UConn men’s basketball’s competition for the Big East crown is already down to a handful of teams.
UConn men’s basketball endured a turbulent non-conference season, but the Huskies finished strong to take an 8-3 record into their Big East opener.
After losing three straight in Maui, UConn returned to sweep three crucial non-conference games, winning at home against Baylor, at Texas, and against Gonzaga at Madison Square Garden. It leaves the Huskies ranked 11 in the AP Poll, 12 in KenPom, and comfortably among the upper tier of Big East favorites.
While the Huskies entered the season as clear front-runners, they now find themselves only slightly ahead of Marquette in the futures market (UConn is +175, Marquette +190, per FanDuel). St. John’s isn’t far behind, and while there’s a clear gap between the Red Storm, then Creighton and Villanova who follow, neither team can be counted out.
Conference play begins for the Huskies on Wednesday night when they host Xavier, a one-time contender that is now forced to prove it can manage without Zach Freemantle, who suffered a knee injury against Cincinnati over the weekend.
Before the double-round-robin begins, here’s where UConn’s biggest threats to another conference title stand.
The Contenders
Marquette Golden Eagles (9-2)
To date, Marquette has assembled the strongest body of work out of any team in the Big East. The Golden Eagles own a win at a surprising Maryland team, then beat Purdue and Georgia on a neutral court. Their two losses came on the road and are more than forgivable: against Iowa State and at Dayton, who also beat the Huskies.
As we have come to expect from Marquette under Shaka Smart, the returning players who needed to make a jump in order to keep the Golden Eagles among the Big East’s elite have all done it. Kam Jones has gone from all-conference to all-American levels, averaging 20.1 points on 41% three-point shooting and 6.4 assists per game. His supporting cast of David Joplin, Chase Ross, Stevie Mitchell, and Ben Gold should all be familiar to UConn fans, and they’re all back with another year of experience under their belts. Of that trio, Ross has made the biggest jump, now shooting better than 50% from the field and a touch under 40% from three.
As a team, Marquette has excelled on both sides of the court, ranking in the top 20 in adjusted offense and defense.
St. John’s Red Storm (8-2)
It’s hard to tell as St. John’s hasn’t faced a great team in a few weeks, but the Red Storm appear to have righted the ship after a rough go of it at the Baha Mar Bahamas Championship. St. John’s lost to Baylor on a double-overtime buzzer-beater, then by three a couple days later to a better-than-expected Georgia team.
UConn won’t face the Red Storm until February, but no matter what happens over the next six weeks, they’re going to be a thorn in the Huskies’ side. St. John’s has been one of the most effective defensive teams in the country, particularly inside the arc, where UConn leads the nation in field goal percentage. They also have Seton Hall transfer Kadary Richmond, who has a history of torching the Huskies like few others have in the last decade.
The Dark Horses
Creighton Bluejays (7-4)
Don’t let Creighton’s record fool you. Similar to UConn, the Bluejays endured a brutal three-game stretch in November. But since then, they’ve knocked off Kansas at home and picked up a pair of solid wins over Notre Dame and UNLV. The usual suspects of Steven Ashworth and Ryan Kalkbrenner are back and are once again performing at all-league levels.
That was the good news. The other side is that Pop Isaacs, the team’s prized transfer from Texas Tech, went down with a season-ending hip injury earlier in December. That’s a 16-point-per-game scorer and 38% three-point shooter that the Bluejays will have to do without. Their most recent game against elite competition came at Alabama over the weekend, and Creighton held its own without Isaacs, falling by eight.
Villanova Wildcats (7-4)
We all want to make jokes about Villanova and its sharp fall from grace in the post-Jay Wright years. I get it. And this team lost to Columbia, Saint Joseph’s, and an awful Virginia team, so it’s tempting to pile on Kyle Neptune. But since the Virginia loss, the Wildcats are 5-1, with the only loss being by a point to Maryland. They also beat KenPom top 25 Cincinnati and head into Big East play on a four-game winning streak.
That’s not to say the Wildcats are all the way back. However, Eric Dixon has been one of the most efficient players in college basketball and is coming off of consecutive games where he shot 8-9 from inside the arc against Fairleigh Dickinson and 5-8 from three against Temple. UConn fans should also be familiar with Wooga Poplar, the Miami transfer who faced UConn in the 2023 Final Four. La Salle transfer Jhamir Brickus has been inconsistent but is shooting 50% from three on 46 attempts. They have a solid squad that could do damage if it comes together.
DePaul
DePaul Blue Demons (8-2)
Get ready to tell your children about KenPom top-90 DePaul. This team isn’t a serious contender, but with a first-year head coach it has done a great job getting out of the basement of Division 1 hoops.
Off to an 8-2 start to the Chris Holtmann era, the Blue Demons are not only winning, but they’re also fun to watch. They’ve been one of the best three-point shooting teams in college basketball and are averaging 88 points per game in their wins. With virtually an entirely new roster, DePaul looks nothing like the incompetent three-win mess it was a year ago.
A couple of names to know: Coastal Carolina transfer Jacob Meyer and UIC transfer Isaiah Rivera. Both are better than 46% three-point shooters. Meanwhile, Drake transfer Conor Enright has made the whole thing run. He ranks 11th in the nation in assist rate (39.3) and has tallied seven or more assists in eight of the Blue Demons’ 10 games.