Big East Men’s Basketball Preseason Rankings: New Coaches Are in Spotlight

If Villanova is to return to the top of the league, it will have to go through Creighton—and without Jay Wright.

As part of its 2022–23 men’s basketball preseason coverage, Sports Illustrated is rolling out previews for each of the top 10 conferences. Next up is the Big East.

A conference is greater than one coach, but the Big East will be entering the 2022–23 season without one of the best. Jay Wright’s abrupt retirement marked one of four coaching changes in the conference this offseason, setting up what will be a new look for the league. Kyle Neptune, Shaheen Holloway, Thad Matta and Sean Miller enter the fray, taking the helm of teams with NCAA tournament aspirations.

The turnover continued among the athletes, with eight of last year’s All–Big East first- and second-team players no longer in the conference. With opportunity abound for incoming rosters, the Big East will be tested to raise the bar and build on last year’s postseason showing—which included six NCAA tournament teams and an NIT championship.

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SI’s picks for ...

Conference Player of the Year: Adama Sanogo, UConn

Newcomer of the Year: Baylor Scheierman, Creighton

Dark-Horse Team to Watch: Xavier

First-team all-conference:

● Adama Sanogo, UConn

● Jared Bynum, Providence

● Cam Whitmore, Villanova

● Baylor Scheierman, Creighton

● Posh Alexander, St. John’s

Kalkbrenner had a solid sophomore season before getting injured in the NCAA tournament :: Chris Jones/USA TODAY Sports

SI’s predicted order of finish:

1. Creighton

Often a position held by Villanova, the Bluejays enter the season as the favorite in the Big East. Though the team lost Ryan Hawkins to graduation, it gained a big piece in South Dakota State fifth-year senior transfer Baylor Scheierman, who averaged 16.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists last season, along with TCU transfer Francisco Farabello. Creighton, coming off a round-of-32 loss to Kansas in the NCAA tournament, impressed with its rising young core of Ryan Kalkbrenner, Ryan Nembhard and Arthur Kaluma last season, and the Scheierman addition has the potential to be the missing piece to establish the team as a more steady offensive presence to go along with its strong frontcourt. Time is of the essence for Greg McDermott’s group, and, with expectations high, the Bluejays can make some noise on a national level.

Postseason Projection: Title Contender

2. Villanova

Jay Wright’s retirement in April came as quite a surprise to fans, especially on the heels of Villanova’s Final Four appearance. Wright served as the identity of the Wildcats, plus the cornerstone of the Big East’s national success in recent years, and new coach Kyle Neptune will have expectations to pick up where Wright left off. Though the Wildcats lost Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels, they gained top recruit Cam Whitmore and welcomed freshman Mark Armstrong to join Caleb Daniels, Brandon Slater and Eric Dixon. The team also awaits Justin Moore’s return after he tore his Achilles in the Elite Eight. Villanova has held a virtually permanent spot atop the Big East; with new leadership and Creighton’s talent, time will tell if that continues.

Postseason Projection: Second Weekend Upside

3. UConn

Dan Hurley and the Huskies finished last season on a hot streak but ended up losing to New Mexico State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Though the team lost Tyrese Martin and R.J. Cole to graduation, it welcomes a new core of backcourt talent in transfers Tristen Newton (East Carolina), Nahiem Alleyne (Virginia Tech), Hassan Diarra (Texas A&M) and Joey Calcaterra (San Diego). On the inside, Adama Sanogo is expected to improve on his all-Big East first-team year and has the opportunity to be among the conference’s best again this season. Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson, the latter of whom will be reevaluated in November after undergoing surgery on a broken pinky finger, also return. With renewed depth and health, the Huskies will be set up to compete with the goal of being a force come March.

Postseason Projection: Second Weekend Upside

4. Xavier

The Musketeers are coming off a whirlwind season. After a hot start to the year, the team leveled out and lost to Butler in the Big East tournament. Then, after coach Travis Steele was fired, the Musketeers went on to win the NIT. Now Xavier enters the new season with sights set on achieving the success it found in Sean Miller’s first go-around in Cincinnati. Though Paul Scruggs, Nate Johnson and Dwon Odom are gone, transfer Souley Boum (UTEP) and freshmen Desmond Claude and Kam Craft will join the rest of last season’s returning squad. Zach Freemantle, who recently returned to practice after an undisclosed suspension, joins Jack Nunge and Colby Jones in the team’s quest to go beyond the NIT tournament this time.

Postseason Projection: Second Weekend Upside

5. Providence

Providence enters the season as the reigning regular season Big East champion and coming off a Sweet 16 appearance, but the team will have to adjust this year without the veteran-laden core that got it there. Nate Watson, A.J. Reeves, Noah Horchler, Justin Minaya and Al Durham are all gone, with Jared Bynum, Alyn Breed and Ed Croswell standing as the lone returning players. Coach Ed Cooley now welcomes a talented transfer class highlighted by Kentucky forward Bryce Hopkins and adds freshmen Jayden Pierre and Quante Berry. How quickly the Friars form chemistry will be one of the bigger question marks heading into the season, but Cooley has the talent to attempt to extend last season’s success into the new year.

Postseason Projection: Safe to Dance

6. Seton Hall

The breakout coaching name of the NCAA tournament returned home this offseason. Kevin Willard’s departure to Maryland made way for Holloway to rejoin his alma mater after Saint Peter’s Cinderella run in the Big Dance. Holloway brought forward KC Ndefo with him to a Seton Hall roster that lost impact players in Myles Cale, Ike Obiagu, Jared Rhoden and Bryce Aiken. Transfers Femi Odukale (Pitt), Al-Amir Dawes (Clemson), Dre Davis (Louisville) and Abdou Ndiaye (Illinois State) will help to replace that talent, while Kadary Richmond, Jamir Harris, Alexis Yetna, Tyrese Samuel and Tray Jackson return their shooting talent and size for the Pirates. Holloway will be challenged in finding the right balance among the new mix of talent, but every opposing coach will know he is not to be underestimated.

Postseason Projection: Safe to Dance

7. St. John’s

The Red Storm are coming off an underwhelming 17–15 season in which they struggled to balance their high-tempo offense with a competitive defense. The team will enter the new season without leading scorer Julian Champagnie and Aaron Wheeler, but returns All-Big East honorable mention guard Posh Alexander along with Montez Mathis, Dylan Addae-Wusu and Joel Soriano. St. John’s will get an additional boost from Illinois transfer Andre Curbelo, who can help to replace Champagnie’s production and command, and a familiar face in DePaul transfer David Jones. Coach Mike Anderson will be tasked with both integrating the new players and ramping up defense if St. John’s wants to apply pressure to the top of the Big East.

Postseason Projection: On the Bubble

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8. Butler

The Bulldogs surprised in the Big East tournament last season with a near upset of Providence, then added another somewhat unexpected move when they fired LaVall Jordan. Thad Matta now takes the helm at Butler after five years out of coaching, returning to the position he held during the 2000–01 season. Jair Bolden, Bryce Golden, Bryce Nze and Aaron Thompson are gone, while Chuck Harris, Jayden Taylor and Simas Lukosius return and will be joined by transfers Manny Bates (NC State), Eric Hunter Jr. (Purdue), Ali Ali (Akron) and Jalen Thomas (Georgia State). Butler has the talent to make the NCAA tournament this year but will need to hold steady with the contenders in the Big East.

Postseason Projection: On the Bubble

9. Marquette

Marquette slowly improved last season under Shaka Smart, culminating in an NCAA tournament appearance (a blowout defeat to UNC). Unfortunately for the Golden Eagles, they will enter the new season without leading scorers Justin Lewis and Darryl Morsell, both of whom keyed much of Marquette’s success. Kam Jones returns with the opportunity to take on a bigger role, along with Tyler Kolek, Oso Ighodaro, Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Loyola New Orleans transfer Zach Wrightsil. The Golden Eagles can compete enough to challenge for the middle of the Big East standings but will have to show similar progress to last season’s to make the NCAA tournament again.

Postseason Projection: NIT Bound

10. Georgetown

There is a bit of a gap between the top nine teams in the Big East and the bottom two. The big question is: Can Georgetown win a Big East game this season? The Hoyas went an impressive 0–19 in conference play last season and ended the year on a 21-game losing streak. With another revamp of the roster this year, Patrick Ewing will be tested to find the magic he found during the team’s Big East championship win in 2021.

Postseason Projection: Better Luck Next Year

11. DePaul

And then there’s DePaul. The Blue Demons will be without leading scorers Javon Freeman-Liberty and David Jones after finishing ninth in the conference last season. Transfers Umoja Gibson (Oklahoma), Caleb Murphy (USF) and Eral Penn (Long Island) will work to replace their production, along with returning players Yor Anei and Philmon Gebrewhit and freshmen Zion Cruz and Da’Sean Nelson. The Blue Demons will likely be neck-and-neck with Georgetown at the bottom of the standings.

Postseason Projection: Better Luck Next Year

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