CBS Sports: Ranking Big East basketball teams by tiers

[HooperScooper]

UConn and St. John's are the 2 teams in Tier 1.

One notable takeaway in the Big East is how UConn, St. John's and to a lesser extent, Creighton, are monopolizing the talent-acquisition game. UConn was the only team to land a top-40 freshman from the Class of 2025. The Huskies, Red Storm and Bluejays were the only Big East teams to land a top 50-rated transfer in the 2025 cycle.

Ranking Big East basketball teams by tiers: Can anyone catch UConn and St. John's in 2025-26 season?

An early snapshot at each Big East team after the NBA Draft stay-or-go deadline and weeks of portal combat

www.cbssports.com

 

[HooperScooper]

Dan Hurley's squad has a chance to be filthy good.

 

[controlfade]

The Death Star is fully active again!!!

 

[borninansonia]

Ridiculous statement of the year award:

(no) Ryan Kalkbrenner on this roster? Surely, there has been a mistake? Times are a-changin' in Omaha without The King of Verticality. Creighton's defensive outlook is significantly different without the most accomplished defender the Big East has ever seen,

 

[superjohn]

Ridiculous statement of the year award:

(no) Ryan Kalkbrenner on this roster? Surely, there has been a mistake? Times are a-changin' in Omaha without The King of Verticality. Creighton's defensive outlook is significantly different without the most accomplished defender the Big East has ever seen,

The writer is technically right. Kalk is 4× Big East defensive player of the year but everyone knows Mourning, Mutombo, Ewing, and Clingan played in the Big East.

 

[BFieldHusky]

The writer is technically right. Kalk is 4× Big East defensive player of the year but everyone knows Mourning, Mutombo, Ewing, and Clingan played in the Big East.

Can throw Emeka in that mix too.

 

[upstater]

Can throw Emeka in that mix too.

Hasheem Thabeet also

 

[superjohn]

Can throw Emeka in that mix too.

Without a doubt, I spaced on him.

Thabeet should also be in there.

 

[HooperScooper]

All of those other guys mentioned were good enough to get drafted into the NBA as high first round picks before playing 4 years in the Big East. Kalkbrenner, however, was not.

 

[CL82]

This is from ESPN's transfer rankings, but it doesn't seem worth starting a new thread over.

 

[IndyLives]

Pitino will be tough to beat with the players he brought in.. Amazing how quickly he changed the SJ program around.

 

[Jaydumo20]

UConn and St. John's are the 2 teams in Tier 1.

One notable takeaway in the Big East is how UConn, St. John's and to a lesser extent, Creighton, are monopolizing the talent-acquisition game. UConn was the only team to land a top-40 freshman from the Class of 2025. The Huskies, Red Storm and Bluejays were the only Big East teams to land a top 50-rated transfer in the 2025 cycle.

Ranking Big East basketball teams by tiers: Can anyone catch UConn and St. John's in 2025-26 season?

An early snapshot at each Big East team after the NBA Draft stay-or-go deadline and weeks of portal combat

www.cbssports.com

If you're a kentucky fan, or even the Athletic department at KY in general, you're jealous of uconn and st johns:
Kentucky fan: "we only get to spend 3.5 million on basketball??? Can't we just not care about football like the big east????"

They cried enough to change that. Turns out being a big football school ain't helping the bball thing all that much afterall.