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Big East Power Rankings: How many bids?

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

By Chris Lane
Eric Francis

Ryan Saccoman's lead continues to shrink as his fellow students gain ground on him again. Kevin Pulsifer has made a statement of intent in the email thread, and it all comes down to Seton Hall vs. Georgetown this week to see if we'll have a tie at the top next week.

Elsewhere, the Big East continues to beat up on each other and risk getting 4-5 bids into March Madness. Villanova and Creighton are safe. St. John's probably is too. Xavier is trending closer to on the bubble, while Georgetown's push took a major hit with a big loss to the Johnnies. And even Marquette, if they went on a run, could find themselves in the mix.

Too close to call, but I think 4 is a safe bet, while 5 would be gravy.

Here are the pick'em standings:

Contestant Wins Tiebreak
rsaccoman2016 22 2
Kevin.Pulsifer 21 3
MikeReilly 18 3
Brian Ewart 17 4
Chris Lane 17 1
Noah Thacker 17 2
Ryan Irwin 11 2
jeremy.menninger 14 2
MikeJ. 11 2
Tyler Ricky Tynes 9 1
Ed Donohue 3 0

This week, we're picking...

  • Butler @ St. John's
  • Creighton @ Marquette
  • Georgetown @ Seton Hall
  • St. John's @ Villanova
  • Xavier @ Georgetown
  • Villanova player with the most total points this week (vs. Providence & St. John's)

Staff Picks

Contestant Butler @ St. John's Creighton @ Marquette Georgetown @ Seton Hall St. John's @ Villanova Xavier @ Georgetown Most Points
rsaccoma2016 St. John's Creighton Seton Hall Villanova Xavier Bell
kevin.pulsifer St. John's Creighton Georgetown Villanova Xavier Bell
Brian Ewart St. John's Creighton Seton Hall Villanova Georgetown Pinkston
Chris Lane St. John's Creighton Georgetown St. John's Xavier Bell
Noah Thacker St. John's Marquette Georgetown Villanova Georgetown Hilliard
MikeReilly St. John's Creighton Georgetown Villanova Georgetown Bell
jeremy.menninger St. John's Creighton Georgetown Villanova Xavier Bell
MikeJ. St. John's Creighton Georgetown Villanova Georgetown Hilliard
Tyler Ricky Tynes [no pick] [no pick] [no pick] [no pick] [no pick] [no pick]

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

1. Creighton Bluejays (21-4, 11-2), 8 First-Place Votes

  • I lost a big piece of myself when I ranked them over us. Sigh.. - jeremy.menninger
  • Have to hand it to them, their moving screens, their elbows to the throat, their fadeaway jumpers, their 3-point %... Gawrsh, isn't Dougie wonderful? *dreamy eyes, swoons*. - kevin.pulsifer
  • Very eager to take them down in MSG. - Chris Lane
  • First is the worst. Second is the best. - rsaccoma2016

    2. Villanova Wildcats (23-3, 11-2)

    • We are a good team right now, not a great team. Top priorities this week should be defense and getting the bench back up to snuff. I miss the Hartbreaker. -jeremy.menninger
    • Praying to the almighty Rollie gods that we have something cooking for when we inevitably meet them in the Big East Finals. Conference tournaments go VERY far in regards to seeding, and a win there could put us back in 1 seed contention (Arizona will fall off, potentially Wichita loses, Duke will struggle). - kevin.pulsifer
    • Tough end to the schedule here, in which we're playing for a Big East title (need help) and seeding. Interested to see how this squad holds up. - Chris Lane
    • #respect for letting someone else get the spotlight for once. - rsaccoma2016

    3. Xavier Musketeers (17-8, 7-5)

    • Still no graphic on the Mouseketeers? I question their long term success but for now they're playing hard. - jeremy.menninger
    • One year too early. Hopefully nobody bolts early because they've got a lot of talent coming in. - Chris Lane
    • Outside of their home loss to Seton Hall, all of their losses are on the road at the top half of the league. They should be almost a lock for the tournament, but can boost their chances with home wins against Creighton and 'Nova. - kevin.pulsifer
    • I feel silly saying they would be a Sweet 16 team, and that was about 3 weeks ago. - rsaccoma2016

    3. St. John's Red Storm (18-9, 8-6)

    • How hot are they right now... I do predict a similar burnout though. - jeremy.menninger
    • Villanova remains the only Big East team to beat them at home. They're picking up speed and have one of the easiest schedules remaining in the conference. Lunardi's updated bracketology (via Twitter) has them in the tournament.. - kevin.pulsifer
    • Jon Rothstein may have been on to something. They're scary-good when firing all on cylinders. - Chris Lane
    • With Chris Obekpa out, their blocks/game will go down to 188, however when your only loss in the last 9 games is a last second loss to Creighton, you'll find a way. - rsaccoma2016

    5. Georgetown Hoyas (15-10, 6-7)

    • Our academic superior and basketball inferior. - jeremy.menninger
    • Somehow, Lunardi's recent update has SIX Big East teams in the dance. Georgetown is currently the last team in. They'll hope to knock us off over spring break at the Wells Fargo Center to cement their tourney hopes. UGH why are our games so important for everyone else can we just be underrated again please thanks.. - kevin.pulsifer
    • Could they get into the NCAA Tournament with the losing record in the Big East? - Chris Lane
    • They have won 4 of their last 5, and they've won 4 of their last 10. So nah. But they should still be in the tournament because it's Georgetown. - rsaccoma2016

    6. Marquette Golden Eagles (15-10, 7-5)

    • They're really quiet this season. Maybe Buzz Williams stopped shining his head? - jeremy.menninger
    • You win three straight and you're destined to fly up the charts. They're a decent ways away from the tournament but they still have Creighton at home and Nova at the WFC over spring break.. - kevin.pulsifer
    • As John Calipari knows, sometimes a ton of freshmen talent doesn't work out. - Chris Lane
    • They finally stopped their alternating win-loss struggle with 3 straight wins. Finish big, and with a strong showing in the tournament and maybe we can get a 6th team in March. - rsaccoma2016

    7. Providence Friars (17-10, 7-7)

    • I went back and ranked them higher so that they would underachieve this week. No joke, too superstitious. - jeremy.menninger
    • Hey look, a bubble team who faces us and puts everything on the line in a statement game for them. Again. *Their victory might have just taken them off the bubble* OR *Feeling thankful we bounced backafter Creighton* -----Depending on win or loss tonight.. - kevin.pulsifer
    • Not going to miss Bryce Cotton one bit. - Chris Lane

    8. Seton Hall Pirates (13-12, 4-8)

    • Back to the bottom of the barrel where you belong. - jeremy.menninger
    • From this point on, the power rankings aren't even fun anymore. Seton Hall plays close games sometimes and just is a stupid spoiler. Butler and DePaul just lose, all the time. The end. - kevin.pulsifer
    • The top-end talent on their team doesn't have enough support. - Chris Lane
    • Maybe if they won at home like normal adults they would seem better than they are. - rsaccoma2016

    9. Butler Bulldogs (12-14, 2-12)

    • More like Buttler. Teehehe. - jeremy.menninger
    • Wait do I actually still need to say something here? Oh. Well they went 10-2 before December 31st, 0-1 on December 31st, and 2-10 after. Symmetry, folks. - kevin.pulsifer
    • Welcome to big boy basketball. - Chris Lane
    • They're not invited to our birthday party next year. - rsaccoma2016

    10. DePaul Blue Demons (10-16, 2-11)

    • Can we trade them for Saint Louis? - Chris Lane
    • NO! YOU STAY IN THE CORNER UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO WIN. - jeremy.menninger
    • From Stubhub: 'The DePaul Blue Demons are ready to hit the hardwood this college basketball season and take on some of the best teams in the NCAA ranks. This is a top-level program that is always stocked with quality players that are looking to do whatever it takes to take home a win for their school.' Oh also lower level tickets are available for their game vs. Seton Hall for $9. That's including service fees and delivery charges..
      - kevin.pulsifer
    • I LOL at your lives. - rsaccoma2016

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

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