With the 2025-26 iteration of the NCAA women’s basketball season set to begin Nov. 4, it’s once again time to take stock of where the Georgetown University Hoyas and other Big East teams stand heading into a newly formatted season.

The 11-team Big East conference is coming off a banner 2024-25 season, with the conference boasting the reigning national champion University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies, who added a 12th ring to their collection in April. Success spread around the rest of the conference, too, with the Big East sending Creighton University to March Madness as well as three teams to the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) and a team to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT). Although UConn looks almost guaranteed to run away with the conference title, things get much more competitive further down the order.

Here are The Hoya’s Big East power rankings and preview predictions for the 2025-26 season: 

1. University of Connecticut (UConn)

The defending national champion Huskies’ (37-3, 18-0 Big East) grip on the Big East doesn’t look like it’s loosening anytime soon. Most professionals agree that UConn looks likely to continue its run of dominance, with the Huskies a unanimous selection for the top spot in the Big East preseason coaches poll and nabbing the top spot in the preseason AP Top 25 as well. Filling the shoes of three-time all-American, reigning Big East player of the year and No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick point guard Paige Bueckers will be a tall order, but UConn looks poised to pick up right where they left off. The team will return reigning Big East freshman of the year, preseason conference player of the year, and preseason AP All-American sophomore forward Sarah Strong as well as preseason all-Big East team picks guards Azzi Fudd and KK Arnold. The Huskies also add Big East preseason freshman of the year Kelis Fisher and transfer forward Serah Williams, to name a few. Barring any major meltdowns, the 2026 Big East crown looks poised to return to the Huskies’ hands once again.

2. Marquette University

The Golden Eagles (21-11, 12-6 Big East) will look to continue building off last season’s success, which saw the team leapfrog expectations en route to finishing fourth in the conference and progressing to the second round of the WBIT. Marquette will likely continue their upward trend this year in co-Big East Coach of the Year Cara Consuegra’s second season at the helm, as the team boasts an impressive roster of returning players that includes all five starters and three preseason all-Big East honorees. Coaches in the Big East are expecting big things as well, ranking the Golden Eagles second in the preseason coaches poll, way up from their preseason slot of 10th last year. Could Marquette’s first March Madness since 2021 be on the horizon?

3. Seton Hall University

The Seton Hall University Pirates (23-10, 13-5 Big East) face high expectations ahead of the upcoming season, and not just internally, receiving UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma’s first-place vote in the Big East preseason coaches poll. Dynamic guard duo Savannah Catalon and Jada Eads make their return to New Jersey with preseason all-Big East selections in tow and will hope to continue last season’s success that saw Catalon average 13.5 PPG and Eads earn five Big East freshman of the week selections. The Pirates add an impressive crop of transfers to their roster as well, who look to make immediate contributions.

4. Creighton University

Creighton University (26-7, 16-2 Big East) solidly occupied the “best of the rest” spot in the Big East last year, losing only to UConn in conference play en route to a Big East tournament final and the conference’s only other NCAA tournament bid. But the Bluejays lost the bulk of their firepower over the offseason, with all-Big East guards Lauren Jensen, Morgan Maly and Molly Mogensen all graduating. The team will look to fill their shoes with a newcomer class of six first-years and a graduate transfer, but it’s hard to know what to expect from the Bluejays this season as they navigate life with a retooled roster. Head Coach Jim Flanery will look to continue the success of past years while pivoting into a new era.

5. Villanova University

Villanova University (21-15, 11-7 Big East) has proved to be a model of consistency in recent years, reaching the 20-win mark in each of the past four seasons. The Wildcats will hope to carry the momentum garnered by a run to the WBIT semifinals last year over to this season as they aim to build on a new core laden with transfers and first-year players. One key returning element Villanova will look to build around in their quest back to postseason glory is guard Jasmine Bascoe, a preseason all-Big East selection who averaged 16.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game last season.

6. Georgetown University

Head Coach Darnell Haney may have declared “top half or bust” at Big East media day last week, but that looks like it may be just out of reach for the Hoyas (12-19, 4-14 Big East). This is by no means a comment on Georgetown University’s roster, but rather an observation of just how competitive the conference gets close to the top. Replacing all-time great Kelsey Ransom will be an impossible task, but the Hoyas will look toward a promising crop of returning players and breakout stars to fill the hole. Big East preseason honorable mention senior guard Victoria Rivera and breakout sensation sophomore guard Khadee Hession should play key roles, and so will graduate forward Brianna Scott, who makes her return after a torn ACL sidelined her this past season. Despite all the change, with Haney’s culture-focused philosophy at the helm, it won’t be surprising if the Hoyas are able to build momentum and run with it all the way to a postseason berth.

7. St. John’s University 

The St. John’s University Red Storm (16-15, 5-13 Big East) will rely on a mix of new and old faces as the team looks to achieve greater consistency this year. Senior scoring pair guard Skye Owen and forward Kylie Lavelle make their return and will look to lead the Red Storm. Head Coach Joe Tartamella has continued his strategy of building a roster through a rotating cast of new additions, with St. John’s adding five transfer portal players. How fast this new group gels together could dictate how the team’s season goes. 

8. Butler University

The Butler University Bulldogs (16-18, 5-13 Big East) continue to show signs of improvement each year under Head Coach Austin Parkinson, and this season the trajectory looks to continue. While the 2024-25 season represented a slight step back in terms of overall record, bright spots percolated, including a home sellout against UConn, a WNIT tournament run and an all-Big East second team selection for guard Kilyn McGuff. With McGuff graduating, Parkinson will look to build around guard Lily Zeinstra and a strong transfer class.

9. DePaul University

While the Blue Demons (13-19, 8-10 Big East) showed improvement last season, adding four wins to the previous season’s conference win total, the year ahead looks to be a bit of a wild card. DePaul University has a new head coach in Jill Pizzotti, although she’s hardly an unfamiliar face after 14 years with the team. She will be tasked with steering a team laden with newcomers, including seven transfers, and will almost certainly rely on all-Big East preseason honorable mention guard Kate Clarke. 

10. Providence College

A new-look crew will also be the theme for the Providence College Friars (13-19, 6-12 Big East) this season, with much of the roster unproven in the Friars’ system after Providence parted ways with 10 graduating players over the summer. This includes top scorers Grace Efosa and Olivia Olsen, whom Head Coach Erin Batth will look to replace with a burgeoning crop of transfers and first-year players. Orlagh Gormley, who was sidelined for much of last year with an injury, also makes her return. The Friars may surprise, but their roster simply has too many question marks to be optimistic about the direction of the upcoming season. 

11. Xavier University

Another year, another season in the Big East women’s basketball basement for the Xavier University Musketeers (7-24, 1-17 Big East). Xavier will look to continue to grow a dependable crop of returning players, including preseason all-Big East honorable mention and 2024-25 all-Big East freshman team selection Meri Kanerva. Best wishes to Head Coach Billi Chambers as she trudges on in the third year of her rebuild, attempting to guide the Musketeers to the light out of the Big East cellar in the future, or at least multiple conference wins (which unfortunately the Musketeers haven’t notched since the 2021-22 season).