2019-20 Big East Conference Basketball Power Rankings 1.0

9. Georgetown Hoyas (0-2, 10-5)

This is a make-or-break year for head coach Patrick Ewing. With NBA jobs on the horizon and the winning culture that John Thompson brought to the Hoyas program, Ewing has to be feeling it from the fanbase. Georgetown’s devastating losses to No. 19 Penn State (then unranked), No. 2 Duke, as well as a blowout loss to Seton Hall (in a down game for Myles Powell), means the Hoyas need to start winning some games in the Big East.

8. St. John’s Red Storm: (0-2, 11-4)

Mike Anderson, who’d never had a losing season as a head coach, has brought the Red Storm to more relevancy then they had in four years with Chris Mullin. The Johnnies are a much improved defensive team under “Iron Mike.” St. John’s has quality wins over No. 17 West Virginia at Madison Square Garden and No. 24 Arizona (then No. 16). The Carnasecca Arena faithful are fired up and have turned out to see their Red Storm compete.

Already they had to deal with AN injury to leading scorer Mustapha Heron. In his stead, transfer Rasheem Dunn has been a revelation, coming off the bench for the Johnnies. They certainly need to improve their shooting from behind the arc, considering they went 1-for-16 in their 75-67 loss to Xavier.

7. Creighton  Blue Jays: (1-1, 12-3)

Greg McDermott is an accomplished coach, there’s no denying it. However, the Bluejays are a one-dimensional team. Outside of Marcus Zegarowski and Ty-Shon Alexander, the scoring drops off and so does the intensity. With a lackluster non-conference schedule Creighton hasn’t really challenged themselves and I expect them to get exposed during conference play.

6. Xavier Muskateers: (1-1, 12-3)

The Musketeers became a powerhouse under Chris Mack. With Mack bolting for Louisville, the X-Men have not faltered. They are a big scrappy team that defends the paint and will knock down three’s when you give them an opportunity. Naji Marshall and Paul Scruggs are a lethal scoring duo.

5. Villanova Wildcats: (1-1, 10-3)

Jay Wright is the most accomplished coach in the conference capturing four of the last five Big East titles. Additionally, the former Hofstra coach led his team in 2016 over UNC and 2018 over Michigan to capture two national titles. However, his squad this season is young and extremely inconsistent. After narrowly escaping with a 68-62 home win over Xavier, Wright’s squad showed their inexperience losing to Marquette.