UConn men’s basketball was picked to be the No. 1 team in the Big East this season, as the Huskies were the top team in the 2026-27 Big East Preseason Coaches’ Poll to kick off Big East Media Day. Dan Hurley and the Huskies received eight of 10 possible first-place votes, while St. John’s received two votes and Marquette received one. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own teams.
The Johnnies came in right behind the Huskies at the No. 2, followed by Villanova, Marquette and Providence to round out the top five.
The No. 1 preseason poll honors mark the the first time that Huskies have been selected as the top pick in the Big East since the 2024-25 season. UConn ended up finishing third in the conference that season behind St. John’s and Creighton. Defending champion St. John’s figures to once again contend for the Big East crown, and Villanova should be in the mix too as the Wildcats continue to improve under Kevin Willard following a rough stretch under former coach Kyle Neptune.
Xavier, Creighton and DePaul are ranked No. 6 through No. 8 respectively, while Seton Hall, Georgetown and Butler round out the bottom half of the poll.
Despite this season marking a distinctly new phase of the Hurley era, UConn seems poised to keep the train chugging along. Coaches Tom Moore and Luke Murray are gone, and mainstays like Alex Karaban, Tarris Reed Jr. and Jaylin Stewart have moved on. Solo Ball, the Huskies’ most experienced player, will likely miss the entire season as he retires from offseason wrist injury. Even with all of the turnover, the return of Silas Demary Jr. and Braylon Mullins along with the addition of impact transfers such as Najai Hines and Nik Khamenia still position UConn as one of the top teams not just in the conference, but in the country.
With another stacked non-conference schedule and a Big East that should be at least somewhat improved overall compared to last season, the Huskies may take some lumps on the way to trying to reach the title game for a second-straight season. Either way, UConn still figures to be a stalwart in the AP Top 25 this season and the favorite for the Big East Conference title. A regular season conference championship would be No. 11 for the Huskies in the Big East, while a Big East Tournament win at Madison Square Garden would be No. 9, the most all time.
The full Big East 2026-27 Preseason Coaches’ Poll can be found below. First-place votes are in parentheses.
1.) UConn Huskies (8)
2.) St. John’s Red Storm (2)
3.) Villanova Wildcats
4.) Marquette Golden Eagles (1)
5.) Providence Friars
6.) Xavier Musketeers
7.) Creighton Bluejays
8.) DePaul Blue Demons
9.) Seton Hall Pirates
10.) Georgetown Hoyas
11.) Butler Bulldogs