With basketball season upon us, it is time to make predictions and rank the Big East teams.

UConn, which has finished first in the Big East and claimed the conference championship four seasons in a row, looks like a good bet to continue its dominance. However, with two other teams coming off NCAA tournament appearances, two making the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) and two others appearing in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT), the Huskies may face a challenge in claiming their fifth straight conference title.

Without further ado, we present The Hoya’s Big East women’s basketball power rankings.

     1. University of Connecticut

After going 33-6 overall (18-0 Big East) and ending their season with a loss to the University of Iowa in the NCAA Final Four, the Huskies return this season seeking to advance even further than they did last year. UConn was unanimously ranked first in the Big East preseason coaches poll and second in AP’s Top 25. Many of their leading backcourt players will return this season, including two-time Big East player of the year guard Paige Bueckers, guard Azzi Fudd, guard KK Arnold and 2023-24 Big East freshman of the year guard Ashlynn Shade. Additionally, three top-15 Class of 2024 recruits, including No. 1 Sarah Strong, will join the Huskies. With Bueckers and Strong earning Big East preseason player of the year and preseason freshman of the year, respectively, UConn looks likely to continue its streak of success. 

     2. Creighton University

The Creighton Bluejays come into the season with a similar lineup, as they look to build on their 26-6 (15-3 Big East) record. The same five players started every game for the Bluejays last season and four are returning, with only forward Emma Ronsiak, a four-time All-Big East player, transferring to Colorado State. The Bluejays ended last season with an upset loss to Georgetown in the Big East tournament semifinals and a second-round loss in the NCAA tournament. We rank Creighton second as the only nationally-ranked team besides UConn and with a consistent, reliable roster, expect them to deliver another great season.

3. Georgetown University

The Hoyas, who went 23-12 (9-9 Big East) last season, will look to improve on their record this season under Head Coach Darnell Haney. Last season, Georgetown recorded its best Big East record since 2019, won 3 Big East tournament games and appeared in the WBIT. Big East Co-defensive player of the year and last season’s leading scorer Kelsey Ransom will return for her fifth year with the Hoyas. While the coaches’ poll ranks them fifth, we have slotted the Hoyas at third, as last year’s historic run to the first Big East championship game in program history proved their ability to defy expectations. 

4. Providence College

Despite ending last season with disappointment — a blowout loss to UConn in the Big East tournament, and a loss to Colgate in the WNIT — the Friars enter the upcoming season third in the coach’s poll with 71 votes. Second-year Head Coach Erin Batth will look to build on the team’s 13-21 (6-12 Big East) record last season with a roster full of returning players. Most notably, star forward Olivia Olsen, who led the team in scoring, rebounds, blocked shots and field goal percentage, will return to Providence for her senior year. The upcoming season will prove very telling regarding the Friars’ coaching transition and what Batth’s vision for the team is moving forward. 

     5. St. John’s University

After a slow start, the Red Storm ultimately finished in a three-way tie for third in the Big East alongside Marquette and Villanova, with an 18-15 (11-7 Big East) record. Their season ended in heartbreak, with the Hoyas upsetting them in the Big East Tournament quarterfinal before a difficult 1-point loss to Toledo in the second round of the WBIT. St. John’s has something to prove — but losing their top two scorers Unique Drake and Jillian Archer will pose a considerable challenge, and the team will look toward four new transfer players and two first-years to fill in their production.

     6. Villanova University

Villanova is coming off a strong season that included a run to the title game of the WBIT and a 22-13 (11-7 Big East) finish, but this season will likely not go quite as smoothly. The Wildcats lost a sizable amount of offensive firepower with the departure of guard Lucy Olsen, an honorable mention All-American and unanimous first-team All-Big East selection. Villanova has four transfers coming in, but Olsen played such a crucial and irreplaceable role in the team’s success last year that it seems unlikely that the tram will be able to immediately deliver the same results. 

     7. Butler University

Butler will return with a team very similar to last year’s. Seven of their eight top scorers stay in Indianapolis, with only guard/forward Rachel Kent leaving after her final year of college eligibility. The Bulldogs finished last season with a 15-17 record (6-12 Big East) and made it to the second round of the WNIT before falling to Purdue. Head Coach Austin Parkinson has improved with every year at Butler, so it seems likely he will continue this pattern this year.

     8. Seton Hall University

The Pirates finished last season 17-15 (8-10 Big East) with a quarterfinal loss in the Big East tournament to Creighton and a first-round WBIT loss to Saint Joseph’s. Head Coach Tony Bozzella will begin his 12th season at Seton Hall where he has an overall (207-142) record. Though the team loses their three top scorers, including guard/forward Azana Baines, who averaged 14.7 points per game last season, the Pirates will also see nine new players join. We have placed them eighth because, with the amount of new and yet-unproven players they have, the Pirates’ outlook is unpredictable at best. 

     9. Marquette University

After finishing last season strong with a 23–9 (11–7 Big East) record and a first-round NCAA tournament appearance loss to Ole Miss, the Marquette Golden Eagles enter a season of change with the departure of Head Coach Megan Duffy. Cara Consuegra will need to integrate six new players, many of whom followed her from Charlotte, quickly for the Golden Eagles to have any hope of matching last season. This season will likely be one of transition and growing pains for the Golden Eagles as Consuegra works to implement her coaching system as quickly as possible.

     10. DePaul University

Losing Anaya Peoples — their leader in points, assists and rebounds — will require other players to step up in a big way in order for the Blue Demons to improve on, or even match, their 12-20 (4-14 Big East) record from last year. In addition to Peoples, many rotation players have left the Blue Demons, who have had to add eight new faces to the roster. While they might be able to evade last place in the conference, the team’s lack of experienced collegiate players does not necessarily indicate much improvement.

     11. Xavier University

The Musketeers finished with just a 1-27 record (0-18 Big East), ranking last in the Big East for the second consecutive year. Second-year Head Coach Billi Chambers will take on the challenge of leading the rebuild. And while last year’s all-Big East first-year guard Aizhanique Mayo is returning and eight new players were added to the roster, Xavier will need to win a conference game for the first time in two seasons before they can rise above last place in the Big East.