The St. John’s-Iona tug of war continues. Though the Gaels are making an impressive run through the MAAC, having won eight straight games, the Red Storm will retain the top spot until their incredible stretch concludes.
(Last week’s rankings in parentheses)
1. St. John’s (1)
Record: 16-9, 6-6
Up next: Sunday (7 p.m.) vs. Georgetown
Barely edging a Seton Hall squad without two of its starters wasn’t the Storm’s prettiest effort, but not all wins can be. The results are all that matter right now. After an 0-5 start in the Big East, reaching .500 in conference play is quite an achievement, but there’s still a long way to go before this season can be considered a success.
2. Iona (2)
Record: 16-8, 13-2
Up next: Friday (7 p.m.) vs. Monmouth
The Gaels are in position to claim their second regular-season title in three years, now two games up after A.J. English’s game-winning 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds left Wednesday night against St. Peter’s.
3. Manhattan (3)
Record: 18-6, 11-4
Up next: Sunday (2 p.m.) vs. Niagara
The Jaspers need Iona to slip once before their meeting on Feb. 28 at Draddy Gymnasium in order to keep alive the possibility of a MAAC regular-season title.
4. Stony Brook (5)
Record: 17-8, 9-2
Up next: Saturday (4 p.m.) at UMass-Lowell
A four-point home loss to sixth-place New Hampshire could haunt the Seawolves, having cost them the inside track at a home game in a potential America East championship game.
5. Seton Hall (4)
Record: 13-12, 4-8
Up next: Thursday (9 p.m.) vs. Georgetown
Three straight losses have ended the remote chance at an at-large bid. A Big East Tournament run is just too unrealistic for a team that has far too many issues scoring.
6. St. Francis Brooklyn (6)
Record: 15-10, 6-4
Up next: Sunday (4 p.m.) vs. LIU Brooklyn at Barclays Center
Four players — junior Brent Jones, freshman Wayne Martin, junior P.J. Santavenere and sophomore Anthony White — were suspended for the team’s biggest game in years. That loss to Robert Morris may just be the beginning of the end of what was a pleasantly surprising season. The four players remain suspended indefinitely in what has become a police matter.
7. Columbia (7)
Record: 14-9, 3-3
Up next: Friday (7 p.m.) vs. Harvard
The Lions could pull within a game of first-place Harvard with a win over the suddenly vulnerable Crimson, who lost last week to Yale.
8. Army (8)
Record: 12-12, 8-5
Up next: Saturday (7 p.m.) at Bucknell
Two straight losses, including an embarrassing 22-point drubbing at home against rival Navy, have put the Patriot League regular-season title out of reach.
9. Wagner (9)
Record: 12-11, 6-4
Up next: Sunday (Noon) vs. Bryant
The Seahawks, winners of three of their past four games, are positioned for a strong run to close the regular season, with five of the final six games at home. But Wagner will have to figure out how to replace Jay Harris, who has been suspended for the rest of the season because of a “violation of school policy.”
10. Rutgers (10)
Record: 10-14, 4-7
Up next: Friday (7 p.m.) vs. SMU
After 23rd-ranked SMU comes 13th-ranked Louisville and 20th-ranked Memphis. Big East basketball sounds pretty good right about now.
11. Fordham (11)
Record: 9-13, 2-8
Up next: Saturday (6 p.m.) at Richmond
Thursday’s home loss to St. Bonvanture puts the Rams in a four-way tie for last place in the Atlantic 10. There’s still something to play for.
12. St. Peter’s (14)
Record: 9-15, 5-10
Up next: Sunday (4 p.m.) at Quinnipiac
After two straight wins, the Peacocks lost on a last-second 3-pointer at first-place Iona on Wednesday. A first-round bye in the MAAC Tournament is unlikely, but not entirely out of reach.
13. Fairleigh Dickinson (12)
Record: 8-16, 4-6
Up next: Saturday (7 p.m.) vs. St. Francis (Pa.)
The Knights’ postponed game against Wagner gives them an extra few days to figure out how to halt their four-game losing streak.
14. LIU Brooklyn (13)
Record: 7-16, 2-8
Up next: Sunday (4 p.m.) vs. St. Francis Brooklyn at Barclays Center
The Terriers’ suspensions come at the right time for the Blackbirds, currently one game out of the last spot in the NEC Tournament.
15. Hofstra (15)
Record: 8-18, 4-7
Up next: Sunday (8 p.m.) at Drexel
A win over UNC-Wilmington ended a five-game losing streak, but the Pride’s comeback from a 17-point second-half deficit at James Madison — taking a short-lived lead before losing, 59-53 — was even more impressive, considering this season is going nowhere fast.
16. NJIT (16)
Record: 11-15
Up next: Wednesday (7 p.m.) at Maryland-Eastern Shore
After two blowout wins over lower-tier opponents, the Highlanders return to Division I action. In their last six games against teams of the same standing, NJIT is 1-5.
17. Fairfield (17)
Record: 5-21, 2-13
Up next: Saturday (4 p.m.) vs. Rider
Just five more regular-season games to go…