The BIG EAST is Villanova’s to lose until someone takes it from them. 
 
There’s data to back that up, of course. The Wildcats, who are the most decorated program in college basketball over the last seven years, hold a 103-23 record in conference play over that span. All signs are pointing to Jay Wright’s team being not only a favorite in the BIG EAST, but a Final Four caliber squad. 
 
“I think we can be a great team,” said Villanova point guard Collin Gillespie. “We’ve got Jeremiah (Robinson-Earl) back. He was great as a freshman for us. And, we’ve got a team with a lot of experience coming back.” 
 
Experience has been the avenue of success for Wright and the Cats, winning the 2016 and 2018 national titles with three and four-year players outside of one-and-done big man Omari Spellman. 
 
Outside of NBA Draft lottery pick hopeful Saddiq Bey, Villanova returns virtually every impact performer from last season. 
 
The Cats have four double-figure scorers back, the most of any BIG EAST team, with rising sophomore Justin Moore (11.5 ppg) and senior Jermaine Samuels (10.7 ppg) joining Gillespie (15.1 ppg) and Robinson-Earl (10.6 ppg).
 
Villanova also welcomes in two players who are expected to factor in immediately, and have had a full year to develop under the coaching staff. 
 
Wright has high expectations for 6-8 redshirt freshman Eric Dixon, who has the inside-out skillset of a Villanova stretch forward. 
 
“Eric Dixon, we love this dude,” said Wright. “Man, he’s a good basketball player. I think he’s going to help us next year. He really had a beneficial redshirt year.” 
 
In the backcourt, the Cats get a reinforcement, Tulane transfer Caleb Daniels, who sat out last season and will have two remaining years of eligibility. Daniels led the Green Wave in scoring in 2018-19 with 16.9 points to go with 3.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game. 
 
“He’s a tough guard,” said Gillespie, whose 1-on-1 game against Daniels served as the Tulane transfer’s introduction to Villanova Basketball during his visit. 
 
“He’s one of our bigger guards, a great combo guard,” Gillespie added. “He actually was the scout guy, the other team’s best player all year. We actually had a harder time stopping him a lot of the time than we did when we got into games. Caleb’s just really dynamic.” 

And don't forget about guard Bryan Antoine, the highly-regarded prospect who got off to a slow start as a freshman because of a shoulder injury. 
 
With the thought in mind that the Wildcats are presumably the team at the top of the table, who will contend with them? 
 
Creighton, which entered the BIG EAST Tournament this past season as hot as any team and sitting in the Top 10 nationally, has that makeup. Although the Bluejays lose Ty-Shon Alexander to the professional ranks, the co-reigning conference regular season champions return a BIG EAST Player of the Year candidate in Marcus Zegarowski at point guard and experienced wing Mitch Ballock. 
 
The biggest topic surrounding Creighton right now is the NBA Draft decisions from rising seniors Denzel Mahoney and Damien Jefferson. 
 
Mahoney, a Southeast Missouri State transfer, gave the Jays a different dimension when he became available at the semester break. In 21 games, the 6-5 combo player averaged 12.0 points per game. Jefferson, a New Mexico transfer, is Creighton’s returning leading rebounder at 5.5 boards to go along with 9.4 points per game.
 
In terms of Alexander departing, while Creighton will miss his scoring production, they may miss him more on the defensive end. According to kenpom.com metrics, Alexander was the top defensive player in the BIG EAST. 
 
The Jays will have an impact transfer in Tiger Antwann Jones, a transfer from Memphis who is expected to help in that defensive department with his 6-6 frame. Elsewhere on the roster, perhaps the biggest question mark is whether or not seven-footer Jacob Epperson can stay healthy. Creighton’s offense becomes that much more difficult to defend with a mobile post, as seen with NBA Draft selection Justin Patton a few years ago. While rising junior Christian Bishop has proven he can be a viable option in the frontcourt, Epperson could give Creighton a different dimension with his height. 
 
In terms of what happens beyond Villanova and Creighton, both of which are projected as Top 25 teams heading into the 2020-21 season, it’s a bit of a mystery in the BIG EAST. That only adds to the intrigue of UConn’s reentry into the conference. 
 
“The timing for us going into the best basketball conference in the country is really good,” said head coach Dan Hurley, who enters his third year at the helm for the Huskies. 
 
UConn, which won eight of its final 10 games this past year, returns over 70 percent of its scoring from last year and welcomes in a Top-25 recruiting class. 
 
In terms of what is known with the Huskies, they have a BIG EAST Player of the Year candidate in rising sophomore guard James Bouknight, who averaged 17.8 points per game over the final 10 games of his freshman season. 
 
“He’s just a special, special player,” said Hurley of the Brooklyn native. “He’s capable, at any moment, of changing a game and has that New York toughness.” 
 
Bouknight will likely have a new backcourt mate in R.J. Cole, and they will both have some strong wing play to involve in the offense. Four-star incoming prospect Andre Jackson is a name to watch, while Tyler Polley enters his senior season after averaging nearly double-figures last season.
 
Where could the Huskies potentially find separation in the BIG EAST? 
 
The frontcourt. 
 
The Huskies welcome four-star prospect Adama Sanogo, who Hurley says will play immediately.  Sophomore Akok Akok is hoping to return from an Achilles injury in January. With both at 6-9, if they can mesh together, the Huskies have the potential to possess one of the best frontcourts in the conference. 
 
One thing is certain: After two years of building a foundation, Hurley and UConn are poised to be a factor in their first season back in the conference.