This October, Sports Illustrated is rolling out conference previews for the five high-major leagues in college basketball, as well as an overarching preview of mid-majors across the country. The series began with the ACC and continues today with the Big East.
State of the League
The Big East bounced back from its shocking three-bid year in 2024 to see five of its programs go dancing in ’25. That March run was short-lived though, with all five bounced in the first weekend of the tournament.
There has been plenty of buzz that the Big East is poised to dominate in the revenue-sharing era given their schools don’t need to split funding with their football programs. That may hold true in future years (time will tell how enforceable the House settlement’s imposed rev-share cap will be), but the league didn’t get that much-discussed bump this past spring in what was largely a free-for-all in terms of spending across the country. On paper, the Big East has two elite teams in St. John’s and UConn, then a whole lot of questions after that. Can other legitimate challengers emerge, or will those two powers run away with the conference in 2025–26?
All-Conference First Team
- Josh Dix, Creighton
- Jason Edwards, Providence
- Solo Ball, UConn
- Chase Ross, Marquette
- Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s
All-Conference Second Team
- Silas Demary Jr., UConn
- Ian Jackson, St. John’s
- Bryce Hopkins, St. John’s
- Alex Karaban, UConn
- Tarris Reed Jr., UConn
Player of the Year: Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s
Freshman of the Year: Braylon Mullins, UConn
Transfer of the Year: Josh Dix, Creighton
Projected NCAA tournament teams: Five (UConn, St. John’s, Creighton, Marquette, Providence)
Projected Order of Finish
1. UConn
After a down 2024–25 (at least by Dan Hurley’s lofty standards), UConn could be back at the top of the sport in ’25–26. The Huskies got a huge upgrade at point guard with Georgia transfer Silas Demary Jr., a bigger guard who’ll draw comparisons at times to Tristen Newton. Add in returning star Solo Ball and freshman Braylon Mullins, and this backcourt is downright scary. Add in a pair of proven producers in Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed Jr., and the Huskies have a case for the best roster in college hoops.
2. St. John’s
The Red Storm are the safest choice to win the league because they’re almost a lock to be elite on the defensive end, with Zuby Ejiofor anchoring things and tons of length and athleticism around him. This group has added tons of shotmaking in the portal, with Ian Jackson (North Carolina), Joson Sanon (Arizona State) and Oziyah Sellers (Stanford) all capable of lighting it up. Point guard play is a question mark, especially if Rick Pitino sticks with his by-committee approach over a more traditional floor general in Idaho State transfer Dylan Darling.
3. Creighton
It will be weird watching Creighton basketball and not seeing Ryan Kalkbrenner, a five-year fixture in the Bluejays’ lineup. As good as he was offensively, his departure will be most felt on defense, where he was one of the best rim protectors in the country. A pair of Iowa transfers in Josh Dix and Owen Freeman should ensure the Bluejays can score with the best of the Big East, but getting stops might be a challenge if Freeman spends most of his time at the five.
4. Marquette
Shaka Smart continues to zig while the rest of college basketball zags, once again passing on the transfer portal in favor of internal development. There are more questions with this group than last year, with more than 55 points per game graduating. Chase Ross should take the next step into a star, but who else will step up? Keep an eye on Royce Parham, who showed flashes as an 18-year-old a year ago.
5. Providence
Everything that could go wrong last year for Providence did, from key misses in the transfer portal to Bryce Hopkins shutting things down after just three games returning from an ACL tear. The Friars spent big to ensure no repeats of last season and have a much-improved roster. Jason Edwards (Vanderbilt) could be one of the nation’s leading scorers, while Jaylin Sellers (UCF) and Duncan Powell (Georgia Tech) have proven high-major pedigree. A breakout from Oswin Erhunmwunse would go a long way up front.
6. Georgetown
Ed Cooley’s rebuild at Georgetown has taken longer than expected, but the Hoyas took clear steps forward in Year 2 and could be in NCAA tournament contention if things break right this year. They’re bigger and more athletic on the wings than they were a year ago, a staple of Cooley’s best Providence teams, with KJ Lewis from Arizona potentially a major impact guy. That said, the center spot with Julius Halaifonua and Vince Iwuchukwu is very unproven and could hold Georgetown back.
7. Villanova
Replacing Kyle Neptune with a proven winner in the Big East like Kevin Willard seems like a long-term win for Villanova, but early success might be a challenge with this transition roster. Freshman Acaden Lewis has a chance to have a monster year with the ball in his hands from Day 1, but the talent around him is shaky and the frontcourt looks like one of the worst in the Big East.
8. Butler
The second Thad Matta era at Butler hasn’t gone according to plan just yet, but a strong spring gives the Bulldogs hope of climbing the Big East ranks. Fort Wayne transfer Jalen Jackson could be a huge upgrade at the point guard spot from their by-committee approach a year ago and former Pepperdine and Gonzaga forward Michael Ajayi is a strong buy-low candidate. The center spot is a concern though.
9. Xavier
Richard Pitino is back at the high-major level after taking New Mexico to back-to-back NCAA tournaments. Talent-wise, this roster doesn’t have a Donovan Dent or JT Toppin like he had in Albuquerque, though Valparaiso transfer All Wright should have a big year in the backcourt. Virginia transfer center Anthony Robinson could be in for a breakout campaign, too.
10. Seton Hall
I very much expect last year’s 25-loss campaign to be a blip rather than a trend for Shaheen Holloway and the Pirates. This year’s roster is by no means loaded, but there’s a lot more firepower on the offensive end than they had a year ago and Merrimack transfer PG Budd Clark is the type of guy who elevates everyone around him. Keep an eye on freshman big Najai Hines, too.
11. DePaul
It’s a long road to relevancy for Chris Holtmann’s Blue Demons, though they took the first step last season by putting a competitive product on the floor and retaining three starters in the spring. That returning core (Layden Blocker, CJ Gunn, NJ Benson) plus an impact transfer in Tulane forward Kaleb Banks gives the Demons a path to climb the standings.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Big East Men’s College Hoops Preview: UConn, St. John’s … and Then Everyone Else.
