James Stowell gives his week 16 picks for each team in the Big East basketball power rankings.
Week 15 team of the week: St. John’s Red Storm
Week 15 game of the week: UConn over Georgetown (79-75)
Week 15 player of the week: Silas Demary Jr, UConn
Week 16 matchup of the week: Villanova vs. UConn (Feb. 21 – 5:30 p.m.)
Week 16 under-the-radar matchup of the week: Seton Hall vs. DePaul (Feb. 21 – 6 p.m.)
All games are listed as EST.
1. UConn Huskies
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 24-2 (14-1)
Last week: W at Butler (80-70), W vs. Georgetown (79-75)
Next week: vs. Creighton (Feb. 18 – 7 p.m.), at Villanova (Feb. 21 – 5:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Kansas, Illinois (Neutral), Florida (Neutral), BYU (Neutral), Villanova, at Seton Hall, Texas
Bad losses: N/A
After losing to St. John’s on the road, the Huskies bounced back with a pair of close wins against Butler and Georgetown. The latter victory also set a record for Alex Karaban, who set a new record for the program as the player to have the most starts and wins for UConn.
Karaban recorded 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals in the victory. A player in that win over Georgetown that didn’t get talked about was Silas Demary Jr., who nearly recorded a triple-double with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists while shooting 3-6 (50%) from the field and 9-10 (90%) from the line.
2. St. John’s Red Storm
Last week’s ranking: 2 (-)
Record: 20-5 (13-1)
Last week: W vs. Xavier (87-82 OT), W at Providence (79-69)
Next week: at Marquette (Feb. 18 – 9 p.m.), vs. Creighton (Feb. 21 – Noon)
Quality wins: UConn, at Villanova, Seton Hall
Bad losses: Providence
The Red Storm added a pair of wins to their lengthy winning streak, which has extended to 11 wins. It felt even more amazing after avenging their previous defeat to Providence, this time on the road.
In a win that saw multiple ejections as a result of a scuffle, including four of St. John’s players and two (later three after a hard foul) for the Friars, they were led by Dylan Darling off the bench. He scored 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals while shooting 6-11 (54.5%) from the floor, 3-5 (60%) from downtown, and 8-9 (88.9%) at the line.
The team didn’t have the best of days from downtown, going 6-21 (29%) in their attempts.
3. Villanova Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 3 (-)
Record: 20-5 (11-3)
Last week: W vs. Marquette (77-74), W at Creighton (80-69)
Next week: at Xavier (Feb. 17 – 6:30 p.m.), vs. #5 UConn (Feb. 21 – 5:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: Wisconsin, Seton Hall (2x)
Bad losses: N/A
Villanova secures another week in the top three of the Big East Basketball power Rankings after a pair of victories against Marquette and Creighton.
Their victory over the Golden Eagles seemed too close for comfort at times, staving off multiple comeback attempts from the visitors to secure a narrow victory at home.
Tyler Perkins led the way with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 7-16 (43.8%) from the field, 5-9 (55.6%) from beyond the arc, and 3-4 (75%) from the charity stripe.
The Wildcats have to work on their free-throw shooting; they shot a poor 18-31 (58%) from the stripe in the victory.
4. Seton Hall Pirates
Last week’s ranking: 4 (-)
Record: 18-8 (8-7)
Last week: W vs. Providence (87-80), W at Butler (63-56)
Next week: vs. DePaul (Feb. 18 – 8 p.m.), vs. Georgetown (Feb. 21 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: NC State (Neutral)
Bad losses: at DePaul
Seton Hall rebounded from their two-game losing streak and turned it upside down, winning their two games this week against Providence and Butler.
Their win against Butler saw them get payback for their previous defeat at home against the Bulldogs by robbing a win in their backyard. A.J. Staton-McCray led the Pirates in the victory with 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks while shooting 7-11 overall, 2-5 from beyond the arc, and 3-5 at the stripe.
The team has to work on its free-throw shooting. They only converted 10-22 of their attempts, which allowed Butler to maintain their leads early on for as long as they did until Seton Hall took the game from them.
5. Creighton Bluejays
Last week’s ranking: 4 (-1)
Record: 13-13 (7-8)
Last week: L at DePaul (71-72), L vs. Villanova (69-80)
Next week: at #5 UConn (Feb. 18 – 7 p.m.), at #17 St. John’s (Feb. 21 – Noon)
Quality wins: at Villanova, Seton Hall
Bad losses: at Providence, at Marquette, at Georgetown, at DePaul
Creighton can’t seem to remain in one spot for more than a week in the rankings. After landing in fourth last week, they now drop to five after a pair of losses, including a nailbiter to DePaul on the road, their first loss to the Blue Demons since 2015.
Despite dominating from beyond the arc (14-27, 52%), the Bluejays couldn’t hold a lead in the end, with only Josh Dix scoring any points for the team in the last three minutes of the game.
Austin Swartz led the team in the defeat with 15 points and 3 assists while shooting 6-10 (60%) from the field and 3-3 (100%) from downtown, one of only four Creighton players to convert on more than one perimeter attempt.
6. Xavier Musketeers
Last week’s ranking: 8 (+2)
Record: 13-12 (5-9)
Last week: L at #17 St. John’s (82-87 OT), W vs. Marquette (96-88)
Next week: vs. Villanova (Feb. 17 – 6:30 p.m.), at Butler (Feb. 21 – 1:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: West Virginia (Neutral)
Bad losses: at DePaul, at Marquette
An up-and-down week for Xavier with a close loss to St. John’s, followed by an 8-point win over Marquette at home.
In the win against Marquette, the Musketeers saw four players score at least 15 points with Filip Borovicanin (15 points), Jovan Milicevic (23 points), Tre Carroll (18 points), and All Wright (19 points). Borovicanin himself had an impressive double-double, with 11 rebounds to add on to his scoring.
Malik Messina-Moore also nearly recorded a double-double, with 9 points and 11 assists, a well-rounded performance from the team.
7. Georgetown Hoyas
Last week’s ranking: 6 (-1)
Record: 13-12 (5-9)
Last week: L at #6 UConn (75-79)
Next week: vs. Butler (Feb. 18 – 6:30 p.m.), at Seton Hall (Feb. 21 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: Clemson
Bad losses: at DePaul, Xavier
Georgetown fell down the Big East Basketball Power Rankings after a short week, saw their lone game as a loss to UConn in a surprisingly close matchup.
K.J. Lewis couldn’t be stopped, scoring 24 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 steals for the Hoyas. He shot 9-18 (50%) overall, 4-10 (40%) from downtown, and 2-3 (66.7%) at the line.
The team, unfortunately, like many of their fellow conference members throughout the season, saw the game slip away as a result of poor free-throw shooting, this case going 15-23 (63%) in their free-throw attempts.
8. DePaul Blue Demons
Last week’s ranking: 11 (+3)
Record: 13-12 (5-9)
Last week: W vs. Creighton (72-71)
Next week: at Seton Hall (Feb. 18 – 8 p.m.), vs. Providence (Feb. 21 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: Buffalo, Northwestern, at Providence
DePaul ended their short week with a win against the Creighton Bluejays, their first win against this team since 2015.
N.J. Benson had another amazing performance, recording a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds while shooting a near-perfect, 10-11 (90.9%) from the field and 3-5 (60%) at the line.
Despite the Blue Demons shooting poorly from both the perimeter (5-18, 28%) and at the stripe (11-16, 69%), they made up for it by dominating in the paint, outscoring Creighton 46-12 in that regard.
9. Butler Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: 7 (-2)
Record: 13-13 (4-11)
Last week: L vs. #6 UConn (70-80), L vs. Seton Hall (56-63)
Next week: at Georgetown (Feb. 18 – 6:30 p.m.), vs. Xavier (Feb. 21 – 1:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: Virginia (Neutral), at Seton Hall
Bad losses: Boise State, at Providence, at Marquette
Its been a rough Valentine’s Day weekend for Butler, with a pair of losses over the past week that sees them fall to the bottom three of the rankings.
A big problem for the Bulldogs, like others in the conference, is inconsistent perimeter shooting. Against the Huskies, who’ve also had a few times this season where they’ve struggled to convert from downtown, Butler shot 25-54 (38%) in their attempts. That’s not the worst, but it could be better.
Against Seton Hall, the Bulldogs couldn’t buy a bucket from beyond the arc, 5-21 (24%) in their attempts. If they want to dig themselves out of their now six-game losing streak, they need to be more consistent from the perimeter.
10. Providence Friars
Last week’s ranking: 9 (-1)
Record: 11-15 (4-11)
Last week: L at Seton Hall (80-87), L vs. #17 St. John’s (69-79)
Next week: at DePaul (Feb. 21 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: at St. John’s
Bad losses: at Xavier, at Marquette, Georgetown
The Friars suffered a pair of losses this past week to nearby foes Seton Hall and St. John’s. The latter match saw multiple players from both sides ejected from the game, and Providence’s Duncan Powell was suspended for a total of three games. According to both the Associated Press and ESPN News Services, Powell was automatically suspended for one game per the NCAA’s rules on fighting, and an additional two game suspensions were given by the Big East conference.
Stefan Vaaks led the way for Providence in the defeat with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. He shot 5-19 (26.3%) from the field, 3-12 (25%) from downtown, and 7-8 (87.5%) from the free-throw line.
11. Marquette Golden Eagles
Last week’s ranking: 10 (-1)
Record: 9-17 (4-11)
Last week: L at Villanova (74-77), L at Xavier (88-96)
Next week: vs. #17 St. John’s (Feb. 18 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: Maryland, at DePaul, Georgetown
A brutal week with a pair of losses for Marquette sees them fall back to the bottom of the Big East Basketball Power Rankings.
Their loss to Villanova was a painful one; at one point, the team led by nine in the second half, only to see that lead slip away.
This squandered a near-perfect game from Royce Parham, as he recorded a double-double of 26 points and 11 rebounds while also notching 2 assists and 2 blocks on the scoreboard. He shot 8-9 (88.9%) overall, 1-1 (100%) from downtown, and 9-10 (90%) at the line.
Despite the loss, the team did well both in transition and the paint, outscoring the Wildcats in each category (23-16 in points off turnovers and 30-20 in the paint).