Big East men's basketball preseason poll: UConn picked to win conference in 2026-27

The ramp-up to the college basketball season is officially underway, with conferences across the country beginning to hold their annual media days. The latest is the Big East Conference, which gets "talking season" underway in New York City on Thursday.

With that came the release of the preseason coaches' poll, which brought little to no surprise about who was predicted at the top: Connecticut, which is fresh off its third trip to the Final Four in the last four seasons and returns the conference's preseason Player of the Year, Silas Demary Jr., and star guard Braylon Mullins.

Back-to-back Big East champion St. John's was tabbed to finish behind the Huskies and received two first-place votes. Rick Pitino's Johnnies are looking to build off a Sweet 16 loss to Duke in the NCAA Tournament with their revamped transfer portal roster that features former Baylor guard Tounde Yessoufou.

REQUIRED READING: After healthy off-season, Marquette's Damarius Owens eyes breakout

The top five is rounded out by Villanova, Marquette and Providence. The Golden Eagles, led by defending Big East Freshman of the Year Nigel James Jr., received the other first-place vote, while the Friars are ushering in a new era of basketball on Federal Hill with Bryan Hodgson.

Conference play begins on Saturday, Dec. 19 with a quadruple header of games: Seton Hall vs. Georgetown, DePaul vs. St. John's, Xavier vs. Marquette and Villanova vs. Creighton.

Here’s a full look at the 2026-27 Big East basketball preseason poll and preseason awards:

Big East men's basketball preseason poll 2026-27

First place votes in parentheses

1. UConn (8)
2. St. John's (2)
3. Villanova
4. Marquette (1)
5. Providence
6. Xavier
7. Creighton
8. DePaul
9. Seton Hall
10. Georgetown
11. Butler

The 2026-2027 BIG EAST Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll and awards have been announced! 🏀🔥

📰: https://t.co/K2CHs450WOpic.twitter.com/tJeItHPb3b

— BIG EAST MBB (@BIGEASTMBB) October 1, 2026

Big East men's basketball preseason player awards

• Preseason Player of the Year: Silas Demary Jr. (UConn)
• Preseason Freshman of the Year: Colben Landrew (UConn)

UConn swept both preseason player-centric awards, with Demary Jr. named the conference's preseason Player of the Year and Landrew the preseason Freshman of the Year. It's the first time the Huskies have swept the conference's preseason honors since 2003, when Emeka Okafor (player) and Charlie Villanueva (freshman) took home the honors.

Demary was a home run hit out of the transfer portal last season for the Huskies, as he not only proved to be one of the top point guards in the country but also served as the head of the snake for UConn's defense, as he averaged 10.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and league-best 5.9 assists per game.

Landrew, a five-star recruit and the No. 27 overall prospect in this past recruiting class by 247Sports' Composite Rankings, is the fourth straight UConn freshman to be named the conference's preseason freshman of the year.

All-Big East men's basketball preseason teams

Below is a look at all three preseason All-Big East team selections, including honorable mention:

First Team

• Guard, Braylon Mullins (UConn) *
• Guard, Nigel James Jr. (Marquette) *
• Guard, Ian Jackson (St. John's)
• Guard, Tounde Yessoufou (St. John's) *
• Guard, Tyler Perkins (Villanova)

* denotes unanimous selection

Second Team

• Forward, Na’jai Hines (UConn)
• Forward, Royce Parham (Marquette)
• Guard, Miles Byrd (Providence)
• Forward, Kwame Evans Jr. (Villanova)
• Forward, Devin Royal (Villanova)

Third Team

• Center, Oswin Erhunmwunse (Creighton)
• Forward, Jackson McAndrew (Creighton)
• Guard, Layden Blocker (DePaul)
• Forward, Sananda Fru (Marquette)
• Forward, Jovan Milicevic (Xavier)
• Forward, Mike Nwoko (Xavier)

Be sure to check out USA TODAY Sports' new College Football Unfiltered podcast, hosted by USA TODAY Sports columnist Blake Toppmeyer. You can stream on YouTube or download via Apple podcasts and Spotify.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Big East men's basketball preseason poll: UConn picked to win conference in 2026-27