Another week means another tangled knot of competition in a demanding Big East men's basketball conference. As the March Madness picture takes shape, the pressure increases on each of the conference's tournament hopefuls; this week's round-up confirms much of what we already knew about the Big East, as several squads solidified their position and others lost desperately needed position in the conference standings.

#1 Villanova (24-3) had an excellent week. Beginning with a walloping of local rival Temple, the reigning conference leaders staked their claim to remain at the top of the polls next week. In dispatching the Owls on the road and winning at home on Senior Night, they also remained unbeaten against unranked foes and hopefully dispelled any lingering doubts about mental toughness.

Their matchup at #8 Xavier (24-3) will likely be the first conference clash of top-five teams since the 2013 conference realignment, as Jalen Reynolds and company had a banner week: after staving off Providence at home, Xavier and its signature 1-3-1 defense avenged an earlier loss to Georgetown by throttling the Hoyas in their own building. If the Ohio school can best 'Nova, it can consider itself a prime candidate for the top overall seed in March.

After another rough week in a string of rough weeks, #23 Providence (19-8) is going downhill fast. A berth in the top 25 might be asking too much of the Friars, who lost their only game of the week. If coach Ed Cooley is looking for a silver lining, here it is: that loss, on the road to a nationally regarded Xavier team, should do little damage to unexpectedly tentative tournament hopes.

The starkest contrast to the crumbling Friars is Seton Hall (18-7), which seems to be rising to the pressure of the conference schedule. White-hot since the start of conference play behind five sophomore starters, the Pirates play with a swagger befitting their nickname. Their handling of Georgetown has them rising even higher, and Providence's previously secure at-large bid might fall to SHU if the Friars lose Thursday in New Jersey.

Butler (18-9), meanwhile, joined a long list of teams with road losses at Villanova. That should mean very little to the Hinkle faithful; the Bulldogs are almost certainly still safe, after a home win over Creighton that might be cast later as an NCAA play-in game. Taking two of their final three would push the Big East's leading offense above 20 wins, an informal benchmark but a difficult one for the selection committee to deny.

Speaking of Creighton (17-10), the Bluejays are certainly not out, even with the missed opportunity at Butler. Though they may not feel safe without winning the conference tournament, they host Marquette and St. John's before visiting Providence and Xavier; that slate is rife with opportunity. Losing the road games is forgivable, but a slip in the home games would be terminal to any CU tournament aspirations.

Regarding Marquette (17-10) and Georgetown (14-14), the end is nigh. Even if the Golden Eagles stun Villanova this Saturday, their resume has too few statements and too many pedestrian victories like last week's 73-60 win over DePaul. As for Georgetown, the conference's strongest schedule yielded only disappointment; the Hoyas deserve points for difficulty but tournament teams can translate quality foes into quality wins, and this Georgetown group never displayed that ability.