Seton Hall
Around the Big East: Power Rankings After Week 3
Date: January 16, 2018By: Matt Ambrose (@mambrose97)
Big East season is in full swing, and so far what we've learned is something that has become no secret in this league: there are no nights off. Every team can beat anyone on any given night, which makes the Big East arguably the most competitive conference in America. With three weeks of league play behind us, here's where I have the teams ranked so far.
1. Villanova Wildcats (16-1, 4-1)
The Wildcats have won three straight after falling to Butler for their lone blemish on the season. This week they have two road games on tap, one coming on Wednesday night at Georgetown. The other is a non-conference matchup, as Nova heads north to take on former Big East foe UCONN. After that, Nova plays four of their next five games at the Wells Fargo Center. The date to circle: February 4 when Seton Hall comes to Philadelphia.
2. Xavier Musketeers (16-3, 4-2)
Xavier comes in second in my book, but not by much. They took down Creighton at home last week in convincing fashion, which was a good sign for them after back-to-back losses at Providence and Villanova. Naji Marshall is coming off a week in which he was named Big East Freshman of the Week, averaging 11.5 PPG and 2.5 RPG. They face a stiff test this Saturday against Seton Hall at Prudential Center, a building the Musketeers have never won in.
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3. Seton Hall Pirates (15-3, 4-1)
Their matchup this Saturday with Xavier will settle the score as to who is second or third in the rankings come next week. Seton Hall is also coming off a 1-1 week, with a loss to Marquette followed up by a home victory over Georgetown on Saturday. The loss to Marquette isn't bad in-and-of-itself, but it was the manner in which they lost which brought about some cause for concern. The team played poor defense, and struggled to score against a Golden Eagle team that gives up 76 points to opponents on average. This week, two tough tests for the Pirates. The first comes Wednesday night on the road at Creighton, then back home on Saturday to face Xavier.
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4. Providence Friars (13-6, 4-2)
Entering Big East play, this team looked lost. Picked to finish fourth in the preseason rankings, the Friars entered league play with a 9-4 record, but looked very bad on the way. Now, they've rattled off three straight wins over Xavier, DePaul and Butler, and have looked impressive while doing so. Kyron Cartwright is back to being himself, averaging 7.2 APG in conference play, while Big East Honor Roll recipient this week Alpha Diallo put up 16 points and nine boards in the Friars come-from-behind win at DePaul. This week, they have just one test, and it's a tough one with Creighton coming to the Dunkin Donuts Center.
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5. Creighton Bluejays (14-4, 4-2)
The Bluejays rattled off four straight wins after blowing a second half lead at Seton Hall to open conference play. However, things came to a screeching halt after they got manhandled by Xavier on Saturday. In that game, Khyri Thomas was nowhere to be found, unable to make a single shot from the field while scoring just two points. Martin Krampelj had just four points and four rebounds as the starting five, with the exception of Marcus Foster, packed zero punch. Creighton will hope this effort is just a minor setback as they head into matchups against Seton Hall and at Providence this week.
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6. Marquette Golden Eagles (13-6, 4-3)
Marquette excels at scoring the basketball, and it is usually the reason they win games. They're not going to beat you with defense. They're going to try and simply outscore you. They own two of the top-five scorers in Big East play so far in Markus Howard (23.5 PPG) and Andrew Rowsey (22.7). Rowsey reached a milestone in last night's win over DePaul, reaching the 2,000-point plateau for his NCAA career. This team can hang in there with any in the conference, displayed by their dominating win over Seton Hall, as well as close losses to Xavier and Villanova. Their home win last night against DePaul was the only game on the schedule this week for Marquette, who has nine days off before heading to Cintas Center next Wednesday for a matchup with Xavier.
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7. Butler Bulldogs (13-7, 3-4)
What was said about Marquette can also be said about Butler. They are a team that will try and outscore you. Through six Big East games this season, this Butler team has given up as many points as they have scored. Yes, you read that right. They have scored 526 points as a team, and they have given up 526 points as a team. They too, like Marquette, have two of the top five scorers in conference play in Big East Player of the Week Kelan Martin (25 PPG) and Kamar Baldwin (21 PPG). However, what puts them below Marquette is their play as of late. Since beating Villanova, Butler has lost four of their last five games. They will have an opportunity to get back on track this weekend in Chicago when they take on DePaul.
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8. Georgetown Hoyas (12-5, 2-4)
With the exception of a home loss to Creighton, Georgetown hasn't looked as bad as I, and many others, anticipated. Jessie Govan has established himself as one of the top big men in the conference, averaging 10 RPG in conference play, and with him paired up with Marcus Derrickson in the frontcourt, the Hoyas have two solid pieces that can get hot on any given night. Tomorrow night, they face their toughest test yet, as they host No. 1 Villanova before lowly St. John's comes to town on Saturday.
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9. DePaul Blue Demons (8-10, 1-5)
Max Strus has given this program a reason to watch them. Over the last couple of seasons, I just have not been able to watch this team and be interested in them on the court. Strus has changed that, and the dynamic around DePaul, while still negative, seems to be trending upwards a bit. They have an interesting matchup on Saturday at home against Butler, in a game that could surprise some people.
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10. St. John's Red Storm (10-8, 0-6)
By far, the biggest disappointment in the Big East season so far has been St. John's. This looked like the year that the Red Storm would finally get out of the basement of the Big East standings and not have to play a Wednesday game in the Big East Tournament. Instead, they have just looked lost, and now with Marcus LoVett gone for the year, the formidable backcourt duo of LoVett and Shamorie Ponds is no more. The team has road matchups with Xavier and Georgetown this week, and they will look to salvage what they can from what was once a promising season.
Matt Ambrose is a journalism major from Exeter, N.H. He can be found on Twitter @mambrose97 and can be reached by e-mail at mambrose897@gmail.com.
