Well, that was anti-climactic.
The second time around, Connecticut had things completely figured out against St. John’s. It felt like it was coming, given that the Huskies had lost three straight to Rick Pitino’s team. But it was still a shock to see a blowout of that magnitude.
Connecticut now has the league title in its sights. Based on the past two games, the Huskies don’t look likely to lose again. However, the top seed is still in the control of two other teams because of tiebreakers.
Here’s a look at this week’s Big East power rankings.
1. Connecticut Huskies (26–3)
Previous: 2
Dan Hurley’s message to his team seems to have landed. After he called the Huskies’ defense a joke following a loss to Creighton, Connecticut shut down both Villanova and St. John’s.
If the Huskies win the Big East tournament, they could claim the final No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
2. St. John’s Red Storm (22–6)
Previous: 1
The crash came hard, but St. John’s had won 13 straight before that loss to Connecticut. The Red Storm are still a quality team, and a third meeting with the Huskies in the Big East title game is very possible.
As long as St. John’s doesn’t slip elsewhere, it should still be in good shape for the postseason.
3. Villanova Wildcats (22–6)
Previous: 3
There’s no reason to penalize Villanova for losing to Connecticut when that’s the only team that has beaten the Wildcats lately. Villanova is clearly the No. 3 team in the league and is in strong shape for an NCAA bid.
A win over St. John’s would help its seed, but Villanova has already done enough to be safely in the field.
4. Seton Hall Pirates (19–9)
Previous: 4
Losing to DePaul was disastrous for Seton Hall. The Pirates needed to beat at least one of Connecticut or St. John’s to feel good about their chances, but the Blue Demons instead got their first road win and complicated matters for Seton Hall’s tourney hopes.
The Pirates probably need a run to the Big East final to even think about an at-large bid. Another loss likely means it’s tournament title or bust.
5. Providence Friars (13–15)
Previous: 9
Apparently Providence still has some fight left. The Friars picked up back-to-back wins over DePaul and Xavier and have climbed to seventh in the standings.
The final three games are all winnable, and Providence even has a shot to get back above .500. It still needs to win the Big East tournament to reach the NCAA field, but credit the Friars for hanging tough.
6. DePaul Blue Demons (15–13)
Previous: 11
DePaul needed a road win to give itself a shot at finishing .500. It did more than that, beating both Seton Hall and Creighton to jump to sixth.
There is even a scenario where DePaul arrives in New York and skips the first night of the Big East tournament. That has never happened since the Blue Demons joined the league. If they win their final three games, they could finish fourth, which would be an impressive achievement for Chris Holtmann.
7. Creighton Bluejays (14–15)
Previous: 6
Try to figure this out: Creighton goes to Connecticut and wins, then turns around and loses at home to DePaul. The Bluejays stunned college basketball by beating the Huskies on the road, but followed it with an expected loss to St. John’s and a season sweep by DePaul.
This team has shown no consistency all season.
8. Butler Bulldogs (15–14)
Previous: 10
Butler flipped the result against Georgetown and then outlasted Xavier to get back above .500. The Bulldogs couldn’t make it three straight, but losing at Villanova is understandable.
The goal now is simple: stay above .500 and keep postseason options alive.
9. Marquette Golden Eagles (10–18)
Previous: 8
Marquette has shown improvement in February. The Golden Eagles rolled Georgetown by 16 to reach double-digit wins and then pushed Villanova to the wire in a three-point loss.
This is still not a good team, but Shaka Smart at least has this group moving in the right direction.
10. Georgetown Hoyas (13–15)
Previous: 5
Georgetown looked like it might be turning a corner. Instead, the losses kept piling up, and the Hoyas bottomed out against Marquette.
Five straight losses have erased any momentum, and the Hoyas need to find some positive momentum heading into the Big East tournament.
11. Xavier Musketeers (13–15)
Previous: 7
Back-to-back losses to Providence and Butler have Xavier staring at the bottom of the standings. The Musketeers dug their own hole against Butler with a lifeless first half before making a late push.
That approach won’t get it done against quality teams.
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