Big East Basketball Preview: UConn, Marquette, and Creighton Lead the Pack

1. UConn – Connor Sargeant, Associate Sports Editor, he/him/his, Connor.Sargeant@uconn.edu  

Connecticut proved all their doubters wrong last season, winning back-to-back national championships in historic fashion. For Dan Hurley and co., the goal remains the same, and the road to getting there is very similar. Despite facing a significant roster turnover like last season, UConn is forecasted to run through the Big East this year in dominant fashion thanks to what Hurley dubs his most talented roster ever. The program expects Alex Karaban, Hassan Diarra and Samson Johnson to step into even more prominent roles this season. After putting together a solid freshman campaign, Hurley anticipates sophomore guard Solo Ball to take a massive leap this season. Don’t sleep on the Connecticut bench either, as this program flexes impressive depth up and down the roster, proving they have a plethora of talent to eat solid minutes. If the Huskies can do what they did last season and deal with this significant roster turnover in stride, don’t be surprised if they lift trophy No. 7 in San Antonio. 

2. Marquette – Nicole Caruso, Campus Correspondent, she/her, nicole.caruso@uconn.edu 

The Marquette Golden Eagles finished 27-10 last season, including standout wins against Villanova and Providence in the Big East tournament. However, NC State handed Marquette a loss in the Sweet 16, sending them home. Last season, Marquette stood out in the Maui invitational, upsetting No. 1 Kansas. This year, with the help of key returning players including senior Kam Jones (17.2PPG) and senior Stevie Mitchell, who had a season-high 41 minutes against Villanova, will look to go all the way. Junior Chase Ross will also be a key player for the Golden Eagles as his impressive defense provides tough competition for any opposing team. Head Coach Shaka Smart is entering his fourth year with the program and will look towards these players to lead the team to a championship victory.  

3. Creighton –Gavin Friedman, Campus Correspondent, he/him/his, gavin.friedman@uconn.edu 

After their second straight Sweet 16 appearance, the Creighton Blue Jays are set up for another successful season. The Blue Jays lost their two top scorers from last season, Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander, but they may have found their replacements in the transfer portal. Creighton acquired Pop Isaacs from Texas Tech and Jamiya Neal from Arizona State, who should both be mainstays in the Blue Jay’s starting lineup. They will also be returning the remaining three starters from last season. Ryan Kalkbrenner is back for his fifth season and is a favorite to win Big East player of the year. They have a couple of freshmen, Jackson McAndrew and Larry Johnson, who should play solid roles off the bench. Head Coach Greg McDermott has yet another strong roster that will be one of the best teams in the Big East. 

4. Xavier – Sam Calhoun, Staff Writer, he/him/his, samuel.calhoun@uconn.edu 

Xavier was down last year, losing starting forwards Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter to injury along with the departure of Souley Boum and Colby Jones. Despite losing Desmond Claude to USC and Quincy Olivari to the NBA, guard Dayvion McKnight will step up in the starting backcourt after being the best facilitator last season, finishing second in the Big East in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.06). The biggest acquisition during the offseason was guard Ryan Conwell, transferring in after spending time at South Florida and Indiana State. Conwell will be vital in the backcourt and in a wing role for Xavier, with his shooting proving to be most effective (40.7% from 3-point range). In addition to the strong backcourt, the Musketeers may have the best frontcourt with Freemantle and Hunter returning hoping to stay healthy this season. KenPom has Xavier as the No. 33 team in the country, but I believe their ceiling is a lot higher than that. 

5. St Johns – Patrick Minnerly – Campus Correspondent, He/him/his, patrick.minnerly@uconn.edu 

The St. John’s Red Storm finished No. 8 in the Big East conference last year after a tumultuous season during which Head Coach Rick Pitino frequently criticized his team, saying at one point, “If I said I was disappointed, that would be the understatement of the year.” They finished with an overall record of 18-15 but went just 7-13 within the conference. Now, they are showing more promise behind captain Zuby Ejiofor, Utah transfer Deivon Smith and RJ Luis, who is returning after getting two surgeries on his shin. New power forward Ruben Prey, who hails from Portugal, is also expected to contribute significantly for the team. It’s also hard to miss Kadary Richmond, who has a real chance at being crowned Big East Player of the Year. It remains to be seen whether Pitino’s second season in Queens will be a success, but the pieces are there to have a much better time this year, so they slot in at the No. 5 spot of our rankings.   

6. Providence – Ryan Lombardi, Campus Correspondent, he/him/his, ryan.lombardi@uconn.edu  

Kim English’s first year with the Friars fell short of expectations as they finished 21–14 and lost to Boston College in the first round of the NIT. However, this year’s squad will look different after losing Big East Player of the Year Devin Carter to the NBA draft and Josh Oduro, along with Ticket Gaines graduating. After suffering a season-ending ACL injury last season, senior forward Bryce Hopkins will return to lead the team this time around. Providence was busy in the transfer portal this offseason, bringing in five transfers, headlined by former Chicago State guard Wesley Cardet Jr. who could be a breakout candidate this year. With so many new faces this year, it’s difficult to project how they will perform. However, if Hopkins takes another step forward after returning from injury and the transfers quickly adjust to the Big East level, the Friars could be a force to be reckoned with. 

7. Villanova – Trevor Coughlin, Campus Correspondent, he/him/his, trevor.coughlin@uconn.edu 

The Wildcats’ record of 18-10 last year placed them smack-dab in the middle of the Big East’s pack. However, they showed great promise by knocking Providence out of the Big East tournament and played top dogs UConn and Marquette to nail-biting finishes last year. Even though they have lost two major starters in Justin Moore and Tyler Burton, they still have top scorer Eric Dixon (averaging 16.6 points per game) and Jordan Longino. Both athletes can lead this team with their size and three-pointers. Additionally, rookies Matthew Hodge, Josiah Mosely and Kris Parker all show promise, ranking 70, 82 and 99 respectively in the 247 Sports Composite. Being led by fourth-year Head Coach Kyle Neptune, who was the assistant coach in Nova’s Big East titles in 2016 and 2018, Nova’s size, height and mix of old and new talent will make them a team to keep an eye on this season. 

8. Seton Hall – Ava Inesta, staff writer, ava.inesta@uconn.edu  

The Seton Hall Pirates are entering this new year coming off winning the NIT last season. After losing 11 players, the Pirates will return two of their key performers on this year’s roster. One of them being their fifth starter graduate guard Dylan Addae-Wusu who is a veteran of the Big East. He averaged 8.6 points and 5.3 rebounds last season. Another huge returner is sophomore Isaiah Coleman, who made the Big East All-Freshman Team last year after averaging 5.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. Seton Hall added three freshmen for this upcoming season, but the attention turns to the eight transfers on the new roster. The Pirates were ranked 10th in the Big East Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Seton Hall is not expected to have a championship season by any means, but they should definitely be able to defend themselves and stay within the top 50 rankings. 

9. Butler – Ayyan Tamjeed, Campus Correspondent, he/him/his, art24001@uconn.edu 

The Bulldog’s 2023-2024 campaign was mediocre. They finished 18-15 after a 9-2 start and bowed out of the Big East and NIT tournaments in the first round.  On the bright side, Butler is the only team in the Big East to have their top two scorers return from last year: senior forward Pierre Brooks (14.8PPG) and his partner in crime fifth year guard Jahmyl Telfort (13.9PPG). Both players were also named to the preseason All-Big East second team. The Bulldogs will have a tough season ahead of them as they will have to rely on a group of underclassmen and three incoming transfers to make up the rest of the rotation, missing the presence of Posh Alexander and Jalen Thomas, who led the team in assists and rebounds, respectively, last year. Third year coach Thad Matta will need to rely heavily on his top two scoring options to carry Butler out of the bottom three. 

10. Georgetown – Tyler Lato, Campus Correspondent, he/him/his, Tyler.Lato@uconn.edu  

After an underwhelming 9-23 campaign last season, second-year Head Coach Ed Cooley and his Georgetown Hoyas are looking to make a splash in the Big East this season. The Hoyas were absolutely plagued by the transfer portal, losing several key players such as Dontrez Styles and Supreme Cook. The lone returning starter for the Hoyas is junior guard Jayden Epps, who was the leading scorer for Georgetown last season, averaging 18.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists a game with a 39.2% field goal percentage. However, the Hoyas’ ’24 recruiting class is full of talent, adding nine players to the roster. The addition of 6-foot-10 four-star center Thomas Sorber from Philadelphia, Pa., who was the 45th-ranked player in the class of 2024 by 24/7 Sports, is enormous. On top of that, Cooley added four-star shooting guard Kayvuan Mulready, the No. 67 ranked prospect in the class of 2024. With the influx of new talent and the return of their leading scorer, the Hoyas are primed for a solid 2024-2025 campaign.  

11. DePaul – Bridget Bronsdon, Sports Editor, she/her/hers, bridget.bronsdon@uconn.edu  

It’s been nearly two decades since DePaul has finished above .500 in conference action, and last year was no different as the Blue Demons finished 0-20 in the Big East and 3-29 overall. While DePaul has remained at the bottom of the conference for the entirety of its tenure and the chances of climbing the ladder are slim, they enter the season with an entirely new calvary and head coach. After firing former Head Coach Tony Stubblefield in January, Ohio State’s Chris Holtmann is now at the helm. However, Holtmann will face unique challenges in Chicago as every squad member is either a freshman or a transfer. Among the transfers is Isaiah Rivera out of the University of Illinois Chicago. Last season, Rivera led UIC in scoring, averaging 14.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, and he will likely be key to DePaul’s offense. Rivera will be accompanied by 13 other new faces as they begin a season of rebuilding.    

Women’s 

1. UConn – Avery, Becker Staff Writer, she/her/hers, avery.becker@uconn.edu 

The 2024-25 season for UConn Women’s Basketball welcomes Geno Auriemma 

and Chris Dailey’s 40^th year coaching, as well as the team’s mission for redemption. Connecticut defied the odds last season after their roster was plagued by injuries, but their season was cut short in the very last seconds after a Final Four loss against the Iowa Hawkeyes. However, the Huskies roster is locked and loaded this season and ready for their quest for No. 12. The Huskies added four new players to the roster with freshmen all in the ESPN top 15 recruits including Sarah Strong, Morgan Cheli and Allie Ziebell and graduate transfer Kaitlyn Chen from Princeton. As far as returning players, Paige Bueckers is back for her red shirt senior season after averaging 21.9 points per game last season. For the Big East, Bueckers and Strong were named as the Preseason Player and Freshman of the year, respectively.  

2. Creighton – Trevor, Campus Correspondent, he/him/his, trevor.coughlin@uconn.edu 

        Finishing with an impressive 26-6 record last season, the lady Bluejays are nipping at UConn’s heels for the top spot as they are fueled by last year’s upset loss to Georgetown in the Big East tournament and a knockout second round in the NCAA tournament by a strong UCLA team. Although they lose key 16.8-point scorer Emma Ronsiek, the rest of their starting lineup remains intact and stronger than ever with leading point scorer Lauren Jensen (17.4), top rebounder Morgan Maly (6.5), assist leader Molly Mogensen (4.3) and Mallory Brake, who held her own on the court. In addition, they have solid bench players Kennedy Townsend, Jayme Horan and Kiani Lockett, who all played minutes in most games. They do not need any new players to add to this team’s impressive strength and have a strong chance of taking home a Big East title, as well as an impressive run in March Madness this year. 

3. Providence – Brayden Gorski, campus correspondent, brayden.gorski@uconn.edu 

Year one under Head Coach Erin Batth saw an injury-riddled Friars team finish ninth in the Big East with a record of 13-21. This season has a lot of promise for Providence as the young core they’ve been building continues to develop. Providence returns seven seniors and three graduate students to the roster along with a few underclassmen to fill out the remainder of the squad. Olivia Olson, one of the returning seniors and the Second Team All-Big East honoree, led the team with 13.7 PPG and 8.5 rebounds last year. MacKayla Scarlett is the lone transfer joining the roster after four seasons with Xavier. The graduate student was the leading scorer for the Musketeers the past two seasons, averaging almost 14 points a game in 2024. The 2024-2025 season is all or nothing for the Friars, and with the Big East being a 3-bid conference last season, Providence could be dancing come March. 

4. Villanova – Tyler Pruneau, Campus Correspondent, He/Him, Tyler.Pruneau@uconn.edu 

Villanova achieved an overall record of 22-13 to finish the 2023-2024 season. When it comes to in-conference play, the Wildcats tied with Marquette and St. John’s, finishing 11-7. Although Villanova secured the No. 3 seed last season, the squad failed to make it past the quarterfinals. Falling to No. 5 Marquette, the Wildcats’ postseason was cut short in a tight 50-48 loss. Entering the offseason, the team felt the wrath of the transfer portal, losing a total of eight players. This year the team will be without three essential juniors, guard Lucy Olsen, guard Zanai Jones and forward Christina Dalce. Leading the team in points, assists and rebounds, the three juniors were the core of success for the Wildcats. Attempting to fill in the missing pieces, Villanova acquired guard Ryanne Allen, guard Bronagh Power-Cassidy and forward Lara Edmanson. In hopes of competing with the top dogs like UConn, a rebuilding year for Head Coach Denise Dillon is on the horizon. 

5. St. Johns – Colette Doyle, Campus Correspondent, she/her/hers 

Crd23003@uconn.edu  

The Red Storm are coming off a mediocre season during which they had an overall record of 18-15 and finished third in the Big East. This season, the team will be missing graduate Unique Drake who was a prominent scorer, averaging 18-points per game. Jillian Archer will also be missed as she contributed an average of 7.6 rebounds per game. These losses will be tough for the team; however, the squad also has two key transfer additions. Ariana Vanderhoop, a graduate student from Monmouth, will be a notable transfer as she scored an average of 10.6 points per game last season. Jade Blagrove, a graduate transfer forward from Manhattan who started in all 30 games last season, will also be a key addition. In last season’s postseason, the team got to the second round of the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament but fell short to Toledo. This year, the team will look to improve and go further.   

6. Georgetown – Jake McCreven – Staff Writer, He/Him/His, jpm23012@uconn.edu 

The Hoyas won 23 games last season, reached the Big East title game before losing to Connecticut and recieved an invite to the WBIT to play in its first postseason in four years. Back for Georgetown is defensive maestro Kelsey Ransom, as well as a litany of transfers and underclassmen bound to have an immediate impact, such as guard Victoria Rivera – a 33-game starter in 2023 – and forward Brianna Scott, who won the conference’s Sixth Woman of the Year award last season. Richmond transfer Siobhan Ryan is a consistent three-point shooter looking to evolve under second year Head Coach Darnell Haney. The Hoyas are a sizable squad who will make do by shooting well from behind the arc and suffocating their opponents on the defensive end of the floor with a physical, board-crashing attack. 

7. Seton Hall – Patrick Minnerly – Campus Correspondent, He/him/his, patrick.minnerly@uconn.edu 

The Seton Hall Pirates are looking to improve upon a middling season in which they struggled in conference play, going 8-10 in the Big East and earned a winning record of 17-15 overall. The team made a bit of a run in the Big East tournament, crushing Xavier in the first round before losing a heartbreaker to Creighton 75-74 in overtime. This year, the Pirates will be without the talents of forwards Azana Baines and Kae Satterfield. Baines especially had a knack for scoring, averaging 14.7 points throughout the season, but not everything is bad news. Guard Amari Wright, who was second in assists per game last year in the Big East, has returned as a graduate student for Seton Hall. The Pirates may also be able to replace the lost talent with the abilities of guard Savannah Catalon, who is set for a bigger role this season after making it to the Big East All-Freshman team in her rookie campaign.  

8. Butler – Julia Sasso; Campus Correspondent; She/her; julia.sasso@uconn.edu  

Butler’s 2023-24 season can only be described as a struggle. Though it was an improvement from their previous season, the Bulldogs still had difficulty winning games. The squad ended the season with a 6-12 conference record and was eliminated from the Big East tournament in their first game. The team will hope for a better outcome this season as they bring back two prominent players from last year’s squad. Graduate student Caroline Strande was an integral part of last year’s roster, averaging 15.1 points per game. Another returning player is senior Kilyn McGruff who averaged the second most playing time last year. McGruff is in the top two free-throw-shooters on the team and averaged 5.3 rebounds per game last season. With strong players like this and a coach who has been slowly improving the program over time, the Bulldogs should be looking for a better outcome this year. 

9. Marquette – Connor Sargeant, Associate Sports Editor, he/him/his, Connor.Sargeant@uconn.edu  

When it comes to the Marquette Golden Eagles 2023-2024 campaign, they performed solidly, finishing third in the Big East, 11-7 in conference and 23-9 overall. However, much has changed from then to now. The Golden Eagles have only six returning players from last year’s roster, with only two playing significant minutes a season ago. This means that Marquette must rely on players like the Frank Phillips College transfer Ayuen Akot. This is the junior forward’s first high major season, as she is making the leap from junior college to the Big East. Akot is a player who has shown some scoring prowess by averaging around 13 points per game. As her season progressed, she kept getting more efficient from the field; thus, this stat alone may undervalue her contributions a year ago. However, she and the rest of this roster come in unproven against high major competition, meaning this could be a rebuilding year for the program.  

10. DePaul – Jake Loomis- Campus Correspondent, jdl23004@uconn.edu 

The new year brings promise for the struggling DePaul Blue Demons. The Lady Blue Demons will have a lot to replace this year as the team’s leading scorer and the top three out of four rebounders are now gone, as well as a few additional starters. They will return Jorie Allen, as she looks to be a leader come the start of the season and add six new first-year students with the best being the 79^th ranked best player in the nation, Angelina Smith. It will be a fresh look for Head Coach Doug Brunos’ team, but they have the advantage of being underdogs and could shock a few teams come the start of the season. 

11. Xavier – Jake Loomis-Campus correspondent, jdl23004@uconn.edu 

Last year, Xavier had a trying season as they finished 0-18 in the conference, being one of the most challenged teams in college basketball last year as they collected only seven wins. They also had no wins in Big East play which was a big issue for the team and ultimately dropped them to the bottom of the coaches’ poll to start this season. The team also lost their three best players to the transfer portal, so it will be shocking if the team wins more games than last year. New Coach Billi Chambers will have her hands full as the bar is set low and even a 5–10-win season will be considered a success. 

Staff Picks: 

MBB 

POTY: Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton, Sr., C  

FOTY: Liam McNeeley, UConn, Fr., F 

COTY: Sean Miller, Xavier 

1^st team 

Kadary Richmond, St. John’s, Gr., G 

Kam Jones, Marquette, Sr., G 

Alex Karaban, UConn, R-Jr, F 

Bryce Hopkins, Providence, Sr., G-F 

Eric Dixon, Villanova, Gr., F 

WBB 

POTY: Paige Bueckers, UConn, R-Sr., G 

FOTY: Sarah Strong, UConn, Fr., F 

COTY: Geno Auriemma, UConn 

1^st team 

Ashlynn Shade, UConn, So., G 

Azzi Fudd, UConn, R-Jr., G 

Lauren Jenson, Creighton, Sr., G 

Caroline Strand, Butler, Gr., G 

Kelsey Ransom, Georgetown, Gr., G