Updated HLOH power rankings

[mel ott]

Seems like a consensus on the top 2, then the next 3, then as a gap and the creighton/seton hall/Marquette cluster.

I seem to be in the minority in my opinion that seton hall is a clear step ahead of Marquette and Creighton and in best position to be the sixth bid.

Just opinions here and all happy the Big East is doing well. I believe CU will still surprise people. The Indiana game was awful and one of our top transfers who sat out a year had no points, I believe. He subsequently has led the team in two of the three games with about 20. Also, if Groselle stays healthy, he brings a lot more to the middle for us and opens things up. We also just got our first start for Ronnie Harrell ( atop 100 who red shirted last year and had his first game last week after a stress facture kept him out til now). A lot of newcomers that are starting to jell. #Go big East.

[handdownmandown]

Power Rankings
1. Nova
2. X
3. PC
4. Butler
5. G'town
6. CU
7. Marq
8. SHU
9. SJU
10. DePaul

This would be my exact ranking. I think there is at least a crack of daylight between each team - no ties.

[ChestRockwell85]

I know Villanova hasn't had a very strong tournament since 2009, but in regards to Xavier, who I love, if they make it to the Elite 8 this year, I wouldn't give a shit if they do wipe the floor with us this year.

People need to continue to remember, Syracuse, UConn, Louisville, etc., are no longer in this league anymore. In the old Big East I didn't give a shit if they won or lost because you knew we had so many good teams that if somebody fell, another team would step up. In the new Big East, which is still young, we need to continue to root for each other.

I don't mind losing a few games if that means it will get a bubble Big East team into the tournament. Xavier is obviously not a bubble team, but let's take Georgetown for example. I think G'Town is a very strong team and could make some noise for the Big East in the tournament. If Villanova has to lose to G'Town so G'Town gets in because the Radford loss is hurting them, I'll take it. In the OLD Big East, I would tell G'Town to take a hike.

[NovaBall]

I know Villanova hasn't had a very strong tournament since 2009, but in regards to Xavier, who I love, if they make it to the Elite 8 this year, I wouldn't give a shit if they do wipe the floor with us this year.

People need to continue to remember, Syracuse, UConn, Louisville, etc., are no longer in this league anymore. In the old Big East I didn't give a shit if they won or lost because you knew we had so many good teams that if somebody fell, another team would step up. In the new Big East, which is still young, we need to continue to root for each other.

I don't mind losing a few games if that means it will get a bubble Big East team into the tournament. Xavier is obviously not a bubble team, but let's take Georgetown for example. I think G'Town is a very strong team and could make some noise for the Big East in the tournament. If Villanova has to lose to G'Town so G'Town gets in because the Radford loss is hurting them, I'll take it. In the OLD Big East, I would tell G'Town to take a hike.

So true

Look at last year, nova didn't go undefeated but we're still #2 overall entering the tourney. Even if nova won every game they weren't doing any better than that. In hoops you are allowed to lose some games. The 2006 team that was a 1 seed lost 4 games entering the dance. The 2009 final four team had 7 losses entering the dance. In 2010 nova had 7 losses and earned a 2 seed.

I am replaying the 2006 nova v uconn game. What made some of these games so special is that these teams were always in the hunt. And not in the sense of a couple fringe top 25 teams, but multiple top 10 teams. The cinference had 3 one seeds in 2009, and nova was an afterthought. That's original 9 teams big east had multiple contenders as well. ACC and big 10 have that now. Big 12 has Kansas and another team or two usually creep up. Our cinference has depth and lacks the anchors, but we still need more top tier contenders. We will get there eventually I think, as our teams continue to build winning traditions and build our brand with fox, but we are still a long ways from where we need to be.

I think there are a lot of nova fans who would rather have a 7 loss team that earns a 2 or 3 seed but is battle tested against not just tourney teams, but legit second weekend tourney teams, then have the gaudy records of the recent years but not as many top end tests during the season.

I am looking forward to the point where we talk about having 4 teams in the top 15, not just teams in the top 25. But I am patient, I know we are a few years away from that, and I know that all the schools are committed to making it happen and have the infrastructure to make it happen. But we must all realize that we are still a few years away from our goal.

[Xudash]

I know Villanova hasn't had a very strong tournament since 2009, but in regards to Xavier, who I love, if they make it to the Elite 8 this year, I wouldn't give a shit if they do wipe the floor with us this year.

People need to continue to remember, Syracuse, UConn, Louisville, etc., are no longer in this league anymore. In the old Big East I didn't give a shit if they won or lost because you knew we had so many good teams that if somebody fell, another team would step up. In the new Big East, which is still young, we need to continue to root for each other.

I don't mind losing a few games if that means it will get a bubble Big East team into the tournament. Xavier is obviously not a bubble team, but let's take Georgetown for example. I think G'Town is a very strong team and could make some noise for the Big East in the tournament. If Villanova has to lose to G'Town so G'Town gets in because the Radford loss is hurting them, I'll take it. In the OLD Big East, I would tell G'Town to take a hike.

Well done.

This conference is simply refreshing, and it is fun and easy to cheer for each team during their OOC schedules and the postseason. I love all the schools, including Nova, which we haven't beaten yet, and even DePaul, which will come around at some point.

We're doing it again this year: setting up a strong conference performance as our broadcast partner keeps getting stronger. What's not to like.

[Rum_Ham]

All I can say is the Big East will be brutal during conference season. Top 5 teams (Nova, X, Butler, G-town, Prov) are all arguably top 25 with Nova and X as top 12. Then you have Marquette and Creighton as bubble teams with Seton Hall not too far behind. Depaul has talent and their 3 losses were all on the road to power conference teams. St Johns seems to be the only easy game but now they have Yakwe available and rumors are that Marcus Lovett can get eligible too. If Nova only has two losses again this year I would be very surprised.

[NovaBall]

This year will be competitive. But brutal is like 2009 when the big east had 5 teams ranked in the top 13 entering the dance, inlcuding three one seeds, and Marquette also in the top 25.

This year the big east will be a competitive major conference. But it's not brutal yet.

The ACC has 3 top ten teams, and another top 15 team
The big 12 has 3 teams in the top six, and another 2 in the top 25
The big ten has numbers two and three and eleven

The big 12 is brutal. The ACC has more high end tests for its teams than we do. We aren't far off from the big ten at this point, and we lack the anchor teams, but we aren't there yet...

[NovaBall]

What we really need is to have the Fox promos during the NFL playoffs to be hyping up #4 Villanova v #8 providence, or #6 Georgetown v #11 Xavier.

Right now it is too much #22 ____ v some unranked team.

But I am confident we will get there. We need a full recruiting cycle to establish some of the programs back as tourney regukars and wipe away the taste of norm Roberts, Tim welsh, etc...

[Rum_Ham]

This year will be competitive. But brutal is like 2009 when the big east had 5 teams ranked in the top 13 entering the dance, inlcuding three one seeds, and Marquette also in the top 25.

This year the big east will be a competitive major conference. But it's not brutal yet.

The ACC has 3 top ten teams, and another top 15 team
The big 12 has 3 teams in the top six, and another 2 in the top 25
The big ten has numbers two and three and eleven

The big 12 is brutal. The ACC has more high end tests for its teams than we do. We aren't far off from the big ten at this point, and we lack the anchor teams, but we aren't there yet...

Well not brutal compared to the best conference of all time with the 2009 big east but compared to 2013 and 2014 the big east seems deeper and overall better from top to bottom. Right now the big east is getting screwed a bit with preseason rankings. Teams like Xavier are clear top 25 teams but analysts vote teams like Notre Dame and LSU ahead of them because they are big name schools.

[PhillyPirate]

Seems like a consensus on the top 2, then the next 3, then as a gap and the creighton/seton hall/Marquette cluster.

I seem to be in the minority in my opinion that seton hall is a clear step ahead of Marquette and Creighton and in best position to be the sixth bid.

Seton Hall hasn't played anyone yet. Marquette has played 2 teams that should get bids this year(Iowa and LSU), and split- and also beat Arizona St that could look good.... Seton Hall has played Ole Miss?

Seton Hall also beat Georgia, so that is two SEC teams that made the tournament last year and look to be in the rpi 50-75 range. ASU will probably be a bottom half Pac12 team and LSU just got blown out by College of Charleston and lost 3 in a row. SHU's resume is equally as impressive as Marquette getting blown out by Iowa or Creighton getting blown out by Indiana. They only lost to a solid LBSU team by 3 on neutral territory who already beat BYU and played Virginia and OK State twice so they will have a solid RPI.

Seton Hall dosent play a lot of pretty games with such a young roster and no true point guard, but they play really good defense and win some ugly games like Cinci