The Big East was expected to be one of– if not the best– conference in college basketball this season. With the league schedule set to begin, just about every team having completed their out-of-conference slate, and at least three teams come in looking like serious Final Four contenders.
UConn, approaching league play with a ton of momentum after a 10-1 start and a pair of top-10 wins, is the No. 1 betting favorite to reach the Final Four, according to DraftKings. The Huskies have their long-range sights set on making history and becoming the first back-to-back national champion since Florida in 2006-07, but the first goal is to rebound from last year’s fourth-place finish in the conference.
Head coach Dan Hurley and the fifth-ranked Huskies have a goal of winning the regular season title, which the program hasn’t done in any conference since it shared the Big East title with Villanova in 2005-06.
UConn, which has the best scoring offense and the best scoring defense in the conference through 11 non-league games, also has the best odds to win the league title, per vegasinsider.com. Marquette and Creighton, both 9-2, aren’t far behind.
Here is a breakdown of UConn’s Big East opponents in order of the NCAA’s NET rankings (UConn is No. 5) through Dec. 18:
Marquette
Record (NET ranking): 9-2 (No. 7)
Best wins: Nov. 21 vs. Kansas (73-59), Nov. 14 at Illinois (71-64), Dec. 6 vs. Texas (86-65)
Dates vs. UConn: Home: Feb. 17, 3 p.m. (XL). Away: March 6, 8:30 p.m.
Players to watch: Tyler Kolek (6-3, G, Sr.), Kam Jones (6-5, G, Jr.), Oso Ighodaro (6-11, C, Sr.)
Shaka Smart returned four of five starters from last year’s regular season and conference tournament champs, losing only Olivier-Maxence Prosper to the NBA. . So far, with reigning Big East Player of the Year Tyler Kolek still playing like one of the best point guards in the nation, the AP’s sixth-ranked Golden Eagles look like a serious Final Four contender despite losing on the road to in-state rival Wisconsin. Marquette’s only other loss came by three points to No. 1 Purdue the day after trouncing No. 2 Kansas in the Maui Invitational.
Creighton
Record (NET ranking): 9-2 (No. 9)
Best wins: Dec. 16 vs. Alabama (85-82), Dec. 3 at Nebraska (89-60), Nov. 14 vs. Iowa (92-84)
Dates vs. UConn: Home: Jan. 17, 7 p.m. (GP). Away: Feb. 20, 8:30 p.m.
Players to watch: Trey Alexander (6-4, G, Jr.), Baylor Scheierman (6-7, F, Sr.), Ryan Kalkbrenner (7-1, C, Sr.)
After seeming to turn the page following a 21-point loss to Colorado State, question marks returned for the Bluejays after they lost by double digits at UNLV on Dec. 13. But Greg McDermott’s team responded by beating Alabama, the best opponent on its nonconference schedule, 85-82, on Saturday. Creighton goes as potential lottery pick Trey Alexander goes. The junior guard has scored in double digits in all but three games this year – he was 1 of 16 from the field with three points in the loss to Colorado State and 2 of 13 with seven points against UNLV.
Villanova
Record (NET ranking): 7-4 (No. 47)
Best wins: Nov. 23 vs. North Carolina (83-81 OT), Nov. 24 vs. Memphis (79-63), Nov. 22 vs. Texas Tech (85-69)
Dates vs. UConn: Away: Jan. 20, 8 p.m. Home: Feb. 24, 8 p.m. (GP)
Players to watch: Eric Dixon (6-8, F, Sr.), Justin Moore (6-5, G, Sr.), Tyler Burton (6-7, F, Sr.)
In its second year with Kyle Neptune as head coach, Villanova has again had a confusing start to the season. The Wildcats – very much a wildcard – beat Texas Tech, North Carolina and Memphis after losing to Penn at the Palestra, and then continued to lose games to St. Joseph’s, Drexel and Kansas State. Lacking 3-point shooting, ‘Nova has the worst field goal percentage in the Big East (40.3%), which ranks No. 326 in the nation.
Butler
Record (NET ranking): 9-2 (No. 53)
Best wins: Nov. 30 vs. Texas Tech (103-95 OT), Nov. 26 vs. Boise State (70-56), Nov. 24 vs. Penn State (88-78)
Dates vs. UConn: Away: Jan. 5, 6:30 p.m. Home: Feb. 6, 8:30 p.m. (XL)
Players to watch: Pierre Brooks (6-6, G, Jr.), Jahmyl Telfort (6-7, G, Sr.), Posh Alexander (6-0, G, Sr.)
Thad Matta again brings the Bulldogs into conference play with momentum from a successful early slate. A handful of transfer guards have been the bright spot in Indianapolis so far with Brooks (Michigan State), Telfort (Northeastern), Alexander (St. John’s) and DJ Davis (UC Irvine) doing the heavy lifting. The challenge going forward will come in the frontcourt, where Jalen Thomas and Bucknell transfer Andre Screen will have their work cut out against some of the nation’s best bigs.
St. John’s
Record (NET ranking): 7-3 (No. 64)
Best wins: Nov. 19 vs. Utah (91-82), Nov. 16 vs. North Texas (53-52), Dec. 1 at West Virginia (79-73)
Dates vs. UConn: Home: Dec. 23, 8 p.m. (XL). Away: Feb. 3, 12 p.m. (MSG)
Players to watch: Joel Soriano (6-11, C, Sr.), Daniss Jenkins (6-4, G, Sr.), Jordan Dingle (6-3, G, Sr.)
Rick Pitino said recently that he built his team, another one formed with significant use of the transfer portal, with an emphasis on offense over defense. After losing to Boston College in Brooklyn Dec. 10, he called the defense from his collection of transfers “abominable.” It will take some time for Pitino’s group, which includes a national champion in UConn transfer Nahiem Alleyne, to mesh and be ready to compete against the top teams in the league.
Xavier
Record (NET ranking): 6-5 (No. 65)
Best wins: Dec. 9 vs. Cincinnati (84-79), Nov. 19 vs. Saint Mary’s (66-49), Dec. 16 vs. Winthrop (75-59)
Dates vs. UConn: Away: Jan. 10, 8:30 p.m. Home: Jan. 28, 12 p.m. (XL)
Players to watch: Quincy Olivari (6-3, G, Sr.), Desmond Claude (6-6, G, So.), Dayvion McKnight (6-0, G, Sr.)
Sean Miller’s team took significant hits when it lost both Zach Freemantle to foot surgery and Jerome Hunter after an apparent cardiac issue, both are reportedly out for the season. Xavier lost its top six scorers from last season with Colby Jones heading to the NBA and Jack Nunge, Souley Boum and Adam Kunkel all graduating. The Muskateers’ offense to this point has been heavily reliant on Olivari, a fifth-year transfer from Rice, and Claude, a sophomore from New Haven.
Providence
Record (NET ranking): 9-2 (No. 71)
Best wins: Nov. 14 vs. Wisconsin (72-59), Nov. 19 vs. Georgia (71-64), Dec. 2 vs. Rhode Island (84-69)
Dates vs. UConn: Home: Jan. 31, 8:30 p.m. (GP). Away: March 9, Time TBD
Players to watch: Bryce Hopkins (6-7, F, Jr.), Devin Carter (6-3, G, Jr.), Josh Oduro (6-9, F, Sr.)
Kim English did a good job of keeping his best players in Providence after Ed Cooley parted ways. Behind a big three in Hopkins, Carter and Oduro, Providence needs depth to emerge as it gets into Big East play. The Friars will also need to take care of the ball – they rank 309th in the nation with 14.4 turnovers per game.
Seton Hall
Record (NET ranking): 7-4 (No. 95)
Best wins: Dec. 17 vs. Missouri (93-87), Nov. 29 vs. Northeastern (88-75), Dec. 12 vs. Monmouth (70-61)
Dates vs. UConn: Away: Dec. 20, 7 p.m. Home: March 3, 12 p.m. (GP)
Players to watch: Kadary Richmond (6-6, G, Sr.), Dre Davis (6-6, G, Sr.), Jaden Bediako (6-10, C, Sr.)
The worst 3-point shooting team in the conference with only two players having made more than 10 3-pointers on the year, Shaheen Holloway’s team secured its best win so far in the nonconference finale against Missouri on Sunday. The Pirates begin league play at home against UConn.
Georgetown
Record (NET ranking): 7-4 (No. 196)
Best wins: Dec. 16 at Notre Dame (72-68 OT), Nov. 18 vs. Mount St. Mary’s (83-72), Nov. 25 vs. Jackson St. (88-81)
Dates vs. UConn: Home: Jan. 14, 12 or 4:30 p.m. (XL). Away: Feb. 10, 12 p.m.
Players to watch: Jayden Epps (6-2, G, So.), Dontrez Styles (6-6, G, Jr.), Supreme Cook (6-9, F, Sr.)
Ed Cooley’s reincarnation of Georgetown hasn’t happened just yet, though the Hoyas’ seven nonconference wins are the most the program has had since 2020. But an overtime win on the road against Notre Dame without their leading scorer Epps, an Illinois transfer, gives the Hoyas momentum as they begin conference play at Butler on Tuesday.
DePaul
Record (NET ranking): 2-8 (No. 270)
Best wins: Dec. 9 vs. Louisville (75-68), Nov. 14 vs. South Dakota (72-60)
Dates vs. UConn: Home: Jan. 2, 6:30 p.m. (GP). Away: Feb. 14, 9 p.m.
Players to watch: Da’Sean Nelson (6-8, F, Sr.), Chico Carter Jr. (6-2, G, Sr.), Jeremiah Oden (6-9, F, Sr.)
The average attendance at a DePaul home game – 3,548 – speaks for itself. It’s shaping up to be another long year for Tony Stubblefield in Chicago.