UConn, St. John's, then who? Predictions for every Big East team in 2026-27

By the time you're done reading this, another court case might have shaken up a roster in this league and around the sport. It's no secret that a couple of Big East teams (mainly St. John's, Providence and Xavier) are awaiting legal developments over college eligibility that could dramatically impact their respective ceilings. In response to the current push by those players with professional experience attempting to receive another year, league brass have taken a "let's see how this all shakes out" approach -- different from the other major conferences, which have announced rules prohibiting them all. Dan Hurley doesn't need a set of rules, however, to make up his mind. When asked in early August about all of the chaos, the UConn coach drew a line in the sand between the coaches who will abide by the current rules of eligibility and those who may attempt to bend them. "At some point, you've got to care about the sport, especially if the sport has given you a lot ... It's like doing things to hurt the sport so that you can win a little bit more," he said about coaches pursuing players who've exhausted their eligibility. "I think you've got to be able to look in the mirror on that, especially if the sport has given you a lot already." Hurley has become college basketball's spokesman; his words have power, and he has a platform. As UConn chases a third national title in five years, he might use that platform not just to fight against the legal developments that could change the sport but also to challenge his peers at a crucial time for his program, the Big East and the sport. Meanwhile, the rest of the league will attempt to prove it is more than UConn and its championship dreams, as well as Rick Pitino's success in the latest chapter of his career. To do that, someone else in this conference will have to make noise. There are multiple contenders but more questions than answers for every Big East squad outside Storrs and New York City. Teams are ordered by ceiling win projections. Other conference projections: Big Ten | SEC | Big 12 1. UConn Huskies 2025-26 finish: 34-6, 17-3 Big East, lost in the national title game CEILING Total wins: 36 Big East finish: First Postseason finish: National champion FLOOR Total wins: 28 Big East finish: Second Postseason finish: Sweet 16 Braylon Mullins -- the hero who hit the game-winning buzzer-beater against Duke in the Elite Eight and sent UConn to the national semifinals for the third time in four years -- was a projected mid- to late-first round draft pick. That would have meant a fully guaranteed four-year NBA deal worth $15 million to $24 million. Instead, he chose to forgo the draft and return to Storrs to both chase Dan Hurley's third ring in five years and to collect the seven-figure sum UConn will pay him this season. Anything short of national title contention, however, might compel Mullins to second-guess his choice. 2. St. John's Red Storm 2025-26 finish: 30-7, 18-2 Big East, lost in the Sweet 16 CEILING Total wins: 36 Big East finish: First Postseason finish: National champion FLOOR Total wins: 25 Big East finish: Second Postseason finish: NCAA tournament round of 32 Over the past two seasons, Rick Pitino has won 61 games, earned back-to-back Big East championships and secured a pair of top-five seeds in the NCAA tournament. He's also managed to restore the program's buzz in New York City. He could keep the vibes going this season, especially if Baylor transfer Tounde Yessoufou (17.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.0 SPG) can give St. John's a third consecutive Big East Player of the Year. That only happens, however, if Pitino can find more production -- potentially through former Auburn star Keyshawn Hall, who's hoping for a fifth season -- after losing Syracuse transfer Donnie Freeman (16.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG) to an Achilles injury. 3. Villanova Wildcats 2025-26 finish: 24-9, 15-5 Big East, lost in the NCAA tournament round of 64 CEILING Total wins: 26 Big East finish: Third Postseason finish: NCAA tournament round of 32 FLOOR Total wins: 22 Big East finish: Fourth Postseason finish: NCAA tournament round of 64 Last season, Kevin Willard ended an NCAA tournament drought for Villanova, which hadn't been dancing since Jay Wright's final outing in 2022. The former head coach had reached the pinnacle of the sport and won two national titles by relying on the year-to-year stability of his roster. Willard, meanwhile, doesn't have that, with most of last season's key players, including all-Big East second-teamer Acaden Lewis, having transferred out. What's left is all-Big East third-teamer Tyler Perkins and Ohio State transfer Devin Royal (13.7 PPG) to help the Wildcats regroup and earn another NCAA tournament berth. 4. Providence Friars 2025-26 finish: 15-18, 7-13 Big East, lost in the Big East tournament quarterfinal CEILING Total wins: 26 Big East finish: Third Postseason finish: NCAA tournament round of 32 FLOOR Total wins: 21 Big East finish: Sixth Postseason finish: No NCAA tournament appearance One of the fastest rising coaches in college basketball, Bryan Hodgson is at his third school in four years. In the Big East, he'll turn to a fleet of portal standouts to reverse the bleakness of the past two sub-.500 seasons under former coach Kim English. Buffalo transfer Ryan Sabol (18.8 PPG, 40% from beyond the arc) is one of five new faces who averaged double figures. If Dink Pate is cleared -- he averaged 16.0 PPG in the G League last season but has never played college basketball -- the Friars have a chance to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2023. 5. Marquette Golden Eagles 2025-26 finish: 12-20, 7-13 Big East, lost in the Big East tournament first round CEILING Total wins: 26 Big East finish: Third Postseason finish: NCAA tournament round of 32 FLOOR Total wins: 21 Big East finish: Sixth Postseason finish: No NCAA tournament appearance For years, Shaka Smart tried to build the old way. He spoke openly about avoiding the transfer portal and instead focusing on retention, recruitment and development. Going against the grain, however, hasn't worked in this climate: Smart's fall from a 29-win 2022-23 season to a 12-win campaign last year proves as much. Even he has now seen the light: all-Summit League first-teamer Nolan Minessale (19.8 PPG at St. Thomas) transfers into a talented group led by all-Big East third-teamer Nigel James Jr. (16.4 PPG) The Golden Eagles have finally gotten rid of their landline and bought a cellphone. 6. Creighton Bluejays 2025-26 finish: 16-18, 9-11 Big East, lost in the College Basketball Crown semifinal CEILING Total wins: 26 Big East finish: Third Postseason finish: NCAA tournament round of 32 FLOOR Total wins: 20 Big East finish: Seventh Postseason finish: No NCAA tournament appearance In Greg McDermott's final season, the Bluejays finished under .500 for the first time in more than a decade. Doing so also ended a five-year run of NCAA tournament appearances. Alan Huss, the former associate head coach, takes over, and the good news is he'll have the talent in this next chapter. Austin Swartz and Jasen Green, a pair of double-figure scorers, anchor a group that includes all-American Conference first-teamer Wes Enis (South Florida) and all-Mountain West honorable mention BJ Davis (San Diego State). With Jackson McAndrew (6.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG) back from a season-ending injury and top-100 recruit Katrelle Harmon arriving as well, this team, if it jells, is an NCAA tournament candidate again. 7. Xavier Musketeers 2025-26 finish: 15-18, 6-14 Big East, lost in the Big East tournament quarterfinal CEILING Total wins: 24 Big East finish: Third Postseason finish: NCAA tournament round of 32 FLOOR Total wins: 19 Big East finish: Seventh Postseason finish: No NCAA tournament appearance Richard Pitino will get a chance to build on his first season at Xavier. Although all-Big East first team selection Tre Carroll is gone, Jovan Milicevic is one of two returning players who averaged double figures. Miami transfer Tru Washington (11.9 PPG) is one of six double-figure scoring newcomers, too. Meanwhile, Filip Borovicanin (10.8 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 4.2 APG) is seeking a fifth season, though is currently ineligible. Even if he's not cleared to play, Pitino has the talent to flirt with an NCAA tournament berth. 8. Seton Hall Pirates 2025-26 finish: 21-12, 10-10 Big East, lost in the Big East tournament semifinal CEILING Total wins: 22 Big East finish: Seventh Postseason finish: No NCAA tournament appearance FLOOR Total wins: 16 Big East finish: 10th Postseason finish: No NCAA tournament appearance Seton Hall just missed making the cut on Selection Sunday. Despite that, Shaheen Holloway was rewarded with a long-term extension, on the back of a second 20-win season (finishing 15th in adjusted defensive efficiency on KenPom) in four years. Going for a third such season might be a little challenging, after the Pirates lost their top-seven scorers. Holloway, a former Seton Hall player himself, is used to hitting the reset button, though. Key newcomers include Radford transfer Del Jones (17.2 PPG), who averaged 18 points in games against North Carolina, SMU and South Carolina last season, and four-star recruit Darien Moore. 9. Georgetown Hoyas 2025-26 finish: 16-18, 6-14 Big East, lost in the Big East tournament semifinal CEILING Total wins: 20 Big East finish: Seventh Postseason finish: No NCAA tournament appearance FLOOR Total wins: 14 Big East finish: 11th Postseason finish: No NCAA tournament appearance Ed Cooley is 42-57 overall and 16-44 in the Big East without an NCAA tournament appearance since he was hired in 2023. His most memorable moment of last season was his suspension after he tossed a water bottle during a game. If the problems continue into this season, it will be difficult for him to avoid hot seat talk. What doesn't help: The Hoyas lost a collective 50 points per game from their roster. They're a long way from the highs that came under legendary coach John Thompson. If there's any hope for Cooley, it lies in a pair of transfers: Elmarko Jackson, a former top-30 recruit who spent last season at Kansas, and Jaland Lowe (16.8 PPG at Pitt in 2024-25 before transferring to Kentucky last season). Like their new coach, both players are also seeking redemption. 10. DePaul Blue Demons 2025-26 finish: 16-16, 8-12 Big East, lost in the Big East tournament first round CEILING Total wins: 20 Big East finish: Seventh Postseason finish: No NCAA tournament appearance FLOOR Total wins: 16 Big East finish: 10th Postseason finish: No NCAA tournament appearance Three years ago, DePaul won just four games. Two years later, Chris Holtmann, in his second season with the program, finished .500 -- the program's first such record in six years. Everything in college basketball is relative, so doing this in a tough league is an achievement for a Blue Demons squad that hasn't reached the NCAA tournament in 24 years. The next step for Holtmann is being able to replace the production of three players who averaged double figures last season. Returnee Layden Blocker (11.1 PPG) and all-Southern Conference first-teamer Kahmare Holmes (Wofford) could help somewhat in that respect. 11. Butler Bulldogs 2025-26 finish: 16-16, 7-13 Big East, lost in the Big East tournament first round CEILING Total wins: 17 Big East finish: Eighth Postseason finish: No NCAA tournament appearance FLOOR Total wins: 12 Big East finish: 11th Postseason finish: No NCAA tournament appearance Ronald Nored was a member of the Butler squad that reached the national championship games in both 2010 and 2011. Fifteen years later, he returns as the Bulldogs' new head coach. But this program hasn't been a national title contender since he was a player. Getting immediately back to that status will be an uphill battle. The Bulldogs lost a pair of all-Big East players (Michael Ajayi and Finley Bizjack), after a 7-13 league record under former coach Thad Matta in one of the weakest Big East seasons in recent memory (three NCAA tournament bids). Nored will need to rely on a group of midmajor transfers as well as four-star recruit Herly Brutus, a former LSU signee, to start this rebuilding project.