Checking in on the rest of the Big East

With non-conference play completed for St. John’s, the holiday break is a good time to take stock in how the rest of the Big East is performing before action heats up in January, in order of their ranking in the conference’s preseason coaches’ poll.

UConn

12-1 overall record (2-0 Big East) / AP #4 in the country (December 22) / Picked 2nd in preseason poll

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Surprise, surprise: the Huskies are back in national title contention. The Huskies already boast signature wins over No. 10 BYU, No. 17 Kansas (on the road), No. 20 Illinois, and No. 22 Florida, with their only blemish coming in a narrow defeat to the number one team in the country in Arizona, which came without their starting center Tarris Reed.

The defensive and playmaking troubles that plagued UConn last season are no longer issues. Their shutdown defense rivals the best in the country, ranking in the top ten in both two-point shooting percentage allowed (42.9%) and three-point shooting percentage allowed (26.2%). Solo Ball and Alex Karaban were always going to perform like all-conference players, but Eric Reibe and Tarris Reed elevated UConn’s ceiling with their frontcourt play. There is also a strong platoon at the point guard position between Silas Demary, Jr. and Malachi Smith, who each rank in the top-100 nationally in assist rate.

Add in five-star freshman guard Braylon Mullins returning to full health and providing another three-point threat, and the Huskies look like the team to beat in the Big East.

Creighton

8-5 overall record (2-0 Big East) / Picked 3rd in preseason poll

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Life without Ryan Kalkbrenner and Steven Ashworth has not been kind to the Bluejays. Creighton lost all of their other major non-conference games, with the exception of defeating a similarly disappointing Oregon at the Players’ Era Festival. Losing potential sophomore breakout candidate Jackson McAndrew for the season and top-50 freshman guard Hudson Greer for a month hasn’t helped matters.

The replacements for…

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Publish date : 2025-12-28 03:53:00

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