There’s always next year for these Big East teams.
Just days remain before the 2024-25 men’s basketball season kicks off. As UConn gets set to defend its Big East title — not to mention its two consecutive national championships — the rest of the Big East squads will gear up to attempt a dethroning of head coach Dan Hurley and his esteemed program.
Just three Big East teams were given nods to participate in last year’s NCAA tournament, down from six the year before. This is a conference that produces a collective of national championship-caliber programs on a yearly basis, but as the new season is set to get underway, we should first take a look at the teams who are projected to finish near the bottom of the Big East totem pole — Butler, Georgetown, Seton Hall and DePaul.
Butler Bulldogs
Head Coach: Thad Matta (Third season)
2023-24 Record: 18-15 (9-11)
Projected 2024-25 Big East Finish: 8 out of 11
The Bulldogs, unlike DePaul, Seton Hall or Georgetown, did not undergo a major roster shakeup prior to the upcoming season. Yes, Matta and Butler lost some key pieces, but that is the reality of the transfer portal in modern collegiate athletics; Players have good years and take off in search of better opportunities. In the Bulldogs’ case, the team said goodbye to Jalen Thomas and Posh Alexander, last year’s leaders in rebounds and assists, respectively.
The clear core of this team is its scorers. Pierre Brooks and Jahmyl Telfort led the team in scoring last season and will almost certainly bear the brunt of the team’s offensive responsibilities again this year. Bulter averaged 76.2 points per game last season, good for sixth in the Big East, but with a returning group that clicks, it could threaten to jump into the conference’s upper echelon.
In the first two years of Matta’s second tenure with the program, the Bulldogs had jumped out to exceptionally promising starts. Last year’s squad rattled off five straight wins to begin the year, later rallying to win 7 of its first 13 conference games. The year before that, Butler won five of its first six games before crumbling en route to a 6-14 conference record. Getting out to the emphatic starts is a must, but keeping that momentum down the stretch and into conference play is even more vital to the team’s success.
Georgetown Hoyas
Head Coach: Ed Cooley (Second season)
2023-24 Record: 9-23 (2-18 Big East)
Projected 2024-25 Big East Finish: 9 out of 11
Georgetown started the 2023-24 season 7-4 with a soft non conference schedule before losing 17 of its final 19 games to close out the year. Looking ahead to year two with head coach Ed Cooley at the helm, the future is not as bright as many Hoya fans would hope. The last time Georgetown finished a season with a winning record was 2018-19. The Hoyas have finished in the bottom four teams of the conference every year since and the team’s place in the bottomfeeders category is unfortunately stagnant for the time being.
In terms of the team’s roster, a pattern is starting to establish itself here.
Most of Georgetown’s roster either graduated or opted to enter the transfer portal following last season’s underwhelming end, including key contributors in starters Supreme Cook and Dontrez Styles. But that doesn’t mean Cooley and his staff were not active on the portal’s receiving end. Harvard transfer Malik Mack shined in his freshman year with the Crimson, averaging 17.2 points alongside four rebounds and nearly five assists per game. Mack cashed in on Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors and promptly took his talents to the Big East. He will slot in nicely alongside Jayden Epps — who opted not to transfer after leading the Hoyas in scoring (18.5 ppg) last season. Just last week, Epps was named to the Preseason All Big-East Third Team. He is the only representative from his team or any of the four teams in the bottom tier.
The new backcourt has high hopes, but limited roster depth and a tumultuous conference schedule leave little to the imagination for the Hoyas in the upcoming season. There is potential to make some noise, but they will likely finish at the bottom of the conference standings for the seventh-consecutive year.
Seton Hall Pirates
Head Coach: Shaheen Holloway (Third season)
2023-24 Record: 25-12 (13-7 Big East)
Projected 2024-25 Big East Finish: 10 out of 11
It is odd to see the Big East Coaches Poll predicting a second-to-last-place finish for the Pirates after a respectable season last year concluded with an NIT championship. But, much like DePaul, head coach Shaheen Holloway saw a massive roster overhaul in the offseason. Rather large roster transformations like these usually do not bode well for collegiate programs, and unless you’re bringing in the nation’s top freshmen or transfer players, which Seton Hall did not, a step backward is usually on the horizon.
In an especially-tough Big East conference, Shaheen and his staff will likely use this upcoming season to rebuild the team’s core — many of which will need time to acclimate to the skill and pace of play the Big East is known for. Seton Hall returns just two of its top eight scorers from last year, and overall, 11 new faces will step onto the floor for the Pirates in 2024-25.
The only real veteran on this team is Dylan Addae-Wusu. Coaches will look to the graduate guard to lead the Pirates both on and off the floor throughout the season. Last season, his rebounding ability reached a career-high (5.1 per game) and he finished second on the team in total threes (42). Success is reliant on Addae-Wusu, who started all 37 games last year for the Pirates. If he can take a step forward in his final year of eligibility, the rest of the team can feed off his success.
And yet, college basketball fans have already seen Holloway lead his team on one magical run to the NCAA tournament. Who can forget his 2022 stretch into the Elite Eight wiht Saint Peter’s? If he was to do it again, he would have to run the gauntlet that is the Big East. With a largely unfamiliar roster, but one that Holloway will no doubt mold to fit his gritty style of play, all eyes are on him to win games in what many experts consider to be a transition year for the program.
DePaul Blue Demons
Head Coach: Chris Holtmann (First)
2023-24 Record: 3-29 (0-20 Big East)
Projected 2024-25 Big East Finish: 11 out of 11
Don’t be surprised if you don’t recognize the DePaul Blue Demons when they take the court for their first game against Southern Indiana on Nov. 4. First-year head coach Chris Holtmann has assembled an entirely — yes, entirely — new roster since he was hired following DePaul’s first-round loss against Villanova in last year’s Big East Tournament. Not one player returns from last year’s team to kick of Holtmann’s first year in Chicago.
Worthy names of note include sophomore guard Jacob Meyer, who led Coastal Carolina in scoring last year before departing for DePaul. Among all true freshmen, Meyer ranked fifth in the nation in scoring at 15.7 points per game. In the backcourt, fifth-year Davidson transfer David Skogman averaged 13.3 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game before season-ending foot surgery sidelined the big man for the remainder of the year.
Holtmann returns to the Big East after five years with Ohio State and three years with Butler before that. During both of his tenures, he was crowned coach of the year in his respective conferences. His resume runs deep, but he certainly has his work cut out for him with a regenerated roster and minimal expectations. He and his staff would be lucky just to win a handful of conference games. Truthfully, any signs of life would be a win for this program, who could not manage even one win against conference opponents last season.