College football has just started back up but we aren't too far away from the start of the college basketball season. Opening night is set for Nov. 3 and there should be a lot of intrigue as teams vie to take down Michigan and claim a national championship.
We are still a ways away from a new Top 25, but one conference that is hoping for a better showing in the 2026-27 campaign is the Big East. The proud basketball league had a rough go of it last season, sending just three teams to the NCAA Tournament, although UConn did bring the league some respect by going on a magical run to the National Championship game before bowing out against the Wolverines.
Things could be good again in Storrs, where they got a return commitment from star guard Braylon Mullins to try and get Dan Hurley his third national championship in the past five years. St. John's also figures to be in the mix again as Rick Pitino has reloaded nicely after losing a significant chunk of his rotation from last year's Sweet 16 team, including Big East Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor.
How does the league stack up in terms of challengers for the Huskies and Red Storm? Let's do a preseason power ranking of the Big East to determine how strong the conference could be entering the new season.
11. Georgetown Hoyas
The seat is getting mighty hot for Ed Cooley, who has yet to return the Hoyas to the heights of the program's recent run of success under John Thompson III, let alone the glory days of the 1980s and 1990s. Cooley has made a big bet on Kentucky transfer Jaland Lowe to be his floor general, but Lowe missed most of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery in January.
Georgetown lost two critical pieces to the transfer portal as wing KJ Lewis and projected starting center Julius Halaifonua exited in the offseason. There is a good amount of talent surrounding Lowe, but the deck is stacked against the Hoyas making a big impact in the Big East.
10. Butler Bulldogs
This is going to be a complete rebuild for new head coach Ronald Nored, who is back to try and help his alma mater make regular NCAA Tournament appearances. While no one can expect Nored to get Butler back to the Final Four right away, which he experienced as a player under Brad Stevens, he has a good foundation to build on with the return of starting point guard Jalen Jackson, which should help with continuity.
The problem is that the Bulldogs don't quite have the depth necessary to compete at the top of the Big East, with most of their incoming transfers having shown their bona fides at the mid-major level. Nored could surprise us by having natural coaching chops to get the most out of his players, but a win in Round 1 of the Big Eat Tournament appears to be their ceiling.
9. Seton Hall Pirates
The NIL era hasn't been kind for the Pirates, whose lower finances make it hard for them to retain their best players. Shaheen Holloway saw two potential returning stars get poached as Budd Clark transfered to Ole Miss and Najai Hines went in-conference to UCONN, but he did grab an intriguing mix of newcomers headlined by former Texas guard Sam Wilcher and sweet shooting Rodney Brown Jr. from Loyola Marymount.
The challenge here will be how quickly Holloway can get 10 newcomers to gel into a capable rotation. The Pirates were in a similar position last season and finished as a bubble team, so don't count Seton Hall out as a potential tournament team if Holloway finds his rotation in short order.
8. DePaul Blue Demons
The perennial Big East doormat is starting to rise under Chris Holtmann as they finished .500 last season and got to the No. 6 seed in the Big East Tournament, a program high since coming over from Conference USA nearly two decades ago. Holtmann assembled a very talented transfer class the Blue Demons are dubbing "DeHaul", which is highlighted by former San Diego State big man Magoon Gwath.
The top seven that DePaul has are certainly capable of making noise in the Big East but they need at least one or two more rotation-capable contributors to emerge to be a true bubble threat. The Blue Demons haven't got quite enough to snap their NCAA Tournament drought this year but Holtmann certainly has them heading in the right direction.
7. Creighton Bluejays
It will be a new era for the Bluejays as longtime head coach Gregg McDermott retired after last season's disappointing run, elevating longtime assistant Alan Huss to the head job. This is certainly going to be a transition year for Creighton, which is not far removed from a few near-misses at the Final Four with the Ryan Kalbrenner-led teams.
The good news is that Creighton returns three key starters and has 10 good players they can run a functional rotation with. The issue is that there isn't really a true point guard here, with San Diego State transfer B.J. Davis most likely to grab that spot, and that could hold back the Bluejays from reaching a bubble ceiling.
6. Xavier Musketeers
Much like his father with the Red Storm, Richard Pitino built his Musketeers roster largely through the transfer ranks. A significant NIL infusion allowed the X-men to shop in more gourmet aisles and they now have a collection of talent that can be an NCAA Tournament contender if they gel quickly.
The key to the group figures to be UAB transfer Chance Westry, who is in line to be Xavier's point guard at 6-foot-6. Westry has the skillset to be a matchup nightmare and if he can adapt to a higher level of competition there's a good chance the Musketeers hear their name called on Selection Sunday.
5. Providence Friars
The Kim English era is over and Providence did good work to win a bidding war for South Florida's Bryan Hodgson to be their next head coach. Much like he did with the Bulls, Hodgson has built a team that can get to the rack at will and kick out to open shooters, which should be a recipe for success in the Big East.
There are questions as to how effectively the players Hodgson assembled can shoot, but they do have enough length and athleticism to be quite pesky on the defensive end. One intriguing player to watch is forward Dink Pate, who was a G-Leaguer before committing to the Friars this spring and can put his pro experience to good use for Providence.
4. Marquette Golden Eagles
After completely ignoring the transfer portal last year, Shaka Smart learned his lesson and made targeted strikes to augment his roster. While the Golden Eagles still prioritize recruiting and development, his two portal adds of former Louisville center Sananda Fru and St. Thomas guard Nolan Minessale can function as key connectors to complete the lineup.
Marquette got better as last season went on and were a pain in the neck down the stretch, playing St. John's tight in February and upsetting UConn at home on Senior Day. The experience Nigel James Jr and company gained in a trying season should help them get back to the NCAA Tournament this time around.
3. Villanova Wildcats
Say what you want about Kevin Willard but the man knows how to recruit and coach. After saving Villanova from the disastrous Kyle Neptune era, the Wildcats got back to the dance last year and now can take a step forward from the 8-9 game this season.
Willard's biggest transfer addition has some international flavor as Italian big Luigi Suigo, who has competed in professional European leagues as well as for the Italian national team, gives them a shot blocker with NBA upside. Add in the variety of guards and scoring wings at Willard's disposal and there's a chance Villanova spends a significant portion of this season in the Top 25.
2. St. John's Red Storm
Ian Jackson and Ruben Prey are the top returners for the Red Storm but the elder Pitino splurged in the portal to add more talent to a potential Top 10 team. After struggling with point guard play all season, St. John's has a very experienced show runner with Quinn Ellis, a British point guard who has EuroLeague experience.
There are also some impact transfers from the NCAA coming into the mix with Baylor's Tounde Yessoufou and Syracuse's Donnie Freeman poised to play big roles for St. John's. After reaching the second weekend for the first time in 25 years this year there is Final Four potential here.
1. UConn Huskies
The Big East will run through Storrs again as Dan Hurley's team is absolutely stacked. Even with the loss of Solo Ball to a wrist injury, the Huskies still have Mullins, Silas Demary Jr and Jayden Ross back as three important players who could anchor a terrific starting lineup.
Poaching Hines from Seton Hall gives UConn a tremendous option to replace Tarris Reed at the five while Nik Khamenia has a good chance to fill the role Alex Karaban played as the stretch four. UConn is also incredibly deep, making them one of the favorites to not only reach the Final Four but win a national championship.
Add us as a preferred source on Google