Big East Basketball remains true to its roots. Hard-nosed, competitive, old-school basketball. 11 schools make up the 2023 Big East, which ranges from Rhode Island to Nebraska. College Sports, baby! This conference is not nearly as strong as it has been in years past, but they do have the defending National Champion to claim and a few other contenders heading into this season.
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Big East Basketball Preview and Bets 2023-2024
Marquette 29-7, 17-3 (1st Big East)
Lost NCAA Second Round. Return Three Double-Digit Scorers. Lose One Double Digit Scorer.
Truthfully, I was down on the Golden Eagles last season, and they proved me wrong. Claiming the regular season title with an 85% win rate is a very impressive feat. This team will only be improved. Their key components return, which include one of the best players in the conference, Tyler Kolek.
He is the reigning Big East player of the year after being on nobody’s radar in the pre-season. Marquette does not hit the transfer portal at all, which is uncommon in today’s game. This team knows how to play together and will be extremely solid on both ends of the floor. Back-to-back Big East Champions is in the cards. Outside of that, I am not sure how high their ceiling really is.
St. John’s 18-15, 7-13 (8th, Big East)
No Postseason. Return One Double Digit Scorer. Lose Two Double-Digit Scorers. Bring on Six Double Digit Scoring Transfers.
Pitino time in New York City means out with the old and in with the new. This Red Storm roster got an entire revamp, as I am sure both parties would not have gotten along if Pitino was coaching last season’s bunch. We have seen Pitino do this for years at various levels. He is bringing talent from the Power 5 and the Mid Majors to boost this St. Johns roster and play his style of basketball.
Joel Soriano is the lone key returner on this roster. He averaged a double-double last season, which is wildly impressive in the college game. It can surely take some time for this team to gel, but they have a load of gritty basketball players who will play that aforementioned Big East style of play. Don’t count out the Johnnies this season.
UConn 31-8, 13-7 (T-4th Big East)
Won National Title. Return One Double Digit Scorer. Lose Two Double-Digit Scorers. Bring on one Double Digit Scoring Transfer.
Although it seems that a lot is gone, Tristan Newton returns after averaging 10 points per game, plus the duo of Alex Karaban and Donovan Clingan return. Clingan is a 7’2″ center who backed up Sanogo, but clearly is a problem for opposing teams. With any talent level, Coach Hurley gives his guys a great chance to win. This team will not repeat as National Champs, but they will be a tough out all season long.
Providence 21-12, 13-7 (T-4th Big East)
Lost NCAA First Round. Return Two Double-Digit Scorers. Lose Three Double-Digit Scorers. Bring on One Double Digit Scoring Transfer.
Kim English time in Providence. He comes in after a short but solid tenure at George Mason. Along with English comes Josh Oduro, Ticket Gaines, and Justyn Fernandez. Oduro has been an all-conference player at GMU and has the tools to succeed in the Big East. The remaining Friars are Bryce Hopkins and Devin Carter. The two averaged a combined 28 points per game and will be a great security blanket for English and Co. to lean on. This feels like a middle-of-the-pack roster in the 2024 Big East. Low ceiling, high floor.
Creighton 24-13, 14-6 (3rd Big East)
Lost NCAA Elite Eight. Return Three Double-Digit Scorers. Lose Two Double-Digit Scorers. Bring on one Double Digit Scoring Transfer.
Trey Alexander, Baylor Scheierman, and Ryan Kalkbrenner return for the Jays, which is huge after what could have been. This team made it all the way to the Elite Eight and had every making to lose their five leading scorers. Turns out, it was just two. They have veterans playing as guards and at center, which is a great recipe for success around the floor.
Creighton has the pieces in place to be the best team in this conference, but they will need one of these talented guards to really take a leap. Kalkbrenner is one of the best two-way big men in the Nation and is a great security blanket for the team to lean on. The Jays can kill you from deep, down low, and defend. The hype train has been there, but this could be the year.
Georgetown 7-25, 2-18 (11th, Big East)
No Postseason. Return One Double Digit Scorer. Lose Two Double-Digit Scorers. Bring on One Double Digit Scoring Transfer.
Ed Cooley takes the job after a long career at Providence. Definitely mixed reactions from the Big East after this news broke. With that being said, there is only one direction to go for the Hoyas, and that is up. Ed Cooley knows how to win, and this storied program expects it.
Quite the roster revamp here. This will be a fairly new Georgetown team all around. Supreme Cook was one of my favorite low-level players, not just because of his name. The center averaged 13 points at Fairfield last season and has the game to succeed here. Senior Jay Heath is the key piece to return to this squad, and he will carry the point guard role. Georgetown will be a bottom-half Big East team this season, but that is a win for what they have done of late.
Villanova 17-17, 10-10 (6th Big East)
Lost NIT First Round. Return Two Double-Digit Scorers. Lose Two Double-Digit Scorers. Bring on Three Double Digit Scoring Transfers.
Loving this Villanova roster is an understatement. They check every box one through five. It is just a matter of how they will gel. Coach Neptune got off to an extremely slow start in his initial season but turned things around later in the year. This roster construction screams Big East toughness, and they can score the ball as well.
The transfer trio of Hakim Hart, Tyler Burton, and TJ Bamba will fit in perfectly with veteran returners Justin Moore and Eric Dixon. Not only does this team have Big East Champion potential, but they have Final Four written all over them.
It’s all about the tradition here at Villanova 💪
Grad Transfer Tyler Burton shared some high praise for his new home ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Yc2i4BMeJ2
— BIG EAST MBB (@BIGEASTMBB) October 26, 2023
Xavier 27-10, 15-5 (2nd Big East)
Lost NCAA Sweet 16. Return Two Single-Digit Scorer. Lose Four Double-Digit Scorers. Bring on Three Double Digit Scoring Transfers.
Xavier was a team I loved last season, and they treated us well. Nearly advancing to the Elite 8 of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Sean Miller proved yet again to be one of the elite coaches of our generation, but he will have to do it with a fairly new roster. Zach Freemantle returns after having an extremely solid 2023 (when healthy).
The three transfers that came in weren’t just Mid-Major players. They were Mid-Major studs. Any of these players would play serious minutes on any roster in the country. This team may take a fall off from last season’s team, but they will not be bad by any means. Especially at home, Xavier can run with anyone in the country.
Seton Hall 17-16, 10-10 (T-6th, Big East)
Lost NIT First Round. Return Two Double-Digit Scorers. Lose One Double Digit Scorer. Bring on Two Double Digit Scoring Transfers.
Still not over the COVID season taking away the inevitable Myles Powell NCAA Tournament Run. Shaheen Holloway is back for his second year at his alma mater. Year one showed some good, a lot of bad, and a lot of physicality. This roster is simply not built to keep up with the top half of the league. They simply will not be able to score enough points.
Kadary Richmond will be the go-to guy for this team, and he has the tools to be very successful. Besides him, the drop-off is real. Hall will be a nasty trap game this season for some of the top teams. The defense can be suffocating. They will have success in a game-by-game basis, but at a macro level, I am not seeing it for the Pirates.
Butler 14-18, 6-14 (9th Big East)
No Postseason. Return Zero Double-Digit Scorers. Lose Four Double-Digit Scorers. Bring on Five Double Digit Scoring Transfers.
Complete revamp in Indi. They are a consensus bottom-three team in the pre-season, but I believe they have a much higher ceiling. Posh Alexander is still one of the most electric guards in the league. Combine him with a few mid-major transfers, which include a seven-footer in Andre Screen, and I see the blueprint for success! Again, this league is very top-heavy, but I would not be shocked if Butler is a tough out all season long.
Same faces, new places: Butler point guard, St. John’s transfer Posh Alexander makes two nice passes in this sequence, the second of which resulted in Northeastern transfer Jahmyl Telfort drilling a corner triple. pic.twitter.com/MkDOYcyXTk
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) October 20, 2023
DePaul 10-23, 3-17 (10th, Big East)
No Postseason. Return One Double Digit Scorer. Lose Three Double-Digit Scorers. Bring on Zero Double Digit Scoring Transfers.
If there was a small window for DePaul, it was last year. They had electric moments in 2023 and had a fun roster to root on, but I am not sure what we have going here. Senior Da’Sean Nelson is the only Blue Demon with significant experience. Outside of that, they grab some names who have not proved much at bigger schools.
With that being said, their transfers were once sought-after players who may have some ceiling. At the end of the day, this roster lacks firepower and will more than likely finish in the bottom two of the Big East.
Big East Basketball Betting Odds and Standings Prediction
- Villanova +600
- Creighton +300
- Marquette +220
- UConn +280
- Xavier +30000
- Butler +15000
- St Johns +1500
- Providence +2000
- Seton Hall N/a
- Georgetown +8000
- DePaul +20000
