Big East standings and bubble watch after UConn slows Creighton's pursuit of St. John's
By Quinn Everts
To accomplish things you never have, you have to do things you've never done. On Tuesday, UConn did the former — won a game at Creighton — because Liam McNeeley did the latter — scored a career-high 38 points. The Huskies needed pretty much all of those points, too, entering the second half down eight.
Here's how the Big East standings shake out after a pretty meaningful win from the Huskies.
Big East standings after UConn's big win at Creighton
Team | Record (Conference) |
|---|---|
St. John's | 21-3 (12-1) |
Creighton | 18-7 (11-3) |
Marquette | 19-6 (10-4) |
UConn | 17-7 (9-4) |
Villanova | 14-10 (7-6) |
Georgetown | 15-9 (6-7) |
Xavier | 14-10 (6-7) |
Providence | 11-13 (5-8) |
Butler | 11-13 (4-9) |
DePaul | 11-14 (2-12) |
Seton Hall | 8-18 (1-12) |
Creighton takes big blow in Big East race
Now with three losses to St. John's one, Creighton no longer controls its own destiny in the Big East.
However, hope isn't lost for the Bluejays, who already have a win over St. John's in their pocket, plus another matchup with St. John's looming on Sunday. And with St. John's still having to play Marquette and UConn in the next month, it's not as if the Red Storm have a cakewalk to the Big East title.
Huskies boost resume
On the flip side, the Huskies just secured a big win for their resume. Slotted in a No. 8 seed by ESPN's Bracketology on Monday, this is an impressive enough win to bump them up a seed. With wins against Creighton, Marquette, Gonzaga and Baylor, the Huskies will be a factor in March despite a relatively uneven season for the program's standards.
HUGE win for UConn over Creighton. This will do wonders for their resume and tournament seeding.
— Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) February 12, 2025
It's a seed line bump at least!
Oh, that McNeeley kid is pretty good. Just a casual 38 points tonight.
Big East bubble watch
Heading into Week 15 in college hoops, the Big East would likely get four teams into the Big Dance if the season ended today; St. John's, Creighton, Marquette and UConn.
Xavier is squarely on the bubble; the Muskateers are buoyed by wins against Marquette and UConn, and a few convincing wins could make a tourney trip feasible; but a few straight losses could knock them out of the conversation for good.
Then there's Villanova. The Wildcats haven't put together a particularly impressive stretch yet this year so they're on the outskirts of the bubble, but a win on Wednesday against St. John's would make a tourney berth more realistic. If Nova gets hot, I lean toward the committee giving them the benefit of the doubt — but at this point, reaching 20 wins and making a run in the Big East tournament might be requirements. A big hill to climb.