St. John’s holds on to the top spot for another week by default. The Johnnies possess the greatest collection of talent in the area, but still haven’t been able to utilize their full potential yet. Manhattan looked primed to take the crown, but an injury to star player George Beamon in Thursday night’s game at Quinnipiac ended the Jaspers’ eight-game winning streak.
(Last week’s rankings in parentheses)
1. St. John’s (1)
Record: 9-5, 0-2
Up next: Saturday (1 p.m.) vs. Villanova
Saturday’s loss against Georgetown was an embarrassment. This Saturday, it only gets tougher against Villanova. If the Johnnies don’t pull out a win at DePaul a few days later, it’s going to be a very long season.
2. Manhattan (2)
Record: 11-3, 4-1
Up next: Sunday (2 p.m.) vs. Marist
The Jaspers entered with the best road record in the country, so an 81-76 loss at Quinnipiac is nothing to be ashamed of after losing Beamon for nearly the entire game. If Beamon isn’t sidelined for too long, they still remain the clear favorite in the MAAC.
3. Seton Hall (3)
Record: 10-6, 1-2
Up next: Saturday (2 p.m.) at Marquette
The new Big East is easier, but consecutive losses to Creighton and Villanova show it’s still not easy.
4. Columbia (7)
Record: 10-6, 0-0
Up next: Saturday (4 p.m.) vs. Central Penn.
The Lions still can’t be considered a true contender in the Ivy League, but they’ve become a much more interesting sleeper than anyone would’ve thought, having won their past three games, including back-to-back wins over St. Francis Brooklyn and Stony Brook.
5. Stony Brook (4)
Record: 9-6, 1-0
Up next: Sunday (2:30 p.m.) at Hartford
The Seawolves should be ready for America East play to restart after tough losses at VCU and Columbia.
6. St. Francis Brooklyn (5)
Record: 10-6, 1-0
Up next: Saturday (2 p.m.) at Mount St. Mary’s
The Terriers convincingly won the Battle of Brooklyn against LIU, defeating the Blackbirds, 78-64, on Thursday. The window is wide open for a title run in the NEC.
7. Rutgers (8)
Record: 7-8, 1-1
Up next: Saturday (6 p.m.) at Cincinnati
Given everything that’s happened, a single-digit loss to defending national champion Louisville isn’t so bad.
8. Iona (6)
Record: 6-7, 3-1
Up next: Friday (7 p.m.) vs. Fairfield; Sunday (2 p.m.) at Siena
A 118-point explosion against Niagara showed the high-powered offense is as good as ever, but Iona’s customary lackluster defense has resulted in five losses in its past six games.
9. Wagner (10)
Record: 7-7, 1-0
Up next: Saturday (4 p.m.) vs. LIU Brooklyn
The NEC’s preseason favorites are pulling it together just in time, now with two straight wins, which included a season-high 88 points against Central Connecticut State on Thursday.
10. Army (12)
Record: 7-7, 3-0
Up next: Saturday (4 p.m.) at Navy
It’s like that 1-6 start never happened. A three-point win at Lehigh has the Black Knights in an early first-place tie in the Patriot League.
11. Fordham (9)
Record: 7-7, 0-1
Up next: Saturday (7 p.m.) vs. Richmond
Three straight losses take the Rams out of the top 10, but Branden Frazier and Jon Severe are good enough to get them back soon.
12. LIU Brooklyn (11)
Record: 5-9, 0-1
Up next: Saturday (4 p.m.) at Wagner
With Julian Boyd officially out for the season, it’s just too hard to envision the three-time defending champions retaining their title.
13. St. Peter’s (13)
Record: 5-9, 1-4
Up next: Sunday (2:30 p.m.) vs. Quinnipiac
The Peacocks stole the battle of the MAAC’s winless squads against Fairfield with a buzzer-beater 3-pointer from Desi Washington, despite shooting 31 percent from the field. Hey, a win’s a win.
14. NJIT (15)
Record: 7-10
Up next: Monday (7 p.m.) vs. CCNY
The Highlanders broke a six-game losing streak with a win over St. Francis (Pa.), but head out for four more road games after Monday’s local date with a Division III team.
15. Fairleigh Dickinson (16)
Record: 5-10, 1-0
Up next: Saturday (2 p.m.) at Sacred Heart
The Knights are back! Back-to-back wins over Hofstra and Mount St. Mary’s have revived FDU after a brutal road stretch.
16. Hofstra (14)
Record: 4-11, 0-1
Up next: Sunday (4 p.m.) vs. Charleston
The Pride have lost three straight, and five of six, but Zeke Upshaw continues to shine, scoring a team-high 18.9 points after never posting more than 2.5 points in three seasons with Illinois State.
17. Fairfield (17)
Record: 3-12, 0-5
Up next: Friday (7 p.m.) at Iona
After blowing a home game against St. Peter’s, the Stags have to wonder where their next win is coming from.