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, the middle and now the top teams in the conference aside from UConn — St. John’s, Villanova and Marquette. Teams are in order of their ranking in the Big East coaches’ poll, and each team’s respective preseason KenPom rankings are in parentheses.
St. John’s (23)
Rick Pitino’s mercenaries enter the season expecting to be the top contender for the Big East crown with UConn. Winners of the regular season and tournament in each of the last two seasons, the Red Storm have reloaded with a crew of experienced transfers, including some who had questionable eligibility situations, though all of them have been approved to play this season.
The former pros on St. John’s are: wing Babacar Sane, a former G League and Exhibit 10 signee, Keyshawn Hall, a scoring wing who has played at Auburn and in the NBA Summer League, and Quinn Ellis, a British point guard from an Italian pro league.
Their best addition may be Tounde Yessoufou, a 6-foot-5 former McDonald’s All-American who was a prolific scorer for Baylor. Reed Bailey, a fifth-year transfer from Indiana by way of Davidson, will be a useful part of their big-man rotation.
Two returning players are expected to start: Ian Jackson, another former McDonald’s All-American, stands 6-foot-5 and started his career at North Carolina, and big man Ruben Prey (10.9 minutes per game last year) looks like the new starter at the 5 for them.
They have a talented roster with good size and some depth. Donnie Freeman, a transfer from Syracuse who was expected to be an impact player, suffered a season-ending injury over the summer, but they still have enough quality for a deep rotation. Another former pro, Zsombor Maronka, will bring helpful size and experience to the roster. They’ve also brought in some experienced guard depth from Columbia and Mercer.
Pitino will have his work cut out for him to get this collection of talent to gel, but he’s familiar with running that gambit. Expect St. John’s to represent the two toughest games on the Big East slate.
Projected Starting Lineup: Ellis, Yessoufou, Jackson, Hall, Prey
UConn at St. John’s – Friday, Jan. 29
St. John’s at UConn – Tuesday, March 2
Villanova (32)
The second year under Kevin Willard comes with expectations for Villanova to take another step forward out of the hole of the Kyle Neptune era. After going 24-9 and losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as an 8-seed last year, their first tourney appearance since 2022, Willard has retooled most of his roster as he looks to lead the Wildcats back to Big East and national glory.
In the transfer portal, they’ve added five highly productive players: Kwame Evans, a forward from Oregon, Devin Royal, a wing from Ohio State, and Elijah Crawford, UIC and BYU. Jake Feigen was a highly productive guard at Cornell who brings size and experience to the rotation, as is Daryl Simmons, a senior from St. Bonaventure.
They’re also expecting big things from a very big man, 7-foot-3 freshman Luis Suigo, who has been called “The Italian Wemby.” Key returning players are guard Tyler Perkins and wing Matt Hodge, who were both solid scorers last year. Hodge is coming off a knee injury while Perkins is the lone returning starter.
Suigo and Towson transfer Abdou Samb are their centers. They also have a redshirt freshman Nico Onyekwere, a former three-star recruit, in the mix.
This team has strong depth and experience, six players averaged at least 13 points per game last season, mostly for other teams, while Hodge was just under that in an injury shortened freshman campaign, and a freshman is expected to be a starter. That’s at least eight guys who can be counted on to make plays.
Projected Starting Lineup: Crawford, Perkins, Royal, Evans, Suigo
Villanova at UConn – Wednesday, Feb. 3
UConn at Villanova – Sunday, Feb. 14
Marquette (34)
Marquette had been struggling through the NIL era but seems to have figured out the value of experienced transfers who would want to play at your school. They return a solid core of contributors from last season along with three transfers and a freshman class that will also see the court.
Their top returning scorers from last year are guard Nigel James Jr. and forward Royce Parham. Adrian Stevens is also expected to step into a starting role at guard.
Two transfers are expected to slot into the starting lineup: big man Sanada Fru from Louisville and wing Nolan Minessale from St. Thomas. Minessale averaged 19.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game in his last stop, while Fru was averaging 9 and 6 for the Cardinals. A third late addition, Colin Porter from Liberty, brings depth and experience to their guard rotation. Among their freshmen, four-star wing Alex Egbounou has a chance to be an early impact player.
Shaka Smart is a good coach whose teams are typically tough to play. With an infusion of talent and a sour taste of missing the NCAA Tournament last year, this will be a very motivated team.
Projected Starting Lineup: James, Parham, Minessale, Fru, Damarius Owens
Marquette at UConn – Tuesday, Jan. 12
UConn at Marquette – Saturday, Feb 20