Big East 2022-23 Season Preview
The Big East will look a lot different this season. Will that leave an opening for Georgetown to surprise some people, coming off an 0-19 regular season conference record last season?
We are officially less than a month away from the start of the 2022-23 college basketball season. Opportunity is abound for every team, there will be exciting new faces to watch, and for some teams like Georgetown, there will be considerable motivation to rid themselves of the bad taste left in their mouth from a disappointing campaign last season.
Speaking of new faces, the Big East is going to have a lot of them this season, in what should be one of the more wide-open seasons the league has seen in recent years. Nearly every team has some significant question marks to answer early on, besides perhaps Creighton, who comes into this season with a lot of buzz and hopes of making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament this year.
The biggest storyline in the Big East heading into the season is the changing of the guard at Villanova, after Jay Wright’s surprise retirement. Wright’s successor, Kyle Neptune, returns to the Wildcats after one season at Fordham, and will look to keep the good times rolling at Villanova. The Big East needs Villanova to remain an elite program, and it will be interesting to see how the program evolves under Neptune’s leadership.
Elsewhere, there are three other new head coaches in the Big East, with some big names returning to schools where they initially got their coaching careers started. Thad Matta takes the reins at Butler, Sean Miller at Xavier, and former Seton Hall Pirate Shaheen Holloway returns home to coach Seton Hall after a darling run in the NCAA Tournament last spring.
With the league up for grabs this year, and several high-profile coaching names joining the conference’s ranks this year, the Big East is entering a new era. UConn is pushing to become the new kings of the Big East, Villanova is trying to stay as top dog, and schools like Georgetown and St. John’s are trying to regain their old school magic and return to prominence. Will Sean Miller be able to turn Xavier into a machine? How will Shaka Smart’s rebuild at Marquette fare in Year Two? There are a lot of fun storylines to monitor this season.
Here are the preseason Big East Coaches’ Poll results:
Creighton Bluejays
Xavier Musketeers
Villanova Wildcats
Connecticut Huskies
Providence Friars
St. John’s Red Storm
Seton Hall Pirates
Butler Bulldogs
Marquette Golden Eagles
Georgetown Hoyas
DePaul Blue Demons
Below is the Hilltop Hoops preseason rankings for the Big East, along with previews on each team.
1. Creighton Bluejays (Last season: 23-12, 12-7 Big East, 4th in Big East)
Head Coach: Greg McDermott (276-137 at Creighton)
KenPom Rank: #22
Projected Starters: Ryan Nembhard, Trey Alexander, Baylor Scheierman, Arthur Kaluma, Ryan Kalkbrenner
Key Additions: Baylor Scheierman, Mason Miller, Francisco Farabello
Key Losses: Ryan Hawkins, Alex O’Connell, KeyShawn Feazell
Creighton was receiving hype for being a potential Final Four dark horse this season before last season even ended, and then they went out and added one of the top transfers in the portal this offseason, Baylor Scheierman, from South Dakota State.
With Big East Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner returning to protect the paint again for the Bluejays, this is poised to be an athletic, versatile team that can put up points in a hurry against any team in the country. While Greg McDermott’s teams are not historically known for being strong defensively, Creighton did finish with KenPom’s 19th-ranked defense last year, and returns many of the same players this year.
The addition of the 6-foot-6 Scheierman will only fuel the Final Four hopes for Creighton. Scheierman averaged 15.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in his final two seasons with the Jackrabbits, and should play a similar role for the Bluejays as the one that Ryan Hawkins filled for them last season.
The one concern with Scheierman that will be interesting to monitor is his struggles against high major competition while at South Dakota State. In five games last season against KenPom top-100 opponents, Scheierman shot just 7-for-30 from beyond the arc.
Another area of concern is Creighton’s depth. While their starting five is extremely impressive, the options on the bench consist of backup point guard Shereef Mitchell, redshirt freshman Mason Miller, TCU transfer Francisco Farabello, and a host of unproven underclassmen. Is this team deep enough to make a run in March?
With Ryan Nembard back from injury, and Trey Alexander continuing his development that really took a jump at the end of last season, the Bluejays may still be fine even if Scheierman isn’t as good as advertised. But for Creighton to really take flight this year, they will need Scheierman to bring the goods consistently, as well as for some new names to become key contributors off the bench quickly.
2. Villanova Wildcats (30-8, 16-4 Big East, 2nd)
Head Coach: Kyle Neptune (16-16 at Fordham)
KenPom Rank: #20
Projected Starters: Mark Armstrong, Caleb Daniels, Jordan Longino, Brandon Slater, Eric Dixon
Key Additions: Cam Whitmore (Injured), Mark Armstrong, Brendan Hausen, Angelo Brizzi (Redshirt last year)
Key Losses: Collin Gillespie, Jermaine Samuels
There wasn’t a bigger offseason storyline in the Big East than the unexpected retirement of Jay Wright. Former Villanova assistant Kyle Neptune returns to the program now to take over for Wright, after he had a strong debut season at Fordham. The Wildcats will be hoping that bringing in Wright’s former top lieutenant will be enough to keep the culture that Wright built going.
Neptune is going to have to navigate a very difficult first couple months, however. Collin Gillespie finally ran out of eligibility, Justin Moore will be out for at least the first half of the season while he rehabs from a torn Achilles, and star freshman (and local DMV product) Cam Whitmore recently underwent thumb surgery and is out for at least the first half of the season.
The loss of Gillespie is going to be significant for the Wildcats all season long. There is no clear successor at point guard to take over for him, although the Wildcats will have options to replace him, led by freshman guard Mark Armstrong (ranked #60 overall by 247Sports) and redshirt freshman guard Angelo Brizzi, who is another Gillespie/Arcidiacono clone.
Villanova’s success will hinge on A.) getting Moore and Whitmore fully healthy for conference play and B.) getting their young guys up to speed quickly.
Can the 6-foot-2 Armstrong become a key contributor in the backcourt early on? Will Jordan Longino or Trey Patterson show they can become more well-rounded players offensively? That all remains to be seen.
Villanova has perhaps the biggest question marks of any upper-tier Big East team this season, but it would be silly to count them out based on that alone.
3. UConn Huskies (23-10, 13-6 Big East, 3rd)
Head Coach: Dan Hurley (73-47 at UConn)
KenPom Rank: #27
Projected Starters: Tristen Newton, Nahiem Alleyne, Jordan Hawkins, Andre Jackson, Adama Sanogo
Key Additions: Tristen Newton, Nahiem Alleyne, Hassan Diarra, Joey Calcaterra, Donovan Clingan, Alex Karaban
Key Losses: RJ Cole, Tyrese Martin, Isaiah Whaley, Akok Akok
After getting upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Teddy Allen and New Mexico State, UConn will look to retool this season, fielding yet another highly talented roster, but one that is missing several starters from last year’s team.
UConn will be counting on a new-look backcourt to propel it to greater heights this season. Sophomore guard/wing Jordan Hawkins has garnered a lot of preseason hype after a promising freshman season, and he will join forces with new transfers Tristen Newton and Nahiem Alleyne to lead the Huskies’ backcourt this year. If all goes well for Hawkins this season, he could be looking to make the jump to the NBA in the spring.
Newton will be expected to take over the point guard reins from the departing RJ Cole this year. The former East Carolina Pirate averaged 17.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game, and is listed at 6-foot-5, which is a big increase in size at the position from the diminutive Cole.
Anchoring UConn in the frontcourt will be Adama Sanogo, a member of the All-Big East First Team last season, and a top contender for Big East Player of the Year this season. Behind Sanogo will be 7-foot-2 freshman center Donovan Clingan, who chose UConn over Georgetown out of high school.
While the Huskies did well in the transfer portal this offseason, they have a lot of production to make up for after losing RJ Cole, Tyrese Martin, and Isaiah Whaley from last year’s team. There will be a lot of pressure on their new guards to perform, and they will have big shoes to fill after the season that Cole and Martin had last year for the Huskies.
The X-factor for this season could come down to Andre Jackson and his shooting. Jackson will start at the 4 for UConn this season, and can be counted on to defend and rebound at a high level, but the Huskies could use a wing, besides Hawkins, to run their offense through. Depending on how Jackson’s three-point shot looks this season, he could raise the ceiling of this team considerably if he can start knocking down the outside shot consistently.
4. Providence Friars (27-6, 14-3 Big East, 1st)
Head Coach: Ed Cooley (221-141 at Providence)
KenPom Rank: #57
Projected Starters: Jared Bynum, Devin Carter, Noah Locke, Bryce Hopkins, Ed Croswell
Key Additions: Devin Carter, Noah Locke, Bryce Hopkins, Corey Floyd Jr., Jayden Pierre, Rafael Castro
Key Losses: Al Durham, Noah Horchler, Justin Minaya, AJ Reeves, Nate Watson
After a surprise regular season Big East title, Ed Cooley is going to hope that he can replicate the same kind of magic this season, despite losing his entire starting lineup from last season.
Luckily for him, last year’s Big East Sixth Man of the Year, Jared Bynum, is back for another season with the Friars, which will be a big boost as they look to incorporate a new group of experienced incoming transfers.
This year’s Providence team will be very guard-heavy. It will be interesting how the team makes up for the loss of Nate Watson and Noah Horchler. Ed Croswell will slot in as the starting center this season, but behind him, the Friars will have to hope that at least one of La Salle transfer forward Clifton Moore or 6-foot-11 redshirt freshman Rafael Castro will step up quickly in the frontcourt.
Bringing in a bevy of veteran transfers worked out for Cooley perfectly last season. Can he pull the right strings again this season to put the Friars back atop the Big East again with a new group of transfers?
5. Xavier Musketeers (23-13, 8-11 Big East, 7th)
Head Coach: Sean Miller (302-109 at Arizona, 120-47 at Xavier)
KenPom Rank: #38
Projected Starters: Souley Boum, Adam Kunkel, Colby Jones, Zach Freemantle, Jack Nunge
Key Additions: Souley Boum, Desmond Claude, Kam Craft
Key Losses: Paul Scruggs, Nate Johnson, Dwon Odom
The main story for Xavier this offseason was firing Travis Steele and replacing him with former Arizona and Xavier head coach Sean Miller. Miller will be looking to bring the Musketeers back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018, and he’ll do it with some key returning pieces from last year’s team, along with a pair of promising freshman guards.
Xavier will need to overcome the loss of guard Paul Scruggs, the heart and soul of their team over the last few years, but returns its starting frontcourt, along with Colby Jones and Adam Kunkel. That continuity should go a long way in helping Xavier gel this year.
Jack Nunge was exceptional last season for Xavier, ranking 18th in the nation in offensive rating with a true shooting percentage of 63.3%, which was 50th in the country. He’ll pair up once again with Zach Freemantle, who was briefly suspended earlier in the fall for an undisclosed reason, but will give Xavier another scoring option on the offensive side of the floor.
Defense was an issue for Xavier last season, as the Musketeers ranked 8th in the Big East in adjusted defensive efficiency. Nunge isn’t known as a premier shot blocker, so Xavier will have to improve its defense in other ways.
Freshman guards Desmond Claude and Kam Craft will both likely be in the rotation early on with this team, and in the case of Claude, who is more of a point guard, he could play a larger role backing up UTEP transfer Souley Boum at the 1.
Xavier returns major pieces from a team that was talented last year, but ultimately underachieved. Will the additions of Boum, Claude, and Craft be enough to raise the ceiling for this year’s team? Can they count on two freshman guards to produce consistently? These are the questions for the Musketeers this year. Perhaps the hire of Sean Miller will be the ultimate cure-all for everything that ailed this team last year. We’ll see.
6. Seton Hall Pirates (21-11, 11-8 Big East, 5th)
Head Coach: Shaheen Holloway (64-54 at St. Peter’s)
KenPom Rank: #48
Projected Starters: Kadary Richmond, Al-Amir Dawes, Dre Davis, Tyrese Samuel, KC Ndefo
Key Additions: KC Ndefo, Al-Amir Dawes, Abdou Ndiaye, Femi Odukale, Dre Davis
Key Losses: Jared Rhoden, Myles Cale, Ike Obiagu, Bryce Aiken
After a miracle run in the NCAA Tournament, Shaheen Holloway returns home to Seton Hall, replacing now-Maryland head coach Kevin Willard, who seemingly reached his ceiling at Seton Hall, and departed for another opportunity as a result.
Holloway takes over a Pirates team that loses some massive pieces from last season’s team, like Jared Rhoden and Myles Cale, but he also brings in some solid transfers, like St. Peter’s star forward KC Ndefo, underrated Clemson guard Al-Amir Dawes, and Louisville wing Dre Davis.
Ndefo, the 6-foot-7 forward who helped propel the Peacocks to become the only 15th seed to reach the Elite Eight, will presumably start for Seton Hall, who has a number of options in the frontcourt to pair with Ndefo, including Tyrese Samuel and Alexis Yetna. Ndefo averaged 10.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists last year, and was top-10 in the nation in block rate as well. Seton Hall will need him to produce at the same level against better competition this year.
Kadary Richmond is the top returning scorer on Seton Hall this season, averaging 8.8 points per game last season, which highlights the Pirates’ need for other scoring options to emerge this season. Richmond also led the team in assists, at 4.1 per game, and could be poised to make a leap this season, if given more opportunity. If he can get his turnover rate (24%) under control, he could become the go-to guy for this team this year.
Seton Hall has only five returning players from last season’s roster, but Holloway has built a deep roster this season. While it lacks top-end talent, it will be interesting to see how quickly Holloway can get his players to gel on the court this season, especially after he had several players miss some practice time this summer due to injury. Offense will be an issue for this team this year, like it usually was under Kevin Willard, but Holloway’s team should be one that defends and rebounds very aggressively, and emphasizes moving the ball and spacing the floor more on offense.
7. Georgetown Hoyas (6-25, 0-19 Big East, 11th)
8. Butler Bulldogs (14-19, 6-14 Big East, 10th)
Head Coach: Thad Matta (439-154 career)
KenPom Rank: #130
Projected Starters: Chuck Harris, Eric Hunter Jr., Simas Lukosius, Ali Ali, Manny Bates
Key Additions: Manny Bates, Eric Hunter Jr., Ali Ali,
Key Losses: Bo Hodges, Bryce Golden, Bryce Nze, Aaron Thompson
After firing Lavall Jordan, Butler made a surprisingly splashy hire, bringing back Thad Matta, who coached one season at Butler, from 2000-01, before going to Xavier, and then Ohio State. Matta hasn’t been a head coach since the 2016-17 season at Ohio State, so it will be interesting to see how he has changed during that time off. Somehow, he is only 55 years old.
Matta’s team this season contains an intriguing blend of promising young talent, led by Chuck Harris and Simas Lukosius, and veteran experience, highlighted by the additions of Manny Bates (who Georgetown fans are all too familiar with), Eric Hunter Jr., and Ali Ali.
The problem for Butler this season will be scoring. They were ranked 187th in offensive efficiency last year, and lose 55% of their scoring from last season. Luckily for them, Matta has shown the ability to coach up his teams on offense, as he had a top-50 offense in eight of his 13 seasons at Ohio State, according to KenPom.
But will Matta be able to adapt to the modern college game? Who knows?
The addition of Manny Bates gives the Bulldogs a legitimate presence in the paint who will significantly help them on defense, and gives them a rim-running threat on offense. Health will be a question for him though, after missing the 2021-22 season with a dislocated right shoulder that required season-ending surgery. He also previously tore his ACL earlier in his career.
The Bulldogs will hope that sophomore wing Simas Lukosius will take another leap this season, after an outstanding freshman season that saw him narrowly miss out on being named to the All-Big East Freshman Team. He played in 32 of 33 games last year, averaging 6.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. His high point of the season came in Butler’s Big East Tournament win against Xavier, in which he scored 27 points. Keeping him at Butler for another season was a major win for Matta and the Butler coaching staff.
This team can be competitive in the Big East this season, but a lot depends on what kind of coach Matta is these days. The talent he has at Butler is not what he had at Ohio State— yet, at least. He doesn’t have a D’Angelo Russell who can just go get a bucket whenever his team needs one, for example.
It’s a new era that Matta is stepping into. Can he recruit at the same level he did at Ohio State, at a place that historically does not get top-notch recruits? He has his work cut out for him, this season and beyond.
9. St. John’s Red Storm (17-15, 8-11 Big East, 8th)
Head Coach: Mike Anderson (50-41 at St. John’s, 419-241 career)
KenPom Rank: #37
Projected Starters: Posh Alexander, Andre Curbelo, Dylan Addae-Wusu, David Jones, Joel Soriano
Key Additions: David Jones, Andre Curbelo, AJ Storr
Key Losses: Julian Champagnie, Aaron Wheeler, Tareq Coburn, Stef Smith
Next to Patrick Ewing, the Big East coach with the hottest seat this year may be Mike Anderson, who has failed to get St. John’s to the NCAA Tournament in three seasons as head coach of the Johnnies.
Now, Anderson will have to try and make the tournament this year without the best player of his entire tenure at St. John’s, Julian Champagnie, who went pro and signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. Champagnie, a two-time All-Big East First Team member, was not only the leading scorer for the Red Storm last year, but also their leading rebounder too. His two steals per game were also second in the Big East behind his teammate, Posh Alexander.
Could the only game that Champagnie didn’t play in last year— a two-point home loss to Pittsburgh— be a preview of what awaits St. John’s this year? Anderson better hope not, or he’ll be without a job after this season ends.
Anderson will once again be relying on a new group of transfers to lead the way this season, headlined by former DePaul star David Jones and former Illinois guard Andre Curbelo.
How Curbelo meshes with Posh Alexander in the Red Storm backcourt will be a major storyline this season. After a stellar freshman season, Curbelo took a big step backward last year at Illinois, which led to his departure in the offseason. It’s hard to know what version of Curbelo will show up at St. John’s. He can be a dynamic playmaker who can dazzle with his passing and ball-handling, but he can also be a selfish player who shoots the ball poorly (17% three-point shooter at Illinois) and doesn’t defend well.
If Anderson can’t get the best out of Curbelo, or if the fit doesn’t work next to Alexander, this could all blow up for St. John’s, who also lose third leading scorer Aaron Wheeler this season.
The addition of David Jones will be a significant one for the Johnnies. Georgetown fans may remember Jones’ triple-double against the Hoyas last season, in which he put up 22 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists, two steals, and one block. The 6-foot-6 wing will surely be looking to operate in the Champagnie role for St. John’s this year, but it remains to be seen if he can be the same kind of elite scorer and shooter as Champagnie was. If he can improve his perimeter shooting (29.7% from three last year), Jones has All-Big East potential.
The outlook for St. John’s overall is going to depend on how the transfers mesh together, and if the Johnnies can figure out their three-point shooting woes. Unfortunately for them, they are losing their three best three-point shooters from last season (Champagnie, Wheeler, and Tareq Coburn) and replacing them with a guy who shot 16.9% (Curbelo) and 29.7% (Jones) from three. Good luck with that!
10. Marquette Golden Eagles (19-13, 11-8 Big East, 6th)
Head Coach: Shaka Smart (291-155 career, 19-13 at Marquette)
KenPom Rank: #76
Projected Starters: Tyler Kolek, Kam Jones, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Zach Wrightsil, Oso Ighodaro
Key Additions: Zach Wrightsil
Key Losses: Justin Lewis, Darryl Morsell
Marquette lost their two best players from last year, and didn’t really do much to replace them, unless you think NAIA transfer Zach Wrightsil is something special.
Shaka Smart may be headed for a tough Year Two at Marquette, unless several young players can make a jump together. Tyler Kolek will be one such player expected to take a bigger role this season. He led the Big East in assists per game (5.9) last year, as well as assist-to-turnover ratio, and will be called upon to lead the Marquette offense this year. However, his three-point shooting took a massive dip last year, shooting 28.1% after making 35.8% of his threes as a freshman at George Mason.
Marquette will be hoping he can rediscover his shot so he can become a more consistent scoring option for the Golden Eagles this year. Next to Kolek will be Kam Jones, a member of last year’s All-Big East Freshman Team who shot over 39% from three last year and averaged 7.4 points per game. Jones will have the opportunity to become this team’s primary scorer with Justin Lewis out of the picture this season.
Outside of Jones and toolsy wing Olivier-Maxence Prosper, the Golden Eagles are low on dynamic talent this year, and could struggle out of the gate. While Jones looks poised for a breakout year, the lack of scoring options and depth on this team looks to be an issue, which means Shaka Smart could be facing a sophomore slump coming up this season.
11. DePaul Blue Demons (15-16, 6-14 Big East, 9th)
Head Coach: Tony Stubblefield (15-16 at DePaul)
KenPom Rank: #88
Projected Starters: Jalen Terry, Caleb Murphy (Injured), Javan Johnson, Eral Penn, Nick Ongenda
Key Additions: Caleb Murphy, Zion Cruz, Eral Penn, Umoja Gibson
Key Losses: David Jones, Javon Freeman-Liberty, Brandon Johnson, Courvoisier McCauley
Considering DePaul’s recent program history, a 15-16 record for Tony Stubblefield in his first season as head coach is a decent result, all things considered.
However, losing his best player, David Jones, to another Big East school in St. John’s was a brutal way to start an offseason, and it sets Stubblefield back significantly in his effort to rebuild the DePaul men’s basketball program.
Not only does he lose Jones, he loses his top three scorers from last year’s team overall, with Javon Freeman-Liberty and Brandon Johnson also not on this year’s team. That leaves DePaul center Nick Ongenda as the leading returning scorer and rebounder. Ongenda averaged 8.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game last year, so that’s not really a good thing.
Stubblefield will hope that USF transfer Caleb Murphy and incoming freshman Zion Cruz, the 7th-best prospect to come to DePaul since 2000, will help make up for the loss of scoring from last season’s team, but Murphy just underwent wrist surgery and is out for six weeks at least, and it’s always risky to count on a freshman guard in college basketball.
6-foot-6 LIU transfer wing Eral Penn and 6-foot-2 Oklahoma transfer guard Umoja Gibson will be called upon to bring scoring and consistency to this year’s DePaul team. Gibson started for Oklahoma last year, and Penn averaged 16.6 points per game at LIU last year, so the hope is that those two will also help provide some scoring punch for the Blue Demons this year.
If you’re a DePaul fan, it’s hard to feel too confident about this team still, especially after losing Jones. The Blue Demons started strong last year, going 9-1, but then they went 1-9 in their first ten Big East games and reverted back to usual DePaul form, which is to say, they were really bad.
Is this year’s team better than last year’s team? I’d venture that they are not, so it is hard to pick them to finish any higher than last season’s ninth place finish in the Big East.