Creighton finished second in the Preseason Poll with 91 points and the remaining first-place vote. Providence earned third with 71 points, followed by St. John’s (67) and Georgetown (66) to round out the top five. Villanova (56) was picked sixth, Seton Hall earned seventh (51) and Butler took eighth (46). DePaul heads into the season ranked ninth in the preseason poll with 24 points, closely followed by Marquette (23). Xavier rounded out the 11-team poll with 10 points.

In 2023-24 UConn went 33-6, including a perfect 18-0 record in BIG EAST play, capturing both the regular season and tournament titles. The team advanced to the Final Four of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on a miracle run with just six players in the regular rotation. No. 2 UConn’s top returners include two-time BIG EAST Player of the Year, redshirt senior Paige Bueckers, redshirt junior Azzi Fudd, sophomore KK Arnold, and reigning freshman of the year, Ashlynn Shade. Fudd is back after suffering an ACL injury last season. UConn welcomes the No. 1-ranked recruit in the Class of 2024, freshman Sarah Strong who recently led the United States U18 3x3 team to gold at the FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup 2024 for her third-straight gold medal. Morgan Cheli and Allie Ziebell, the No. 7 and No. 11 ranked recruits by ESPN, respectively, begin their collegiate career with the Huskies. Princeton transfer graduate student guard Kaitlyn Chen will finish her career at UConn after being named the 2023 Ivy League Player of the Year. Head Coach Geno Auriemma is just four wins away from becoming the winningest coach in Division I college basketball history. He is behind recently retired Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer (1,216). The Huskies have another tough non-conference schedule, including notable matchups against North Carolina, Louisville, Notre Dame, USC, Tennessee, South Carolina, and others.

Coming off a third straight NCAA Tournament berth, Creighton returns seven players from last year, including Lauren Jensen, Morgan Maly, and Molly Mogensen. The Bluejays were ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press Preseason Top-25 Poll. Head Coach Jim Flanery begins his 22nd year as Creighton’s all-time victory leader with a record of 401-262 (.605). Creighton went 26-6 overall and 15-3 in BIG EAST play a season ago, finishing in second place in the standings and advancing to the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals. The Bluejays have earned five NCAA Tournament berths since joining the BIG EAST before the 2013-14 season. They most recently made it through to the second round where they fell to No. 6 UCLA (67-63).

Providence returns an experienced squad, including six upperclassmen. Two notable returners include Olivia Olsen, Grace Efosa, and Brynn Farrell. Olsen, a 2023-24 All-BIG EAST Second Team honoree, finished the season with 12 double-doubles. Efosa averaged 12.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and was named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team. Farrell enters the year with a .816 free-throw percentage and 10.2 points per game. The Friars went 13-21 overall and 6-12 in BIG EAST play in 2023-24 and reached the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. Providence advanced to the WNIT’s Second Round under the leadership of head coach Erin Batth.

St. John’s (18-15, 11-8 BIG EAST) looks to replace leading scorers Unique Drake and Jillian Archer. Ber’Nyah Mayo returns after finishing last season averaging 10.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 33 games. The Red Storm welcomes four transfers, including Miami transfer Lashae Dwyer who played 35 games for the Hurricanes. St. John’s earned one of the BIG EAST’s four bids to the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) where they made it to the second round last season.

Georgetown finished sixth in the standings last season at 9-9, going 23-12 overall last year. Darnell Haney was named head coach of the Hoyas in March of 2024 after leading the team to 22 wins as interim head coach. The team’s nine wins marked the most conference victories since the 2018-19 season. Haney led his squad to an incredible run in the BIG EAST Tournament as the sixth-seeded Hoyas won three straight games to advance to the BIG EAST championship game for the first time in program history. The road to the title game also included a victory over then-No. 21 Creighton in Georgetown's first win over a team ranked in the AP poll since 2016. The Hoyas were selected to participate in the WBIT for their first postseason run since 2019. The reigning BIG EAST Co-Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-BIG EAST honoree Kelsey Ransom is back after leading the Hoyas with 14.1 points per game.

Villanova recorded its third consecutive 20-win season with a 22-13 overall record and an 11-7 conference mark. The Wildcats earned a bid to the first-ever WBIT where they registered wins over VCU, Virginia, Saint Joseph’s, and Penn State before losing to Illinois in the title game. The Wildcats look to replace Lucy Olsen, Christina Dalce, Bella Runyan, and Zanai Jones. Villanova welcomes Holy Cross transfer Bronagh Power-Cassidy to the 2024-25 squad. The two-time Patriot League Championship MVP averaged 16.8 points and 4.9 rebounds in her final season as a Crusader. Villanova opens its season against ACC opponent Wake Forest on Sunday, November 10.

Savannah Catalon and Amari Wright are back and will look to lead Seton Hall in 2024-25. Catalon heads into her sophomore season after averaging 7.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 31 games. Wright finished last season second in the conference in assists per game (5.3). The Pirates lost their top two scorers – Azana Baines (14.7 ppg) and Micah Gray (11.9 ppg) but bring in an experienced group of transfers, including Faith Masonius from Maryland, Nicole Melious from La Salle, Kayden Lawson from Virginia, and Messiah Huner from West Virginia.

Butler’s second-year head coach Austin Parkinson returns eight players, including top point producer Caroline Strande (15.1 ppg). The Bulldogs added a veteran wing in Kilyn McGuff from Belmont who started 33 games for the Bruins. Butler went 15-17 overall and 6-12 in BIG EAST play to tie for ninth in the standings.

DePaul return its No. 2 and No. 3 scorers in Jorie Allen and Kate Clarke, respectively. The Blue Demons added six freshmen to their young roster. DePaul fell to Seton Hall in the BIG EAST First Round, finishing the year 12-20 overall and 4-14 in conference play. Jill M. Pizzotti has assumed the role of interim head coach as Doug Bruno experienced a medical incident in September.

Cara Consuegra will coach her first year at the helm at Marquette after spending 13 seasons at Charlotte. The Golden Eagles went 23-9 overall and tied for third in BIG EAST play with an 11-7 league mark. They made their third NCAA Tournament appearance in the last four years but fell in the first round to Ole Miss. Marquette looks to fill the roles of its leading scorers, Liza Karlen, Jordan King, and Mackenzie Hare, from last year.

Billi Chambers enters her second year at Xavier after a 1-27 overall record in 2023-24. The Musketeers return Aizhanique Mayo, Daniela Lopez, and Tae’lor Purvis, and welcome Loren Christie and four others.