2026-27 Big East preview: The middle of the pack

UConn men’s basketball is the preseason favorite to win the Big East this season, with the Huskies earning the top spot in the preseason coaches’ poll. With the regular season just days away, it’s time to take a look at the entirety of the Big East, starting from the bottom and working to the top. Teams are in order of their ranking in the Big East coaches’ poll, with this preview focusing on the projected middle of the pack in the conference — No. 5 Providence, No. 6 Xavier, No. 7 Creighton and No. 8 DePaul. Each team’s respective preseason KenPom rankings are in parentheses.

Providence (39)

The Friars have a new coach in Bryan Hodgson, who led USF to a 25-9 record and NCAA tournament berth last season. After finally moving on from the Kim English era, Hodgson and PC made some splashy offseason adds that gave the Friars a legit ceiling of being Big East title contenders. It then went south very quickly.

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Dink Pate was so ineligible that he withdrew from school to re-sign with his G-League team. Joseph Pinion and Derek Simmons were ruled ineligible by a judge in Rhode Island and denied a temporary restraining order. With three potential players now gone, PC just added Elijah Saunders on Oct. 29, a fifth-year player that was granted eligibility as a result of a case in California.

There is still real talent on this roster, but Hodgson will be hard-pressed to get to 25 wins for his third-straight season. UConn killer Ryan Mela is back, and eligible transfers like Malik Mack (Georgetown) and Miles Byrd (San Diego State) will be impact starters from day one. But a team with nine transfers now with Saunders aboard and three freshmen means a lot of turnover. While Hodgson has always worked the portal well, it may take this Friars team some time to come together.

Projected starting lineup: Bird, Mela, Mack, Javon Bardwell, Samson Aletan

UConn at Providence – Wednesday, Jan. 20

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Providence at UConn – Saturday, Feb. 27

Xavier (58)

Richard Pitino’s first year…

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Publish date : 2026-10-29 22:58:00

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