Eleven Teams. $135 Million. No Place to Hide: The Big East Faces Its Reckoning

Rick Pitino and Dan Hurley command the spotlight, but after sending only three teams to the NCAA Tournament, the Big East has raised the stakes for everyone. New coaches, rebuilt rosters, and unprecedented investment have given the conference reason to believe. Now its eleven programs must turn that belief into victories.

By Jason Safford | Relentless Redstorm

BIG EAST CONFERENCE FEATURE | OCTOBER 2026

The Garden Was Missing. The Pressure Was Not.

Madison Square Garden was missing when I arrived for Big East Media Day. The conference had moved its annual preseason gathering to the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square. For years, the Garden had supplied the occasion with something no hotel could offer. Its court had witnessed championships, bitter rivalries, and the rise of players who helped define the conference. The building connected every new season to the league's past. Now the Big East had gathered elsewhere to confront a future that looked less certain than its history.

Reporters hurried between tables while camera crews jockeyed for position. Coaches discussed their rebuilt teams and the work ahead. Players fielded questions about new teammates, unfamiliar systems, and expectations they had yet to meet. Rick Pitino and Dan Hurley attracted the largest crowds. Their programs had earned that attention through victories that carried the Big East onto the national stage. But as I moved through the ballroom, I began to understand why the conference's most important story extended beyond those two men.

The previous season had exposed an uncomfortable divide. St. John's won 30 games, captured both Big East championships, and reached the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. UConn advanced to the national championship game before falling to Michigan. Villanova returned to the tournament under Kevin Willard. The other eight programs watched March unfold without them. A conference that celebrated two national powers had produced only three NCAA Tournament teams.

Those results left the Big East with a problem that tradition could not solve. UConn and St. John's had proved that the conference could compete with the best programs in the country. The standings beneath them revealed a league that needed greater depth. A few outstanding teams could win championships without strengthening the conference as a whole. The Big East needed more programs capable of beating nationally respected opponents. Its future depended on whether the teams outside the spotlight could close the distance.

A New Commissioner Inherits an Expensive Problem

Tim Brosnan inherited that challenge when he became commissioner on September 1. He succeeded Val Ackerman, who had guided the modern Big East for thirteen years. Brosnan graduated from Georgetown in 1980 and spent 24 years in Major League Baseball, where he built a career around broadcasting, commercial partnerships, and major business agreements. St. John's President Brian Shanley helped lead the search that brought him to the conference. The league wanted a leader who could strengthen its financial position without sacrificing its basketball identity. Brosnan took the job as the economic forces reshaping college athletics placed new demands on basketball-centered conferences.

The schools had already responded with money. CBS Sports reported that the Big East's eleven men's programs possessed the capacity to spend more than $135 million on their rosters this season. That represented an average of more than $12 million per program, compared with an estimated $7 million the previous year. Coaches pursued transfers, recruited freshmen, and competed to retain players whose value had increased in the new college basketball economy. Athletic departments committed resources that earlier generations of Big East coaches could scarcely have imagined. The investment raised expectations before a single team had played a game.

Brosnan also arrived as the NCAA prepared to expand its tournament. The men's field will grow from 68 to 76 teams in March 2027, creating eight additional places and a larger opening round. The change gives programs another path into the national championship bracket. It does not guarantee the Big East more invitations. Brosnan told CBS Sports that five tournament bids should become the conference's minimum expectation. His standard turned a broad ambition into a number that every program could measure.

The distinction between spending money and winning games mattered throughout the ballroom. A coach could recruit an accomplished scorer without knowing whether that player would accept a different role. A program could add size without finding the defensive discipline required to protect the basket. A transfer could bring impressive statistics from another conference and struggle against stronger competition. Financial resources could expand a coach's choices, but they could not make those choices work. Every program still had to discover whether its roster could withstand a season that would expose every weakness.

Richard Pitino and the Burden of Building Something New

My first meaningful conversation brought me face-to-face with Xavier coach Richard Pitino. The Musketeers had finished 15-18 and won only six of twenty Big East games. Pitino responded by bringing in eleven newcomers, including seven transfers and four freshmen. Only one returning scholarship player had appeared in a game for Xavier the previous season. He had not simply adjusted a struggling team. He had taken responsibility for constructing another one almost from the ground up.

Pitino spoke about the work behind that overhaul with conviction. He understood that recruiting talent represented only the first part of the assignment. When I spoke with his players, I heard pride in the confidence their coach had given them. Their responses suggested that Pitino had established an important foundation before the season began. But a new team can believe in its potential long before it learns to trust its habits. Xavier would have to make that transition against opponents eager to exploit its unfamiliarity.

Jovan Milićević gives the Musketeers a connection to last season after averaging 12.4 points. Mike Nwoko arrives from LSU after averaging 13.4 points while shooting 61 percent from the floor. Both earned preseason All-Big East third-team honors and were named captains. Their responsibilities extend beyond scoring, rebounding, and defending. They must help newcomers understand what the program demands when a game turns against them. The coaches picked Xavier sixth, but the Musketeers' ability to develop leadership could determine whether they rise above that position.

Richard Pitino also carries a burden that few coaches understand. His father, Rick, has transformed St. John's into the conference's reigning power. The two men share a surname and a profession shaped by relentless public expectations. They do not share the same roster, reputation, or immediate circumstances. When Xavier visits Madison Square Garden on February 13, the family connection will attract national attention. Richard's more important test will involve the team he built and the standard his father has established.

That distinction makes Xavier one of the conference's most intriguing programs. Pitino has assembled enough experienced talent to challenge teams ranked above him. He also has a roster that must learn new responsibilities in a short period. The Musketeers could improve quickly if their pieces fit. They could lose valuable games while they search for that connection. Richard Pitino has given his players a fresh start, but the Big East will judge what they accomplish with it.

Marquette and Villanova Confront Different Kinds of Pressure

Shaka Smart entered Media Day carrying the weight of a season that had gone badly wrong. Marquette finished 12-20 and fell far below the standard Smart had established in Milwaukee. The Golden Eagles lost their place among the conference's strongest programs. Yet the preseason coaches picked them fourth and awarded them one first-place vote. That vote reflected considerable faith in a program coming off twenty losses. It also raised a difficult question about whether Marquette's problems had truly disappeared.

Nigel James Jr. returns after averaging 16.4 points and 4.9 assists. Royce Parham offers another scoring threat, while Sananda Fru brings size to the frontcourt. All three earned preseason All-Big East recognition. Their production gives Smart a foundation for recovery. But individual talent will not erase the habits that contributed to last season's record. Marquette has to show that its returning players learned from the disappointment rather than simply survived it.

I found my conversations with Marquette's players especially valuable. Away from the busiest tables, I could spend more time understanding how they viewed the challenge. They knew that preseason praise would not change last season's results. Their recovery would require better execution against opponents who understood their weaknesses. Smart could teach the correct decisions in practice, but his players would have to make them under pressure. Marquette's season will turn on whether its confidence produces a different level of performance.

Kevin Willard faced a different challenge at Villanova. He had guided the Wildcats to 24 victories and an NCAA Tournament appearance in his first season. Villanova finished third in the Big East and restored some of the national respect the program had lost. Now Willard had to sustain that progress with another reshaped roster. The coaches placed the Wildcats third, behind UConn and St. John's. They expected Villanova to threaten the favorites rather than merely chase them.

Tyler Perkins returns as Villanova's leading scorer and a preseason first-team selection. Kwame Evans Jr. arrives from Oregon, while Devin Royal joins the Wildcats from Ohio State. Both newcomers earned preseason second-team honors. Their arrival gives Willard more talent and greater flexibility. It also forces him to establish roles for players accustomed to different responsibilities. Villanova must discover whether those pieces can operate together when opponents take away their preferred options.

Willard understands the difference between collecting talent and directing it. A skilled roster can produce strong individual performances and still lose important games. Great teams develop answers when their best players struggle. They defend without surrendering easy baskets and find points when an opponent controls the tempo. Villanova has enough ability to challenge UConn and St. John's. Its success will depend on whether Willard turns that ability into the discipline required to beat them.

The Teams Outside the Spotlight Could Decide Everything

The largest crowds followed the coaches with the strongest reputations. Their movement left other tables with fewer reporters and more room for conversation. I spent time with players from Seton Hall, DePaul, and Georgetown. Their programs carried less national attention than the conference's leading contenders. Yet their progress could influence the Big East's postseason standing as much as another victory by either favorite. The league needed more than a compelling championship race.

Seton Hall offered one of Media Day's sharpest contradictions. Shaheen Holloway had guided the Pirates to 21 victories and a fourth-place conference finish. His work earned unanimous Big East Coach of the Year honors. Then the preseason coaches placed his team ninth. The ranking reflected the departure of much of the roster that had produced last season's success. Holloway now faced the task of rebuilding without lowering the standards that had brought him recognition.

Roddie Anderson III and Simeon Wilcher give the Pirates important new options. They also enter a program that must replace much of its recent production. Holloway cannot transfer last season's defensive habits to another roster simply by demanding them. His players must learn when to pressure the ball, where to provide help, and how to respond when an opponent changes its approach. That work takes repetition and trust. Seton Hall's projected finish may depend less on Holloway's ability than on how quickly his players learn to meet his demands.

DePaul faced a different problem. Chris Holtmann has worked to revive a program that spent years struggling near the bottom of the conference. The Blue Demons finished 16-16 last season, showing progress without becoming a postseason contender. Layden Blocker returns to lead the backcourt, while newcomers give Holtmann additional choices. The coaches picked DePaul eighth. The ranking acknowledged improvement but left the program with more to prove.

DePaul could help strengthen the conference without challenging for the regular-season championship. A meaningful nonconference victory would improve its own tournament credentials. It would also help establish the quality of an opponent that other Big East teams would face later. The league needs those contributions from programs throughout the standings. An upset in January might disrupt the championship race, but victories outside the conference can improve its national position. Holtmann's challenge extends beyond escaping the bottom of the poll.

Georgetown carried the weight of a different history. The Hoyas once helped define Big East basketball through physical defense, imposing players, and national championship expectations. Now Ed Cooley must rebuild a program that finished 6-14 in conference play. The coaches placed Georgetown tenth. Jaland Lowe, Elmarko Jackson, and Vyctorius Miller arrive to strengthen the backcourt, while Kayvaun Mulready returns. Cooley has new talent, but the Hoyas still have to show that their improvement can last beyond an occasional promising night.

Georgetown's past gives its current players a demanding inheritance. The program's history can establish expectations, but it cannot execute a defensive possession. Cooley must teach his guards to protect the ball against pressure and his frontcourt to defend without surrendering easy opportunities. He must also create habits that survive road crowds and difficult stretches. A few memorable victories would generate excitement. Consistent basketball would begin restoring the program's place in the conference.

These programs illustrate why the Big East's challenge extends beyond its leading teams. Holloway wants Seton Hall to sustain a standard established by a roster that has largely departed. Holtmann wants DePaul to turn incremental progress into meaningful national competition. Cooley wants Georgetown to recover the consistency that once made the Hoyas feared. None of those ambitions requires an immediate conference championship. Each requires enough improvement to strengthen the league that surrounds it.

The Big East cannot depend on two great teams and nine spectators. It needs opponents who can win meaningful games outside the conference. It needs those same teams to make league play more demanding. A stronger Seton Hall would force established contenders to earn their victories. A better DePaul or Georgetown would give the conference greater depth. That depth could become the difference between another three-bid season and the national standing Brosnan wants to restore.

Three New Coaches. Three Different Roads.

Providence, Creighton, and Butler entered the season with new head coaches. Each program had experienced enough disappointment to demand a different approach. Each coach inherited a history that shaped what supporters expected. Their assignments differed, but all three needed to build authority quickly. New players had to learn unfamiliar systems while returning players adjusted to different expectations. Their progress would test how effectively a coach could turn change into direction.

Bryan Hodgson took over Providence after the Friars finished 15-18. He brought an aggressive approach and began rebuilding a roster that needed greater consistency. Miles Byrd arrived from San Diego State after earning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors. Malik Mack joined the backcourt with experience as a scorer and playmaker. The coaches picked Providence fifth. Hodgson now must turn those individual strengths into a team capable of returning the Friars to the NCAA Tournament.

Alan Huss followed Greg McDermott at Creighton. McDermott had spent years establishing the Bluejays as one of the conference's most respected programs. Last season's 16-18 record reinforced the need for improvement. Jackson McAndrew returns, and Oswin Erhunmwunse joins the frontcourt. Both earned preseason All-Big East third-team honors. The coaches picked Creighton seventh, leaving Huss with the opportunity to exceed expectations while protecting the program's established standards.

Huss must manage the demands of succession as well as competition. He inherits a program that remembers what sustained success feels like. Returning players want continuity, while newcomers need a clear system. Supporters expect him to preserve Creighton's competitive identity without simply repeating McDermott's methods. Opponents will test his decisions before his team has finished learning them. Huss must establish his own authority while respecting the foundation he inherited.

Ronald Nored returned to Butler with a personal connection to its greatest modern success. He played for the Bulldogs during their remarkable rise under Brad Stevens. Butler reached consecutive national championship games and established a reputation for disciplined, intelligent basketball. Nored inherits Jalen Jackson and Drayton Jones, along with ten newcomers. The coaches placed Butler eleventh. His first season begins with the conference's lowest expectations and memories of a standard his players never experienced.

Nored cannot ask his team to recreate Butler's past. Those championships belonged to another coach, another roster, and another college basketball economy. His work begins with the players he has now. He must teach them how to defend together, share the ball, and sustain effort through a difficult schedule. The Bulldogs may need time to produce consistent victories. Their immediate challenge is to establish habits that give future success a foundation.

Across my roster research, I counted 107 incoming transfers and freshmen among the eleven programs. That figure captured the scale of the conference's transformation. Coaches once relied on years of development to create continuity. Now they often rebuild major portions of their teams during a single offseason. New players arrive with different habits, ambitions, and expectations about their roles. Every coach must create a shared purpose before the pressure of the season exposes those differences.

Rick Pitino Has No Interest in Excuses

Rick Pitino spoke with the candor of a coach who understood what his success demanded. I found him the most direct coach in the room. He discussed aggressive recruiting and the difficult work required to rebuild his team. He did not treat last season's accomplishments as a guarantee of anything ahead. He knew how quickly a roster could change and how little patience winning programs received. His expectations remained high because the standard at St. John's had changed.

The Red Storm finished 30-7 and won eighteen of twenty conference games. They captured another Big East Tournament title at Madison Square Garden. They became the first program in conference history to win consecutive outright regular-season and tournament championships. Duke ended their NCAA Tournament run in the Sweet 16. The season restored St. John's to a level of national prominence the program had pursued for years. It also made the coming season more demanding.

Pitino has built his teams around effort, defense, discipline, and accountability. His new roster presents a complicated test of those principles. Players have arrived from different countries and basketball systems. Some bring professional experience overseas, while others learned the game in American college programs. They must develop a shared understanding of responsibilities that cannot wait for explanation during a possession. Pitino must make those different experiences work within one demanding system.

Defense reveals the challenge quickly. A guard turns the corner and forces another defender to move. A teammate must recognize the opening and protect the basket. A late rotation gives the opponent a clear scoring chance. One missed assignment can erase the work of an entire possession. Pitino needs players who can anticipate those situations rather than react after the damage occurs.

St. John's has the talent to make that work worthwhile. Tounde Yessoufou arrives from Baylor after averaging 17.8 points per game. Ian Jackson returns with the opportunity to embrace a larger scoring responsibility. Both earned preseason All-Big East first-team honors. St. John's became the only program with two players on that five-man team. Their ability gives Pitino serious offensive options, but he must prevent the team's success from depending entirely on them.

The roster also carries serious uncertainty. Donnie Freeman will miss the season after suffering an Achilles injury. Babacar Sane, Quinn Ellis, and Keyshawn Hall have faced eligibility questions that complicated the team's preparation. Pitino must make decisions while the status of important players remains unsettled. He cannot build a dependable rotation around assumptions that may change. His preparation must account for the roster he hopes to have and the players he can actually use.

Madison Square Garden will magnify every result. The crowd will celebrate defensive stops and demand more when the offense falters. Opponents will arrive eager to defeat the reigning champion on its home floor. Television cameras will follow Pitino through victories and disappointments. His players must carry expectations created by the achievements of their predecessors. St. John's can defend its place at the top only by earning that position again.

Dan Hurley and the Weight of the Favorite

Dan Hurley brought a different form of confidence to Media Day. He had already established UConn among the country's most successful modern programs. The Huskies finished 34-6 last season and reached the national championship game. Their loss to Michigan ended another deep run through March. UConn had also won two national championships during the previous four seasons. Hurley entered the new year with a record that gave his words considerable authority.

The coaches placed UConn first in the preseason poll. The Huskies received eight first-place votes and 98 points. St. John's followed with two first-place votes and 90 points. Villanova stood third. The order reflected the accomplishments of the league's established powers. It also placed the greatest immediate pressure on the programs that had already won the most.

Silas Demary Jr. returns as the preseason Big East Player of the Year. Braylon Mullins gives UConn another major scoring threat. Na'jai Hines arrives from Seton Hall to strengthen the frontcourt. Those players provide the foundation for another national contender. Yet the Huskies must replace important pieces from last season's team. Guard Solo Ball will also miss the season after undergoing wrist surgery.

Hurley must protect the habits that produced UConn's recent success. Demary will carry greater responsibility as opposing defenses increase pressure. Mullins must handle the attention that follows a talented young scorer into his second season. Hines must adjust to the demands of a program accustomed to competing deep into March. The Huskies possess enough ability to defend their place among the nation's best teams. Their current roster must still demonstrate that it can meet the expectations attached to UConn's name.

I watched the attention surrounding Hurley and thought about his rivalry with Pitino. Both coaches have won national championships and built teams around demanding standards. Hurley carries the responsibility of sustaining UConn's modern dynasty. Pitino seeks to establish a comparable run in Queens. Their meetings give the Big East one of college basketball's most compelling rivalries. But the conference needs more than two exceptional coaches if it hopes to restore the depth that once defined it.

The Games That Will Define the Investment

The first answers will come in November. Villanova opens its season against Notre Dame in Rome on November 1. St. John's faces important nonconference tests against Syracuse, Arizona, and Alabama. Other Big East programs will meet opponents capable of exposing weaknesses before league play begins. Those games will reveal which teams developed strong habits during the offseason. They will also begin shaping the postseason cases the conference hopes to send into March.

The stakes extend beyond individual records. A meaningful nonconference victory strengthens a team's own credentials. It also improves the quality of an opponent that other Big East teams will face later. A poor opening month can leave a program chasing victories that conference play may not fully replace. The NCAA selection committee will weigh those results when comparing postseason candidates. The Big East needs to establish its strength against other conferences before its teams begin taking victories from one another.

January will bring the conference's familiar battles. UConn visits St. John's at Madison Square Garden on January 29. The game will match the preseason favorite against the reigning league champion. Hurley and Pitino will attract the attention reserved for two coaches with championship credentials. Their players will carry the demands of programs that expect to win. The result may influence the regular-season race, but its larger meaning will depend on how the other nine teams have performed.

February will test the teams that spent October expressing confidence. Injuries will force coaches to change rotations and reconsider assignments. Young players will confront fatigue and opponents who have spent months studying their tendencies. Teams that relied on early-season surprises will need more dependable answers. Coaches will have to decide which players can handle the pressure of important possessions. Those decisions will separate programs that continue improving from those that begin losing ground.

Richard Pitino brings Xavier to Madison Square Garden on February 13. The meeting with his father will give the conference a rare personal storyline. Rick will carry the expectations of a program seeking to defend its championships. Richard will bring a team assembled through one of the league's largest roster overhauls. Their players will determine whether the game becomes important in the standings or remains primarily a family occasion. By then, Xavier's record will reveal more than any conversation at Media Day could.

St. John's visits UConn on March 2 for another meeting between the league's leading attractions. That game could influence the championship race during the final week of the regular season. Villanova may have forced its way into contention by then. Marquette could have recovered, while Providence or Xavier could have emerged as a tournament threat. Creighton, Seton Hall, DePaul, Georgetown, and Butler will have had months to challenge their preseason projections. The standings will reveal which programs turned their offseason decisions into victories.

The Conference Must Prove More Than Its History

The Big East possesses a basketball history that few conferences can match. Madison Square Garden remains one of the sport's great stages. UConn and Villanova have produced national championships that established the league's modern reputation. St. John's has restored national energy to New York basketball under Pitino. Those achievements deserve recognition, but they cannot guarantee the conference's future. Every new season demands proof from the teams that carry its name.

College basketball now changes at an extraordinary pace. The transfer portal gives players greater freedom and forces coaches to rebuild their rosters more frequently. Revenue sharing and NIL opportunities have increased the importance of financial resources. Eligibility disputes can alter lineups before the season begins. Injuries can erase plans that took months to develop. Coaches must create continuity in a sport that increasingly rewards movement.

The Big East has responded by investing more aggressively. That commitment gives its schools greater opportunities to recruit and retain talent. It also raises the consequences when those decisions fail. A coach who receives greater resources must demonstrate what those resources accomplished. An administrator who commits more money must show that the investment strengthened the program. A commissioner who demands more NCAA Tournament bids must help create the conditions for schools to earn them.

The league's best programs cannot complete that work alone. UConn could win another national championship without restoring the conference's depth. St. John's could capture another Big East title while several other schools miss the NCAA Tournament. Villanova could reach March and still leave the league below Brosnan's stated expectation. Those achievements would matter, but they would not settle the broader problem. The Big East needs more programs capable of competing nationally.

That requirement changes the importance of the teams near the bottom of the preseason poll. DePaul can strengthen the conference by winning meaningful nonconference games. Seton Hall can challenge its projected finish by rebuilding the defensive identity Holloway established. Georgetown can begin restoring its standing through consistent play against stronger opponents. Butler can lay a foundation for future success even without reaching the top half of the standings. Each program has a responsibility that extends beyond its final position in the league.

March will deliver the clearest judgment. Five or six Big East bids would demonstrate progress toward Brosnan's ambition. An unexpected postseason run would strengthen the league's national argument. Another three-bid season would revive the questions that filled the Marriott Marquis. The schools would have committed greater resources without achieving the depth they sought. Their coaches would then have to explain why an expensive summer produced so little change.

One Last Handshake

As Media Day wound down, I made my way toward the exit. I had spent hours listening to coaches discuss new players, larger expectations, and the challenges of building teams. Richard Pitino had spoken about the work ahead at Xavier. Smart and Willard had confronted different forms of pressure at Marquette and Villanova. Rick Pitino and Hurley had carried the attention that follows the conference's biggest winners. Brosnan had inherited the responsibility of turning all that ambition into a stronger national presence.

Yet my conversations away from the busiest tables stayed with me. Seton Hall faced the burden of rebuilding after Holloway's successful season. DePaul sought another step toward respectability under Holtmann. Georgetown needed the consistency that its history could no longer provide. Providence, Creighton, and Butler had placed their immediate futures in the hands of new coaches. Together, those programs would help determine whether the Big East had become stronger or merely more expensive.

Near the exit, I encountered Ed Cooley. His Georgetown team faced long odds after another difficult conference season. The preseason poll placed the Hoyas tenth, and the work ahead promised little comfort. Cooley understood the responsibility of rebuilding a program that once stood among the conference's strongest. He also understood that Georgetown's fortunes remained connected to the league around it. We reached toward one another and shook hands.

I remember the pride in his greeting. I remember his excitement about what lay ahead. Cooley did not confine his thoughts to Georgetown or the challenge of climbing the standings. He spoke about the conference as a whole. After a day spent examining the differences among eleven programs, I heard a coach express faith in their shared future. He looked at me and said, "I like our conference this year. I like our chances, and I think this is going to be a great year for all of us."

Cooley's words stayed with me as I left the Marriott. He had reason to worry about his own program, yet he looked beyond its immediate problems. His optimism reflected the ambition I had heard throughout the room. The Big East had its history, its champions, its new leadership, and the financial resources to demand more. What it still needed was the one thing no coach could promise on October 1. Eleven teams had to prove they could make the conference stronger than its two biggest stars.