Big East standings, schedule, predictions, and games to watch (Week of Nov. 7, 2022)

The 2022-23 college basketball season is here!

Each week, we’ll take a look at the different Big East college basketball games and highlight a few standout games.

As the season unwinds, we’ll include a weekly section for standings and records, but everyone’s got a clean slate as things tip off.

I’ll offer some predictions for all games, feel free to chime in with some of your own in the comments section.

This opening week slate, overall, is loaded with plenty of cupcakes and opponents to help shake off the rust, but there are a couple that stand out before things pick up next week. Either way, no complaints though, because hoops is back!

Game of the Week: No. 16 Villanova at Temple

When: Friday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. ET
TV: ESPNU, also streaming on WatchESPN
KenPom says: Villanova, 74-68 (69% chance to win)

Analysis: Villanova is the only Big East team heading on the road this week. While the Wildcats won’t be traveling too far from home, they will be going against a tough crowd when they travel to the Liacouras Center. It will be the first meeting between both teams since the Wildcats won by 20 in 2020. COVID-19 complications prevented this matchup from happening in each of the last two season, but that shouldn’t be the case in a more normal year. ‘Nova has dominated the Big 5 in recent years, but this game may be a possible early-season trap for the ‘Cats. Temple is coming off of its best season under head coach Aaron McKie, a 17-14 campaign despite leading scorer Khalif Battle going down with a season-ending injury after averaging 21.4 points through the first seven games, and the Owls will look to continue to build on the momentum. They have a talented sophomore-heavy core, between Battle, scoring guard Damian Dunn, leading rebounder Jahlil White and forward Zach Hicks, who’s primed for a breakout season and a bigger year after some player departures. It might not be by a 20-point margin this year, but the ‘Cats should pull it out. Don’t sleep on the Owls though, this can be a sneaky tricky game, especially for the new-look Wildcats’ first road game. Prediction: Villanova over Temple

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...and here’s two more to watch for:

La Salle at No. 16 Villanova

When: Monday, Nov. 7, at 6:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, as part of a special season-opening “whip-around” format
KenPom says: Villanova, 81-61 (92%)

Analysis: A little bias? Sure, but look at the rest of the Monday season-opening slate! Everyone’s excited for the return of college hoops — objectively and subjectively speaking — this Villanova-La Salle meeting is the best of the bunch. It’s not a totally meaningless game, or a cupcake, it’s a Philadelphia Big 5 showdown. Both teams are debuting brand new head coaches, and there’s been plenty of shakeups on both rosters. Fran Dunphy is back in the Big 5, with his first head coaching gig since coaching Temple in 2019. As for Villanova, it’ll be interesting to see what the Wildcats’ starting five looks like, how deep the rotation will actually go, and if they will speed things up a bit or what strategic tendencies Kyle Neptune will have. Prediction: Villanova over La Salle

Saint Peter’s at Seton Hall

When: Saturday, Nov. 12, at 12 p.m. ET
TV: FS2
KenPom says: Seton Hall, 74-58 (93%)

Analysis: New head coach Shaheen Holloway will settle into his post by playing a couple of familiar faces in the Pirates’ first week of the season. After playing MAAC school Monmouth, he’ll host his former school, Saint Peter’s, for a Saturday matinee. He guided the Peacocks during their magical run to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight last season, and he’ll look to suspend his love for Saint Peter’s for 40 minutes, as he tries to get the Pirates to pick up a win. The Peacocks’ roster was gutted after Holloway’s departure, with plenty opting to go the transfer portal. KC Ndefo, who was a three-time MAAC Defensive Player of the Year and last season’s national Division I Defensive Player of the Year as the Lefty Driesell Award winner, did follow Holloway to Seton Hall. The Pirates have plenty of returners and are in better shape overall, so this one shouldn’t be an issue. Prediction: Seton Hall over Saint Peter’s

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Here are the rest of the games this week, all times ET:

Monday, Nov. 7, 2022
All games will be featured on FS1 as part of a special “whip-around” format similar to NFL RedZone
New Orleans at Butler, 6:30 p.m.
Merrimack at St. John’s, 6:45 p.m.
Morgan State at Xavier, 7:30 p.m.
Stonehill at UConn, 7:30 p.m.
Loyola (Md.) at DePaul, 7:45 p.m.
Radford at Marquette, 8:30 p.m.
St. Thomas (Minn.) at No. 9 Creighton, 8:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022
Rider at Providence, 6:30 p.m., on FS1
Coppin State at Georgetown, 8:30 p.m., on FS1

Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022
Monmouth at Seton Hall, 8 p.m., on FS1

Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022
Central Michigan at Marquette, 8 p.m., on FS2
North Dakota at No. 9 Creighton, 9 p.m., on FS1

Friday, Nov. 11, 2022
Boston University at UConn, 6 p.m., on FS2
Montana at Xavier, 8 p.m., on FS2
Western Illinois at DePaul, 10 p.m., on FS2

Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022
Green Bay at Georgetown, 11 a.m., local networks only
Lafayette at St. John’s, 6 p.m., on FS2
Northeastern at Providence, 8 p.m., on FS2

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Quick picks for the rest of the games (in order as above):

Monday

• Butler
• St. John’s
• Xavier
• UConn
• DePaul
• Marquette
• Creighton

Tuesday

• Providence
• Georgetown

Wednesday

• Seton Hall

Thursday

• Marquette
• Creighton

Friday

• UConn
• Xavier
• DePaul

Saturday

• Georgetown
• St. John’s
• Providence