Big East men’s basketball preseason rankings: How UConn, St. John’s and Creighton stack up

It’s true that the 2025-26 version of the Big East might pack a little less “oomph” than this conference has in the past. But there are three solid top 25 teams, per The Athletic’s latest rankings — UConn, St. John’s and Creighton — plus others that will push for NCAA at-large bids.

With college sports officially in the revenue-sharing era, the Big East’s unconventional makeup could provide a significant roster-building advantage to its members, considering UConn is the only member school that will split rev share with football. The thinking — or worry, depending on who you talk to — is that Big East men’s basketball teams will have more to spend on rosters than any other power conference: Several Power 4 coaches polled by The Athletic this summer estimated that they’ll get between $4 million-$5 million of the allotted $20.5 million cap schools can distribute, while most Big East coaches expect to be in the $8 million-$9 million range, even if their schools are not able financially to opt all the way in to $20.5 million.

But how much being football-lite helps the Big East improve its status is to be determined. It’s likely that power conference teams, especially the college hoops blue bloods, will find more money to spend on rosters via collectives and other third parties, which could negate any rev-share advantage the Big East has.

Meanwhile, trying to guess 2026 NCAA Tournament teams at this juncture is a fool’s errand. But it’s worth noting that Bart Torvik has just four Big East teams in his top 50 projections, with Marquette (No. 53) and Providence (No. 58) just outside. It’s realistic that as few as three Big East teams could make the NCAA Tournament, and as many as seven.

Note: For freshmen, the ranking next to their name comes from the recruiting services consensus index (RSCI), which combines multiple ranking services to come up with a consensus ranking.

Should contend for regular-season title

1. UConn

Last season: 24-11 (NCAA Tournament second round)

Coach: Dan Hurley (eighth season)

Top bench players: Malachi Smith (10.4 ppg, 5.3 apg at Dayton), Jaylin Stewart (5.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg), Eric Reibe (freshman, No. 27), Jacob Furphy (international)

Biggest losses: Liam McNeeley (14.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg), Hassan Diarra (7.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 5.7 apg)

Why they’re here: Does it feel like Ball has been in college forever? The answer is yes — Ball is entering his third season for the Huskies, an eternity in the transfer portal era. Is this the year he becomes a superstar shooting guard? He has the skill set. It’ll help to have so much talent around him, notably Georgia transfer Demary, who started 69 of 70 games at UGA over the past two seasons. Karaban has loads of championship experience, and Reed will be able to handle even more offensive expectations.

Offseason moves you might have missed: Darius Adams, the No. 26 freshman in the nation according to the RSCI, decommitted from the Huskies in late April, after Demary and Dayton transfer Smith joined the party in Storrs. (Adams wound up at Maryland.) UConn still has other lauded freshmen in Reibe and Tasmania native Furphy, but for the most part, this will be an experienced rotation.

2. St. John’s

Last season: 31-5 (NCAA Tournament second round)

Coach: Rick Pitino (third season)

Top bench players: Dillon Mitchell (9.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg at Cincinnati), Handje Tamba (10.5 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.7 bpg at NAIA Milligan College), Kelvin Odih (freshman, No. 73), Imran Suljanovic (international), Joson Sanon (11.9 ppg at Arizona State)

Biggest losses: RJ Luis (18.2 mpg, 7.2 rpg, 2.0 apg), Kadary Richmond (12.4 ppg, 6.4 ppg, 5.3 apg), Deivon Smith (9.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.9 apg)

Why they’re here: This group has plenty of depth but the season might hinge on Hopkins, who has played in only three games since January 2024 due to an ACL tear and then, shortly after returning, a bone bruise. Can he be the Hopkins of 2022-23, when he earned Big East first-team honors at Providence, led the Friars in points (15.8) and rebounds (8.5) and took his team to the NCAA Tournament? If so, St. John’s is in great shape, especially with one of the best coaches in the history of college hoops in charge.

Pitino worked the transfer portal hard, and got a few players who know how to score — but in plucking players from the likes of Arizona State, Stanford and Idaho State, among others, the real question is, do they know how to win? One of the more curious transfers this offseason is Tamba, a 6-foot-11, 230-pound center from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who has bounced around college hoops. He started at Tennessee but most recently played at an NAIA school.

Don’t be shocked if they hang a banner

3. Creighton

Last season: 25-11 (NCAA Tournament second round)

Coach: Greg McDermott (16th season)

Top bench players: Isaac Traudt (4.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg), Austin Swartz (5.9 ppg at Miami), Blake Harper (19.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.4 apg at Howard), Hudson Greer (freshman, No. 46)

Biggest losses: Ryan Kalkbrenner (19.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg), Steven Ashworth (16.4 peg, 6.8 apg), Pop Isaacs (16.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.9 apg)

Why they’re here: The Bluejays had to hit the transfer portal hard after losing one of the best big men in the country in Kalkbrenner and an experienced, savvy guard in Ashworth. Isaacs transferring — first to Houston, and then to Texas A&M — hurt too, but they’ve loaded the roster with a bunch of top performers from other schools, including two key transfers from Iowa. The biggest issue, at least early, will be how quickly this group of newcomers can jell under their 16th-year coach.

Freeman, a 6-10 forward, is the biggest transfer to watch. The 2024 Big Ten freshman of the year, Freeman shot 63.8 percent from the field in Iowa’s first 19 games last season before injuring his right hand; surgery in early February sidelined him the rest of the season. Now that he’s healthy, expect him to take a starring role. If Harper, a 6-foot-8 guard, can score as prolifically in the Big East as he could in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, where he won player of the year honors as a freshman, he should push for a starting spot. Regardless, he should provide a nice scoring punch.

No. 4 Marquette

Last season: 23-11 (NCAA Tournament first round)

Coach: Shaka Smart (fifth season)

Top bench players: Nigel James Jr. (freshman, No. 96), Damarius Owens (2.6 ppg, 1.2 rpg)

Biggest losses: Kam Jones (19.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.9 apg), David Joplin (14.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg), Stevie Mitchell (10.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg)

Why they’re here: The most eye-popping stat of the 2025 offseason: Zero. That’s the number of transfers that Marquette and Smart took in this offseason. Even wilder, it’s the fourth (!) year Smart has declined to bring any non-freshman newcomers to campus, instead rolling with program veterans whom he trusts will mature.

The hardest thing to do in college basketball is getting and keeping an experienced roster, which Smart is certainly aware of after losing three of five starters from a veteran squad. But Gold and Ross are back, and both will be expected to take a big step forward. Ditto with Parham and Lowery. Sean Jones hasn’t played since tearing his ACL in January 2024 but he’s a program guy who knows the system. James is the newcomer who should contribute the most; he’s been praised by recruiting analysts as someone who takes a lot of pride in locking opponents down defensively, a necessity to excel under Smart.

They’re gonna try to make the tournament

No. 5 Villanova

Last year: 21-15

Coach: Kevin Willard (first season)

Top bench players: Chris Jeffrey (freshman, No. 86), Zion Stanford (13.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg at Temple), Bryce Lindsay (13.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg at JMU)

Biggest losses: Eric Dixon (23.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.9 apg), Wooga Poplar (15.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg)

Why they’re here: A new, but familiar, coach, a once-proud program practically circling the drain, a few new faces who followed their old coach to his new school — what’s not interesting about Villanova? The Wildcats’ pursuit of the former Maryland coach played out very publicly during the NCAA Tournament — awkward for Willard’s former employer, to say the least — but now that everyone’s settled, there will be expectation that Willard can get Nova back to NCAA Tournament glory, and fast.

The roster is almost entirely brand new, as is expected with a new staff. The most intriguing players for the upcoming season are Hodge, who has good basketball DNA (his dad, Odell, played pro in Europe for 16 years) and Lindsay, who earned Sun Belt freshman of the year and sixth player of the year honors last season at JMU. Askew is on his fifth school, so he knows how to adapt to a new coach quickly. Three players followed Willard from Maryland, and it’ll help to have players familiar with his system.

No. 6 Providence

Last year: 12-20

Coach: Kim English (third season)

Top bench players: Cole Hargrove (9.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg at Drexel), Daquan Davis (8.8 ppg, 2.5 apg at Florida State), Jamier Jones (freshman, No. 38), Ryan Mela (6.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg)

Biggest losses: Bensley Joseph (13.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.2 apg), Jayden Pierre (12.3 ppg, 3.2 apg)

Why they’re here: It’s normal to be excited about experienced players joining the squad. But at Providence, there’s a lot of buzz around Jones, who is projected to be one of the best freshmen in the conference, and maybe the country. Is he a dark horse candidate for Big East freshman of the year? Probably, though he still has to adapt to the college game: Jones is a bit of a throwback big man — do not expect him to be launching from 3.

English is entering his third year, and there is absolutely pressure to get to the NCAA Tournament. Under previous coach Ed Cooley, the Friars had been to the NCAA Tournament seven of the previous 10 years. In the paying players era, where movement is frequent and it’s easy to remake your roster quickly, coaches won’t get as long to build a winner. English is more aware of this than anyone.

No. 7 Georgetown

Last year: 18-16

Coach: Ed Cooley (third season)

Top bench players: Caleb Williams (4.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg), Jeremiah Williams (7.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg at Rutgers) Julius Halaifonua (redshirt), Seal Diouf (redshirt)

Biggest losses: Micah Peavy (17.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.6 apg), Thomas Sorber (14.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg)

Why they’re here: It’s been more than a decade since Georgetown, once one of the most feared programs in the Big East, made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. Is this the year the Hoyas can start a new streak? That’s what Cooley was hired to do, and he knows it.

He doesn’t have a lot returning, but incoming transfers who were contributors at high major programs Arizona and Baylor — both regulars in the NCAA Tournament — gives Georgetown an instant boost of confidence. There’s something to be said for bringing in guys who know how to win. The reality is that Mack is going to have to take a big step forward; Georgetown probably goes as he goes, given that he’s got experience in this system.

No. 8 DePaul

Last year: 14-20

Coach: Chris Holtmann (second season)

Top bench players: Isaiah Medina (freshman), Brandon Maclin (10.0 ppg, 2.2 apg at Radford), RJ Smith (6.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg at Colorado), Khaman Maker (played in one game at St. John’s)

Biggest losses: Isaiah Rivera (10.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg), Conor Enright (7.5 ppg, 6.2 apg)

Why they’re here: This will be Year 2 of a rebuild under former Ohio State coach Holtmann, and things are absolutely looking up: A handful of preseason projections have plugged DePaul in between 70-85, a big jump from years past. Speaking of big jumps, that’s exactly what the Blue Demons are going to need from Benson, if they want to win a few more conference games this time around. That DePaul won’t be entirely re-doing its starting five is an advantage; three crucial returners already know how to play together and these days, that’s half the battle. They also return three of their top four scorers, which is more than a lot of teams can say.

Medina, a 7-foot forward, is one to watch: He flirted with being ranked as a top-100 recruit, but even without that distinction, he should be able to contribute early.

No. 9 Xavier

Last year: 22-12 (NCAA Tournament first round)

Coach: Richard Pitino (first season)

Top bench players: Gabriel Pozzato (14.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg at Evansville), All Wright (15.5 ppg, 2.4 apg at Valparaiso), Mier Panoam (13.0 ppt, 5.8 rpg, 2.4 apg at North Dakota)

Biggest losses: Ryan Conwell (16.5 ppg, 2.5 apg), Zach Freemantle (16.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg), Dailyn Swain (11.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg)

Why they’re here: Pitino joins his father’s conference after going 88-49 (.642) in four seasons at New Mexico, including two NCAA Tournament appearances. Because of the coaching change, the Musketeers have an almost entirely new roster, so doing anything of note this season will likely come down to how quickly they can jell. Two players followed Pitino from New Mexico, 6-foot-9 forward Borovicanin (29 starts last season) and 6-foot-10 forward Jovan Milicevic (three starts).

Other notable newbies include Anderson, a starter at Boise State in 2023-24 who helped the Broncos to the NCAA Tournament the last time he played; he practiced during his redshirt season. Messina-Moore was one of the best 3-point shooters in the country last season, connecting on 40.9 percent of his attempts from deep. Xavier could, and should, get plenty of scoring off the bench, particularly from Wright, the 2024 freshman of the year out of the Missouri Valley Conference.

It’s (probably) not gonna be pretty this year

No. 10 Butler

Last season: 15-20

Coach: Thad Matta (fourth season)

Top bench players: Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor (freshman, No. 89), Drayton Jones (13.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg at South Carolina State), Jamie Kaiser Jr. (redshirt)

Biggest losses: Pierre Brooks (15.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg), Jahmyl Telfort (16.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.4 apg), Patrick McCaffrey (11.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg)

Why they’re here: It doesn’t feel like that long ago that Butler played for the national championship (it was 2011), but if you’re a Bulldogs fan, it probably seems like a lifetime ago. Butler enters 2025-26 trying to avoid a sixth straight conference losing season. It’ll be a tall task, to say the least.

The Bulldogs will rely on youth coming off the bench, and the most crucial sub could very well be Kaiser, who missed last year after ankle surgery, but played 20 minutes a game as a freshman at Maryland in 2023-24. Ajayi was a first-team all-WCC performer in 2023-24 when playing at Pepperdine, and he was an important contributor at Gonzaga last year. But by January, he was out of the starting rotation, and in the final five games of the season averaged less than 11 minutes a game.

It can’t get worse (right?)

No. 11 Seton Hall

Last season: 7-25

Coach: Shaheen Holloway (fourth season)

Top bench players: Jacob Dar (7.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg at Rice), Tajuan Simpkins (14.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg at Elon), Stephon Payne (8.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg at Jacksonville), Josh Rivera (10.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg at Fordham)

Biggest losses: Isaiah Coleman (15.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.7 apg), Dylan Addae-Wusu (9.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.1 apg)

Why they’re here: Never mind that some of these transfers came from schools you’ve likely never heard of — the bottom line is, in the transfer portal era you can get better, fast, and that’s exactly what Seton Hall is trying to do. They’ve remade the roster with guys who know how to put the ball in the basket, which is theoretically a step in the right direction. But like everyone else with a completely new lineup, Seton Hall’s success will come down to how quickly everyone can learn to play together — and if that can translate to winning together.

(Photo of UConn’s Alex Karaban: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)