James Stowell gives his week 14 picks for each team in the Big East basketball power rankings.
Week 13 team of the week: Seton Hall Pirates
Week 13 game of the week: UConn over Providence (87-81)
Week 13 player of the week: Tajuan Simpkins, Seton Hall
Week 14 matchup of the week: #25 St. John’s vs. #2 UConn (Feb. 6 – 8 p.m.)
Week 14 under-the-radar matchup of the week: Villanova vs. Seton Hall (Feb. 4 – 6:30 p.m.)
All games are listed as EST.
1. UConn Huskies
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 21-1 (11-0)
Last week: W vs. Providence (87-81), W at Creighton (85-58)
Next week: vs. Xavier (Feb. 3 – 7 p.m.), at #22 St. John’s (Feb. 6 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Kansas, Illinois (Neutral), Florida (Neutral), BYU (Neutral), Villanova, at Seton Hall, Texas
Bad losses: N/A
14 consecutive weeks on top for the UConn Huskies. At home, it was a tight contest against the Musketeers.
On the road in Omaha, UConn dominated Creighton the entire game. They could not be stopped from beyond the arc, going 16-31 (52%) in their three-point attempts.
Four Huskies recorded double-digit points in the win: Alex Karaban (15 points), Braylon Mullins (16 points), Silas Demary Jr. (15 points), and Solo Ball (11 points).
2. St. John’s Red Storm
Last week’s ranking: 2 (-)
Record: 16-5 (9-1)
Last week: W vs. Butler (92-70)
Next week: at DePaul (Feb. 3 – 8 p.m.), vs.#3 UConn (Feb. 6 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Villanova, Baylor (Neutral), at Creighton, Seton Hall, Ole Miss
Bad losses: Providence
A quick end to January for St. John’s as they increased their winning streak to seven games following a win at home against Butler. Ian Jackson led the team with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. He shot 5-11 (45.5%) from the field, 3-6 (50%) from downtown, and 5-5 (100%) at the line.
The team shot well from downtown, going 9-20 (45%) in their attempts. Another contributing factor was their presence inside the paint defensively, as they recorded 8 blocks, with Dillon Mitchell and Zuby Ejiofor each recording 3 blocks in the victory.
3. Villanova Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 3 (-)
Record: 16-5 (7-3)
Last week: W vs. Providence (87-73)
Next week: vs. Seton Hall (Feb. 4 – 6:30 p.m.), at Georgetown (Feb. 7 – Noon)
Quality wins: Wisconsin, at Seton Hall, at Butler
Bad losses: N/A
Villanova remains in the top three of the Big East basketball power rankings following a quick win at home against the Friars.
Devin Askew led the team with 20 points coming off the bench, as well as recording 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 6-9 (66.7%) overall, 5-8 (62.5%) from beyond the arc, and 3-3 (100%) from the charity stripe.
Despite getting outrebounded 40-26 by Providence, the Wildcats made up for that by being menaces on the defensive end, recording 9 steals and 4 blocks, while forcing 14 turnovers for their opponents.
Villanova hasn’t had a pair of consecutive wins or losses since their road wins against Marquette and Providence earlier in the season. They look to finally get a winning streak in their upcoming matchup against Seton Hall.
4. Seton Hall Pirates
Last week’s ranking: 6 (+2)
Record: 16-6 (6-5)
Last week: W vs. Xavier (86-68), W vs. Marquette (69-64)
Next week: at Villanova (Feb. 4 – 6:30 p.m.), at Creighton (Feb. 7 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: NC State (Neutral), Creighton
Bad losses: at DePaul
Seton Hall rises back into the top five of the rankings following a pair of wins at home against Xavier and Marquette.
Both of these games saw a tale of two halves for the Pirates. Against Xavier, they saw themselves down 41-30 at halftime. Tajuan Simpkins rallied the troops with 27 points in the game, along with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. The team exploded in the second, outscoring the Musketeers 56-27.
Against the Golden Eagles, Seton Hall saw themselves down 41-33 at halftime. In the second half, they outscored their opponents 36-23.
These games ended a four-game losing streak for the Pirates. They now look to turn it into a four-game winning streak with a pair of road games ahead.
5. Creighton Bluejays
Last week’s ranking: 4 (-1)
Record: 12-10 (6-5)
Last week: L at Marquette (62-86), L vs. #2 UConn (58-85)
Next week: at Georgetown (Feb. 4 – 7:30 p.m.), vs. Seton Hall (Feb. 7 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Villanova
Bad losses: at Providence, at Marquette
A tough week for Creighton, with a pair of blowout losses to two teams on the opposite end of both the official standings and the Big East basketball power rankings.
Their loss to Marquette stings more. From shooting 7-34 (21%) from downtown to being down by nearly 30 points at halftime, it’s back to the drawing board for the Bluejays as they look to get a rebound victory over Georgetown and Seton Hall to give Creighton its first winning streak since conference play began.
6. Butler Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: 5 (-1)
Record: 13-9 (4-7)
Last week: L at #25 St. John’s (70-92), L vs. Georgetown (64-77)
Next week: at Providence (Feb. 4 – 7 p.m.), at Marquette (Feb. 7 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Virginia (Neutral), at Seton Hall
Bad losses: Boise State
Like Creighton, Butler sees itself fall in the rankings following a pair of losses the previous week.
In their loss to the Red Storm, Butler saw itself down 43-29 at halftime, and they couldn’t recover from it, as their defense allowed nearly 50 points in the second half as St. John’s cruised to victory.
Finley Bizjack was noticeably quieter than his normal performances fans are accustomed to this past week. From scoring nearly 30 points against the likes of Seton Hall and DePaul, to scoring 11 points and 16 points against St. John’s and Georgetown. When Bizjack is hot, so are the Bulldogs. The same holds for when he is cold.
7. Georgetown Hoyas
Last week’s ranking: 9 (+2)
Record: 12-10 (4-7)
Last week: W vs. DePaul (70-61), W at Butler (77-64)
Next week: vs. Creighton (Feb. 4 – 7 p.m.), vs. Villanova (Feb. 7 – Noon)
Quality wins: Clemson
Bad losses: at DePaul, Xavier
Georgetown extends its winning streak to three games following a pair of wins against DePaul and Butler.
Their win against the Blue Demons ended a four-game losing streak that goes back to last season, including the Big East tournament.
Against DePaul, the Hoyas kept drawing contact, and they kept converting on their opportunities, going 17-18 (94%) from the charity stripe. Malik Mack benefited the most from his opportunities, going 10-10 (100%) from the line, recording 10 of his 16 points from free throws.
8. Xavier Musketeers
Last week’s ranking: 8 (-)
Record: 12-10 (4-7)
Last week: L at Seton Hall (68-86), W vs. DePaul (68-66)
Next week: at #3 UConn (Feb. 3 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: West Virginia (Neutral)
Bad losses: at DePaul, at Marquette
An up-and-down week for Xavier sees the Musketeers remain at their spot from the previous week, with one of the strangest wins anyone’s ever seen against the Blue Demons, for factors that will be discussed in DePaul’s review.
Like Georgetown, Xavier benefitted from plenty of opportunities at the stripe, going 16-19 (84%) in their free-throw attempts. Tre Carroll led the team with 21 points in the victory, going 5-6 (83.3%) at the line.
9. DePaul Blue Demons
Last week’s ranking: 7 (-2)
Record: 12-10 (4-7)
Last week: L at Georgetown (61-70), L at Xavier (66-68)
Next week: vs. #22 St. John’s (Feb. 3 – 8 p.m.), at Providence (Feb. 7 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: Buffalo, Northwestern
This past week has been one of the strangest anyone has ever seen for the Blue Demons, for one big reason, free-throws.
In their loss to the Hoyas, DePaul went 2-5 (40%) at the charity stripe. In their nail-biting loss to Xavier, they went 0-1 at the line. The Blue Demons had led against Xavier for the majority of the game, and it came down to free throws that never came for DePaul.
10. Marquette Golden Eagles
Last week’s ranking: 11 (+1)
Record: 8-15 (3-9)
Last week: W vs. Creighton (86-62), L at Seton Hall (64-69)
Next week: vs. Butler (Feb. 7 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: at DePaul, Georgetown, Maryland
Marquette rises to 10th in the Big East basketball power rankings thanks to a blowout win against Creighton at home.
Nigel James Jr. led the team with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals. He shot 8-14 (57.1%) from the field, 1-3 (33.3%) from downtown, and 4-6 (66.7%) at the line.
The Golden Eagles were pests on the defensive end, recording 11 steals and forcing 14 turnovers from their opponents, a defensive masterclass.
11. Providence Friars
Last week’s ranking: 10 (-1)
Record: 9-13 (2-9)
Last week: L at #2 UConn (81-87), L at Villanova (73-87)
Next week: vs. Butler (Feb. 4 – 7 p.m.), vs. DePaul (Feb. 7 – 4 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, sees them fall to the bottom of the Big East basketball power rankings.
Their matchup against UConn was a great matchup that, unfortunately for Providence, slipped out of their fingers in the end.
A player to look out for from the Friars is Oswin Erhunmwunse, especially in the interior. Against UConn, he recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He added 4 blocks along with that for an amazing performance. Against Villanova, he followed that up with 12 rebounds.