The Big East championship has belonged to St. John's for two consecutive seasons.
UConn would very much like it back.
The Huskies were selected first in the official preseason coaches' poll, receiving eight first-place votes. St. John's received two, while Marquette received the remaining vote. Villanova was selected third and Providence fifth, creating a clear preseason group of programs expected to challenge near the top.
Those rankings are useful.
They don't guarantee anything.
Here are the five teams we believe have the strongest paths toward winning the Big East championship in 2026-27.
UConn: The favorite still has the conference's best foundation
UConn lost significant talent and suffered another blow when Ball was ruled out for the season because of a wrist injury.
Yet Hurley's roster still looks like the best combination of experience, young talent and defensive potential in the league.
Demary is the preseason Big East Player of the Year after leading the conference with 5.9 assists per game. Mullins averaged 12.0 points as a freshman and enters the season as a unanimous preseason first-team selection. Hines gives UConn a 6-foot-11 rim protector who led the conference in blocks at Seton Hall.
Then there is Landrew, the five-star freshman selected as preseason Big East Freshman of the Year.
UConn doesn't need one player to replace everything it lost. Hurley has enough complementary pieces to distribute those responsibilities throughout the roster.
That's why the Huskies begin first.
St. John's: Never underestimate Rick Pitino
St. John's has done something no other program in Big East history accomplished before it: win consecutive outright regular-season championships and consecutive conference tournaments.
The roster responsible for much of that success has changed.
The expectations haven't.
Yessoufou gives Pitino a proven high-major scorer after averaging 17.8 points at Baylor. Jackson should have a substantially larger offensive role after averaging nearly 10 points in only 18 minutes last season. Prey and Freeman provide size around them.
The eligibility situations involving several other potential St. John's contributors remain unresolved, which creates more uncertainty than UConn faces. We aren't assuming those players will be available until their status is settled.
Even without doing so, St. John's has enough talent and one of the best coaches in the sport.
A third consecutive championship is absolutely possible.
Villanova: The Wildcats may have the league's most interesting frontcourt
Willard won 24 games and returned Villanova to the NCAA Tournament in his first season.
His second roster may be even better.
Perkins gives the Wildcats an established perimeter scorer after averaging 13.7 points and shooting nearly 40% from 3-point range. Evans and Royal completely change the frontcourt.
Evans averaged 13.3 points and 7.4 rebounds at Oregon. Royal averaged nearly 14 points and six rebounds at Ohio State. Both were selected to the preseason All-Big East second team.
Villanova now has legitimate scoring options inside and outside, along with enough size to match up against the league's best frontcourts.
The Wildcats don't need an enormous leap to win the Big East.
They need last year's 24-win foundation plus the impact of their new frontcourt.
Marquette: Nigel James Jr. gives the Golden Eagles a superstar path
One Big East coach voted Marquette first.
It's not difficult to understand why.
James was spectacular as a freshman, averaging 16.4 points, 4.9 assists and 2.0 steals. His three 30-point performances during conference play demonstrated a scoring ceiling few guards in the league can match.
Parham gives Smart another returning frontcourt weapon, while Fru adds size, efficiency and rim protection after averaging 9.0 points and 6.1 rebounds at Louisville.
The key is whether James can make the difficult jump from excellent freshman to dominant sophomore while remaining efficient under increased defensive attention.
If he does, Marquette has the best-player-on-the-floor advantage in a lot of Big East games.
That creates a very real championship path.
Providence: The Friars are the wild card
Providence has enough intriguing pieces to justify its place among the top five, even without assuming a favorable outcome in Pate's ongoing eligibility situation.
Byrd is the type of veteran every contender wants. He can defend multiple positions, create turnovers and contribute without dominating the basketball. Mack provides experienced guard play, while the 6-foot-11 Page gives Providence a significant interior presence.
There is considerable roster turnover, which creates obvious questions about chemistry. The Friars also have uncertainty surrounding Pate, who is officially listed on the roster but remains involved in an eligibility fight connected to his previous professional experience.
That uncertainty is why Providence begins behind the top four.
Its ceiling remains high enough to matter.
If the pieces fit quickly, the Friars can turn the Big East race into something much deeper than UConn against St. John's.
The championship race starts with UConn
The Huskies have the cleanest path.
They have the conference's preseason Player of the Year, another first-team preseason selection in Mullins, an elite young rim protector in Hines and the preseason Freshman of the Year in Landrew.
St. John's has Pitino and a potentially outstanding perimeter group. Villanova has balance. Marquette has James. Providence has enough veteran talent to become dangerous.
There are also teams immediately outside this five, particularly Xavier and Creighton, capable of making the race considerably more complicated.
The Big East has spent the last two seasons chasing St. John's.
Entering 2026-27, UConn looks ready to become the team everyone is chasing again.
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