NEW YORK – UConn standout point guard Silas Demary Jr. was selected as the 2026-27 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year and teammate Colben Landrew was tabbed as the BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year by the league’s 11 head coaches. The coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own players, also voted on the preseason All-BIG EAST first, second, and third teams. In total, 10 of the 16 players selected to the preseason all-conference teams played in the BIG EAST a season ago.
2026-27 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year
Silas Demary Jr. – Senior – Guard – 6-4 – 191 – Raleigh, N.C.
Demary enters the 2026-27 season as one of the top players in the country and should be a fixture on watch lists for every major national award. Last season, the 6-4 point guard appeared in 39 of 40 games and earned a spot on both the All-BIG EAST first team and All-Defensive team. Demary averaged 10.1 points and 4.5 rebounds, while dishing out a league-best 5.9 assists per game. He reached double-figures on 21 occasions; UConn was 17-4 in those games.
2026-27 BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year
Colben Landrew – Freshman – Forward – 6-6 – 236 – McComb, Miss.
Landrew arrives in Storrs as a consensus five-star rated recruit out of Wheeler H.S. in Georgia. The 6-6 forward was named the 2025-26 Gatorade Georgia Boys Basketball Player of the Year and Mr. Georgia Basketball by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. This past June, he shined with Team USA at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup, averaging 11.3 points, 4.6 boards, 1.4 assists, and 1.4 steals in five games.
2026-27 Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team
There were three unanimous selections – all entering their second seasons of play – on the Preseason All-BIG EAST first team – UConn’s Braylon Mullins, Marquette’s Nigel James Jr., and Tounde Yessoufou from St. John’s. Ian Jackson of St. John’s and Tyler Perkins from Villanova round out the five-player first team. Four of the five players on the All-BIG EAST first team are returning players, while three are sophomores.
Mullins was a BIG EAST All-Freshman team selection a season ago and averaged 12.0 points, 3.5 boards, and 1.4 assists per game. He connected on 72 3-pointers as a rookie a year ago, including an iconic 35-footer with 0.3 seconds left to propel Huskies to their third Final Four in four seasons.
James was the 2025-26 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and All-BIG EAST third team pick. The 6-0 sophomore is one of the top returning guards in the nation. He averaged 16.4 points, 3.4 boards, 4.9 assists, and 2.0 steals and posted three 30-point performances in league play a season ago.
Yessoufou is a five-star ranked transfer from Baylor who averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 2.0 steals per game last season. An All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection, the 6-5 guard set new Baylor freshman records in points (605) and field goals made (226) in 2025-26.
Jackson is a talented scoring guard who averaged nearly 10.0 points in 18 minutes per game for St. John’s in 2025-26. He ranked among the team leaders in 3-pointers made (49) and reached double-digits in the scoring column on 16 occasions. The Red Storm were 14-2 in those games.
Perkins shined for Villanova last year, leading a balanced Wildcats offense at 13.7 points per game. The 6-4 guard was the 2025-26 BIG EAST Most Improved Player award and earned third team all-conference accolades. One of the top shooters in the nation, Perkins made 66 3-pointers at a nearly 40% clip last year.
2026-27 Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team
The preseason All-BIG EAST second team is represented by some of the top post players in the conference.
UConn sophomore Na’jai Hines is no stranger to BIG EAST play. The five-star ranked transfer from Seton Hall led the BIG EAST in blocks as a freshman (2.2) and was 25th most impactful center in the country in 2025-26 per EvanMiya’s BPR (Bayesian Performance Rating).
Marquette’s Royce Parham emerged as one of the top inside-out forwards over the second half of the 2025-26 season. He ranked among the BIG EAST leaders in field goal percentage, making better than 52% of his shot attempts, while averaging 16.4 points per game over his final seven contests.
Miles Byrd transferred to Providence from San Diego State where he was named the 2025-26 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the All-MWC third team. The 6-6 guard averaged 10.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game a season ago.
A pair of high-profile Villanova transfer forwards round out the second team. Kwame Evans Jr. is a five-star ranked transfer from Oregon. The 6-10 forward from Baltimore started all 30 games for the Ducks in 2025-26, averaging 13.3 points, 7.4 boards, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 blocks. Devin Royal contributed nearly 14.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game a season ago at Ohio State, registering three double-doubles in 32 starts last year.
2026-27 Preseason All-BIG EAST Third Team
Due to a tie in the voting, six players comprise the preseason All-BIG EAST third team. Four of the six players are BIG EAST returnees, including a pair of Creighton standouts – Oswin Erhunmwunse and Jackson McAndrew. The 6-10 Erhunmwunse played the previous two seasons at Providence and ranks as one of the top rim protectors in the country. McAndrew missed much of the 2025-26 season due to injury, but the stretch wing is set to make an impactful return to the Bluejay lineup.
Layden Blocker has played a key role in DePaul’s BIG EAST resurgence during his time at the Chicago school. The senior point guard averaged 11.1 points and ranked among the BIG EAST leaders in assists, steals, and free throw percentage a season ago.
Marquette’s Sananda Fru is a five-star ranked transfer from Louisville. The 6-11 senior appeared in 35 games, averaging 9.0 points and 6.1 rebounds while connecting on better than 75% of his shot attempts in 2025-26. He also blocked a team-best 50 shots last season.
Xavier’s Jovan Milicevic shined in his first season in the league, scoring 12.4 points per game a year ago. The 6-10 forward ranked among the league leaders in 3-point shooting – making 67 3-pointers at a nearly 43% rate - during the 2025-26 campaign. Teammate Mike Nwoko is a transfer from LSU who averaged 13.4 points and 5.9 boards in 22 minutes per game last year. The 6-10 senior posted five 20-point performances.
2026-27 BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Preseason Honors
PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Silas Demary Jr., UConn, Sr., G, 6-4, 191, Raleigh, N.C.
PRESEASON FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Colben Landrew, UConn, Fr., F, 6-6, 236, McComb, Miss.
PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM
Braylon Mullins, UConn, So., G, 6-6, 198, Greenfield, Ind. *
Nigel James Jr., Marquette, So., G, 6-0, 195, Huntington, N.Y. *
Ian Jackson, St. John’s, Jr., G, 6-5, 200, Bronx, N.Y.
Tounde Yessoufou, St. John’s, So. G, 6-5, 220, Cotondou, Benin *
Tyler Perkins, Villanova, Sr., G, 6-4, 212, Lorton, Va.
* unanimous selection
PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM
Na’jai Hines, UConn, F, So., 6-11, 278, Plainfield, N.J.
Royce Parham, Marquette, Jr., F, 6-9, 235, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Miles Byrd, Providence, Gr., G, 6-6, 200, Stockton, Calif.
Kwame Evans Jr., Villanova, Sr., F, 6-10, 220, Baltimore, Md.
Devin Royal, Villanova, Sr., F, 6-6, 230, Columbus, Ohio
PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST THIRD TEAM
Oswin Erhunmwunse, Creighton, Jr., C, 6-10, 235, Benin City, Nigeria
Jackson McAndrew, Creighton, Jr., F, 6-10, 225, Wayzata, Minn.
Layden Blocker, DePaul, Sr., G, 6-2, 193, Little Rock, Ark.
Sananda Fru, Marquette, Sr., F, 6-11, 250, Berlin, Germany
Jovan Milicevic, Xavier, Jr., F, 6-10, 241, Toronto, Ontario
Mike Nwoko, Xavier, Sr., F, 6-10, 260, Toronto, Ontario