Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Big East Preseason Poll: Two-Time Champs On Top; St. John’s Fifth In Stacked Conference

 

Photo by Jason Schott.


The Big East Conference held its basketball Media Day on Wednesday morning at Madison Square Garden.

With this official start to the season, the Big East released its Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

Anything but a shock, Connecticut - the two-time defending National Champions - came in first in the poll with all 10 first-place votes and 100 points from the league’s head coaches. They cannot vote for their own teams.

The Huskies’ only returning starter is Alex Karaban, who averaged 13.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Hassan Diarra, who won the Big East Sixth Man Award, is also back, as is Head Coach Danny Hurley, who had a brief flirtation with the Los Angeles Lakers before signing an extension to stay in Storrs for a long time. 

Creighton came in second place with 84 points after two straight appearances in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Xavier came in just two points behind them, with 82, and they will feature the return of forwards Zach Freemantle and Jeremy Hunter, who both missed all of last season.

Marquette, who tied Creighton for second place with a 14-6 record and matched them with a trip to the Sweet 16, came in fourth with 74 points. Kam Jones, who came in fourth in the Big East in scoring with 17.2 points per game, is their best returning player.

St. John’s rounds out the Top 5, with Rick Pitino’s squad garnering 70 points. Their biggest addition is guard Kadary Richmond, who transferred from Seton Hall. The All-Big East star ranked 11th in scoring with 15.7 PPG, and he ranked eighth in rebounds (7.0), fourth in assists (5.1), and second in steals (2.2).

BIG EAST CONFERENCE COACHES’ PRESEASON POLL:

Rank - team - points (first place points):

1. UConn - 100 - 10

2. Creighton - 84

3. Xavier - 82

4. Marquette - 74 - 1

5. St. John’s - 70

6. Providence - 54

7. Villanova - 44

8. Butler - 36

9. Georgetown - 25

10. Seton Hall - 24

11. DePaul - 12


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