The holiday season has come and gone and after a week hiatus from the Big East basketball power rankings we dive back into what is going on around the league as the new calendar year approaches.
Only three teams saw action this week – Georgetown, DePaul, and St. John’s – with all coming away victorious against mid-major competition as it finally marks the end of non-conference play, and each program will be playing against conference foes from now until March.
The top of the Big East seems solidified but there is a lot of jockeying for position around the middle of the conference as it will be an up-hill climb for the league to get four or five teams in the NCAA Tournament.
Now, we look at how the teams shake out entering 2025 in the Big East.
1. UConn Huskies (10-3, 2-0 Big East)
UConn has been very impressive since returning from Maui, as we have talked about, but that way in which Dan Hurley got his team to respond to adversity has been the most eye-opening thing about its recent stretch.
The Huskies have won important games without Alex Karaban and Samson Johnson, and it has been a next man up attitude in Storrs, showing its depth and culture can win games without its stars on the court.
Having four of its first six Big East games on the road will only serve this team better when its run of home games comes towards the end of the year.
THIS WEEK: at. DePaul (Wednesday) and vs. Providence (Sunday)
2. Marquette Golden Eagles (11-2, 2-0 Big East)
Marquette keeps chugging along without much national recognition but its victory over Xavier continues to prove that this team knows how to win regardless of the circumstance, especially after dropping its last two true road games against Iowa State and Dayton.
The Golden Eagles will have 10 days between games when it takes the floor on Tuesday night so rust could be a factor early in another road game which will feature a hostile environment.
THIS WEEK: at. Providence (Tuesday) and vs. Creighton (Friday)