UConn men’s basketball projects to be a serious contender to win the Big East this season, earning four out of a possible 11 first-place votes and coming in at No. 2 in the conference’s preseason coaches’
poll. While the Big East figures to be more top heavy than in past years, any of these teams — the top five teams in the coaches’ poll, excluding UConn — figure to give the Huskies stiff competition this season.
In the offseason, UConn loaded up on elite non-conference games to offset the potential of the conference punching a little bit below its usual weight class. So far, KenPom believes this may not necessarily be the case, as the Big East’s expected rating is around plus-15, the fourth best nationally and slightly higher than last year. Nonetheless, it is more top heavy than usual, with the likes of the Huskies, St. John’s and Creighton doing the bulk of the heavy lifting. A five or six bid Big East seems unlikely, but it’s entirely possible three teams are dancing come March, and the potential for deep runs from UConn and the Red Storm in particular should make it another drama-filled, exciting season of conference play.
No. 5 St. John’s
Fast Facts
Head coach: Rick Pitino (Third season)
2024-25 record: 31-5 (18-2 Big East)
Final 2024-25 KenPom ranking: No. 14
2025-26 KenPom ranking: No. 16
Big East Preseason Coaches’ Poll Rank: First (7/11 votes)
Rick Pitino has reloaded at St. John’s via the transfer portal, and done enough to make the Johnnies Big East favorites. While UConn is ranked higher in both the Preseason AP Top 25 and in KenPom, the Big East coaches have a little more respect for the Red Storm, who earned seven out of 11 votes to take the top spot.
Big man Zuby Ejiofor is a rare returnee for St. John’s but an excellent one, as the All-Big East center returns for his final season, where he was just named Preseason Big East Player of the Year. He’ll likely be joined in the frontcourt with Providence transfer Bryce Hopkins, who has been hampered with knee injuries in his last two seasons with the Friars. If Hopkins is healthy, the pairing of him with Ejiofor should allow the Johnnies to dominate the glass and impose their will on both ends of the paint, forming what could be the best frontcourt in the entire country.
Aside from Hopkins, Pitino landed Ian Jackson (North Carolina), Joson Sanon (Arizona State), Oziyah Sellers (Stanford) and Dylan Darling (Idaho State) as part of arguably the top transfer class in the country. With so many new parts, even in today’s day and age, it may take a little bit for the Red Storm to get rolling. But if Hopkins is healthy and the team can defend up to Pitino’s usual standards, this St. John’s team will be amongst the best in the country and be primed for a deep run in March.
No. 23 Creighton
Fast Facts
Head coach: Greg McDermott (Third season)
2024-25 record: 25-11 (15-5 Big East)
Final 2024-25 KenPom ranking: No. 35
2025-26 KenPom ranking: No. 41
Big East Preaseason Coaches’ Poll Rank: Third
Head coach Greg McDermott lost his star duo of Steven Ashworth and Ryan Kalkbrenner, but reloaded via the transfer portal with a new duo of Iowa transfers Josh Dix and Owen Freeman, who combined to average over 30 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game last season for the Hawkeyes. That pair is joined by Jasen Green and Jackson McAndrew, who showed flashes as important contributors last season. Green erupted for a career-high 19 points to knock the Huskies out of the Big East Tournament last season, while McAndrew emerged as a viable shooting threat and a tough matchup with his lanky 6-foot-10 frame.
Throw in Howard transfer Blake Harper, who lead the MEAC in scoring at 19.5 point per game last season, and the Bluejays have a drastically different looking team than last season but still one with plenty of experience, continuity and offensive firepower.
While it’s hard to say a team ranked third in its conference and No. 23 nationally is flying a bit under the radar, it may be true with Creighton. Heading into this season, the Big East was widely regarded as a two-dog fight between UConn and St. John’s. That very well could still be the case, but with St. John’s bringing in so many new faces and the Huskies already dealing with some injuries to key players, Creighton could be a dark horse to win the conference if Dix and Freeman can produce from the get-go.
Providence
Fast Facts
Head coach: Kim English (Third season)
2024-25 record: 12-20 (6-14 Big East)
Final 2024-25 KenPom ranking: No. 96
2025-26 KenPom ranking: No. 48
Big East Preseason Coaches’ Poll Rank: Fourth
Kim English may not necessarily be on the hot seat heading into year three, but there’s certainly some pressure on him to get the Friars back to relevance — and the NCAA tournament — for the first time since 2023. English took advantage of Kyle Neptune’s departure by landing former Nova guard Jason Edwards, who averaged nearly 18 points per game last season. He also convinced former UConn guard and now longtime Friar Corey Floyd Jr. to run it back one last time, adding some more experience to a starting five that will likely feature four upperclassmen.
Big man Duncan Powell joins PC from Georgia Tech, providing some stability down low as well the ability to stretch the floor after shooting 35.4 percent from three last season. Ryan Mela was an impact contributor off the bench as a freshman, and should be able to expand on that role in year two. Freshman Jamier Jones is the Friars’ top recruit from the Class of 2025, and the 6-foot-6 forward is already a physical force who could easily play his way into the starting lineup by the time conference play rolls around.
Marquette
Fast Facts
Head coach: Shaka Smart (Fifth season)
2024-25 record: 23-11 (13-7 Big East)
Final 2024-25 KenPom ranking: No. 29
2025-26 KenPom ranking: No. 47
Big East Preseason Coaches’ Poll Rank: Fifth
While seemingly every serious Division I program has embraced the transfer portal, Shaka Smart and Marquette have zagged and are banking on building from within. The Golden Eagles have no additions from the portal, with the only real “addition” from last year’s team being Sean Jones, who redshirted last season after an ACL injury in January of 2024.
For this to work, multiple players have to make a leap. Chase Ross represents Marquette on the Preseason All-Big East First Team, and the 6-foot-5 guard will have to play at that level all season long if Marquette wants to contended in the Big East. Ben Gold offers shooting and rebounding skill at 6-foot-11, and is a great floor spacer along the perimeter that should allow guards like Ross to more easily get to the rim. Freshman Nigel James is known as a stopper, but will need to prove that at the college level before cracking Smart’s roation.
But with so much scoring gone in Kam Jones and David Joplin, the Golden Eagles will need to lean on its culture to try and return to the NCAA tournament. Marquette certainly has the talent to compete at the top of the Big East, but it’s clear that on paper, this is where the gap really widens between the likes of UConn, St. John’s and Creighton and the rest of the top half of the league.
Georgetown
Fast Facts
Head coach: Ed Cooley (Third season)
2024-25 record: 18-16 (8-12 Big East)
Final 2024-25 KenPom ranking: No. 90
2025-26 KenPom ranking: No. 82
Big East Preseason Coaches’ Poll Rank: Sixth
No team has more preseason variance than the Hoyas, predicted to be one of the worst teams in the conference by KenPom and voted by the league’s coaches to come in sixth. The loss of Thomas Sorber to the NBA dramatically slows down what could have been a rapid rebuild for Ed Cooley. But with so much unknown about the middle of the pack in the Big East, its entirely possible Georgetown proves either the coaches or KenPom wrong.
What’s the first thing you think of when you think of Ed Cooley teams? For me, it’s big switchy guards that are tough to keep out of the paint and punishing defenders (Kris Dunn, David Duke, AJ Reeves types.) Georgetown has plenty of that this year to supplement 6’1 Malik Mack, who had an uneven first year for the Hoyas after transferring from Harvard. Mack is a ball-dominant scorer who shot 35 percent from three last year on five attempts per game. The same way UConn fans are banking on a second-year transfer bump from Tarris Reed, the game could slow down for Mack and his shot selection could improve. If he can give Georgetown 15 a night and limit his mistakes, a lot more falls into place for Cooley.
Around Mack are a bunch of Ed Cooley types. Arizona transfer KJ Lewis couldn’t hit water from a boat, but is an experienced, switchy defender and downhill threat. UConn fans will remember Langston Love by way of Baylor, with the 6-foot-5 grad transfer punishing UConn for 16 points on 50 percent shooting from the field.
Jeremiah Williams (Rutgers) and DeShawn Harris-Smith (Maryland) offer fantastic depth with Big 10 experience, and don’t sleep on UConn transfer Isaiah Abraham, a toolsy 6-foot-7 combo that will surely have a big moment against the Huskies in the next two years.
Will Cooley try some small ball this year? Julius Halaifonua and Vincent Iwuchuku (St. John’s) are big bodies but incomplete players — the former is a stretch five and the latter needs experience. The Hoyas might be better served trotting out 6-foot-7 Caleb Williams around a bunch of jumbo wings and Mack.
