The Big East is off to an amazing start and appears to have seven teams capable of making the NCAA Tournament. Almost one month into the season, here is how the 10 teams in the league are stacking up.
1. Villanova (8-0)
Villanova already has good wins against VCU and Michigan, and the Wildcats can get another Tuesday against Illinois at the Jimmy V Classic. These guys are ranked No. 5 in The Catch and Shoot Top 25, No. 6 in Kenpom and No. 7 in the AP Top 25.
2. Butler (8-1)
Butler’s only loss is to Oklahoma, and the Bulldogs have wins against UNC and Georgetown. The Bulldogs have a top-10 defense on Kenpom and are looking like a surefire NCAA Tournament team after a one-year absence from the Big Dance.
3. St. John’s (6-1)
St. John’s has a good win against Minnesota and another respectable one at Syracuse. In their only loss, the Johnnies nearly upset Gonzaga. The Red Storm’s defense, charged by Chris Obekpa and Sir’Dominic Pointer, has been phenomenal.
4. Seton Hall (7-0)
Seton Hall has looked good so far with a talented freshman class making huge contributions. But the Pirates’ best win so far is at home against George Washington. We will know more about the Pirates after Tuesday’s game at Wichita State.
5. Georgetown (5-2)
Georgetown’s only noteworthy win so far is against Florida, but the Hoyas’ two losses were in close games to Wisconsin and Butler. The Hoyas have four freshman contributing, and they should continue to improve as the season goes on.
6. Creighton (7-2)
Creighton got a big road win at Nebraska and it also beat Oklahoma in November. The Bluejays still have a top-25 offense on Kenpom despite losing Doug McDermott. The emergence of sophomore Isaiah Zierden as their top scorer is a big reason why that’s the case.
7. Providence (6-3)
Providence has lost three straight games, most recently falling at home to Brown. The Friars were looking like a top-25 team after beating Florida State, Notre Dame and Yale, but now their offense is struggling. Through nine games, they have their lowest Kenpom adjusted offensive efficiency in Ed Cooley’s four years with the program.
8. Xavier (6-2)
A fifth-place finish at the Wooden Legacy with losses to UTEP and Long Beach State really hurts Xavier. The Musketeers have nice wins against Alabama and Stephen F. Austin, but they have not shown they can win away from home.
9. DePaul (6-1)
DePaul has been the biggest surprise in the Big East. The Blue Demons are off to their best start since the 1993-94 season, and they have a win against Stanford. They still need to prove they can win on the road, and they get a chance to do so with the Diamond Head Classic and games at George Washington and Oregon State coming up.
10. Marquette (4-4)
Marquette has good wins against Georgia Tech and Tennessee, but a home loss to Nebraska-Omaha will be a blemish all year long. The Golden Eagles are down to eight scholarship players with Deonte Burton and John Dawson transferring at the semester’s end.
