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Big East Coast Bias Power Rankings: Villanova, Xavier are head of the class

Nova and Xavier were the clear cut 1-2 this week, but there's changes up and down the power rankings.

By Pierce Roberson

C-ch-ch-ch-changes throughout the Big East Coast Bias Power Rankings this week...

The top two teams were easy to predict - Villanova is the only undefeated left in the Big East and Xavier has won two straight since their loss to the 'Cats -  but it's the middle of the pack that's tough to determine. Providence played unbelievably sloppy in a home loss to Marquette, who has bounced back from an 0-2 start in conference play. Creighton is playing like a tournament team. Seton Hall has dropped their last two and is entering a rough stretch of games against PC, Nova and Xavier. Butler didn't play their best game Tuesday night at DePaul, and two of Georgetown's three Big East wins have come against the Scarlet Demons. The Big East is deep. Too deep to separate the real from the fake this early on.

Rank Team/Record Trending Comments

1

(14-2, 4-0)

 --

Welp, the ‘Cats look like the best team in the conference again. Josh Hart continues to be a terrific player with two strong performances this week against both Seton Hall and Butler. Daniel Ochefu also looked great as he continues to go on quite a tear of late. Surprised? Nah.- Chris Novak

2



(14-1, 2-1)

 +1

Business as usual for the Musketeers, who won their lone game of the week on the road against St. John's. There were some things they could improve on from that game, but it's never easy to go on the road in conference play. They'll welcome DePaul to Cintas Center Tuesday before heading to Marquette next Saturday. - Robert O'Neill

3

(14-2, 2-1)		 -1

What a way to kill some momentum. In their first game since climbing to their highest ranking in the AP Top 25 since 1977, Providence laid an egg in Tuesday's loss to Marquette. The Friars went 23/61 from the field, and aside from Ben Bentil's 29 points and Kris Dunn's 20, the rest of the team combined for 16 points on 7-of-30 shooting. The belief is that this was just a bad night for Providence and not a trend, but they can't let their sluggish play transfer over to Tuesday's trip to Creighton. - Pierce Roberson

4


(12-4, 1-3)

 --
 The ‘Dawgs won away at Allstate Arena but still could not defeat the Villanova Wildcats on Sunday night despite a really strong defensive effort. They have by far gone through the most rigorous start in the conference facing Xavier, Providence and Villanova in three of their first four games. It'll level off a little bit in their next matchup on Saturday vs. St. John's, but the Johnnies did look quite tough against Marquette over the weekend in Milwaukee. Butler needs to find the win column and get in their comfort zone or trouble could quickly be afoot - Chris Novak

5

(10-6, 3-1)

 +1

Georgetown was able to salvage what was almost a horrifying week with a strong second half to beat DePaul and complete an early Big East season sweep of the Demons. They stuck with Creighton until the end, as turnovers and an inability to get to the free-throw line really stung the Hoyas. They didn't have their best shooting outing against DePaul, but they did enough in the second half in secure the victory. The Hoyas enter the meaty part of their schedule after Wednesday's trip to MSG to face the Johnnies. Five of their next seven games come against ranked opponents; three of those on the road. - Pierce Roberson

6

(13-5, 3-1)

 +2

It was a productive week for the Bluejays as they dismantled Georgetown and Seton Hall handily. Creighton appears to have locked down on the defensive side of the ball with Isaiah Zierden patrolling the passing lanes and picking up 4 steals over their last two contests. Meanwhile, Mo Watson Jr.'s stock has soared as he's locked down on the offensive side of the ball, picking up 14 assists against the Pirates and 27 points against the Hoyas. They're definitely deserving to be in the conversation for a top 5 slot in this week's power rankings, but a matchup with Providence looms large on Tuesday night (which happens to be dollar beer night at the CLink to give the students a nice gift for their homecoming - also, Mo Watson vs. Kris Dunn? Yes please) as well as a Sunday afternoon game in Chicago against DePaul. - Alex Sindelar

7

(12-4, 2-2)		 --

The Golden Eagles bounced back from an 0-2 week with a 2-0 week, going to Providence and knocking the Friars off before picking up a home victory against St. John's. There are still things for Marquette to work on (fouls & turnovers), but they're a young team. A great litmus test will be to see how the Golden Eagles look against Villanova and Xavier this week. - Robert O'Neill

8

(12-4, 2-2)		 -3

Well, it's another crossroads for the Pirates. After defeating Marquette and DePaul to open conference play, Seton Hall took losses to Villanova and Creighton to fall to 2-2. Kevin Willard's Achilles Heel for the duration of his time as Seton Hall's coach has been conference play. The Pirates have a full week off before they head to Providence next Saturday, which is a game they really need to win. - Robert O'Neill

9

(6-10, 0-4)		 --

DePaul once again came close to winning their first conference game of this season this Saturday at Georgetown. In the end they would again fall short, losing the script in the second half under a number of circumstances. Despite being 0-4, the Blue Demons are still a tough task to face off against and can give their opponents a good run. They just need to know how to not run themselves out of the game.- Andrew Padyk

10


(7-10, 0-4)

 --

It's gotta get frustrating for Mullin & Company, as they suffered two losses to Xavier and Marquette in very competitive games. To top it off, they lost Yankuba Sima for 4-6 weeks with a broken hand. We all knew this year would be transitional for the Red Storm, with a solid recruiting class coming in next season, however, it's still tough to watch at times. - Robert O'Neill

Lob of the Week

This week's oop of the week comes courtesy of Providence, Rhode Island, where Kyron Cartwright is serving up some sweet lobs to Ben Bentil.

(h/t @TheMorningHang)

Take Off of the Week

St. John's has always produced high-flyers, and Durand Johnson is just another one in the bunch. Here he shows Xavier he clearly has no regard for anyone's life.

Air Johnson, you may now proceed to lift off.

(h/t @BIGEASTMBB)

Poster of the Week

When you see Kelan Martin in the street, just get out the lane..

Sorry bruh, but at some point you have to say "screw the charge....is this really worth it?" Take a page out of Kristaps' book and move out the way.

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