Big East Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2024-25 season

1. UConn Huskies

The reigning back-to-back National Champions have their work cut out for them in an attempt for a third straight championship. They see departures of talent like Donovan Clingan, Stephon Castle, Tristen Newton, and others, who are not players you can just easily replace in the portal, especially given their chemistry. 

But this is still Dan Hurley, and this team will do their best to retool and rearm for another big-time run. Aidan Mahaney from Saint Mary’s, and Tarris Reed Jr. From Michigan are their two transfer gets so far, both being four stars. They also have three four-star freshmen coming in to help bolster the youth this season. While there is no freshman like Castle that has one-and-done, immediate impact potential, they still have a solid class they can build on. 

Samson Johnson will be trusted in a more crucial big-man role as far as we can tell, but they may use some more depth when it comes to the center position this season. Johnson is solid, but unless we see something more he is not as impactful as a Clingan or a Sanogo, but he is still an elite player who can play as a key starter. 

They still have those needs to address in the portal, shooting, size, and some extra athleticism, but if there is any program ready to handle that challenge, it is the one that just won two straight championships.