Big East expert picks: 2025-26 preview, projected order of finish, preseason predictions, top players to watch
UConn will have to battle St. John's and Creighton to win the Big East this season.
By
Kyle Boone
•
8 min read
Big East basketball has been among the best in college basketball the last few years thanks to an infusion of elite coaches (Rick Pitino, Dan Hurley, Shaka Smart), the success of some elite teams (UConn in 2022-23 and in 2023-24, and St. John's in 2024-25) and the starpower of some elite talents (Kam Jones, RJ Luis, Eric Dixon, Tristen Newton, Tyler Kolek, among many, many others.)
This season looks as if that standard of excellence will continue.
Two of the top five teams in the preseason AP Top 25 poll (UConn and St. John's) belong to the league and a third (Creighton) is also ranked. In total, every Big East team but one ranks inside the top-100 at BartTorvik.com entering the 2025-26 season -- suggesting it is very possible that a majority of the league will either be NCAA Tournament quality or hovering somewhere close to it.
At the top of the league there are two clear top dogs in our preseason poll from CBS Sports experts, right in line with how AP voters see it: UConn, St. John's and then everyone else.
The rest of our team's poll is compiled below along with our panel's votes on Preseason Player of the Year and Preseason Freshman of the Year.
CBS Sports Big East Preseason Player of the Year
Zuby Ejiofor | St. John's | F
Ejiofor is the official Big East Preseason Player of the Year and the CBS Sports Big East Preseason Player of the Year. And with good reason. He was the leader in rebounds, blocks and field goal percentage last season for a 31-win St. John's team, and he is the highest-rated defender at EvanMiya.com from that team who is returning this year.
The Red Storm will again be a force on defense like they were last year when they finished with the No. 2 defensive unit in adjusted efficiency metrics at KenPom.com. Ejiofor will be the driving force behind that unit, and he is among the biggest stars not just in the Big East but in the entire college basketball atmosphere. He's set to build off an All-Big East First Team season in 2024-25 and launch himself into superstar territory.
CBS Sports Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year
Braylon Mullins | UConn | G
UConn coach Dan Hurley has called true freshman guard Braylon Mullins a "bucket burner" and compared his game to that of former Huskies star Ray Allen. Every coach is to some degree susceptible to doling out hyperbole -- but the path has been laid for Mullins to be the best freshman in the league this season. He's a lights-out shooter who fits great within the structure of this UConn offensive scheme, and perhaps more importantly, he seems to have already caught the eye and gained the belief of this coaching staff. He'll have plenty of opportunities to showcase his scoring ability this season and the expectation is that he'll come through in a big way for one of the sport's deepest teams.
Four more players to watch
Alex Karaban | PF | UConn: A key piece of UConn's championship teams in 2023 and 2024, Karaban is the old hat now in his fourth season (and fifth year) with the Huskies. The do-it-all forward is surrounded with the best overall supporting cast since the title team of 2023-24, and that should free him up to return to a more natural role as a glue guy who can space the floor and reliably knock down open looks.
Owen Freeman | C | Creighton: Freeman was a signature offseason acquisition for Creighton and coach Greg McDermott after luring him away from Iowa, where he played the last two seasons. He's coming off a career year in which he averaged 16.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and shot 31.3% on 3-pointers. His size and scoring ability will be critical for the Bluejays as they replace star big man Ryan Kalkbrenner.
Chase Ross | G | Marquette: Marquette and its development factory is ready to shine again this year with Ross, a three-year guard who started as a role player and has grown into a starter, now primed to make a run at an All Big East team. He averaged 10.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game last season and will be one of the most vital pieces for coach Shaka Smart this season. With Kam Jones off to the NBA there are plenty of opportunities for the taking for Ross in this high-octane offense.
Bryce Hopkins | PF | St. John's: Hopkins is a fifth-year player who spent the last three seasons at rival Providence largely starring for the Friars despite injuries cutting short each of his last two years. If he can stay healthy he'll be a huge piece on offense for a St. John's team that needs exactly what he can bring as a floor-spacer and efficient in-the-paint option. He averaged 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in his last fully healthy season at Providence in 2022-23, which earned him All Big East recognition.
College basketball rankings: Houston, Purdue, Kentucky, Duke and more headline 2025-26 Top 100 And 1 teams
Matt Norlander
CBS Sports Big East Predicted order of finish
1. UConn
Breakdown: UConn failed last season in its quest to win back-to-back-to-back national championships, finishing 24-11 overall in a season filled with tumult. That result propelled coach Dan Hurley to piece together a team that he thinks has the traits and talents to get back into title contention this season. There's reason to believe he'll be right thanks to the return of starters Alex Karaban and Solo Ball and the additions of Silas Demary, Malachi Smith and Braylon Mullins, among others.
2. St. John's
Breakdown: A dream 2024-25 season was cut short because of struggles to score enough offense to complement a juggernaut defensive unit. Coach Rick Pitino made shooting offense a priority in the offseason, and this team should be more dynamic than it was last season. Three of their seven transfers were ranked in the top 25 of all transfers in the cycle at 247Sports, and St. John's finished with the No. 1 transfer class in all of college hoops.
3. Creighton
Breakdown: Creighton is replacing three starters from last year's 25-win club -- including All-Big East performers Ryan Kalkbrenner and Steven Ashworth and steals leader Jamiya Neal. Iowa transfer guard Josh Dix and Iowa transfer center Owen Freeman are the biggest reasons for optimism that this team can remain near contention once again. The two averaged more than 30 combined points per game last season for the Hawkeyes and will slot in as starters -- and stars -- in Omaha from Day 1.
4. Marquette
Breakdown: Marquette is one of the few teams in the sport to not have an incoming transfer, which makes one thing clear: They are confident about how they have developed from within and how they have scouted. With Kam Jones off to the NBA, fourth-year guard Chase Ross, fourth-year big man Ben Gold and third-year forward Zaide Lowery will all walk into bigger roles. Guard Sean Jones should also be a key piece of the puzzle after missing last season recovering from a knee injury.
5. Providence
Breakdown: Despite losing top two scorers Jayden Pierre and Bensley Joseph in addition to star forward Bryce Hopkins, Providence has a reasonable chance to improve upon a dreadful 12-20 campaign. Coach Kim English lured Vandy star Jason Edwards to Friartown, and the return of Corey Floyd Jr. and Oswin Erhunmwunse, among others, gives this team a bit of stability. From a talent perspective this should be the best team English has fielded yet.
6. Villanova
Breakdown: How first-year coach Kevin Willard fares in Year One after a late jump on the recruiting trail remains to be seen -- particularly given the emphasis on long-term success over quick results. But Villanova could and should still be a competent factor in this league because of the coaching upgrade to Willard and the influx of talent centers around four-stars Acaden Lewis and Chris Jeffrey.
7. Georgetown
Breakdown: Progress has been slow in D.C. for coach Ed Cooley but it has undeniably been steady, as he improved upon nine wins in his first year and led them to 18 last season -- the program's first winning season (18-16) since 2018-19. Getting to 20 wins would be a huge success for this Hoyas program after losing six of their top seven scorers. Guard Malik Mack is the only returning player who averaged more than 5 points last season, and this team has a lot to learn about itself with six new transfers.
8. Butler
Breakdown: Butler finished 15-20 last season and is now replacing four of its five starters as it enters the fourth year under coach Thad Matta. Returning guard Finley Bizjack should give this team at least some stability, but there are nine total newcomers on this roster -- five of whom hail from the transfer portal.
9. Xavier
Breakdown: An offseason coaching change after losing Sean Miller to Texas leaves Xavier in rebuild mode around coach Richard Pitino, who won at least 22 games in each of his final three seasons at New Mexico. The long-term outlook is good, but in the short-term there could be growing pains with 10 newcomers on the roster. No one who played more than three minutes per game last season is back on this team.
10. DePaul
Breakdown: DePaul more than quadrupled its previous season's win total last year from three in 2023-24 to 14 in 2024-25 under first coach Chris Holtmann. It was the first time in three years it won more than three games in league play. The Demon Deacons have work to do to remain out of the cellar, however, with only two players who started the majority of games (CJ Gunn and Layden Blocker) back in the mix.
11. Seton Hall
Breakdown: Seton Hall is picked last (11th) in both the preseason media poll and the CBS Sports preseason poll. They effectively have a new roster with all six transfers from last year no longer with the program, including leading scorer and rebounder Isaiah Coleman. The Pirates finished last in the league with a 2-18 Big East record and 7-25 overall record -- their worst season in the modern era. It could be another long season in Newark.
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