Big East Basketball: 2022 offseason grades for each team

Seton Hall welcomes Shaheen Holloway as the new men's basketball head coach during a press conference at Seton Hall in South Orange on Thursday March 31, 2022. Shaheen Holloway holds his son Tyson while posing for a photo with his wife Kim Holloway and son Xavier Holloway.Coach Shaheen Holloway /

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Thad Matta poses with Blue at Hinkle Fieldhouse Big East Basketball /

We’re still a few months away from the 2022-23 season but most rosters have been stabilized when it comes to who’s coming and going for each of them. That includes Big East Basketball, which has had some big storylines from the first couple of months this offseason.

Some key examples are the sudden retirement of head coach Jay Wright of Villanova, the hiring of a trio of newcomers to the league, and several marquee transfers to the conference. Many programs did very well overall but some may not have had the offseason that they may have wanted to after some transfer decisions didn’t go their way.

So who are the biggest winners and losers this offseason from the Big East? I’ll be taking a closer look at each program and giving them a grade. Does any deserve an A or even an F grade?

Butler Bulldogs: Grade: A

Thad Matta did not get fired from Ohio State a couple of years ago, he resigned due to “health issues”. Assuming that’s been handled, Butler got a top-20 coach in the sport and someone able to go up against the best in the Big East. And he was able to keep a few key players, including Chuck Harris, Jayden Taylor, and Simas Lukosius.

The Bulldogs also brought in four transfers, including Purdue veteran guard Eric Hunter, Akron leading scorer forward Ali Ali, and NC State center Manny Bates, who missed last season with an injury but when healthy is one of the best defensive big men in the sport. Just about everything has gone right for the program so far and it has put Butler in position to overachieve next season.

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