The Big East again has four teams in the AP top 25, including Nova still sticking at number one. That is the third most teams any conference has in the poll behind the Big 12 and the ACC. If you really like math, then it is the second highest percentage of teams from a conference in the poll. The Big 12 is on an absurd pace right now and absolutely dominating college hoops. The ACC’s top heaviness puts a bunch of good teams in the poll. But the Big East is doing it with one powerhouse and then a fairly evenly distributed amount of talent from teams 2-8.
Saturday sucked
The biggest game of the week for the Big East was probably Georgetown hosting Syracuse to try to keep their undefeated record. For reference, that undefeated record was compiled against the 350th strongest schedule in the nation. There are 351 teams in college basketball. Georgetown was undefeated, but they had also played Morty’s School for the Blind eight times. I have been trying to figure out the deal with the Hoyas, and honestly, I still don’t know. The truth is, they played 35 minutes of really good basketball against a decent Syracuse team. They ultimately lost the game in overtime, which is much better than many analysts thought the squad would do. Continue to keep an eye on Georgetown because they still might be ok.
Overall on Saturday, the Big East went only 1-4, with the lone victory being Xavier’s comeback victory over East Tennessee State. Even that one win was really completely stolen from the jaws of defeat. DePaul is always expected to lose and Butler would have been a stretch to beat Purdue, but Seton Hall lost in a battle of New Jersey against Rutgers. Last week I said Seton Hall is Final Four good. And that is the worst thing about Saturday is that it made me look really, really stupid. The college basketball season is a whirlwind, and Saturday was the tornado scene in The Wizard of Oz for the Big East.
St. John’s has a magic number
65. This is a number that St. John’s is going to be looking at for the entire season. Preseason is one thing, of course when you are playing average-to-below-average opponents, but 65 is a number that St. John’s is going to keep very close to their hearts. 65 is how many points they need to keep their opponents to.
They currently sit at 9-2 on the season and both losses have come when they have allowed more than 65 points. In games that match that qualification, they are 1-2, with the one win coming against Oregon State, which is just a fluke game considering Oregon State’s scoring woes and slow pace.
I put the number at 65 to account for a little cushion because outside of those three games, the Red Storm has not allowed more than 61 points. In those games, they are 8-0, including a ridiculous 46-43 victory over UCF. Overall, their 61.9 points against per game is good for 15th in the nation. Chris Mullin has St. John’s as an elite defensive team and primed for success in Big East Conference play.
Wildcats in hibernation
The number one team in the nation did not have a really tough week. They finished up their matchups against Big 5 opponents, which is literally only recognized as a thing in Philadelphia. They won that kinda, sorta league for the fifth season in a row, including 22 consecutive Big 5 wins.
Coming off that, it looks like they need a siesta. Villanova played Temple to close out their Big 5 schedule (a game I was at and a game where both Brunson and Spellman turned into superheroes) on Wednesday. They do not play again until this Friday against Hofstra.
Villanova is currently the best team in the nation, but that is on eye test alone. They beat Tennessee when the Volunteers were unranked. They raked a good Gonzaga team over the coals. Outside of that, their schedule has been quite soft. This week and a half off going into conference play makes me fear complacency as a fan.