UConn Huskies, Led by Silas Demary Jr., Tops Big East Preseason Rankings

The University of Connecticut was voted the preseason favorite to win the Big East Conference, narrowly edging out defending champion St. John’s in voting conducted by league coaches on Thursday.

UConn, which reached its third national championship game in four years, enters the upcoming season with junior guard Silas Demary Jr. earning preseason All-Big East Player of the Year honors. A transfer from Georgia and the SEC, Demary averaged 10.1 points, 5.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game during his inaugural season with the Huskies.

St. John’s received two first-place votes as the second overall pick. The Red Storm enters the season as the reigning Big East regular-season and tournament champions—the first program in conference history to achieve both distinctions in consecutive seasons. Under head coach Rick Pitino, the team advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999. Their success is anchored by first-team All-Big East selections Tounde Yessoufou and Ian Jackson.

Villanova, Marquette and Providence followed closely behind as the next three teams in the preseason poll. Xavier claimed sixth place, while Creighton—under new head coach Alan Huss—rounded out the top seven.

DePaul, despite posting its best finish in Big East play a year ago, was slotted eighth. Seton Hall and Georgetown completed the upper half of the standings.

Butler, now led by first-year head coach Ronald Nored, was picked 11th in the preseason poll.

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The annual Big East media day took place at a New York hotel rather than its traditional venue at Madison Square Garden, which had hosted the event since 2014.

The proceedings were led by new conference commissioner Tim Brosnan, who assumed leadership following the retirement of Val Ackerman earlier this summer. Ackerman served as Big East commissioner from 2013 until her retirement at the conclusion of August.

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