UConn men’s basketball is the preseason favorite to win the Big East this season, with the Huskies earning the top spot in the preseason coaches’ poll. With the regular season just days away, it’s time to take a look at the entirety of the Big East, starting from the bottom and working to the top. Teams are in order of their ranking in the Big East coaches’ poll, with this preview focusing on the projected middle of the pack in the conference — No. 5 Providence, No. 6 Xavier, No. 7 Creighton and No. 8 DePaul. Each team’s respective preseason KenPom rankings are in parentheses.
Providence (39)
The Friars have a new coach in Bryan Hodgson, who led USF to a 25-9 record and NCAA tournament berth last season. After finally moving on from the Kim English era, Hodgson and PC made some splashy offseason adds that gave the Friars a legit ceiling of being Big East title contenders. It then went south very quickly.
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Dink Pate was so ineligible that he withdrew from school to re-sign with his G-League team. Joseph Pinion and Derek Simmons were ruled ineligible by a judge in Rhode Island and denied a temporary restraining order. With three potential players now gone, PC just added Elijah Saunders on Oct. 29, a fifth-year player that was granted eligibility as a result of a case in California.
There is still real talent on this roster, but Hodgson will be hard-pressed to get to 25 wins for his third-straight season. UConn killer Ryan Mela is back, and eligible transfers like Malik Mack (Georgetown) and Miles Byrd (San Diego State) will be impact starters from day one. But a team with nine transfers now with Saunders aboard and three freshmen means a lot of turnover. While Hodgson has always worked the portal well, it may take this Friars team some time to come together.
Projected starting lineup: Bird, Mela, Mack, Javon Bardwell, Samson Aletan
UConn at Providence – Wednesday, Jan. 20
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Providence at UConn – Saturday, Feb. 27
Xavier (58)
Richard Pitino’s first year with Xavier was a disaster, but he returns for year two with a better NIL budget some favorable court rulings. Filip Borovicanin and Jovan Milicevic are back for the Musketeers after the state of Ohio deemed Borovicanin eligible, bolstering the roster tremendously. Borovicanin averaged 10.8 points and 7.4 boards per game last season, while Milicevic averaged 12.4 points per game and shot over 42 percent from three as a 6-foot-10 forward.
The returning duo will join a trio of transfers in the starting lineup. Tru Washington, who spent last season at Miami (FL) but previously was with Pitino at New Mexico, averaged nearly a dozen points per game last season. Ruben Dominguez joins from Texas A&M, who should help stretch the floor with Milicevic after shooting 40 percent from three last season. Lastly, big man Mike Nwoko joins from LSU adds some size, while UAB product Chance Westry figures to be an impact sixth man off the bench.
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Projected starting lineup: Washington, Dominguez, Borovicanin, Milicevic, Nwoko
Xavier at UConn – Saturday, Jan. 16
UConn at Xavier – Saturday, March 6
Creighton (30)
The Bluejays begin a new era this season after long time head coach Greg McDermott, retired, handing the reins off to Alan Huss, who coached High Point from 2023-25 before joining Creighton’s staff last year. Huss won nearly 60 games in two seasons with High Point and made an NCAA tournament.
At Creighton, Huss didn’t turn the roster over as much as some other Big East teams with new blood at the helm, but did add BJ Davis (San Diego State), Wes Ennis (USF) and Oswin Erhunmwunse from Providence. Erhunmwunse’s addition immediately adds elite shot blocking ability that the Bluejays sorely missed last season after bringing in Owen Freeman to replace program legend Ryan Kalkbrenner.
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Jasen Green and Jackson McAndrew return for Creighton, with Green continuing to serve as a formidable and dependable two-way player. McAndrew provides size on the wing at 6-foot-10 and appears healthy after missing most of last season with a foot injury. He earned preseason Big East All-Third Team honors along with Erhunmwunse. Things will be different in Nebraska without McDermott on the sidelines, but Creighton appears to be transitioning smoothly heading into year one with Huss.
Projected starting lineup: Davis, Ennis, Green, McAndrew, Erhunmwunse
UConn at Creighton – Sunday, Jan. 3
Creighton at UConn – Sunday, Jan. 7
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DePaul (56)
DePaul is doing all of the right things, but the results are yet to really show up. A great new arena, a competent coach in Chris Holtmann and a solid commitment to competing in terms of NIL. Could this be the year things start truly trending up?
The Blue Demons will be big. The additions of Magoon Gwath from San Diego State and Koree Cotton should bolster the defense tremendously. Both averaged over a block per game last season, and Gwath was the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year as a freshman two years ago. Seven-footer Fabian Flores will likely be beside Gwath in the frontcourt, but Fresno State transfer Wilson Jacques, another 7-footer, will see plenty of time too.
Layden Blocker is another returnee, and while he isn’t great offensively, he can distribute (3.4 assists per game) and play quality defense. KenPom agrees defense will be a major strength for this squad — the Blue Demons rank No. 23 nationally in preseason adjusted defensive efficiency, good for fourth in the conference. Offense may be an issue at times, but the DePaul defense should keep the Blue Demons in plenty of games.
Projected starting lineup: Blocker, Cotton, Jacques, Kahmaree Holmes, Ade Popoola
DePaul at UConn – Wednesday, Jan. 6
UConn at DePaul – Wednesday, Feb. 10
