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Big East Basketball: Preseason conference power rankings 2023-24

By Jerran Anderson

Apr 8, 2023; Hartford, CT, USA; UConn Huskies fans line the streets for parade through downtown Hartford in the teams honor after winning the NCAA Championship. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2023; Hartford, CT, USA; UConn Huskies fans line the streets for parade through downtown Hartford in the teams honor after winning the NCAA Championship. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports /

9. Georgetown Hoyas

Last season: 7-25, 2-18 in the Big East

The Ed Cooley era begins with the Georgetown Hoyas this season as the former Providence head coach joins the sidelines in Washington D.C. looking to return the Hoyas to glory. Coach Cooley has seven NCAA Tournament appearances under his belt and a few Big East titles under his belt along with a 61.3 percent winning percentage that he brings with him as he looks to turn things around in the nation’s capital on the same stage.

Jayden Epps (Illinois), Dontrez Styles (UNC), Supreme Cook (Fairfield) and Ismael Massoud (Kansas State) are the first batch of names out of the transfer portal that will look to turn things around for Georgetown as they land at No. 8 in the preseason conference power rankings.

Jay Heath, Wayne Bristol Jr., Ryan Mutombu and Akok Akok are the lone returning names for Coach Cooley as he looks to bring new life to this squad. Heath will probably round out the backcourt with Jayden Epps. Heath finished with 12.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.6 apg and 1.1 spg in his debut season in the Big East. As a fifth-year veteran, he’ll look to bring Epps along as a potential scoring tandem. Epps finished with 9.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg and 1.5 apg in his first season of college ball in the Big Ten. He’ll look to show he can co-exist with Heath in his adjustment year.

Akok should provide quite the anchor support defensively as he did this past season for Georgetown. He averaged 6.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.0 bpg and 1.0 apg on 45.5 percent shooting from the floor in 2022-23. After finishing third in the conference in blocks (62) this past season, look for him to play with a rejuvenated energy this upcoming season.

The 6-foot-7 Styles is the biggest wildcard on the addition front for Georgetown. He’s spent the past two seasons in the ACC with the UNC Tar Heels, where he hasn’t gotten many minutes to prove himself. He’s played a total of 264 minutes across 45 games to average just 1.8 ppg and 1.3 rpg on 41.9 percent shooting from the field. With a starting role on the horizon for him, look for him to blossom in the conference at the wing spot.

It’s worth noting: In Cooley’s first season coaching Providence, he went 4-14 in the Big East. With a lot of moving parts and time still needed, it could be rough sledding in Cooley’s first season coaching the Hoyas, just as it was with the Friars back in 2011-12. For now, Georgetown starts things off at No. 9.

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