The Big East championship race begins with a familiar rivalry.
UConn and St. John's have emerged as two of the league's defining programs, but neither enters 2026-27 without significant questions. UConn lost several important pieces and will be without Solo Ball for the season, but Dan Hurley still has preseason Big East Player of the Year Silas Demary Jr., Braylon Mullins and an intriguing collection of newcomers.
St. John's is coming off back-to-back outright regular-season and tournament championships, something no Big East program had previously accomplished, and Rick Pitino has reloaded again. Villanova has enough proven production to become a legitimate threat, while Marquette has one of the best returning guards in the country.
Here are our Big East power rankings entering the 2026-27 season.
1. UConn
UConn's case begins with Demary.
The senior point guard averaged 10.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals last season while earning first-team All-Big East and All-Defensive honors. His ability to control games becomes even more important following another offseason of roster change.
Mullins gives Hurley another established scorer after averaging 12.0 points and hitting 72 3-pointers as a freshman. UConn also added former Seton Hall big man Na'jai Hines, who led the Big East at 2.2 blocks per game as a freshman, while five-star freshman Colben Landrew was selected as the conference's preseason Freshman of the Year. Ball's season-ending wrist injury removes an important veteran guard, but UConn still has enough experience, defense and young talent to remain our favorite.
2. St. John's
Pitino has turned St. John's into the Big East program everyone has to take seriously.
The Red Storm went 36-4 in conference play over the last two seasons, won consecutive outright regular-season championships and consecutive Big East tournaments, then reached the Sweet 16 last season. Maintaining that standard will require a substantially different roster to develop quickly.
Tounde Yessoufou is the headliner. The Baylor transfer averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals as a freshman and was a unanimous preseason first-team All-Big East selection. Ian Jackson returns after averaging nearly 10 points in only 18 minutes per game, while Ruben Prey and Donnie Freeman provide additional size.
St. John's also has players whose eligibility remains unsettled, so we're not building this ranking around those players being available. Even without assuming favorable rulings, Pitino has enough talent to challenge UConn again.
3. Villanova
Villanova may have one of the conference's best combinations of returning production and proven transfers.
Tyler Perkins returns after leading the Wildcats at 13.7 points per game and earning Big East Most Improved Player honors. He shot nearly 40% from 3-point range and enters the season as a preseason first-team All-Big East selection.
Kevin Willard then added two major frontcourt pieces. Kwame Evans Jr. arrives from Oregon after averaging 13.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks, while Devin Royal comes from Ohio State after averaging nearly 14 points and six rebounds. Elijah Crawford, Matt Hodge and several other pieces provide additional options.
Villanova won 24 games in Willard's first season. This roster has enough experience to make another jump.
4. Marquette
Marquette's ceiling starts with Nigel James Jr.
James was one of the best freshmen in college basketball last season, averaging 16.4 points, 4.9 assists and 2.0 steals while earning Big East Freshman of the Year honors. He produced three 30-point performances during conference play and now enters his sophomore season as a unanimous preseason first-team All-Big East selection.
Shaka Smart also returns Royce Parham, who averaged 16.4 points over his final seven games last season, and added Louisville transfer Sananda Fru. The 6-foot-11 Fru averaged 9.0 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting better than 75% from the floor and blocking 50 shots.
There is enough here that Marquette received a first-place vote in the official preseason coaches' poll. The Golden Eagles aren't merely a top-four team. They can win the league.
5. Providence
Providence is one of the Big East's most intriguing teams because the Friars have several proven veterans around a substantially rebuilt roster.
Miles Byrd arrives from San Diego State after earning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors. The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 10.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.2 blocks, giving Providence an immediate two-way difference-maker.
Malik Mack provides another experienced guard, Arrinten Page gives Providence a 6-foot-11 interior option and Ryan Mela returns. Dink Pate is officially listed on the roster, but his NCAA eligibility remains tied to an ongoing legal situation, so we're not assuming his availability in this ranking. If the Friars get favorable developments and the new pieces fit quickly, fifth could be conservative.
6. Xavier
Richard Pitino enters his second season with a roster featuring two preseason All-Big East selections.
Jovan Milicevic returns after averaging 12.4 points and hitting 67 3-pointers at nearly 43%. His ability to stretch defenses at 6-foot-10 creates unusual matchup problems. LSU transfer Mike Nwoko provides a much different challenge inside after averaging 13.4 points and 5.9 rebounds last season.
Xavier also added Tru Washington and several other transfers around that frontcourt foundation. The Musketeers have enough talent to challenge the top five, particularly if their new backcourt establishes itself quickly.
7. Creighton
Creighton being seventh says more about the depth of the league than the Bluejays.
Jackson McAndrew is back after missing most of last season because of injury and has been fully cleared. The 6-foot-10 forward has made 75 3-pointers in his first 40 college games and gives Creighton an unusually skilled perimeter weapon for his size.
Oswin Erhunmwunse arrives from Providence after blocking 122 shots in two seasons, while Jasen Green averaged 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds last season. Austin Swartz also returns after averaging 10.9 points. Creighton has finished in the Big East's top five for 10 consecutive seasons. Counting the Bluejays out because of a preseason ranking would be a mistake.
8. DePaul
Chris Holtmann continues moving DePaul in the right direction.
Layden Blocker returns after averaging 11.1 points and 3.5 assists and earning preseason third-team All-Big East recognition. The Blue Demons also added San Diego State transfer Magoon Gwath, a 7-footer capable of providing significant rim protection, and veteran perimeter threat Ade Popoola.
DePaul has more legitimate Big East talent than it did only a few seasons ago. The challenge is turning competitiveness into enough victories to break into the league's upper half.
9. Seton Hall
Shaheen Holloway faces almost an entirely new roster after bringing in 13 newcomers, including nine transfers.
Simeon Wilcher is officially on the current roster after transferring from Texas, while former Xavier guard Roddie Anderson adds experience. Terry Copeland arrives after earning 2025-26 NJCAA Division I Player of the Year honors and could become an important frontcourt piece.
Holloway was unanimously selected as Big East Coach of the Year last season, so Seton Hall shouldn't be dismissed simply because the roster changed. The uncertainty comes from asking so many new players to become a functioning team quickly.
10. Georgetown
The pressure is increasing on Ed Cooley.
Georgetown returns Caleb Williams and Kayvaun Mulready but has again undergone substantial roster change. Jaland Lowe, Elmarko Jackson and Vyctorius Miller give the Hoyas several intriguing additions in the backcourt, while Josiah Parker and Chol Machot provide size.
There is individual talent here. The question is whether Georgetown can finally turn it into meaningful Big East progress. Until the Hoyas demonstrate that on the court, it's difficult to move them much higher.
11. Butler
Butler begins a new era under Ronald Nored with significant roster turnover.
Jalen Jackson and Drayton Jones provide two returning starters, while Christian Moore, Jordan Ellerbee, Treyson Anderson and Eduardo Klafke are among the newcomers. That transfer group provides considerable perimeter shooting.
The challenge is establishing everything else. Ten newcomers means Nored will spend the early portion of the season defining roles and finding combinations that work. Butler may eventually become much better than the team we see in November, but it begins with the most uncertainty in the conference.
UConn has the edge, but not much room for error
UConn deserves the top spot because Demary gives Hurley an experienced point guard, Mullins is positioned for a sophomore jump and Hines should immediately improve the interior defense.
St. John's has the talent to win a third straight championship. Villanova may have the conference's most interesting veteran frontcourt, and Marquette has a potential superstar in James.
Even Providence, Xavier and Creighton have legitimate reasons to believe they can exceed expectations.
UConn starts first.
The Big East is deep enough to make staying there extremely difficult.
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