By Chris Harris Contributor
Updated 11/10/23 3:50pm ET
Connecticut is the reigning national basketball champion but two other Big East schools are jockeying the Huskies for top conference billing.
UConn (+300), Marquette (+270) and Creighton (+270) are top three favorites to win the regular season conference title. The Golden Eagles nabbed the top spot in the Big East Preseason Coaches Poll, thanks to seven first-place votes. The Blue Jays picked up the other four votes.
Marquette has the conference’s highest A.P. Poll ranking at #5. UConn (#6), Creighton (#8) and Villanova (#22) are also nationally-ranked.
Huskies coach Dan Hurley faced a major rebuild just weeks after the program’s fifth national championship. Seven players with remaining eligibility announced their departures or desires to at least test their options. Jordan Hawkins (16.3 PPG) and Adama Sanogo (17.8 PPG and 8.0 RPG) are off to the NBA.
Hurley will also lose reserve guard Nahiem Alleyne (5.5 PPG) to the transfer portal; he entered the program last year after spending three seasons at Virginia Tech. Seldom-used players Richie Springs, a 6-foot-9 junior, and Yarin Hasson, a 6-9 freshman, also have entered the portal.
However, starters Tristen Newton (10.1 PPG, 4.7 APG and 4.5 RPG) and Andre Johnson Jr. (6.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 4.6 APG) are returning to Storrs. They also welcome a five-man recruiting class that is ranked third by 247Sports.com. The new crop consists of Stephon Castle, Solomon Ball, Jaylin Stewart, Jayden Ross and Youssouf Singare.
Perhaps the conference’s biggest development is Rick Pitino’s return. Pitino takes over a St. John’s program that has only made three NCAA tournament appearances since 2000. The 71-year-old had previous Big East stints with Providence in the 1980’s and Louisville, before the school departed for the ACC in 2013.
Here are the Big East regular season title odds, courtesy of FanDuel:
Big East Regular Season Title Odds:
Marquette (+270)
Creighton (+270)
UConn (+300)
Villanova (+500)
St. John’s (+1200)
Xavier (+2000)
Providence (+2000)
Georgetown (+7500)
Butler (+14000)
DePaul (+25000)
We expect these odds to continue to adjust, based on the results from non-conference play.
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