Last week was crucial for the Big East. St. John’s faced Marquette and UConn, while Marquette visited Creighton following their road game against the Johnnies.
As a result, St. John’s is ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll for the first time since the final poll in the 1999-00 season, which coincidentally was No. 9 as well.
UConn fell out of the rankings for the first time since the 2022-23 preseason poll. The last time the Huskies were excluded from the rankings in the middle of the season was during the 2021-22 season, when they were excluded from Dec. 20, 2021, to Jan. 10, 2022.
Creighton returned to the AP Top 25 for the first time since Nov. 25, 2024, and has the nation’s sixth-longest active win streak at nine games. Their last loss was on Jan. 3 at Marquette, their only loss in 2025.
The Super Bowl is over, so all your attention should be devoted to an exciting month for the Big East. In this edition of Big East Baller Update, we will look over who showed up when it was necessary, individually and as a team. This week is equally important as well, especially for Creighton.
Weekly Awards
Player of the Week: Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton (27 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 3 bpg, 1.5 spg, 65.6 FG%, 50 3P%, 64.3 FT% in two games)
The Big East Weekly Release went with St. John’s wing RJ Luis Jr. While he was incredible for the Red Storm, I sided with Kalkbrenner after two monster performances against Providence and Marquette. In the Bluejays’ win at Providence, the reigning three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year had 35 points, 12 rebounds and three steals. While he did not sustain that type of scoring as Creighton hosted Marquette, Kalkbrenner put up an efficient 19 points, seven rebounds and four blocks on 8-9 shooting.
Freshman of the Week: Thomas Sorber, F, Georgetown (15 ppg, 7 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 bpg, 1 spg, 58.3 FG% in two games)
Even with Liam McNeeley back after missing a month, Sorber remains supreme as the Big East’s best freshman. While last week was not as spectacular as he has looked all season, he still got into double figures in both games, including a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double on Saturday against Seton Hall. While the Hoyas did lose at Xavier, he put up 17 points on 8-12 shooting.
Best games of the week (excluding UConn at Creighton)
No. 9 St. John’s at Villanova (Wednesday, 6 p.m., FS1)
St. John’s will play its third consecutive Quad 1 game as they visit the Finneran Pavilion to take on Villanova. In their first meeting, the Red Storm handled the Wildcats, winning 80-68. However, it is always difficult to go on the road in the Big East, especially against Eric Dixon, the nation’s leading scorer at 23.8 points per game. Villanova has yet to win a Quad 1 game this season.
Xavier at Providence (Wednesday, 8 p.m., Peacock)
It is not a highly anticipated game, but it could provide fireworks as two Big East teams ranked in the top 100 on KenPom battle at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. Neither team has done well lately. Xavier has lost two of their last three games and Providence is on a three-game skid. Xavier’s 3-point shooting (38.5%) ranks No. 15 in the country, while Providence has been strong all season at perimeter defense, ranking No. 50 in the country at 31.1%.
Villanova at Providence (Saturday, 6 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
These old-school Big East teams have not been too hot this season but rank in the top 100 in the NCAA’s NET rankings. Xavier will not be the only premier 3-point shooting team the Friars face this week, as Villanova ranks fourth in the nation from deep, making 39.9% of their attempts. This game is underrated, as the Big East’s best 3-point shooting team meets the Big East’s best 3-point defense.
No. 24 Creighton at No. 9 St. John’s (Sunday, 3 p.m., FS1)
Two of the hottest teams in the Big East are scheduled for a heavyweight battle at Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon. Creighton has been red-hot offensively lately, but no one would be surprised if St. John’s is able to shut that down as the Red Storm boast one of the best defenses in college basketball.