Big East 2023-24 Season Preview
Read up on the rest of the Big East and what to expect from Georgetown's rivals in 2023-24.
Welcome to the 2023-24 college basketball season! We’ve finally made it.
We’ve written a lot in these spaces this offseason about what to expect from Georgetown in the Hoyas’ first year under Ed Cooley, but what about the rest of the Big East?
Here are our predictions for how the conference will shake out this season.
Note: Don’t yell at me if I got something wrong about your team’s starting lineup or if you disagree with my opinion, other Big East fan bases. It’s tiring reading up on every one of your teams and its players.
Marquette
Head Coach: Shaka Smart (48-20 Marquette, 320-162 Career)
KenPom Rank: 11
Projected Starters: Tyler Kolek, Kam Jones, Stevie Mitchell, David Joplin, Oso Ighodaro,
Key Returners: Tyler Kolek, Kam Jones, Stevie Mitchell, David Joplin, Oso Ighodaro, Ben Gold, Chase Ross
Key Additions: Tre Norman, Zaide Lowery
Key Losses: Olivier Maxence-Prosper
Marquette’s roster continuity this season is a true rarity in this day and age. Shaka Smart’s squad returns four starters and eight rotation players from last year’s Big East champion team, led by point guard Tyler Kolek, the Big East Preseason Player of the Year this year, and last year’s Big East Player of the Year.
Marquette not only brings back almost its whole team from last year…it also added no one from the transfer portal either. With Olivier Maxence-Prosper being the only key player to depart from last year’s team, David Joplin, the 6-foot-7 junior forward from Wisconsin, will be expected to step up in O-Max’s place. Joplin averaged 9.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game last season while shooting 40% from three.
After a disappointing second round exit from the NCAA Tournament last spring, losing to Michigan State, 69-60, the Golden Eagles are banking on roster continuity being more valuable than adding more talent to what is already a Big East champion-caliber roster.
Freshmen guards Tre Norman and Zaide Lowery are two new faces that could potentially factor into the rotation later in the season. Sophomore PF/C Ben Gold will provide a powerful one-two punch in the frontcourt behind mobile senior big man Oso Ighodaro, and Chase Ross is back for his sophomore season as an energetic bench guard who hounds teams defensively and gets out in transition quickly on the other end.
UConn
Head Coach: Dan Hurley (104-55 UConn, 255-160 Career)
KenPom Rank: 4
Projected Starters: Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer, Stephon Castle, Alex Karaban, Donovan Clingan
Key Returners: Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton, Alex Karaban, Hassan Diarra
Key Additions: Cam Spencer, Stephon Castle, Solomon Ball, Jayden Ross, Jaylin Stewart
Key Losses: Jordan Hawkins, Andre Jackson, Adama Sanogo, Joey Calcaterra, Naheim Alleyne
The defending champs are back and hungry for more coming off of their fifth national championship and first under Dan Hurley, who cemented himself as one of the best coaches in college basketball last season in leading the Huskies on their dominant run through the NCAA Tournament.
UConn loses several key cogs of last year’s team though, led by Andre Jackson, Adama Sanogo, and Jordan Hawkins. Luckily, Donovan Clingan stayed for his sophomore season instead of going pro, and the Huskies also have Tristen Newton coming back too.
The loss of Andre Jackson is a significant one, and the Huskies don’t appear to have a Swiss army knife like Jackson on their roster this year. How they make up for his defense, rebounding, passing ability, and veteran leadership will be something to monitor. He averaged 6.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game last year, but his impact went far beyond the stat sheet for UConn.
Both KenPom and Bart Torvik have UConn projected as a top-5 team in the country this year, and they look poised to remain one of the elite teams in the country, as long as their young talent like Solomon Ball and Stephon Castle can impress early on.
St. John’s
Head Coach: Rick Pitino (0-0 St. John’s, 834-293 Career)
KenPom Rank: 60
Projected Starters: Daniss Jenkins, Naheim Alleyne (Jordan Dingle when healthy), Glenn Taylor, Chris Ledlum, Joel Soriano
Key Returners: Joel Soriano
Key Additions: RJ Luis, Simeon Wilcher, Brady Dunlap, Jordan Dingle, Chris Ledlum, Naheim Alleyne, Zuby Ejiofor, Sean Conway, Glenn Taylor
Key Losses: AJ Storr, Posh Alexander, Dylan Addae-Wusu, David Jones, Andre Curbelo, Montez Mathis
Are you sick of the St. John’s and Georgetown comparisons yet? I know I am. But they are only going to increase once the season begins. Rick Pitino has quickly assembled a top-25-caliber roster at St. John’s in his first offseason at the helm of the program, and this team looks ready to make some noise immediately in the Big East, as Rick Pitino makes his triumphant return to high major college basketball.
The Johnnies had a lot of players transfer out at the beginning of the offseason, highlighted by AJ Storr and Posh Alexander choosing to transfer out, but the talent they have coming in more than makes up for the talent they lost.
Players like RJ Luis (UMass), Simeon Wilcher (top-50 recruit), Jordan Dingle (Penn), Chris Ledlum (Harvard), and Brady Dunlap (top-150 recruit) are just some of the names you’ll want to get familiar with.
With Joel Soriano the only rotation player from last year’s team that is returning, St. John’s will have a strong starting 5 ready to roll out there when the season starts.
A preseason loss to Division 2 Pace University may be concerning, but don’t fool yourself: Rick Pitino is ready to get cooking.
Creighton
Head Coach: Greg McDermott (300-150 Creighton, 449-281 Career)
KenPom Rank: 12
Projected Starters: Steven Ashworth, Francisco Farabello, Trey Alexander, Baylor Scheierman, Ryan Kalkbrenner
Key Returners: Ryan Kalkbrenner, Baylor Scheierman, Trey Alexander, Francisco Farabello, Frederick King, Mason Miller
Key Additions: Isaac Traudt, Steven Ashworth, Johnathan Lawson
Key Losses: Ryan Nembhard, Arthur Kaluma, Shareef Mitchell
If you had asked right at the conclusion of last season, Creighton would have gotten some votes for preseason favorite in the conference. But then Ryan Nembhard (Gonzaga) and Arthur Kaluma (Kansas State) decided to transfer from the program, stripping the Bluejays of their lead point guard and their athletic forward. Both players started all 37 games for Creighton last year.
Luckily for Greg McDermott, he was able to convince Ryan Kalkbrenner, Trey Alexander, and Baylor Scheierman to stick around in Omaha, so all is not lost for Creighton this season. But Nembhard and Kaluma will be hard to replace, and Creighton does not have a clear answer to replacing Kaluma’s skillset, especially on the defensive end of the floor.
Steven Ashworth, a transfer point guard from Utah State, will need to replace Nembhard’s production for Creighton to reach the same heights as it did last year, when it made it to the Elite Eight before losing to San Diego State. Ashworth had a strong season last year for Utah State, averaging 16.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. Creighton will need him to replicate that production against much better competition to make up for the loss of Nembhard. Whether he can do it is a pivotal question that could shape their season.
Villanova
Head Coach: Kyle Neptune (17-17 Villanova, 33-33 Career)
KenPom Rank: 23
Projected Starters: Justin Moore, TJ Bamba, Hakim Hart, Tyler Burton, Eric Dixon
Key Returners: Justin Moore, Eric Dixon, Brendan Hausen, Chris Arcidiacono, Jordan Longino, Mark Armstrong
Key Additions: Hakim Hart, TJ Bamba, Tyler Burton, Lance Ware
Key Losses: Cam Whitmore, Caleb Daniels, Brandon Slater
After a difficult first year with Kyle Neptune at the helm, Villanova is looking to get back into the upper echelon of Big East contenders this year, and should have the roster talent required to be one of the top dogs in the Big East in 2023-24.
Justin Moore, after flirting with transferring this offseason, returns for another season as a Wildcat, as does veteran center Eric Dixon. Mark Armstrong, the sophomore guard, will be expected to take on a more significant role in the backcourt after averaging only 5.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game last season. Highly regarded out of high school, Armstrong is the most talented option the Wildcats have in the backcourt this year, aside from Moore.
On the wing, Villanova added a ton of talent, which will make them one of the more versatile teams in the Big East this year. Tyler Burton (Richmond), TJ Bamba (Washington State), and Hakim Hart (Maryland) are all 6-foot-5 or taller, and will help make up for the losses of Brandon Slater, Cam Whitmore, and Caleb Daniels on the perimeter.
Kentucky PF/C Lance Ware also is suiting up for Villanova this season, after a rough season in Lexington where he averaged only 2.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per game. With Eric Dixon starting at center, and Tyler Burton likely starting at the 4, the opportunity for Ware on this team isn’t wildly evident. At a minimum, Ware provides excellent depth for Villanova as a key bench piece.
Xavier
Head Coach: Sean Miller (147-57 Xavier, 449-166 Career)
KenPom Rank: 34
Projected Starters: Dayvion McKnight, Quincy Olivari, Desmond Claude, Lazar Djokovic, Abou Ousmane
Key Returners: Zach Freemantle*, Jerome Hunter*, Desmond Claude
Key Additions: Trey Green, Dailyn Swain, Reid Ducharme, Quincy Olivari, Dayvion McKnight, Abou Ousmane
Key Losses: Souley Boum, Colby Jones, Jack Nunge, Adam Kunkel, Kyky Tandy
Things were looking good for Xavier this season…until it was revealed that both Zach Freemantle AND Jerome Hunter are expected to miss the season due to injury. With those two out, and Xavier losing a ton of production from last year’s team, the Musketeers may be in for a bumpier season than originally expected.
Xavier no longer has Souley Boum, Colby Jones, Adam Kunkel, Jack Nunge, or Kyky Tandy to rely on. That’s a LOT of production to make up for! To do that, the team will be relying on Desmond Claude to take another step in the backcourt, and also has some young talent, like Trey Green, a 6-foot guard, and Dailyn Swain, a 6-foot-7 wing, to push for some early rotation minutes.
It wouldn’t be wise to bet against Sean Miller figuring it out at some point though. At the end of the day, the success of Xavier’s season is going to hinge on the incoming class of freshman, as well as the transfer class, which consists of Quincy Olivari, Dayvion McKnight, Abou Ousmane, and Logan Duncomb. Let’s see what Miller can cook up.
Providence
Head Coach: Kim English (34-29 George Mason/Career)
KenPom Rank: 54
Projected Starters: Jayden Pierre, Devin Carter, Ticket Gaines, Bryce Hopkins, Josh Oduro
Key Returners: Bryce Hopkins, Devin Carter, Jayden Pierre, Corey Floyd,
Key Additions: Garwey Dual, Josh Oduro, Ticket Gaines, Justyn Fernandez*
Key Losses: Ed Croswell, Jared Bynum, Noah Locke, Clifton Moore, Alyn Breed
Every Georgetown fan’s favorite team!
Luckily for Providence, Kim English managed to convince the foundation of this Providence program, Bryce Hopkins and Devin Carter, to stick around Friartown for at least one more season (we’ll see if they stay for another year after that…), and keeping those two guys on the team means the floor for the Friars is already decently high.
The Friars lose three starters from last year’s team in point guard Jared Bynum, center Ed Croswell, and guard Noah Locke, but replace them with Josh Oduro (center), Ticket Gaines (guard), and Garwey Dual (guard). Hoya fans will know Dual as the highly-regarded high school guard from California who originally committed to Providence when Ed Cooley was in charge.
Dual has drawn rave reviews so far this summer, and looks poised to have a breakout season as a freshman. Because of his length (he is 6-foot-5), he has a body made for the NBA. If he has a strong freshman season at Providence, he could be a one-and-done candidate.
There is going to be a fair amount of pressure for Kim English to pick up right where Ed Cooley left off last season. Losing in overtime to East Carolina in a secret scrimmage this week will not tamp down the pressure that could quickly build if English struggles out of the gate at Providence.
Roster talent is no excuse with this season’s team. Whether English can maintain the success Providence has experienced in recent years is a question. The early returns on the recruiting trail for Providence have not been that encouraging, the recent de-commitment of 2024 guard Daquan Davis, who was the Friars’ top recruit, is a warning sign for Providence.
Seton Hall
Head Coach: Shaheen Holloway (17-16 Seton Hall, 81-70 Career)
KenPom Rank: 56
Projected Starters: Kadary Richmond, Al-Amir Dawes, Dylan Addae-Wusu, Dre Davis, Jaden Bediako
Key Returners: Kadary Richmond, Al-Amir Dawes, Dre Davis
Key Additions: Isaiah Coleman, Jaden Bediako, Dylan Addae-Wusu, Elijah Hutchins-Everett
Key Losses: Tyrese Samuel, KC Ndefo, Jamir Harris, Femi Odukale, Tray Jackson, Tae Davis
The Shaheen Holloway Era did not get off to a fast start in Year One, as the Pirates meandered to a 17-16 record in Holloway’s first season as head coach at Seton Hall. Coming into Year Two, there are still questions about Holloway’s viability at the high major level, and some recruiting woes for the Hall have not helped matters that much either.
Luckily for Sha, Kadary Richmond is back as the team’s lead guard. Last season, Richmond averaged 10.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. With Jamir Harris, Tray Jackson, Tyrese Samuel, and KC Ndefo all moving on, Richmond is going to be the unquestioned leader of this Seton Hall team, and will be relied upon both on and off the court.
Dylan Addae-Wusu comes in from St. John’s, and will team up with Richmond in the Pirates’ backcourt. Isaiah Coleman, a top-125 high school recruit from the DMV who was originally committed to the College of Charleston before switching to SHU, will also likely get some early minutes in the Pirates’ backcourt.
There are concerns with this team though, especially after losing so many veteran players from last year’s team, including Tyrese Samuel, the team’s #2 scorer and top rebounder who transferred out, and KC Ndefo, one of the better defenders in the Big East last season.
Jaden Bediako, a 6-foot-10 transfer center from Santa Clara who averaged 6.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game last year, is going to be an important player for this team as it figures out its frontcourt situation. Elijah Hutchins-Everett, a 6-foot-11 center who played at Austin Peay the last two seasons, also figures to factor in at the center position.
When you look at Seton Hall’s roster, it’s hard to see the team that struggled mightily offensively last season (#133 in offensive efficiency according to KenPom) improving much this season. This season’s team lacks shooting, ball-handlers (outside of Richmond), and any kind of scorer in the frontcourt. Could be another rough one for Sha Holloway.
Georgetown
Head Coach: Ed Cooley (242-153 Providence, 334-222 Career)
KenPom Rank: 159
Projected Starters: Jayden Epps, Jay Heath, Dontrez Styles, Drew Fielder, Supreme Cook
Key Returners: Jay Heath, Wayne Bristol Jr., Ryan Mutombo
Key Additions: Jayden Epps, Rowan Brumbaugh, Ish Massoud, Dontrez Styles, Drew Fielder, Supreme Cook
Key Losses: Brandon Murray, Primo Spears, Akok Akok, Qudus Wahab
Going to keep this section short, because, well, if you read this blog, you probably know how I feel about this team and the players on it.
In short, I believe that this season is going to have its ups and downs for Georgetown. Early on, there are probably going to be a couple of disappointing losses. But with a competent coaching staff in place, I do have faith that this team will grow throughout the season, and that the foundational players on this roster like Epps, Brumbaugh, and Fielder, will be given chances to develop their games throughout the year so that they are ready to be major players in 2024 and beyond.
The injury of Ish Massoud underscores how thin this roster is this year. Massoud will hopefully be back for Big East play, but if this roster loses any more players to injury, especially in the frontcourt, they simply won’t have the numbers to compete.
Imagine if Jayden Epps gets hurt? Or Supreme Cook? Oh boy.
There is a scenario this year where Georgetown finishes last in the Big East again. But as long as Massoud can get healthy in time for Big East play, and the young players on this roster can grow as the season goes on, I have faith in Ed Cooley to get something out of this team so that they can enter the 2024 offseason with some real promise, and continue building this thing in the right direction.
Butler
Head Coach: Thad Matta (14-18 Butler, 453-172 Career)
KenPom Rank: 96
Projected Starters: Posh Alexander, DJ Davis, Pierre Brooks, Jahmyl Telfort, Jalen Thomas
Key Returners: Jalen Thomas
Key Additions: Posh Alexander, Finley Bizjack, DJ Davis, Jahmyl Telfort, Andre Screen, Pierre Brooks, Landon Moore
Key Losses: Simas Lukosius, Eric Hunter, Jayden Taylor, Manny Bates, Chuck Harris, Pierce Thomas, Ali Ali
Heading into Year Two at Butler, Thad Matta has lots of questions to answer after a poor first year in Indianapolis. It doesn’t help matters that Butler has lost their top five scorers from last year’s team.
Now, one could say, “Well the team wasn’t good, who cares who they lost from that squad?”, and you might have a point! So let’s turn to the incoming players that Butler is going to rely on this year.
The Bulldogs have ten new players, headlined by St. John’s transfer point guard Posh Alexander and Northeastern transfer Jahmyl Telfort, who averaged 16.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game last season. 6-foot-4 guard Finley Bizjack, the team’s much-heralded freshman recruit, who is going to be expected to contribute early on for the Bulldogs. Whether he can be a reliable contributor in the rotation for Butler will be key to determining how well the team does this year.
Pierre Brooks, the 6-foot-6 guard transfer from Michigan State, is an intriguing player as well. Brooks struggled to find a role as a Spartan, but has experience and is a former Michigan Mr. Basketball recipient.
If Matta can get his new players to gel, Butler’s ceiling is probably still only around 6 or 7. After last year, there are fair concerns about whether Matta can adjust to the modern era of college basketball, both on and off the court. Year Two will tell us a lot.
DePaul
Head Coach: Tony Stubblefield (25-39 DePaul, 27-51 Career)
KenPom Rank: 110
Projected Starters: Jalen Terry, Chico Carter, Caleb Murphy, Da’Sean Nelson, Mac Etienne
Key Returners: Da’Sean Nelson, Caleb Murphy
Key Additions: Dramane Camara, Chico Carter, Mac Etienne, Elijah Fisher
Key Losses: Umoja Gibson, Nick Ongenda, Eral Penn, Philmon Gebrewhit, Yor Anei
It should be telling to you that, despite the injury to Ish Massoud, FOX Sports’ John Fanta still put DePaul at last in the conference in his preseason power rankings, behind both Georgetown and DePaul. Fanta has seen every Big East team at some point this offseason, so he’s as well-qualified as anyone to opine on who is going to finish where in the standings.
The Blue Demons lost four starters from last year’s team, with Umoja Gibson and Nick Ongenda being the biggest losses in terms of production, and also lost Eral Penn, Javan Johnson, and Philmon Gebrewhit. Tony Stubblefield, in Year Three at DePaul, is facing a rebuilding season once again, and that can’t thrill too many DePaul fans.
Stubblefield has had some legitimate star power on each of his rosters during his three years at DePaul (Javon Freeman-Liberty, David Jones, Umoja Gibson), but this year’s team looks like it is lacking that go-to player, which should be major issue for DePaul.
If Chico Carter, from South Carolina, can carry over his hot shooting (48% three-point shooter last season) to DePaul, and Mac Etienne can live up to his reputation as a high school recruit, maybe this team can compete. But it’s hard to see a season in which DePaul finishes any higher than around 9th, no matter what.
Am I tired of the comparison between Georgetown's and St. John's hiring decisions, you ask. Not really, I guess. St. John's shot for the stars and hit the mark. The school will be a force in the Big East and nationally from day one.