January 22, 2026
Providence College's Student-Run Newspaper Since 1935
by Andrew Vines ’29 and Flagg Taylor ’27 on November 13, 2025
The UConn Huskies came into the season as the highest ranked team in the Big East at No. 4 in the Preseason AP Top 25 poll.
There is a good reason for this, as they return their second and third leading scorers from last year’s team, Solo Ball (14.4 ppg) and Alex Karaban (14.3 ppg). This team lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament to the University of Florida last season. Along with Ball and Karaban, three other Huskies were named to the preseason watchlist for the best players at their respective positions by HoopHallU. This list included Silas Demary Jr., a transfer from the University of Georgia, where he averaged 13.5 points per game. Karaban was a part of both national championship teams for the Huskies. He is a career 37.9 percent three-point shooter and will be the key to their success this season. Another key returner is center Tarris Reed Jr., who, in less than 20 minutes a game last year, averaged 9.6 points and 7.3 rebounds. Through two games this season, Reed is averaging 10 rebounds per game. Out of the freshmen the Huskies brought in this year, 4-star Eric Reibe from the Bullis School in Potomac, MD. has had the biggest impact. From three games, he’s averaging seven points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks. Along with Demary, the Huskies added Malachi Smith from the portal, a guard from Dayton University where he averaged 10.4 points and 5.3 assists in the 2024–2025 season.
If their talented roster isn’t enough for them to be considered the best team in the Big East, their start to the season raises a good argument. The Huskies haven’t played the strongest opponents to open the season, but they have been dominant against the University of New Haven and UMass Lowell. They beat the Chargers 79–55 and the Riverhawks 110–47. The game against UMass Lowell was domination from the tip off to the buzzer, with the Huskies being up 44–3 12 minutes into the first half.
The experience of their roster along with their dominant start are good reasons for the Huskies to be considered the top team in the Big East. Additionally, the Huskies have two-time national championship-winning head coach Dan Hurley at the helm. Hurley does not loosen up on his players and expects a lot from them, as seen in a video of him yelling at his players late into the UMass Lowell game. All these factors combined give good reason for the Huskies to be the top team this season in the Big East.
Year three of the Rick Pitino era is here for the St. John’s University’s Red Storm, defending their Big East regular season and tournament wins. Last year, the Johnnies finished with a total record of 31–5 going 18–2 in the Big East. St. John’s took a disappointing 75–66 loss to the University of Arkansas in the second round of the March Madness tournament. Former Johnnies RJ Luis, Kadary Richmond, Aaron Scott, and Deivon Smith all signed NBA or G-League contracts following the season. Brady Dunlap transferred to St. Louis University, Simeon Welcher transferred to the University of Texas, and Vincent Iwuchukwu transferred to Georgetown University. Luckily for Johnnies fans, Pitino retained key player Zuby Ejiofor and brought in loads of new talent via the transfer portal. St. John’s is my pick to win the Big East, repeating their title, and I believe they will make a much deeper run into March Madness this season. The most important member of this year’s St. John’s team will be Pitino’s star player Ejiofor, who was selected as the preseason Big East player of the yeare. In the first game of the season against Quinnipiac University, Ejiofor had 17 points, six rebounds, and a block in only 24 minutes, looking just as dominant as last season. Pitino also kept Lefteris Liotopoulos, Ruben Prey, and Sadiku Ibine Ayo from last year’s squad. These three players bring experience with Pitino’s coaching and will play small but important roles off the bench. Although Ejiofor is the most important piece of St. John’s team, Pitino’s transfer class speaks for itself talent-wise. Pitino brought in a total of six transfers, including five from Power Five conferences. Last year’s Red Storm struggled to shoot the ball, this year that will not be a problem for the Johnnies. From the University of North Carolina, Pitino landed 6’5” sophomore shooting guard Ian Jackson. In the Johnnies’ season opener, he had 15 points on 100 percent shooting, three for three from long range. From Stanford University, another sharpshooter, 6’4” senior guard Oziyah Sellers.. Finally, Pitino landed another 6’5” sophomore guard in Joson Sanon, coming from Arizona State University. Sanon is extremely athletic; he had a strong 14 points, two rebounds, and a steal in the season’s opener. Jackson was selected to the preseason all-Big East Second Team, and Joson Sanon was selected to the preseason all-Big East Third Team. Pitino didn’t just go for shooters in the portal. Another big addition for the Johnnies is 6’1” floor general Dylan Darling out of Idaho State University, who can truly do it all on the court and will be a valuable piece of the bench this year. Finally, the last two transfers will play alongside Ejiofor in the front court. Dillon Mitchell is a 6’8” forward from the University of Cincinnati, and is extremely athletic and a defensive menace. Mitchell was selected for the preseason all-Big East Third Team. Last and certainly least, Bryce Hopkins, a transfer from Providence College who has not played a full season in two years. In the ’22–’23 season, he averaged 15.8 points per game and 8.5 rebounds, but it is unclear if he will ever get back to that level. Hopkins was selected for the preseason all-Big East First Team, but only scored eight points with three turnovers against Quinnipiac in the opener. Pitino has amassed a star-studded roster, even remarking publicly that it is likely the most talented roster of his career on paper. The Johnnies are in a great position to improve and build off a historic season last year. The Red Storm took on No. 15 Alabama on Saturday, Nov. 8, for their first real test and lost 103–96. Other important non-conference games include No. 16 Iowa State University, No. 9 University of Kentucky, Baylor University, and the University of Mississippi. I predict the Johnnies to go 9–1 in non-conference play and 17–3 in the Big East finishing No. 1 with a record of 27–4.
