We are less than 30 days away from the beginning of the college basketball season. Nine Big East teams will play on opening night, November 3rd. While five teams from the conference made it to the national tournament last year, none made it past the first weekend. St. John’s was the only Big East team that finished in the final AP Poll (#11). This year, the Big East non-conference schedule presents plenty of opportunities against top teams in the country.
The league struggled against the other power conferences last year. In the final year of the Big East-Big 12 Battle, the Big 12 won 6-5. If the Big East wants to flood the rankings and send 6-7 teams to March Madness, its teams must dominate their non-conference schedules. Let’s dive into some key non-conference games for the Big East
Big East Non-Conference Schedule: Five Games to Watch
Connecticut vs. Florida, Dec. 9th
After back-to-back seasons of 30+ wins, the Huskies had a trying year in 2024-25. Three early losses in Hawaii revealed the team was no longer invincible. Fast forward to March, the Huskies had the Gators on the brink of elimination. Connecticut was tied with the Gators with just over two minutes left in the game. This year, both teams retooled and should once again be among the elite teams in the country. The Huskies return Alex Karaban and Solo Ball, while adding Georgia-transfer Silas Demary Jr. who averaged 13.5 points last season.
The defending-champs were able to fill in their missing holes. The Gators added Arkansas’ Boogie Fland, who will step right into the starting point guard role. Additionally, the Gators have two starters returning in Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu. There will be a lot of talent at Madison Square Garden for what should be one of the best games of the season.
Villanova vs. BYU, Nov. 3rd
If there is one Big East game worth watching on opening night, a battle between the Wildcats and the Cougars in Las Vegas is the best pick of the bunch. It will be the first time fans get to watch ESPN’s No. 1 recruit AJ Dybantsa suit up for BYU. Senior Richie Saunders shot over 40% from three last season while the team also added sophomore Robert Wright III from Baylor.
After three years of missing out on the NCAA Tournament, Villanova hopes new coach Kevin Willard can bring the program back to its winning ways. The Wildcats also have a top recruit in Acaden Lewis who should contribute right away. With a big senior class, there is a lot of unknown with this Villanova team. Devin Askew from Long Beach State comes in as the leading-scorer after averaging 18.9 points last year. Tyler Perkins it the top returner from last year at 6.3 points per game. With a lot of new pieces to put together, will the Wildcats be ready to hit the ground running?
St. John’s vs. Kentucky, Dec. 20
Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino faces his former team in the CBS Sports Classic down in Atlanta. Kentucky head coach Mark Pope played under Pitino when he led the Wildcats to the 1996 National Championship. Pitino brough St. John’s back to the national spotlight by winning its first Big East title since 1985 and making an appearance on late-night television. St. John’s has brought a new class of transfers that include Ian Jackson, who could be this team’s x-factor, and Bryce Hopkins from Providence.
The Wildcats return All-SEC guard Otega Oweh (16.2 PPG) and bring in Jaland Lowe (16.8) from Pitt. The duo will provide plenty of scoring punch while Florida transfer Denzel Aberdeen brings championship experience to Lexington. Both coaches have become quickly embraced by their fanbases in just a couple seasons. There will be plenty of storylines leading up to what will be a can’t-miss game.
Providence vs. Wisconsin, Nov. 27
It was bad year for the Friars in year two of the Kim English era. Providence won just 12 games and fell in the first round of the Big East Tournament. Out of its six non-conference wins, BYU was Providence’s only victory over a major conference team. With a pair of four-star recruits in Jamier Jones and Jaylen Harrell, and a transfer class highlighted by Jason Edwards, who scored 17 points at Vanderbilt, English is hoping he found the pieces to make Providence competitive again.
The Friars beat the Badgers in English’s first season, but that seems like eons ago. John Blackwell returns after averaging 15.8 PPG and the Badgers added WCC Freshman of the Year, Austin Rapp to bolster the frontcourt. The Friars are always fighting to be on the right side of the bubble each spring. A win over a Big Ten team would go a long way.
Marquette vs. Purdue, Dec. 13
The Golden Eagles recorded arguably their best win last season when they beat the then-No.6 Boilermakers by 18 in mid-November. That catapulted them into the top-10 before they slowly fell out of the rankings by the end of the season. This is Marquette’s final game before going into the Big East play, so it should prepare for what will likely be the nation’s preseason favorite. Shaka Smart will be tasked will replacing his top three scorers from last season. Instead of dipping into the transfer portal, Smart will rely on returning seniors Chase Ross and Ben Gold to step up.
Purdue, meanwhile, brings back its top-three scorers, led by first team All-American Braden Smith. The team had to adjust last season after a Zach Edey-sized hole was left in the lineup. The team’s big addition was Oscar Cluff who averaged a double-double at South Dakota State.
The Golden Eagles may not have the same buzz as past years, but Smart’s program of developing in-house talent has brought the team to four straight NCAA Tournaments. A win would give Marquette major momentum going into the second half of the season.
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