1. Marquette
Avery Becker, Campus Correspondent
When coming up with a theme for the Golden Eagles’ 2023-24 season, it would be redemption. After suffering a first-weekend exit to Michigan State in last season’s NCAA Tournament, the program returns with head coach Shaka Smart, four starters and eight rotation players. Of the starters, the obvious star is incoming senior guard Tyler Kolek. Last year, the Rhode Island native averaged 12.9 points and 7.5 assists, good for No. 3 nationally. The preseason AP All-American selection won’t be alone either, as the team brings back last year’s leading scorer, Kam Jones. You can’t forget about Oso Ighodaro either, who took a huge leap last season and is only going to get better in 2023. For fans of the Golden Eagles, this is the season to watch, as the team hopes to redeem themselves. They will begin their season on Nov. 6, where they’ll face the Northern Illinois Huskies.
Men’s Basketball DC Staff Picks
| Player of the Year: | Tyler Kolek, G, Marquette |
| Freshman of the Year: | Stephon Castle, G, UConn |
| Coach of the Year: | Kyle Neptune, Villanova |
| All Conference Team: | Justin Moore, G, Villanova Bryce Hopkins, F, Providence Kam Jones, G, Marquette Ryan Kalkbrenner, F, Creighton Donovan Clingan, C, UConn |
2. UConn
Connor Sargeant, Staff Writer
For Connecticut, there’s no shortage of excitement. Coming off an incredible title run last season, they’re looking for ring No. 6, but the program will have to do it without some important pieces. Jordan Hawkins, Adama Sanogo and Andre Jackson are all off to the NBA. That means the Huskies’ entire rotation will all need to step up, but they certainly have the talent to do so. Look no further than players such as 7-foot-2 giant Donovan Clingan, who is expected to emulate Adama Sanogo’s focal role from last year. Hurley and company also did a great job on the recruiting trail, adding five talented freshmen, including Stephon Castle. Castle is currently projected to be a one-and-done player in Storrs, Connecticut, mocking in the top 10 of next year’s draft. If this season’s second unit performs like they did last year, don’t be surprised if UConn lifts up yet another championship trophy.
3. Creighton
Cole Stefan, Senior Columnist
Despite losing Ryan Nembhard (12.1 PPG) and Arthur Kaluma (11.8) to the transfer portal, Creighton retains most of their nucleus from last year’s Elite Eight run, which features Preseason All-Big East First Team selection Trey Alexander (13.6 PPG). Two of those returning stars thrive on the glass, with Preseason All-Big East First Team selection Ryan Kalkbrenner averaging 6.1 rebounds and graduate guard Baylor Scheierman grabbing 8.3 boards per game last season. Adding All-Mountain West First Team guard Steven Ashworth (16.2 PPG at Utah State in 2022-23) into the mix gives the Bluejays another layer of depth. While the Associated Press ranked them No. 8 in the preseason Top 25, with head coach Greg McDermott at the helm, Creighton has their sights set on taking the conference crown and earning a Final Four berth.
4. Villanova
Jackson Crainich, Campus Correspondent
Going into Kyle Neptune’s second season as head coach, Villanova looks like a team that could turn heads. Coming off a disappointing 17-17 campaign, the Wildcats added a lot of talent from the transfer portal, including veterans Tyler Burton (Richmond), Hakim Hart (Maryland) and TJ Bamba (Washington State), who are all expected to play a major role. Villanova lost some key players from last year’s team, including first round pick and Big East Freshman of the Year Cam Whitmore. On the bright side, the Wildcats do return plenty of talent. A healthy Justin Moore looks to be a key contributor for this program and forward Eric Dixon returns after a stellar junior year averaging 15.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. If this Villanova team can stay healthy, don’t be surprised if they’re competing for a Big East Championship.
5. St. John’s
CJ Dexter, Campus Correspondent
St. John’s made the biggest head coaching hire of the 2023 offseason with the signing of Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Pitino. While his legacy speaks for itself, the legendary head coach won’t have an easy time guiding this roster in a tough Big East conference. The starting five for the Red Storm is expected to include four transfers and star center Joel Soriano, who averaged 15.2 points and 11.9 rebounds last season. Former Iona guard Daniss Jenkins followed Pitino to St. John’s and is expected to start after averaging 15.6 points and five assists per game as a Gael. That’s all without mentioning the addition of star Jordan Dingle, who comes in from UPenn after averaging 23.4 points per game and is expected to start at the two guard. The Red Storm look to return to their first NCAA Tournament since 2019 and make it out of the first weekend for the first time since 1999.
6. Providence
Patrick Boots, Campus Correspondent
Despite the departure of former coach Ed Cooley, Providence comes into this campaign looking to surprise people. This season marks the first for new head coach Kim English, who will look to take the Friars to new heights in the post-Cooley era. After a 21-12 season record, the team returns many key pieces from their 2023 NCAA Tournament team. Junior guard Devin Carter comes back after starting 33 games last season and should be a huge defensive cornerstone for the roster. While the departures of Noah Locke, Jared Bynum and Ed Croswell will hurt this team, superstar Bryce Hopkins should be in line for another huge season after leading the team in both points and rebounds last year. There’s also the addition of new freshman Garwey Dual, a player that has been touted as a special talent. If everything goes well for the Friars this season, the team could very well be a top threat in the Big East.
7. Xavier
Noah Reed, Staff Writer
The Musketeers come into this year after having one of their best seasons in recent memory. Xavier, who went 27-10 in 2022-23, made it all the way to the Big East Championship game before falling to Marquette. They fought past Kennesaw State and Pittsburgh in the NCAA Tournament, only to lose to Texas in the Sweet 16. It was their deepest run in the tournament since they made the Elite Eight in 2017. However, most of their best players from a season ago are gone. Souley Boum and Colby Jones declared for the draft and Jack Nunge decided not to return to the program. Both Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter are dealing with potentially season-ending injuries, a massive blow to this team’s hopes. Transfers Dayvion McKnight (WKU) and Abou Ousmane (North Texas) will look to solidify this roster and carry the success over from last season.
8. Georgetown
Evan Rodriguez, Associate Sports Editor
No season has garnered more hype for Georgetown men’s basketball than this one, at least not recently. The program will be entering a new era in its history, thanks to the hire of former Providence head honcho Ed Cooley. As a coach who’s coming off an excellent tenure with the Friars, it’s a match made in heaven for an excellent program rebuilder. With that being said, the team will have some tough challenges ahead, especially in the frontcourt with just two players above 6-foot-10. But, this team is no slouch and Cooley did not come to D.C. empty handed. With additions like Illinois transfer Jayden Epps and UNC transfer Dontrez Styles, this is a roster that is capable of causing chaos against opponents and will immediately improve from the Patrick Ewing era. Regardless, the bottom line for this roster is to build up the reputation of one of the Big East’s most historic programs.
9. Seton Hall
Bridget Bronsdon, Staff Writer
Coming off a mediocre year with a 17-16 season finish, Seton Hall will look to change the narrative on their program and climb the conference ladder. Despite their No. 9 Big East preseason rank, the lowest they have been seeded in the past decade, the Pirates will attempt to improve upon their 10-10 conference record from last year. Seton Hall made a swift exit from the Big East Tournament, as they were unexpectedly knocked out in the first round by DePaul. Despite the early conference fall, one of the team’s greatest accomplishments was taking down UConn in a nail-biter win in early January. During the 2023-24 season, all eyes will be on Al-Amir Dawes as he led the team with a scoring average of 12.6 points per game last year. While Tyrese Samuel will be missed, Kadary Richmond’s leadership and contributions should still make this team a feared opponent.
10. Butler
Sean Ahern, Staff Writer
The Butler Bulldogs march into a new season after a disappointing year that saw them finish ninth in the Big East with a 14-18 record. Head coach Thad Matta will have his work cut out for him to improve on last season’s finish that saw them get bounced in the first round of the Big East Tournament and miss the NCAA Tournament altogether. The main concern for this roster is how they will recover from losing last year’s top five scorers. In the off-season, the program attempted to replace that production with five transfers, including former St. John’s guard Posh Alexander, and four low-ranked freshmen. Adding 10 new faces into the locker room can definitely cause growing pains early on, but with how impactful the transfer portal is now, anything can happen. The Bulldogs will need to figure out their chemistry quickly if they want to emulate games like their ranked victory over Kansas State last year.
11. DePaul
Nahum Valiente, Campus Correspondent
The Blue Demons enter this season with hopes of an improvement in their performance. This season marks Tony Stubblefield’s third season as head coach, which saw the team go 10-23 overall last season. After failing to improve the team’s performance last year, Stubblefield seeks to change the team’s fate with UCLA transfer Mac Etienne. Etienne’s record includes a Final Four run with UCLA during the 2021 NCAA Tournament, though he played limited minutes. This year’s roster also includes freshman five-star prospect Elijah Fisher. Fisher has experience in international play with the U-19 Canadian National Team. DePaul is also undergoing minor managerial changes, with the naming of new assistant coach Tony Harvey. Harvey’s most recent experience came with Eastern Michigan and UIC.