4-5)
Last week: W vs. DePaul (87-80), W vs. Marquette (87-76)
Next week: at #25 St. John’s (Jan. 28 – 7 p.m.), vs. Georgetown (Jan. 31 – Noon)
Quality wins: Virginia (Neutral), at Seton Hall
Bad losses: Boise State
The Butler Bulldogs climb back into the top five of the Big East Basketball Power Rankings with a pair of wins against schools in close proximity to them.
Finley Bizjack had a great week, scoring over 20 points in both games (24 points against DePaul, 28 points against Marquette). Against the Blue Demons, the team shot 8-17 (47%) from downtown, a key factor in the win against one of their biggest rivals.
6. Seton Hall Pirates
Last week’s ranking: 4 (-2)
Record: 14-6 (4-5)
Last week: L at St. John’s (60-65), L at DePaul (60-67)
Next week: vs. Xavier (Jan. 28 – 7:30 p.m.), vs. Marquette (Jan. 31 – Noon)
Quality wins: NC State (Neutral), Creighton
Bad losses: at DePaul
Life has not been kind to Seton Hall, after being in the top three of the rankings for weeks, a four-game losing streak has stalled their momentum with a pair of close losses on the road.
Their loss to DePaul saw the team shoot a poor 4-14 (29%) from beyond the arc and 10-17 (59%) from the line.
The Pirates return home for the week to close out January and look to end their losing streak with games against Xavier and Marquette.
7. DePaul Blue Demons
Last week’s ranking: 7 (-)
Record: 12-8 (4-5)
Last week: L at Butler (80-87), W vs. Seton Hall (67-60)
Next week: at Georgetown (Jan. 28 – 8:30 p.m.), at Xavier (Jan. 31 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: Buffalo, Northwestern
Chris Holtmann has turned the program around for the DePaul Blue Demons. The year before he arrived, they were winless in conference games. In his first yea,r they won four, and they’ve already tied that conference win-total this season with a victory at home over Seton Hall.
C.J. Gunn had another great game for DePaul, scoring 19 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 blocks. He is always a consistent presence in each game for the Blue Demons.
8. Xavier Musketeers
Last week’s ranking: 8 (-)
Record: 11-9 (3-6)
Last week: L at Creighton (93-94), L vs. St. John’s (83-88)
Next week: at Seton Hall (Jan. 28 – 7:30 p.m.), vs. DePaul (Jan. 31 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: West Virginia (Neutral)
Bad losses: at DePaul, at Marquette
A tough week for the Xavier Musketeers as they followed up a two-game winning streak the previous week with the exact opposite this week.
Despite the losses, the team shot well from beyond the arc, going 50% on the road against Creighton (12-24) and 43% at home versus St. John’s (9-21).
Xavier ends January with one game at home and one game on the road. Xavier has a chance to rise up the Big East Basketball Power Rankings with a potential win over Seton Hall and/or DePaul on the horizon.
9. Georgetown Hoyas
Last week’s ranking: 10 (+1)
Record: 10-10 (2-7)
Last week: L at Villanova (51-66), W at Providence (81-78)
Next week: vs. DePaul (Jan. 28 – 8:30 p.m.), at Butler (Jan. 31 – Noon)
Quality wins: Clemson
Bad losses: at DePaul, Xavier
Georgetown ended a six-game losing streak with a one-possession win over Providence on the road.
From being down 43-25 at halftime, Georgetown exploded in the second half, outscoring the Friars 56-35.
K.J. Lewis was leading the charge with 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. He shot 10-15 (66.7%) from the field, 4-7 (57.1%) from beyond the arc, and 2-3 (66.7%) at the line.
10. Providence Friars
Last week’s ranking: 9 (-1)
Record: 9-11 (2-7)
Last week: L at Marquette (104-105 OT), L vs. Georgetown (78-81)
Next week: at #2 UConn (Jan. 27 – 7:30 p.m.), at Villanova (Jan. 30 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: at St. John’s, Creighton
Bad losses: at Xavier, at Marquette, Georgetown
Another bad week for the Friars with a pair of losses, including a high-scoring, overtime loss to Marquette.
After being down 54-44 at halftime, they responded with 50 points in the second half. Jaylin Sellers fouled Nigel James Jr., which allowed the Golden Eagles to force overtime. In overtime, after Ben Gold missed a free throw that would’ve given the Golden Eagles a two-point lead, Providence failed to respond, and that resulted in the loss.
Providence faces a tough week ahead with two teams in the top three of the Big East basketball power rankings to close out the month.
11. Marquette Golden Eagles
Last week’s ranking: 11 (-)
Record: 7-14 (2-8)
Last week: W vs. Providence (105-104 OT), L at Butler (76-87)
Next week: vs. Creighton (Jan. 27 – 9:30 p.m.), at Seton Hall (Jan. 31 – Noon)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: at DePaul, Georgetown, Maryland
Marquette ended a three-game losing streak with an overtime win over Providence. This was followed up with a tough loss to Butler on the road to close out the week.
Nigel James Jr. had an amazing performance over the Friars, scoring 38 points and going 8-11 (72.7%) from the line, which helped force overtime, and he would lead the way in overtime to get Marquette their second conference win of the season.