Big East basketball is heavy at the top.
UConn, the 2024 national champion, and 2025 conference tournament champion St. John’s are clearly the class of the league. Both teams are ranked in the top five of this season’s Associated Press preseason poll. While the Huskies and the Red Storm are the fan favorites, Creighton, Providence and Marquette aren’t far off and the rest of the Big East also is expected to be strong.
Here’s a preview and rankings for the 2025-26 Big East men’s basketball season:
1. UCONN
Coach Dan Hurley should have another national title contender and the Huskies are the clear favorite in the Big East. The Huskies return one of the conference’s top players in senior, forward Alex Karaban, who has an all-around game, and Tarris Reed also returns up front and Solo Ball, who averaged 14.4 points per game last year, is the top returner in the backcourt. But the key to UConn’s season could be how quickly freshman guard Braylon Mullins, who has the tools to be a prolific scorer, emerges.
2. ST. JOHN’S
Coach Rick Pitino’s team went 31-5 last season and the Storm might have improved by hitting the transfer portal hard in the offseason. The backcourt has been totally rebuilt with the arrival of transfers Oziyah Sellers (13.7 points per game at Stanford last season), Joson Sanon (11 points a game at Arizona State), Dylan Darling (19.9 at Idaho State) and Ian Jackson 11.9 points at North Carolina). The top returner is forward Zuby Ejifor (14.7 points a game last year). Ejifor also is an elite defender and is a fan favorite to win Big East Player of the Year. He’ll get help up front from forward Bryce Hopkins, who averaged 17 points a game at Providence last season.
3. CREIGHTON
The Blue Jays may not be getting as much attention as UConn and St. John’s, but they’re a top-20 team. Star big man Bryan Kalkbrenner is gone, bt coach Greg McDermott brought in a capable replacement in center Owen Freeman, a transfer from Iowa. Freeman averaged 16.7 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Hawkeyes last season and he has a nice shooting touch for a big man. Freeman’s Iowa teammate Josh Dix also has transferred to Creighton. Returning forwards Jasen Green and Jackson McAndrew are expected to take on bigger offensive roles than they had last season.
4. MARQUETTE
Coach Shaka Smart has to replace guards Kam Jones and Stevie Mitchell. But there’s an in-house candidate to replace them. Chase Ross has been waiting in the wings for his turn as a star. Ross averaged 10.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists last season and he’s expected to step into a much more prominent role. Smart’s not a big believer in the transfer portal, so he’ll be looking to get more out of returners Ben Gold, Zaid Lowery, Royce Parham and Sean Jones
5. PROVIDENCE
The Friars were an anemic 6-14 in Big East play last season, but hopes in Providence are very high after an infusion of talented transfers. Jason Edwards, who averaged 19 points a game at Providence last season, tops that list. The Friars also added Ducan Powell (Georgia Tech), Jaylin Sellers (Central Florida) and Daquan Davis (Florida State).
6. VILLANOVA
The Wildcats have a new coach in Kevin Willard and a new floor general in Acaden Lewis. A blue-chip recruit out of Washington, D.C., Lewis is expected to immediately step into a starring role because of his ability to run an offense and score. Tyler Perkins and Matthew Hodge are the only returners of note and Villanova will ask a lot out of its transfers and freshmen.
7. DePAUL
The Blue Deamons won only four conference games last season, but fans around the Chicago area are expecting big improvement this season. Layden Blocker, C.J. Gunn and N.J. Benson are the key returners for coach Chris Holtmann’s second season.
8. GEORGETOWN
Coach Ed Cooley and his team have raised fan expectations by going 18-16 last season after going. A 20-win season this year is very realistic. Guard Malik Mack (12.9 points a game last season) is the top returner and he’ll be expected to be even more of a scorer this season. The Hoyas also landed transfers KJ Lewis (Arizona), Langston Love (Baylor) and DeShawn Harris-Smith (Maryland).
9. XAVIER
Richard Pitino, coach of St. John’s coach Rick Pitino), takes over as coach after Sean Miller left for Texas. Xavier reached the NCAA Tournament last season, but were quickly eliminated. Pitino will be looking for his team to take the next step and he’ll build around a pair of transfer guards. All Wright averaged 15.5 points at Valparaiso last season and Malik Messina-Moore averaged 12.6 points at Montana.
10. BUTLER
Leading scorer Jahmyl Telfort is gone and the Bulldogs return only three players from a team that went 15-20 last season. Guard Finley Bizjack (10.3 points per game last year) is the only returner of note. The Bulldogs have high hopes for transfer Jalen Johnson, who averaged 19.2 points at Purdue-Fort Wayne last season.
11. SETON HALL
The Pirates went 7-25 last year and lost most of their top offensive weapons to the transfer portal, including leading scorer and rebounder Isaiah Coleman to Oklahoma State. The roster will be made up almost entirely of transfers and freshmen and the Pirates may have a tough time competing in such a strong conference.
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