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Big East Power Rankings: 'Nova back at the summit

The VU Hoops staff picks the best and the worst of the Big East.

By Chris Lane
Drew Hallowell

What did we learn last week? That MikeJ. cannot take hold of the power rankings. He made us pick some weird things, and the result was the VU Hoops staff looking terrible.

On a more positive note he did create some really pretty looking tables to track everything. What did we learn here? That Noah Thacker needs to get on Twitter. Solidarity, Noah.

Contestant Wins Tiebreak
rsaccoman2016 18 2
Kevin.Pulsifer 17 3
Brian Ewart 16 4
Chris Lane 13 1
Noah Thacker 13 2
MikeReilly 13 2
Ryan Irwin 11 2
jeremy.menninger 11 1
MikeJ. 8 1
Tyler Ricky Tynes 5 0
Ed Donohue 3 0

This week, we're picking...

  • Xavier @ Butler
  • Creighton @ Butler
  • St. John's @ Seton Hall
  • Villanova @ Creighton
  • Georgetown @ St. John's
  • Over/Under: Creighton 3P FGs made vs. Villanova (11.5)

Staff Picks

Contestant Xavier @ Butler Creighton @ Butler St. John's @ Seton Hall Villanova @ Creighton Georgetown @ St. John's Over/Under
rsaccoma2016 Xavier Creighton St. John's Villanova St. John's Under
kevin.pulsifer Xavier Creighton St. John's Villanova St. John's Under
Brian Ewart [no pick] Creighton Seton Hall Creighton Georgetown Under
Chris Lane Xavier Creighton St. John's Creighton Georgetown Under
Noah Thacker Xavier Creighton St. John's Villanova St. John's Under
MikeReilly Xavier Creighton St. John's Creighton St. John's Over
jeremy.menninger Xavier Creighton St. John's Villanova Georgetown Over
MikeJ. Butler Creighton St. John's Villanova St. John's Over
Tyler Ricky Tynes Xavier Creighton St. John's Creighton Georgetown Over

And now, on to the rankings (records through 2/3)...

1. Villanova Wildcats(21-2, 9-1) 8 First-Place Votes

  • Ranked in the polls, in our hearts, and on Buzzfeed's list of most creative college essays? -jeremy.menninger
  • The time has come to prove our dominance and take back the undeniable crown of the Big East Regular Season Title. Which is basically what will happen if we take a two-game lead over Creighton after this weekend. - kevin.pulsifer
  • Back to business lately, but have we fixed our Creighton issues? - Chris Lane
  • Villanova rightfully reclaims their perch at the top of the Big East. Whether or not Coach Wright and his staff can learn to cover Creighton shooters will determine if the 'Cats can stay at Number 1. - Noah Thacker
  • Back on top. Can't see the haters. - rsaccoma2016

2. Creighton Bluejays (19-4, 9-2)

  • Survey says they'll be the Butler of next season without Doug McDermott. - jeremy.menninger
  • They've proven far more vulnerable than us. Take away the three-ball, and take away Wragge, and they're beatable. We've only lost to a buzzsaw and the number 1 team, on the road. - kevin.pulsifer
  • Stop Ethan Wragge, stop Creighton. - Chris Lane
  • Creighton was exposed by a very athletic and very physical St. John's team, a strategy Villanova should be able to duplicate. Outside of McDermott, the Blue Jays lack a go-to scorer. But when that Doug guy is scoring 25 a night, do you really need another scoring option? - Noah Thacker
  • Still undefeated at home. Doesn't bode well for Villanova this Sunday, however being 0-1 at the Garden this year can only mean good for everyone else during the Big East Tournament. - rsaccoma2016

3. Xavier Musketeers (17-7, 7-4)

  • Can someone better than me mock up their roster into this image? - jeremy.menninger
  • Tough to figure out, but I'm thinking just too much youth. - Chris Lane
  • Xavier certainly isn't wowing anyone with their recent conference performance. This upcoming stretch against Butler, Marquette, and Depaul should allow them to solidify their resume. - Noah Thacker
  • 2 wins in your last 5 games. We were JUST feeling good about ourselves and now we're all choking. - rsaccoma2016

4. Georgetown Hoyas (15-9, 6-6)

  • Hoyas looking more like puppies this year. - jeremy.menninger
  • After Monday night's win, Joe Lunardi tweeted out that Georgetown had made the "Last Four In" section. They still have a tough few road games but that could prove beneficial for the Hoyas. - kevin.pulsifer
  • Here they come! - Chris Lane
  • Georgetown seems to be figuring things out right in time for a run at the NCAA Tournament. Markel Starks and his mean muggin' has carried the scoring load for the Hoyas while a uninspiring but deep front court holds their own. An upcoming contest against the Johnnies will determine which of the Big East up-and-comers is most ready to make their mark come March.
    - Noah Thacker
  • You're tied with Providence so you have to be somewhat impressive. But just imagine if Josh Smith was here. Maybe you'd actually matter. - rsaccoma2016

5. St. John's Red Storm (15-9, 5-6)

  • I don't care if they rattled off a couple wins, they're still a disappointment. - jeremy.menninger
  • They could easily finish the conference out 5-2 and end up 10-8.. if not better. I smell a Sweet 16 bid (you heard it here first). - kevin.pulsifer
  • Rysheed Jordan is finally playing like he's capable, and the Johnnies are benefitting as a result. - Chris Lane
  • It's about time these guys figured things out. But will it be enough to buy them a ticket to the Big Dance? Those uber athletic wings (looking at you Jakaar Sampson and Sir'Dominic Pointer) need to stop settling for mid-range jumpers and get to the free throw line for this team to realize its potential on offense. - Noah Thacker
  • I'm glad SOMEONE has the DECENCY to improve over the last 2 weeks! - rsaccoma2016

6. Providence Friars (16-7, 6-4)

  • Reserving comment because I'm always wrong with them. - jeremy.menninger
  • Oh, how the mighty have fallen. If they hit 20 wins I think they'll still go dancing, but Saturday against DePaul is a must-win. Is it bad to say I'm no longer scared of the trip back to the Dunk. - kevin.pulsifer
  • I can't believe I thought this was their year. - Chris Lane
  • Ugh. I keep on wanting to believe in this team, but dropping four of their last five most likely has landed them on the wrong side of the bubble. They have the talent no doubt but only have seven players averaging more than 10 minutes a game. Not a good sign for their prospects of a late season push. - Noah Thacker
  • Only 1 win in the past 5 games, and that was a 5 point win at DePaul. Go to your room. No dessert. No TV. Santa doesn't exist. All that. - rsaccoma2016

7. Marquette Golden Eagles (14-10, 6-5)

  • Gotta figure they're out of the NCAAs at this point unless they hit a streak. They should focus their attention on next season, they could be good. - jeremy.menninger
  • Villanova beat Kansas and Iowa. Creighton beat us. Providence and St. John's beat Creighton. Georgetown beat Michigan State. Xavier beat Cincinnati. Without a statement win, the Golden Eagles don't pass the eye test at all. - kevin.pulsifer
  • Buzz must be on the 'lose a game, doing 100 pushups' program. - Chris Lane
  • Does anything else spell out complete mediocrity than an alternating win/loss pattern since the beginning of conference play? I don't think so. - Noah Thacker
  • It's been about 3 weeks now, but STILL I ROFL that you were once in the top 20. - rsaccoma2016

8. Seton Hall Pirates (13-11, 4-7)

  • Here's a cat gif. - jeremy.menninger
  • Their alternating win/loss streak will lead to a victory over Marquette this week. Next stop, 7th place! - kevin.pulsifer
  • Lovable losers is the best way to describe them. - Chris Lane
  • Seriously though, Coach Willard would probably pay good money to fast forward to when his 2014 recruiting class arrives on campus. - Noah Thacker
  • I can't wait until you don't suck and being a fan actually is noteworthy! - rsaccoma2016

9. Butler Bulldogs (12-12, 2-10)

  • Disappoint me once, shame on Gordon Hayward. Disappoint me twice, shame on Brad Stevens. - jeremy.menninger
  • At least you're not DePaul. - kevin.pulsifer
  • Retreat! - Chris Lane
  • It seems like they're in every game until the last five minutes or so, but lack the firepower to take home the win. This is a young roster though, with a lot of room to grow between now and next season. - Noah Thacker
  • You're the DePaul of Indiana - rsaccoma2016

10. DePaul Blue Demons (10-14, 2-9)

  • Okay honestly let's fire Purnell, fire the AD, burn all the documents, and start over. - Chris Lane
  • Can't be disappointed if I expected them to be terrible. The bar was low to begin with. - jeremy.menninger
  • I'd like to make a motion for a poll in this week's article. Who is worse off: DePaul, or the Cleveland Browns? (Browns have had three GMs and head coaches between Grambling State D1 wins, DePaul just lost their only good player, who happens to be named Cleveland).
    - kevin.pulsifer
  • This video sums it up. - Noah Thacker
  • Started from the bottom, now we’re… still at the bottom. There will be no Drake night in Chicago. -Brian Ewart
  • Losing Cleveland Melvin is like subtracting 1,000,000 from -500,000,000. It's a big amount, but in the large scheme of things you're still far from 0. - rsaccoma2016

What do you think? Are there any extreme outliers in the VU Hoops rankings?

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