St. John’s has to be thrilled to be done with Providence.
Facing the Friars hasn’t been a good experience for the Red Storm in 2025-26. Providence handed St. John’s its only Big East loss in the first meeting, and the second ended in a brawl that resulted in six ejections.
At this point, only two things can keep St. John’s from its second straight Big East title: Connecticut and itself. The Red Storm cannot control what the Huskies do outside of their rematch on Feb. 25, but they can control what they do.
That didn’t happen in Rhode Island. Fortunately for St. John’s, it appears suspensions won’t be coming their way. If they had, that could have cost the Red Storm the league title.
Here’s a look at this week’s Big East power rankings.
1. St. John’s Red Storm (20–5)
Previous: 1
It was ugly, but the Red Storm got out of Providence with another win. Now they have to survive a week before their biggest stretch of the season. The trip to Marquette should have St. John’s attention. The Golden Eagles are playing well enough to cause problems for a team that isn’t locked in. Creighton should be a manageable spot.
2. Connecticut Huskies (24–2)
Previous: 2
Dan Hurley ripped the UConn fans for not showing up, but he could have easily directed that message at his own team. With Hurley, it’s a safe bet that was intentional.
Yes, the Huskies won against Georgetown, but it wasn’t convincing. Connecticut has had too many of those lately and looks vulnerable to a second-round NCAA upset if that continues.
3. Villanova Wildcats (20–5)
Previous: 3
The Wildcats did their job in easing past Creighton. Villanova is pretty clearly the third-best team in the Big East right now. They’re closing in on locking up an NCAA tournament bid, and a win at Xavier might be the finishing touch.
If not, beating Connecticut at home would certainly do it.
4. Seton Hall Pirates (18–8)
Previous: 5
Getting the win over Butler was vital for Seton Hall. The Pirates now have to take care of business at home. Seton Hall already has three home losses in league play, and dropping one to DePaul or Georgetown would be damaging for their bubble hopes.
Make no mistake, the Pirates are a longshot. But there’s still a path.
5. Georgetown Hoyas (13–12)
Previous: 4
With a little luck, Georgetown could be in the NCAA tournament conversation. The Hoyas have two losses to Connecticut by a combined five points. Flip those results and this team looks very different.
Instead, Ed Cooley’s group is in spoiler mode and likely needs a Big East tournament run. Stranger things have happened, and Georgetown could certainly be in the mix.
6. Creighton Bluejays (13–12)
Previous: 6
This will not be a fun week for Greg McDermott. Creighton could use a breather, and instead gets Connecticut on the road Wednesday and St. John’s on the road Saturday.
This has been a frustrating season from start to finish for Creighton, and this stretch will not make it any easier.
7. Xavier Musketeers (13–12)
Previous: 7
Xavier put together a strong showing against Marquette, making up for the loss in Milwaukee. The Musketeers sit in a three-team logjam in the middle of the standings, which matters for Big East tournament positioning.
They’ve won just two of their last seven, but they’re still capable of tripping up a better team.
8. Marquette Golden Eagles (9–17)
Previous: 8
Marquette dropped a game to Xavier that felt familiar from earlier in the season. They’ve been inconsistent for several weeks, which honestly is an improvement from where they were.
They get St. John’s at home, and if the Red Storm aren’t fully focused, this is an opportunity for Marquette to show some life heading into next season.
9. Providence Friars (11–15)
Previous: 10
Will Kim English survive the season? Providence is not known for patience, and English is in danger of posting back-to-back 20-loss seasons.
To put that in perspective, Providence only had two 20-loss seasons in its entire history before this stretch. The fact he got a third year after last season was already somewhat surprising. If the Friars don’t finish strong, it would be a major surprise if he gets a fourth.
10. Butler Bulldogs (13–13)
Previous: 9
Six straight losses for Butler, and there is no relief coming. Somehow this team beat Virginia, which is likely to make the NCAA tournament comfortably, but since then it has gone the wrong direction.
The Bulldogs will now be fortunate to finish above .500, and it raises bigger questions about how Butler plans to get back to being a consistent contender in this league.
11. DePaul Blue Demons (13–12)
Previous: 9
DePaul needs to go 3-3 the rest of the way to finish above .500. They have three chances to pick up a road win, but none are particularly favorable. More realistically, they’ll need to sweep their remaining home games to get there.
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