It seemed to be a week to “prove yourself” for the start of the Big East‘s season. Many of the top teams in the league were disappointed with their prove-it games. From St John’s falling to Alabama, to Marquette getting completely outclassed by Indiana and its first-year coach, it wasn’t a good first week for the conference. This week’s Big East power rankings certainly show that.
Let’s take a closer look at how the league stands after the opening week of the 2025-26 season.
Big East Power Rankings: Huskies Up, Red Storm Down
1. UConn (2-0)
No surprise that Dan Hurley’s Huskies sit at the top of the table. After taking care of Division 1 newcomer New Haven in the season opener, the No. 4 Huskies wiped the floor with UMass Lowell. In a game that was decided before halftime, Tarris Reed delivered a huge night. He had 20 points, along with 12 rebounds, further cementing his place as one of the best bigs in the country. The November 15th clash with fellow Top-10 foe BYU is looming large for the Huskies.
Kodiak is BACK 😤 pic.twitter.com/VxZYOznZDO
— UConn Men's Basketball (@UConnMBB) November 8, 2025
2. Creighton (1-0)
Coach McDermott’s Blue Jays only had one game during the opening week against South Dakota. Now they will make the trip to the Kennel. The McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane is going to be rocking for the top-25 clash between Creighton and Gonzaga on Tuesday night. Owen Freeman will need to have another huge night for Creighton.
3. Butler (2-0)
Thad Matta just knows how to get the best out of his team. The Bulldogs sit 2-0 after convincing wins against Southern Indiana and IU Indy. This week starts an interesting stretch for Butler. They have Chicago State at Hinkle Fieldhouse to start the week, but then they go on the road to SMU (11/15). Still, Butler is sitting pretty in the Big East power rankings to start the year.
4. Georgetown (2-0)
As are the Hoyas. After beating Morgan State to begin the season, Georgetown was able to march into College Park and take down Maryland on its home floor. That always helps later in the season. Sure, it was only a ten-point win, but to do it on the road was huge for the program. Malik Mack had 19 points leading that charge for the Hoyas.
5. St John’s (1-1)
A slight mistep for the Red Storm against Alabama had St John’s Slip down the Big East power rankings. They couldn’t slow down Labaron Philon in the clash of powers at MSG. It was quite a high-scoring duel between the Tide and the Red Storm. Luckily, Coach Pitino’s group has a week to get right with games against William & Mary and Bucknell.
6. DePaul (2-0)
A nice 2-0 start for DePaul has to build some confidence. Then again, those wins came against Chicago State and Stonehill. The Stoneill game was a lot closer than it probably should have been. Now the Blue Demons have a week to prove themselves, with Buffalo and Northwestern both coming into Wintrust Arena in downtown Chicago. CJ Gunn looked good with 28 against Stonehill.
7. Seton Hall (2-0)
The Pirates are a bit hard to make out thus far. They won both of their games during the opening week, but they were both very subpar foes. Only beating Wagner by seven points could be worrisome. The level of opponents this coming week isn’t much better.
8. Xavier (2-0)
The Musketeers are another team that went 2-0 during the opening week of the season. Santa Clara (11/10) and at Iowa (11/14) are definitely stepping up the competition for Xavier during the second week of the 2025-26 season.
9. Marquette (2-1)
A busy three-game week is nothing to frown at. In fact, playing three games in a week can be tough. It’s the way the Golden Eagles lost against Indiana on Sunday. The Hooiers completely kicked their butt. 100-77 was the final score, but the Golden Eagles never felt like they were ever in the game. The schedule is only going to get tougher. Shaka Smart has some work to do with his squad.
10. Providence (1-1)
The Friars had a chance to prove themselves worthy at the Hall of Fame Classic. They couldn’t, however, as they lost a tough game against Virginia Tech, falling to 1-1 after the opening week. Now they face Fran McCaffrey’s Penn Quakers team and a road trip to Colorado this week.
11. Villanova (1-1)
The Wildcats have remained lost since Jay Wright retired. They fought tooth and nail against BYU in the season opener, falling 71-66. They were able to rebound nicely in game two with a 94-74 thrashing of Queens. Still, it wasn’t enough to avoid the bottom of the Big East power rankings after opening week.
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