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Big East Basketball: St. John's, Providence among top teams in 2026-27 way-too-early power rankings

Mar 14, 2026; New York, NY, USA; SSt. John's Red Storm forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) hold the tournament’s most valuable player trophy following the men's Big East Conference Tournament Championship against the Connecticut Huskies at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Mar 14, 2026; New York, NY, USA; SSt. John's Red Storm forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) hold the tournament’s most valuable player trophy following the men's Big East Conference Tournament Championship against the Connecticut Huskies at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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1. UConn Huskies

Likely departures

  • Alex Karaban (13.1 ppg and 5.1 rpg)
  • Tarris Reed (14.8 ppg a nd 8.8 rpg)
  • Malachi Smith (3.5 ppg and 2.9 apg)
  • Eric Reibe (6.1 ppg and 3.4 rpg)
  • Jaylin Stewart (4.3 ppg and 2.6 rpg)

Likely returnees 

  • Solomon Ball (12.9 ppg and 3.1 rpg, out for next season)
  • Silas Demary (10.3 ppg and 6.0 apg)
  • Jayden Ross (4.6 ppg and 2.4 rpg)
  • Braylon Mullins (12.0 ppg and 3.4 rpg)

Roster additions

  • Nikolas Khamenia (5.7 ppg and 3.3 rpg at Duke)
  • Najai Hines (6.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg at Seton Hall)
  • Nils Machowski (17.2 ppg and 5.7 rpg at Wofford)
  • Oskar Giltay (3.3 ppg and 4.1 rpg at Stanford)
  • Jaye Nash (5.1 ppg and 4.0 apg at Jacksonville State)
  • Junior County (4-star guard prospect)
  • Colben Landrew (4-star guard prospect)

One of the bigger NBA Draft decisions that already happened was Mullins returning for his sophomore campaign, giving UConn a Big East Basketball POY contender. With Ball set to redshirt for next year, he and Demary will be tasked to run the offense.

Hines replacing Reed inside hurts them offensive, but will be a massive boost in interior defense. Khamenia, a former five-star prospect out of high school, is the x-factor. If he breaks out in a big way, then the Huskies will have a great chance of winning the Big East again.

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