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We've reached the halfway point of the conference season and the Big East picture is starting to look clearer.
Villanova and Xavier are the crown jewels of the conference, and Providence, not trailing far behind, have a big chance to sweep the Wildcats this year, cementing their place among the top ten teams in the nation. The Hall avenged a double-digit loss to Creighton earlier in the month with one of their own, Marquette has responded to a three-game losing streak by running off three straight wins, while Georgetown and Butler struggled to pad their NCAA tournament resumes with 1-1 weeks. March Madness is approaching quickly, and the intensity between these ten schools is guaranteed to amplify with each passing game.
Rank | Team/Record | Trending | Comments |
1 |
(18-3, 8-1) |
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The Wildcats remain at #1 after going 1-0 in their lone game of the week against St. John's. This week, they'll be tested a bit more, facing a desperate Creighton team, and then going to face a Providence team who defeated them a couple weeks ago. - Robert O'Neill |
2 |
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Nothing scared Xavier last week. Not playing on the road. Not Kris Dunn. Heck, not even 25 points from Ben Bentil made the Musketeers quiver in their sneakers. If Xavier showed any emotion during its back-to-back wins over Providence and DePaul, it was joy, as it racked up its sixth and seventh wins in its last eight tries and kept itself on track for a surge down the stretch for the Big East crown. One of the most impressive aspects of Xavier's game is its offensive balance, which was on full display last week; at least five players scored in double figures in both contests. - Phil Neuffer
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3 |
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A big week for those Friars. They were edged out by Xavier at home in a hard-fought loss and picked up a huge road win against the Georgetown Hoyas. Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil are the nation's top 1-2 punch and the gap is widening in that department as well. The Friars will go to Rosemont to take on DePaul before hosting Villanova in a highly anticipated second encounter after their first was quite a doozy. - Chris Novak |
4 |
(15-6, 5-4) |
+3 | Revenge is the best word to describe the week for the Pirates. After getting thumped by Creighton back on January 9th, The Hall issued a thumping of their own in Omaha against Mo Watson Jr. and the Bluejays. It was a big win for a Seton Hall team that has been steadfastly approaching their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 10 years. This week they host a hot Marquette team as well as Georgetown on Saturday. Should they go 2-0, that'll improve their chances no doubt. From what we've seen in the past though, winning in February has been no easy task for Kevin Willard. It's time to change that though. Plain and simple. - Chris Novak
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5 |
(13-9, 6-3) |
+1 |
Say what you will about the Hoyas, but one thing is clear: they will not die. After going down by 11 points with just a couple of minutes to play against Creighton, Georgetown pulled off a team-wide Reggie Miller impression, rallying back for a 74-73 win on its home floor. Unfortunately, Georgetown's recent habit of letting the next one slip continued on Saturday as the Hoyas were unable to upset Providence. Georgetown is in a precipitous place now. At 13-9, it does not have an NCAA Tournament resume, but it does remain in the thick of things in the Big East as the Hoyas are tied with Providence for third in the league standings (6-3). - Phil Neuffer
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6
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(14-8, 5-4) |
-2 |
- Alex Sindelar |
7 |
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+1 |
The Golden Eagles had a 2-0 week, bouncing Stetson and coming away with a big home win over the Butler Bulldogs on Saturday. MU has been gaining some MO lately, countering a 3-game losing streak with a 3-game winning streak to put them at 4-5. They have a mighty tall task ahead of them this week with trips to Seton Hall and Xavier on the horizon. If they can come away with a 1-1 performance it would do them good. 2-0? Well, then maybe we can talk about their prospects in March - Chris Novak |
8 |
(14-7, 3-6) |
-3 |
No team had a bigger drop this week than the Bulldogs, and it's pretty easy to see why. Although they went 1-1 this week, beating DePaul and losing to Marquette, the Bulldogs have started to back themselves into a corner. They need a strong second half if they want to make the NCAA Tournament. - Robert O'Neill |
9 |
![]() (7-14, 1-8) |
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10
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Lob of the Week
@BigEastTourney is here to remind us that we only have nine games and change to appreciate the gem that is Kris Dunn in the Big East
9 more regular season games for Providence Friar and Big East fans to enjoy the greatness of Kris Dunn. #pcbb https://t.co/qdv1r9ncaS
— Big East Hoops 24/7 (@BigEastTourney) January 31, 2016
Bursting down the backdoor and jumping into your Naismith award ballots.
GET UP, MR. BRIDGES
Fresh off a redshirt year, Mikal Bridges is taking names....and bodies too. He did so this weekend in the Garden, putting St. John's on notice
Huge Slam by Mikal Bridges! @NovaMBB leads St. John's at the half, 28-27 #GoNova https://t.co/UJNvAbZ303
— Villanova Athletics (@NovaAthletics) January 31, 2016
(h/t @NovaAthletics)
Alum of the Week
Dwyane Wade was playing like a man possessed this week. After losing four straight and eight of their last ten, the man formerly known as Flash lit a fire under the Miami Heat, sparking a fourth quarter comeback against the Bulls with 28 points, styling and profiling on Brooklyn and Milwaukee for 27 and 24 points, respectively, and ending the week with a 17 and 8 performance against the Hawks to claim first place in the Southwest division. Wade also finished the week tied with Bernard King for 42nd on the NBA's career scoring list, cementing the Marquette alum's place as this week's Big East alum of the week.