1:
It’s no secret that after declining a lucrative offer to lead the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers this past offseason, UConn coach Dan Hurley is hungry for a third consecutive national championship. But the Huskies have been rocked by roster turnover. They sent four of last year’s starting five to the NBA; only forward Alex Karaban remains. That being said, UConn lost three starters from the year prior and still won a championship. Look for UConn to dominate a BIG EAST filled with teams in rebuild mode and easily cruise to the later stages of the NCAA tournament.
2:
As a team that’s been successful in the NCAA tournament the past four seasons, Creighton have set their sights on winning big in the BIG EAST and making a deep run in March this season. The Bluejays lost top scorers Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander to the NBA this offseason, but they do return three-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner alongside two other starters and a high-major worthy transfer class that will give coach Greg McDermott a shot at bringing Creighton to their first Final Four.
3:
Marquette lost two impact players, Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro, to the NBA this offseason, leaving Kam Jones, the Golden Eagles’ leading scorer last year, and double-figure scorer David Joplin as the only clear impact players going into this season, which could cause trouble for the Golden Eagles. That being said, zero players transferred into or out of Marquette this offseason, so coach Shaka Smart should be able to make up for the team’s relative lack of talent by capitalizing on existing team chemistry that will be enough to propel the Golden Eagles toward the top of the BIG EAST standings.
4:
After wrapping up a season described by St. John’s coach Rick Pitino as “the most unenjoyable experience of my lifetime” in a tirade after a late-game collapse against Seton Hall, the Red Storm is now littered with fresh faces in an effort to give the team its first NCAA tournament bid since 2019. Gone are the “slow laterally,” per Pitino, Joel Soriano and Chris Ledlum. The Red Storm’s new star players come in the form of Seton Hall transfer Kadary Richmond and Utah transfer Deivon Smith, a pair of guards who should have the lateral quickness to satisfy Pitino and put the Johnnies into the top four of the league.
5:
Xavier has a chance to be pretty good this year. Even though the Musketeers lost many players to the transfer portal this offseason, Xavier returns Dayvion McKnight and adds guard Ryan Conwell from Indiana State, who are Preseason Second and Third Team All-BIG EAST, respectively. Additionally, the Musketeers will bring back Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter, both of whom were high-impact players for Xavier but missed last season with injuries. Despite the roster turnover, trust is high for coach Sean Miller to put together a winning squad that can at least be among the middle, if not top, tier of teams in the league.
6:
After star guard Bryce Hopkins tore his ACL halfway through the season last year, Providence relied heavily on BIG EAST Player of the Year Devin Carter to salvage a derailing season. Now Carter’s in the NBA and Hopkins won’t be back in time for opening day, so second-year coach Kim English needs to prove that he can build a successful team without players originally recruited under now-Georgetown coach Ed Cooley. It will be a challenge, but a transfer class featuring forward Jabri Abdur-Rahim from Georgia and center Christ Essandoko from St. Joseph’s should be enough to keep the Friars in the middle of the conference.
7:
Georgetown is a team with lots of talent. The Hoyas return Jayden Epps, the BIG EAST’s top returning scorer, and also added Harvard standout Malik Mack and TCU transfer Micah Peavy in the offseason to create a roster worthy of being competitive in the high-majors. While the raw talent is there, the team is young, with Thomas Sorber, a true freshman, starting at center, and two sophomores—Mack and Kentucky transfer Jordan Burks—rounding out the starting five. That being said, this Georgetown team will not be like the Hoyas of years past, and the team will finally be capable of picking up some victories in the BIG EAST.
8:
Villanova’s roster was reset again in the offseason with the exception of Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST forward Eric Dixon, who will be the centerpiece of the team once more. Given the Wildcats played inconsistently last year with a stronger roster, it’s hard to see how coach Kyle Neptune will be able to right the ship in his third year at Villanova.
9:
Butler coach Thad Matta has yet to put together a successful team in his first two seasons in Indianapolis, and this year doesn’t seem to be any different. The Bulldogs return their top two leading scorers from last year, Pierre Brooks II and Jahmyl Telfort, but lost three other starters. Ultimately, there isn’t enough talent here for Butler to be successful in the BIG EAST.
10:
Everyone on this year’s DePaul team is brand new, including coach Chris Holtmann, who made the NCAA tournament four times in seven seasons at Ohio State. Tasked with bringing the Blue Demons back from the depths of BIG EAST irrelevance, Holtmann filled DePaul’s roster with a squad that has minimal experience in the high-majors. Still, expect DePaul to win a handful of conference games this year and to look like a team that’s in the process of building something new.
11:
After a successful season last year which saw Seton Hall snubbed from the NCAA tournament en route to an NIT championship, the Pirates lost 11 players, leaving senior guard Dylan Addae-Wusu as the only returning starter on a team which will struggle to have the chemistry and talent to be competitive in the BIG EAST.
