Big East basketball teams has gotten off to a rough start this season an opportunity knocks for the league.
This week teams will travel all over the country for college's basketballs famous 'Feast Week' and ten of the eleven Big East teams will be participating in a tournament.
Until then, we break down how each team is shaping up heading into this week's tournament games.
1. UConn Huskies (5-1)
This week: 71-67 loss vs. No. 4 Arizona, 72-49 win vs. Bryant
UConn fell short in their marquee matchup against No. 4 Arizona this week. Starting center Tarris Reed Jr. 's absence was felt as the Huskies were out rebounded by 20. They also shot just 50-percent from the free throw line as a team.
UConn showed how good they are even in a loss. Losing by just four points without their starting big man and shooting horrifc from the stripe says everything you need to know. While it's only November, the Huskies are living up to the national championship expectations once again.
The free throw shooting was much improved against Bryant on Sunday and freshman center Eric Reibe excelled with 16 points and six rebounds. Reibe has done a nice job filling the void that Reed left behind due to his injury.
Dan Hurley's team will head to Madison Square Garden on Black Friday against Illinois.
2. St John's Red Storm (3-1)
This week: 97-49 win vs. Bucknell
The Red Storm manhandled Bucknell in its lone game this week. The defense was absolutely suffocating, holding Bucknell to just 49 points and forcing 24 total turnovers. Bryce Hopkins and Ian Jackson both had 20 points in the blowout win.
St. John’s biggest strength is their depth.
Big East preseason player of the year Zuby Ejofor had just five points and four rebounds and yet the Red Storm cruised to a blowout win. Rick Pitino can mix and match with lineups based on who has the hot hand that night.
The real test will begin this week with the Red Storm traveling to Las Vegas to participate in the Players Era Festival. They’ll take on Iowa State and Baylor to kick off its feast week tournament play.
3. Georgetown Hoyas (5-0)
This week: 92-75 win vs. Wagner
Georgetown just had one game this week, picking up a home win against Wagner. Junior guard Malik Mack led the way with 18 points and five assists.
The Hoyas lost starting center Vince Iwuchukwu for two weeks as he needs to undergo a medical procedure. Iwuchukwu was off to a very solid start to his season, averaging just under 12 points and four rebounds a game.
Ed Cooley’s squad will head down to Florida to compete in the ESPN Events Invitational. The Hoyas will take on the Dayton Flyers in its opening game of the tournament.
4. Creighton Bluejays (3-1)
This week: 75-60 win vs. North Dakota
Creighton continued to struggle from behind the arc in their win against North Dakota. The Blue Jays shot just 21.1-percent from deep in this week's lone game and are shooting 27-percent as a team for the season.
Howard transfer Blake Harper has been an early bright spot averaging 13 points and 7.5 rebounds per night. Unlike his teammates, Harper has shot the three ball well at a 50-percent clip.
The Blue Jays will join St. John’s at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas this week.
Interestingly enough, Creighton will face Baylor and Iowa State, the same two teams as the Red Storm.
5. Villanova Wildcats (4-1)
This week: 70-55 win at La Salle
Villanova improved to 4-1 after a road win against La Salle this week. Matt Hodge led the way with an efficient 17 point night. Freshman Acaden Lewis has quickly emerged as Kevin Willard’s lead guard. Lewis dished out six assists versus La Salle and is averaging 5.4 per game this season.
The Wildcats will welcome Old Dominion on Tuesday for its only game of the week.
6. Providence Friars (4-2)
This week: 98-66 win vs. New Hampshire, 77-65 win vs. Penn State (Mohegan Sun)
Providence had a nice week with two wins earning them a boost in the power rankings. Blowing out New Hampshire and squeaking by Penn State after a putrid shooting night.
Jason Edwards torched New Hampshire on Tuesday night with 25 points and eight assists. So far, the Vanderbilt transfer has shined in his lead guard role averaging 19.3 points and four assists.
The Friars will head out west to San Diego for the Rady Children's Invitational and take on Wisconsin on Thanksgiving Day.
7. Butler Bulldogs (5-1)
This week: 79-72 win vs. South Carolina (Greenbrier Resort), 80-73 win vs. Virginia (Greenbrier Resort)
What a week for Thad Matta and the Butler Bulldogs taking down two power conference teams en route to winning the Greenbrier Tip-Off Tournament. Rightfully earning them a boost in this week's rankings.
Butler participated in an early feast week tournament and ran the table. Both wins are crucial to the Bulldogs non conference results and their resume as a whole.
Finley Bizjack has taken a tremendous year three leap racking up 18 points against South Carolina and 25 points in the championship game against Virginia. Gonzaga transfer Michael Ajayi was also key in the tournament victory with back-to-back 14 rebound performances.
Ajayi is averaging 14.8 points and 12.2 rebounds through Butler's first six games.
8. Marquette Golden Eagles (4-3)
This week: 77-71 loss (OT) vs. Dayton, 85-71 win vs. Central Michigan
Marquette took another crucial early season loss this week at home in overtime against Dayton. The Golden Eagles rounded out the week with a win against Central Michigan.
It is still early, but this team does not look to be a threat. Every time they have been faced with decent competition in Indiana, Maryland, and Dayton they have lost.
All signs are pointing directly at head coach Shaka Smart and his refusal to bring in transfers. The fact of the matter is Smart’s strategy to recruit high school players and develop them the old school way just is not possible in this era. Shaka Smart will need to adapt or this program will begin to really suffer.
9. Xavier Musketeers (4-3)
This week: 99-69 win vs. Old Dominion, 78-77 loss vs. Georgia (Charleston), 78-68 win vs. West Virginia (Charleston)
Xavier looked much better this week over the course of their three game slate. After blowing out Old Dominion, a one point loss to Georgia and a nice win versus West Virginia rounded out a successful weekend.
The work Richard Pitino is doing in his first year at the helm is quickly beginning to show with results like this. The Musketeers were able to rebound after two blowout losses last week. Xavier got key contributions from Valparaiso transfer All Wright, FAU transfer Tre Carroll and New Mexico transfer Jovan Milicevic this week.
This team has some nice talent on it, but is still a work in progress to becoming a cohesive unit. The games against Georgia and West Virginia were in the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic, a pre-feast week tournament.
Unlike Butler, Xavier did not win their feast-week tournament.
10. Seton Hall Pirates (5-0)
This week: 68-45 win vs. New Haven
The Pirates handled New Haven in a dominant home win this week as their undefeated start continued. Tajuan Simpkins led the way with a game high 18 points. Simpkins elite three point shooting continues to be a story, he was ⅘ from downtown on Tuesday night bringing his seasons percentage up to 55.6-percent.
A huge test awaits in the Maui Invitational as the Pirates will take on No. 23 NC State.
The Wolfpack are off to a 4-0 start and have displayed an elite offensive attack, averaging just under 101 points a night.
11. DePaul Blue Demons
This week: 93-62 win vs. Gardner-Webb, 95-75 win vs. Detroit Mercy
DePaul played two of the worst teams in the country and thankfully blew out both. They faced some of the worst competition imaginable and handled them as a Big East team should.
That will change this week as DePaul will play a solid Georgia Tech squad in their first game of the Emerald Coast Classic Tournament.