2024-25 College Basketball Conference Preview: Big East Fantasy Outlook

The 2023-24 season was another banner year for the Big East, highlighted by the UConn Huskies becoming the first back-to-back National Champions since Florida in 2006 and 2007. Marquette and Creighton were the only other two schools to make the NCAA Tournament, and both advanced to the Sweet 16. Seton Hall, which barely missed out on the big dance, went on to win the NIT.

Once again, the Huskies' bid for a National Championship will come with a very different group, as four of the five players who averaged over 10 points per game last season – Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer, Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle – have moved on. Despite all the departures, head coach Dan Hurley is looking to lead the Huskies to a third consecutive National Championship, a feat that only John Wooden's UCLA – winning seven straight in 1967 through 1973 – has accomplished.

Although the Big East has so far been untouched by the carousel of conference realignment, the conference will still look much different than it did last season. Four of the five top scorers from last season, with the exception of Georgetown guard Jayden Epps, are gone, as are four of the top five assist-getters and the top three rebounders. Nearly every program dipped heavily into the transfer portal to fill in gaps left by NBA prospects and departing transfers, although some stars like Epps, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Kam Jones and Kadary Richmond still remain. 

The conference known for high-profile coaches saw one coaching change during the offseason, as former Butler and Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann took over the DePaul program after the Blue Demons went 0-20 in the conference last season. Holtmann immediately tore up the roster and brought in 10 players through the transfer portal. Not a single player who wore a DePaul uniform last season will play for the program during the 2024/25 campaign.

Following an offseason of roster alterations, let's take a look at the Big East's best players, transfers and sleepers heading into the 2024/25 season. 

Top Players

Overall: Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton

Kalkbrenner has won the last three Big East Defensive Player of the Year awards and has improved offensively every season. Last season he set career highs in points, assists, blocks and three-pointers made. All signs point towards him improving on those marks once again. While the departures of Creighton's top two scorers last season, Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander, will likely hurt the team's title hopes, Kalkbrenner will pick up some of that slack and has a straightforward path to be one of the conference's top scorers. His elite post scoring, combined with him filling up the stat sheet with blocks and rebounds, makes Kalkbrenner an easy choice for No. 1.

Also Considered: Jayden Epps, G, Georgetown; Deivon Smith, G, St. John's; Kam Jones, G, Marquette; Kadary Richmond, G, St. John's; Alex Karaban, F, Connecticut

Scoring: Jayden Epps, G, Georgetown

Epps averaged the third most points per game in the conference last season and the top two, Devin Carter and Quincy Olivari, are now playing professionally. Epps attempted the third most three-point attempts in the conference last season but only shot 30.5 percent from deep -- an aspect of his game he will have undoubtedly worked on this offseason. He scored over 30 points seven times in 29 appearances last season -- five of which came in Big East play -- and averaged 5.7 assists in those games. There is no one else in the conference that can explode for big nights like Epps, and since he is once again the focal point of the offense, he should have plenty of opportunities to do so during the 2024-25 season.

Also Considered: Kam Jones, G, Marquette; Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton; Kadary Richmond, G, St. John's; Eric Dixon, F, Villanova; Zach Freemantle, F/C, Xavier

Rebounding: Zach Freemantle, F/C, Xavier   

Freemantle missed all of last season with a foot injury but is ready to return for the start of the 2024-25 campaign. While Freemantle has struggled with injuries throughout his previous five seasons, when he is healthy, there are few players in the Big East that can compete with him on the boards. The Musketeers' big man has recorded 20 double doubles across his last three seasons, and with Bryce Hopkins unlikely to be ready for the start of the year, there are only a few players who can even compete with Freemantle for the rebounding title

Also Considered: Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton; Bryce Hopkins, F, Providence; Vincent Iwuchukwu, F/C, St. John's; Samson Johnson, F/C, Connecticut; Enoch Boakye, C, Villanova

Assists: Deivon Smith, G, St. John's

Smith joined the Red Storm in the offseason -- his fourth school in five collegiate seasons. He started 21 games last season for Utah and averaged 7.1 assists along with 13.3 points and 6.3 rebounds. Four of the top five passers from last season are gone, and the one who remains in the conference, Kadary Richmond, is now Smith's teammate. Smith ranked sixth in the country in assists last season, and with Richmond taking some pressure off him in the backcourt, Smith should be near the top of that list again.

Also Considered: Dayvion McKnight, G, Xavier; Steven Ashworth, G, Creighton; Kadary Richmond, G, St. John's: Jayden Epps, G, Georgetown

Center: Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton  

To no one's surprise, the 'Top Overall Player' who is a center is also the choice for the conference's 'Top Center.' The Big East does not have many true centers following the departures of Donovan Clingan and Joel Soriano, and none of them even come close to Kalkbrenner. He averaged 17.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 3.1 blocks last season. Enough said.

Also Considered: Zach Freemantle, F/C, Xavier; Vincent Iwuchukwu, F/C, St. John's; Samson Johnson, F/C, Connecticut; Thomas Sorber, C, Georgetown

Freshman: Liam McNeeley, F, Connecticut

McNeeley is not only the most exciting freshman in the Big East, he's also one of the most exciting freshmen in the country. The 6-7 forward has a legitimate chance to start right away for the back-to-back National Champions, and it's clear why. McNeeley is an elite three-point shooter, moves well off the ball and is a good passer, all of which are qualities that head coach Dan Hurley will love. The only major question is how well he holds up defensively as a freshman, but he certainly has the size and speed to play well at that end of the floor.

Also Considered: Thomas Sorber, C, Georgetown; Damarius Owens, F, Marquette; Ahmad Nowell, G, Connecticut

Sleepers

Jabri Abdur-Rahim, F, Providence

The Georgia transfer is coming off a productive season with the Bulldogs where he started 27 games and averaged 12.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.8 steals in 25.9 minutes per game. He is set to start for Providence during the 2024-25 campaign and has a clear path to be the Friars' best offensive player. The 6-8 forward is a solid 3-point shooter -- he shot nearly 37 percent from deep during his last two seasons with Georgia -- and averaged 4.6 free throw attempts per game last season, sinking 88.7 percent of them. 

Samson Johnson, F/C, Connecticut

Johnson served as Donovan Clingan's primary backup last season and appeared in 40 games (seven starts), averaging 5.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 15.9 minutes per game. Now a senior, Johnson has a chance to start at center for the Huskies, a role that has been valuable during Dan Hurley's tenure. Johnson will compete for the starting job with Michigan transfer Tarris Reed, who started 31 games last season, but Johnson will likely have the edge given the role he played with last season's National Champions. The big man shot 72.5 percent from the floor last season and will be able to put up good numbers with increased playing time.

Landon Moore, G, Butler

Moore spent the vast majority of last season coming off the bench and averaged 3.8 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 15.7 minutes per game. He also shot 37.3 percent from beyond the arc, his second straight season above 36 percent. Moore is one of the best shooters on the team, and it's an area where the Bulldogs need help. His playing time should see a jump, which will give him more opportunities to take and make threes.

Also Considered: JJ Traynor, F, DePaul; Caedin Hamilton, F, Marquette; Prince Aligbe, F, Seton Hall; Vincent Iwuchukwu, F/C, St. John's; Jhamir Brickus, G, Villanova; Cam'Ron Fletcher, F, Xavier

Transfers

Pop Isaacs, G, Creighton

Isaacs is coming off two productive seasons with Texas Tech and figures to play an important role with the Bluejays. Following offseason departures of top two scorers Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander, Creighton has big shoes to fill on offense, especially on the perimeter. Isaacs attempted 7.3 three-pointers per game last season but shot just 29.3 percent after shooting 37.8 percent from behind the arc as a freshman on similar volume. He played through a hip injury last season -- one that required surgery in the offseason -- so now that he's (presumably) healthy, he should see his shooting percentage bump back up.

Aidan Mahaney, G, Connecticut

Mahaney averaged exactly 13.9 points per game in his two seasons with St. Mary's, a mark he should easily hit this season. Only one of the Huskies' top five scorers – Alex Karaban – is still with the program which will leave plenty of opportunities for Mahaney to score and set up the offense. He's a career 37.5 percent three-point shooter and will have plenty of open looks with opposing defenses worried about the likes of Alex Karaban, Liam McNeeley and Hassan Diarra.

Kadary Richmond, G, St. John's

Richmond led Seton Hall to an NIT Championship last season, averaging 15.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.1 steals in 32.7 minutes per game. He is the only member of the All-Big East First Team who is returning to the conference, however he is doing so with a different program. He will play alongside fellow transfer Deivon Smith in the backcourt who is an athletic, ball-dominant point guard. Given the addition of Smith, Richmond will likely play more off the ball, which could lead to an uptick in scoring and a decrease in assists.

Deivon Smith, G, St. John's

Smith and fellow transfer Kadary Richmond may need a little time to work out their respective roles in the backcourt, but if they figure it out, the two transfers could make up the best backcourt in the Big East. As laid out above, Smith has a great chance to lead the conference in assists and his surprisingly good rebounding makes him a nightly triple-double threat. He was tied for most in the country with five last season.

Also Considered: Kolby King, G, Butler; David Skogman, F, DePaul; Isaiah Rivera, G, DePaul; Malik Mack, G, Georgetown; Jabri Abdur-Rahim, F, Providence; Zion Harmon, G, Seton Hall; Wooga Poplar, G, Villanova; Ryan Conwell, G, Xavier

Top 10 Players

1. Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton
2. Jayden Epps, G, Georgetown
3. Deivon Smith, G, St. John's
4. Kam Jones, G, Marquette
5. Kadary Richmond, G, St. John's
6. Alex Karaban, F, Connecticut
7. Eric Dixon, F, Villanova
8. Zach Freemantle, F, Xavier
9. Bryce Hopkins, F, Providence
10. Pop Isaacs, G, Creighton

*Note: These rankings are at the discretion of the article author, and may not necessarily correspond with RotoWire's official 2024-25 player rankings.

Projected Team Standings

1. UConn - The Huskies may have lost four of the top five scorers from last season, but the program still has its most important asset. Head coach Dan Hurley turned down the Los Angeles Lakers' $70 million offer this offseason to stay in Storrs; clearly he believes in this program and in this team. He brought in two big-time transfers and three highly-touted freshmen to fill in with the remaining players from last season's National Champions. While it's unlikely that the 2024-25 Huskies will be as good as the 2023-24 Huskies, it's difficult to pick anyone else to be the best team in the Big East.
2. Creighton - The Blue Jays have won at least 20 games in each of the last nine seasons, and there is no reason to believe it won't be 10 in a row at the end of this season. Creighton has the best player in the conference in Ryan Kalkbrenner, and while the losses of Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander will hurt, the transfer additions of Pop Isaacs and Jamiya Neal will fill in those gaps. With UConn losing a lot of talent from last season's squad, the Blue Jays will be in contention for the Big East title.
3. St. John's - Head coach Rick Pitino orchestrated arguably the best offseason among any Big East program as the Red Storm brought in three big-name transfers. Deivon Smith was sixth in the country in assists last season, Kadary Richmond is fresh off leading Seton Hall to the NIT title and Vincent Iwuchukwu was a top-30 recruit in the 2022 class. Those three, combined with North Texas transfer Aaron Scott and a now healthy RJ Luis, look poised to take St. John's to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
4. Marquette - The departure of Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro will not be easy to deal with, but head coach Shaka Smart kept the rest of the team together. The Golden Eagles were the only Big East program not to dip into the transfer portal, instead replacing their departing stars with freshmen recruits and last season's backups. The program may see a slight dip after back-to-back 27-plus win seasons, but this team will still be in contention for the Big East title and an NCAA tournament bid.
5. Providence - Following the departure of Ed Cooley after the 2022/23 season, head coach Kim English took over the program and kept the Friars afloat as the team went 21-14 and 10-10 in Big East play. Despite last season's top two scorers, Devin Carter and Josh Oduro, moving on, a productive offseason should keep the Friars competitive this season. Miami transfer Bensley Joseph and Georgia transfer Jabri Abdur-Rahim are both coming off productive seasons in tough conferences, while Christ Essandoko and Wesley Cardet showed a lot of promise last season with St. Joseph's and Chicago State, respectively. 
6. Georgetown - The first season under Ed Cooley did not go particularly well as the Hoyas went 9-23 overall and 2-18 in the Big East last season. The Hoyas are a combined 4-55 across the last three seasons in conference play. However, with Jayden Epps and a rebuilt roster through the transfer portal, Georgetown is poised for a much improved season. The Hoyas had the second-best offseason according to 247Sports, highlighted by transfers Malik Mack, Curtis Williams and Micah Peavy, as well as freshmen Thomas Sorber and Kayvaun Mulready. Now that the program had time to build a roster that fits Cooley's system, the Hoyas should finally be able to dig themselves out of the bottom of the conference.
7. Xavier - The return of a healthy Zach Freemantle – who missed all of last season with a foot injury – is a massive boost for the Musketeers. The departures of Quincy Olivari and Desmond Claude, who combined to average 35.7 points per game last season, are big losses, but Xavier, like most other teams in the conference, was active in the transfer portal. Florida State transfer Cam'Ron Fletcher, Toledo transfer Dante Maddox and Indiana State transfer Ryan Conwell are all expected to contribute immediately. Those additions alongside Dayvion McKnight in an increased role should see the Musketeers finish in the middle of the pack, but with upside to finish higher.
8. Seton Hall - The Pirates capped off last season with an NIT Championship in Shaheen Holloway's second season as head coach, a sign that the rebuild was well on its way. However, a combination of graduation and an exodus to the transfer portal has blown that team up, and Holloway had to piece together a roster in the offseason. There were a lot of positive additions in the portal, including Zion Harmon from Bethune-Cookman, Scotty Middleton from Ohio State and Prince Aligbe from Boston College, among others. There's a lot of talent on this roster, but it's too early to tell how this group will gel.
9. Villanova - The Wildcats have gone 10-10 in conference play in each of Kyle Neptune's first two seasons as head coach, a disappointing return to reality following an elite run under Jay Wright. Last season's top performer Eric Dixon is returning, but the rest of the starting five will likely be made up of transfers. Miami transfer Wooga Poplar seems like a guarantee for success after averaging 13.1 points per game last season, but La Salle transfer Jhamir Brickus, Penn transfer Tyler Perkins and Fresno State transfer Enoch Boakye – all of whom are likely to play big minutes – are untested at the Big East's level.
10. Butler - Head coach Thad Matta is heading into his third season as Butler's head coach after going 32-33 (15-25 in conference) over the last two seasons. The Bulldogs had arguably the worst offseason in the Big East as the program lost both of last season's starting guards and brought in the worst recruiting class in the conference according to 247Sports.com. While Pierre Brooks and Jahmyl Telfort are set to be productive in the front court, the Bulldogs' current pool of talent does not appear strong enough to compete with the upper echelon of the conference.
11. DePaul - It's nearly impossible to gauge what level of success DePaul can achieve this year. It's a completely new program with a new coaching staff and a 100 percent new roster. Chris Holtmann proved he could have success in the Big East when he was at Butler, but those Bulldog teams were more talented than his current squad. The Blue Demons will undoubtedly be better than last season – it would be nearly impossible to be worse – but this rebuild will take longer than one offseason.

Projected Team Rotations

For a full array of college basketball stats with additional categories, check out our 2024-25 College Basketball Player Stat Projections.

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