The Big East received just three bids to the NCAA Tournament in 2025-26 (St. John’s, UConn and Villanova), tied for the lowest number in league history. St. John’s reached the Sweet Sixteen and UConn made it all the way to the Final Four, but it was still a disappointing campaign for the conference as a whole.
In the wake of another chaotic offseason that featured thousands of transfers and more than a dozen high-major coaching changes, the landscape of the league has transformed dramatically. On paper, it looks deeper and more competitive, but that was also the widespread belief heading into last season.
Below are five burning questions that will play a huge part in determining whether the Big East bounces back in 2026-27.
- Will Rick Pitino’s International Experiment Work?
St. John’s has claimed back-to-back Big East regular season titles under Rick Pitino, going a combined 36-4 in league play. But the Red Storm will look a lot different in 2026-27 after four starters exhausted their eligibility and the other, point guard Dylan Darling, transferred to Grand Canyon.
Incoming transfer Donnie Freeman, one of the program’s biggest offseason acquisitions, suffered a torn Achilles in late June and was ruled out for the season. Pitino landed one other major prize in the portal in 6-foot-5 sophomore wing Tounde Yessoufou (Baylor), but most of his focus was on the international market. St. John’s signed five professionals from overseas: 6-foot-4 point guard Quinn Ellis (England), 6-foot-7 forward Babacar Sane (Senegal), 6-foot-7 forward Đjorđje Jovanović (Montenegro), 7-foot-1 center Lazar Stojković (Serbia) and 6-foot-10 forward Zsombor Maronka (Hungary). Several more players on the roster are originally from foreign countries, including the aforementioned Yessoufou (Benin) and returning center Ruben Prey (Portugal).
Of the newcomers, the headliner is former Olimpia Milano standout Quinn Ellis, who averaged 8.2 points and 4.5 assists in the EuroLeague last season. Ellis is expected to be one of the premier floor generals in the conference right away. There are also high hopes for Sane, an athletic wing with previous stints in the NBA G League and Germany’s Basketball Bundesliga.
Pitino understands the international game well, having coached in Greece from 2018-20. His new approach to roster construction prioritizes experience and maturity over long-term projects. Illinois employed a similar strategy a year ago and ended up making the Final Four. Will the Johnnies follow in those footsteps?
- How Big of a Leap Will Braylon Mullins Make?
After a memorable March Madness run that featured one of the most incredible game-winners in college basketball history, Braylon Mullins contemplated entering the NBA Draft, where he was projected as a first rounder. But the 6-foot-6 wing ultimately decided to run it back, which is the main reason UConn is considered the favorite to win the 2026-27 Big East title.
A former five-star prospect out of Greenfield-Central High School, Mullins averaged 12.0 points and 3.5 rebounds as a freshman with the Huskies. While his shot was inconsistent (42.1 percent from the field and 33.5 percent from three), he had a few explosive performances, including three 20-plus-point outings during league play.
UConn lost its three leading scorers from last season in forward Alex Karaban (graduated), center Tarris Reed Jr. (graduated) and guard Solo Ball (out with a wrist injury), so Mullins will have to shoulder a much bigger load while upping his efficiency. Given his exceptional talent, the weapons around him and Dan Hurley’s elite offensive system, Mullins is perhaps the likeliest candidate in the country to make a huge leap. If he does so, the Huskies should contend for a national title and Mullins should be a lottery pick next summer.
Bryan Hodgson Brings the Heat to Providence Basketball
Coming off consecutive losing seasons, Providence hopes to have found the right man to turn things around in new head coach Bryan Hodgson
- Will Bryan Hodgson’s First Roster at Providence Gel?
Upon taking over as the new coach of Providence in late March, Bryan Hodgson made an immediate splash in the transfer portal. With a substantial NIL budget to work with, he signed a whopping eight players from a mix of mid-majors and high-majors. The class was rated No. 2 in the Big East and No. 9 in the country by 247Sports.
Among the massive haul is reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year Miles Byrd (San Diego State), Hoops HQ’s No. 20-ranked transfer. A two-way wing with great positional size and versatility, Byrd should fit in perfectly in the Big East. He will be joined in the backcourt by two-year Georgetown point guard Malik Mack, FAU’s leading scorer Devin Vanterpool and knockdown perimeter shooter Ryan Sabol (Buffalo). The program also landed former G League standout Dink Pate, who averaged 16.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Westchester Knicks in 2025-26.
The new frontcourt is headlined by 6-foot-11 senior center Arrinten Page (Northwestern) and 6-foot-10 senior center Samson Aletan (Yale). Page averaged 10.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in just 22.8 minutes for the Wildcats, while Aletan started 58 of the 80 games he appeared in for the Bulldogs.
Overall, Hodgson’s debut roster is loaded with talent and experience, but that alone won’t cut it. To get the program out of the conference’s basement and back to the NCAA Tournament, the new team will have to gel quickly despite having almost zero continuity.
- Will Xavier’s Financial Commitment Pay Off?
Xavier went 15-18 and placed 10th in the Big East in Year One of the Richard Pitino era — just the program’s second losing season in the past three decades. Expectations will be a lot higher in 2026-27, as Pitino and his staff were able to utilize a much-improved NIL budget (nearly three times greater) to secure some big-time players in the portal.
In addition to retaining starters Jovan Milicevic and Filip Borovicanin, the Musketeers added seven transfers, six of whom averaged at least 9.5 points per contest last season. After landing just one high-major transfer a year ago, Xavier reeled in three players from the Power Five level, all of whom were extremely productive in 2025-26: 6-foot-4 senior guard Tru Washington (Miami), 6-foot-10 senior forward Mike Nwoko (LSU) and 6-foot-6 junior wing Ruben Dominguez (Texas A&M). Pitino also signed one of the top mid-major prizes in 6-foot-6 junior guard Chance Westry, who led UAB to the NCAA Tournament with averages of 15.5 points and 5.5 assists. Washington and Westry should form a strong backcourt, especially with dangerous perimeter threats like Milicevic and Dominguez surrounding them.
Xavier has gone dancing just twice since 2017-18, but anything short of that would be a disappointment next season given the heightened financial investment in the program.
- Can Nigel James Lead Marquette Back to the Big Dance?
Mullins is the most recognizable player in the Big East following the 2026 NCAA Tournament, but Marquette’s Nigel James may be the conference’s biggest star. The 6-foot guard averaged 16.4 points, 4.9 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals as a freshman with the Golden Eagles, earning Big East Rookie of the Year honors. He was one of just two freshmen in the country to contribute at least 19 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds per game in league play (Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr. was the other).
Despite James’ brilliance, Marquette suffered just its second losing season since 2014-15, stumbling to a 12-20 record. It marked the first time the Golden Eagles failed to reach the NCAA Tournament under Shaka Smart, who took over in 2021.
With six players exiting, Smart finally turned to the portal for reinforcements, adding center Sananda Fru (Louisville) and guard Nolan Minessale (St. Thomas) to a solid returning core. The overall roster is stronger, but the team will go as far as James takes it. The rising sophomore has the ability to do what former Marquette guards Kam Jones and Tyler Kolek did: Lead the program to the Big Dance and earn All-American honors.
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