Big East play begins in earnest for its 11 women's basketball teams when they return from Christmas break. Creighton visits St. John's on Saturday with three games set for Sunday, Dec. 29, including UConn hosting Providence at the XL Center in Hartford.
Every Big East team has played one conference game with the exception of Marquette, which had a bye in mid-December. Nine of the 11 have winning records with Providence at .500 and Xavier under water as expected.
The Big East sent three teams -- UConn, Creighton, and Marquette -- to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Could it get three or four in 2025? As conference play ramps us, it might be two.
The conference is 4-12 against Associated Press Top 25 opponents with the Huskies having three wins (North Carolina, Ole Miss, Louisville) and the Bluejays one (Nebraska). More important, seven teams have NET rankings in the Top 100 but only one -- UConn at 5 -- is in the Top 30. Creighton (34), St. John's (46), Villanova (58), Marquette (74), and Seton Hall (85) follow the Huskies. So few Quad-1 wins will be coming out of conference play.
But a lot can happen over the next two months. For now, the new AP poll will be released Monday at noon.
1. UCLA (12-0): The Bruins rout Creighton, which wasn't a good look for the Big East. Nebraska and Michigan come to Pauley Pavilion next.
2. South Carolina (11-1): A nonconference game with Wofford next on the Gamecocks' schedule before SEC play begins.
3. Notre Dame (10-2): Virginia comes to South Bend for the Irish's Atlantic Coast Conference opener Dec. 29.
4. USC (11-1): The Trojans are in control for 25 minutes at UConn, let it slip away, then make plays down the stretch for their best win of the year.
5. Maryland (11-0): The Terrapins host Michigan State Dec. 29 for their toughest test since early November.
6. Oklahoma (11-1): Interesting that the Sooners' SEC opener is against former Big 12 rival Texas on Jan. 2.
7. TCU (12-1): The Horned Frogs bounce back from their loss to South Carolina with easy wins against overmatched opponents.
8. UConn (10-2): In their most difficult stretch of the season, the Huskies go 3-2 with losses to Notre Dame and USC and drop three spots on this ballot from a week ago. May need to almost win out for No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament.
9. Texas (12-1): Very good win for the Longhorns Sunday over a usually-pesky South Dakota State club.
10. Ohio State (12-0): The Buckeyes go to San Francisco and take home an impressive win over Stanford.
11. LSU (14-0): Albany the final game on the nonconference slate for the Fighting Mulkeys.
12. Kansas State (13-1): The Wildcats gain a Big 12 win over Cincinnati.
13. Georgia Tech (13-0): Coach Nell Fortner's Yellow Jackets continue to roll with a solid win over Nebraska.
14. Tennessee (11-0): A three-win week for the Lady Vols, capped off by walloping Richmond.
15. Duke (10-3): It was only 60 degrees in Tampa Saturday so maybe that threw off the Blue Devils as South Florida and coach Jose Fernandez pull off the upset.
16. Utah (10-2): The Utes' return to the Big 12 is a win Saturday over former Pac-12 rival Arizona State.
17. West Virginia (10-2): The Mountaineers fall at Colorado.
18. Michigan (9-2): The Wolverines' nine-game winning streak ends with a loss to Oklahoma.
19. North Carolina (12-2): The Tar Heels are at Miami on Dec. 29.
20. California (13-1): The Golden Bears have an ACC win over Stanford but face ACC old-timer Clemson on Jan. 2.
21. Alabama (12-1): The Crimson Tide enter this ballot for the first time after handing Michigan State its first loss.
22. Michigan State (11-1): Alabama ends the Spartans' winning streak to open the season at 11.
23. Kentucky (10-1): The Wildcats have Western Kentucky Saturday before starting their SEC schedule.
24. Ole Miss (8-3): One more non-competitive nonconference game for the Rebels prior to SEC play.
25. Iowa (10-2): The Hawkeyes can claim the championship of Iowa (for what that's worth) now that they have wins over Drake, Iowa State, and Northern Iowa.