1. UConn (10-1)

A heavyweight bout at The World’s Most Famous Arena between the past two national champions saw the Huskies knock out Florida in front of a raucous crowd on Dec. 9 in the Big Apple. Hurley’s squad, who gleaned motivation from their heartbreaking defeat in the second round of the NCAA Tournament a season ago, added to an impressive tally of nonconference victories that includes wins over No. 10 BYU, No. 18 Illinois, No. 17 Kansas and most recently Texas.

Led by a trio of returnees in Solo Ball, Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed Jr., UConn has played suffocating defense, allowing the second fewest points per game in the conference at 61.8. The Huskies lead the Big East in scoring margin at 17.2.

2. Seton Hall (10-1)

The top defensive team in the Big East currently resides in South Orange, N.J. At 61.6 points per contest allowed, the Pirates have stifled opponents in each of their victories. Seton Hall also leads the conference in turnover margin, averaging 5.73 more takeaways than their opponents thus far.

Shaheen Holloway’s defensive philosophy has begun to rub off on a group of gritty, transfer guards that have led the way to an impressive start for the Pirates. Adam Clark (Merrimack), AJ Staton-McCray (Miami) and Tajuan Simpkins (Elon) are combining for nearly five steals per game.

On Dec. 6 at Kansas State, Seton Hall secured a critical nonconference win while holding the nation’s second leading scorer, PJ Haggerty, to just 11 points.

3. Villanova (8-2)

Following an 89-61 thrashing at the hands of No. 2 Michigan, first-year Nova head coach Kevin Willard credited the Wolverines’ tenacity on the defensive end. 

“Everyone talks about their offense, but everything is predicated off their defense,” Willard said. “They use length well. They switch great. They’re so well connected defensively right now.”

Willard’s Wildcats took care of business at home Saturday when they welcomed in a struggling Pitt team, landing them right back on track as they prepare to take on Wisconsin in Milwaukee prior to conference play opening. A pair of underclassmen in Bryce Lindsay and Acaden Lewis lead Villanova in scoring, while Grand Canyon transfer Duke Brennan’s 11.7 rebounds per game are good for third in the country.

4. St. John’s (6-3)

Rick Pitino’s group has taken on a gauntlet of a nonconference slate, and the three in the loss column reflects that for the Red Storm. However, St. John’s handled Baylor at the Players Era Festival, a game in which Providence transfer Bryce Hopkins uncorked for 21 points on an efficient 9 of 12 from the field. 

With Zuby Ejiofor maintaining his dominance in the middle for Pitino, and Hopkins joining him, the Johnnies present an intimidating frontcourt for opposing offenses. Transfer guards Ian Jackson (UNC) and Oziyah Sellers (Stanford) have adjusted nicely to their new surroundings, averaging more than 11 points per game. St. John’s opens Big East play with DePaul before heading to Atlanta for yet another nonconference showdown, this time with Mark Pope’s Kentucky Wildcats.

5. Butler (8-2)

A 113-110 double-overtime thriller gave Thad Matta’s Bulldogs the first conference win of the year in the Big East. As they have done all season, Michael Ajayi and Finley Bizjack paced Butler, scoring 28 and 26, respectively, in the victory.

Ajayi, a Gonzaga transfer, averages 17.4 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. A Bulldog for each of his collegiate seasons, Bizjack tops the team’s scoring charts with 18.8 points per contest through 10 games. A marquee win over a surging No. 23 Virginia team helped vault Butler into the top five, but a clash with No. 5 UConn Tuesday night will test the Bulldogs’ staying power.

6. Xavier (8-3)

Richard Pitino attacked the portal in his first offseason at the helm for Xavier, recognizing the immediate need for talent acquisition in a tightly contested hoops conference. With the likes of his father and Hurley to compete with in the standings, Pitino’s work appears to be paying off early for the Musketeers.

His Xavier squad, which has received all of its contributions from transfers, is in the midst of a five-game winning streak, with a chance to open conference play strong versus Creighton on Dec. 17. The Musketeers have shot the lights out from deep to start the year, ranking second in the conference in both three-point makes and percentage. FAU transfer Tre Carroll leads Xavier in scoring at 16.9 points per contest.

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7. Georgetown (7-3)

Although the second half got away from Ed Cooley and his Hoyas on Dec. 7 in Chapel Hill, Georgetown trailed by just five entering the break. Cooley’s team has struggled as of late, however, finishing 2-3 in their last five games.

In the backcourt, Arizona transfer KJ Lewis and Malik Mack have gelled nicely to open the season, combining for more than 30 points per game. St. John’s transfer big man Vince Iwuchukwu has helped shore up a Hoya defense that finished last in the conference in points allowed a season ago. The Nigeria native is averaging a pair of blocks per game thus far.

8. Marquette (5-6)

Losses in three of their last four dropped the Golden Eagles to below .500 for the first time in the Shaka Smart era. Back to back games at Kohl Center (Wisconsin) and Mackey Arena (Purdue) can reveal a team’s true colors, and after a pair of 20-point whoopings, the outlook appears bleak for Marquette.

“We believe in growth,” said Smart following the loss in Madison. “We have, as you saw, we have a lot of young guys that we believe in, that we need to grow up.”

Senior guard Chase Ross has done his best to keep the Golden Eagles aloft, averaging 18.6 points per contest. However, without the aforementioned contributions from Ross’ teammates, Marquette will continue to struggle.

9. Creighton (5-5)

A similar lackluster start has plagued Greg McDermott’s Creighton squad to open the 2025-26 season. McDermott, who became the program’s all-time winningest coach a season ago, has led the Blue Jays to five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances but looks to have his hands full keeping that streak alive this season.

On Dec. 7, Nebraska walloped Creighton in what is usually a hard fought rivalry battle, 71-50. Six days later, the Blue Jays suffered a home defeat to Kansas State to fall to .500. Iowa transfers Josh Dix and Owen Freeman have struggled to maintain their level of production from a season ago, and will need to find a rhythm in Omaha for the Blue Jays to turn it around.

10. DePaul (8-3)

Once again, the Blue Demons find themselves near the bottom of the power rankings. DePaul picked up a solid victory over Georgia Tech, but lost handily to LSU the ensuing night. 

Former four-star recruit and Indiana transfer CJ Gunn has led the way for Chris Holtmann’s team to start the season with 14.2 points per game. Unfortunately for the Blue Demons faithful, No. 22 St. John’s and No. 5 UConn loom next.

11. Providence (7-5)

It has been a Jameis Winston-esque start to the season for Providence, which lands at the cellar of the power rankings. Similar to Winston, who threw for 33 touchdowns in his historic 2019 season, the Friars are excellent offensively, leading the conference with 91.7 points per game. Similar to that season’s Buccaneers squad, Providence has been putrid defensively, surrendering a conference-worst 84.7 points per contest.

Kim English’s group ranks ninth in the conference in turnover margin, with their mark slightly exceeding negative. Winston delivered 30 passes to the opposing team in 2019.

So, although they have two top-ten scorers in the conference in Jason Edwards (19.2) and Jaylin Sellers (16.3), it will take vast improvement in the turnover department for the Friars to turn things around.