Big East breaks into national rankings

For the first time since Week 4 of the college basketball season, a Big East team is in the women’s AP Top 25. St. John’s broke into the rankings at No. 24 behind its 18-5 record. The last time St. John’s was in the AP Top 25 was Nov. 26, 2012, when the school was at No. 17. The jump into the rankings was aided by the Red Storm’s double-digit winning streak. DePaul is also receiving votes for the AP poll, but still needs a lot of votes before breaking into the rankings. Both St. John’s and DePaul are receiving votes in the coaches’ poll as well, but have yet to reach the top 25.

Heating up, on fire

Each of the top three teams in the Big East standings are riding hot streaks. St. John’s, the conference leader, is riding a 10-game winning streak. Since its loss against Xavier on the road, the Red Storm beat every team in the conference at least once. DePaul has an eight-game winning streak of its own and won 14 of its last 16 games. The Blue Demons’ last loss came at the hands of St. John’s at home, and since then, they won every game by at least seven. Villanova, sitting in third place, has a six-game winging streak. The winning streak will be put to the test Saturday against St. John’s, who is coincidentally the last team to defeat the Wildcats.

Player of the Week – Andrea White – Georgetown – Senior – Forward

Senior Andrea White had an impressive week despite the Hoyas going 1-1 against Creighton and Xavier. Against Creighton, White led the team in scoring with 17 points, while bringing down seven rebounds, dishing out five assists and getting three steals. Despite her stellar game, Georgetown ended up falling  75-61. But White improved her game against Xavier, scoring a game high 25 points and bringing down 14 rebounds. Her efforts gave Georgetown the 66-58 victory.

Game of the Week – Villanova at St. John’s – Saturday, Feb. 15 – 11 a.m. CST

This week’s game of the week features two Big East juggernauts: Villanova and St. John’s. Both come into the game riding long win streaks, and the momentum will lead to a big game with major implications. A win for St. John’s would all but solidify its position at the top of the Big East and the No. 1 seed for the Big East Tournament. A victory for the Wildcats would leave the door open for another team to potentially knock the Red Storm from its perch. With the top two defenses squaring off, this game will be decided on whose offense can break the opposing defense earlier.