After UConn's men's basketball team captured every headline in the Big East and throughout the country last year with a historic 37-3 record and a second consecutive national championship, the conference carries more intrigue at the top this season.
Heading into the weekend, there are four teams with seven or more conference wins, which has made for a competitive regular-season title race, and at least one more NCAA Tournament team. Last season, only three teams from the Big East – UConn, Marquette and Creighton – made the Big Dance, with all three advancing to the second weekend.
With a non-conference season that felt rather similar to last year, things appeared to be heading in a similar direction this season, but Creighton's recent six-game winning streak and a résumé featuring a win over Kansas and a road victory over UConn puts the Jays in a good spot, along with No. 9 Marquette, No. 15 St. John's and No. 25 UConn.
The spotlight in the conference right now is in New York City, where St. John's Basketball is humming in Year 2 of the Rick Pitino era. The Johnnies are 18-3 overall and 9-1 in Big East play, good for their best start in conference play since 1984-85. That year, Lou Carnesecca took the program to its last Final Four.
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How has this transformation happened so quickly? Year 2 of the Pitino era throughout the four-decade course of the Hall of Famer's career has brought significant leaps from the time he was at Boston University to Providence, when he took the program to the Final Four in 1987, to Kentucky to Louisville and even Iona.
"A lot of people ask me what the secret is about the second year being really successful in my tenures and think it was some sort of special science," Pitino told FOX Sports. "It's really just a matter of the guys fully understanding what I'm about, having that year under their belt and them understanding how much you have to hate losing to play for me."
The Johnnies have shown that urgency throughout this season, especially on the defensive end of the floor, where they rank fourth in the country in efficiency and have been the best defensive team in the conference, allowing only 63.3 points per game and forcing 17 turnovers per contest. The shoulder injury to Deivon Smith, who has missed three of the last four contests, could end up being a blessing in disguise, provided he comes back healthy, because it has allowed Seton Hall transfer Kadary Richmond to find his footing without looking over his shoulder. Combine Smith and Richmond with RJ Luis and big man Zuby Ejiofor, and the Johnnies are blitzing teams defensively and can get to the rim and rebound at a high level, wearing teams down in the second half.
The Red Storm sit at the top of the league at 9-1, tied with a Marquette team that should not be taken for granted. It's amazing what Shaka Smart has done in four years in Milwaukee, taking the program to its first Sweet 16 since 2013 and boasting a record of 40-10 in the Golden Eagles' last 50 Big East games.
Marquette is the only high-major program in men's college basketball to not lose anybody or take anybody from the transfer portal in the last three seasons.
The roster continuity has led the Golden Eagles to strong non-conference performances, posting wins over Purdue, Wisconsin, Maryland and Georgia. While many other teams are trying to figure out what they have, Marquette knows who it is and plays to its strengths. This team also has an All-American in Kam Jones, who has been sensational, averaging 19 points, six assists and five rebounds per game, while Stevie Mitchell is one of the most indispensable players in the league and epitomizes so much of what Smart is about.
The Golden Eagles' 6-0 start in conference play was their best since 2008-09, and they now find themselves in the hunt for a second Big East regular-season crown in three years.
That leads us to the red-hot Creighton Bluejays, who began the season 4-3 and lost one of their top scorers, Pop Isaacs, to a season-ending hip injury. But 15th-year head coach Greg McDermott has yet again proved why he's one of the best in the country, with Ryan Kalkbrenner charging the Jays inside, Steven Ashworth steering the ship at point guard, and Jamiya Neal figuring out how to be a steady wing.
But the most compelling question in this league: What does the rest of the year hold for Dan Hurley and UConn?
The Huskies have been inconsistent, going 4-3 without standout freshman Liam McNeeley, who is out with an ankle injury. The team's schedule is about to really rev up with a top 25 showdown in Milwaukee against Marquette on Saturday (8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App) before they host St. John's on Friday, Feb. 7 (8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App).
The Huskies have gone from being a top-10 KenPom defense each of the last two years to being a sub-120 team in that column, while Alex Karaban and Hassan Diarra look a bit worn down right now. Solo Ball has taken a nice leap and Michigan transfer Tarris Reed has looked promising at times, but Connecticut is closer to a 7 or 8-seed right now than they are to a top-4 seed in the bracket. The Huskies could land somewhere in the 5 or 6-seed range, but they need McNeeley back to have any shot of making something happen.
Here are some rapid fire honorees and other big things to watch:
NCAA Tournament locks: Marquette, UConn, St. John's
Should be in barring something extreme: Creighton
Bubble: Xavier
The Musketeers don't have a bad loss on their résumé and own wins at Marquette and at home against UConn, but that win in Milwaukee is their only Quad 1 victory. That said, this team scheduled correctly and don't have anything on their résumé that is a huge negative. They can only afford one February loss based on their league schedule, if that. Up next: Georgetown at 8:30 p.m. ET Tuesday on FS1. That's a must-win.
Player of the Year: Kam Jones, Marquette
He's had the best season of any player in the league and the Golden Eagles are the top-ranked team in the conference because of the senior guard.
Dark Horse for Player of the Year: RJ Luis, St. John's
Averaging 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game, the 6-foot-7 wing is such a dynamic two-way player who embodies what Rick Pitino is all about.
Freshman of the Year: Thomas Sorber, Georgetown
He leads all freshmen with seven double-doubles and is the first Georgetown freshman since Othella Harrington to lead the program in points, rebounds and blocks.
Defensive Player of the Year: Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
"He changes your entire game plan because of his presence," Dan Hurley told me of the three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year. The 7-1 center can join Patrick Ewing as the only other player to win the honor four times.
Coach of the Year: Rick Pitino and Shaka Smart
Did you know Pitino has never won the award? What his team is doing is magical, but Smart lost Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro and is somehow the coach of one of the top 10 teams in America. And don't sleep on McDermott to be in the mix, especially if Creighton challenges for the conference crown.
Upcoming Big East dates to mark on the calendar:
Feb 1: UConn @ Marquette (FOX)
Feb 4: Marquette @ St. John's (FS1)
Feb 7: St. John's @ UConn (FOX)
Feb 8: Marquette @ Creighton (FOX)
Feb 11: UConn @ Creighton (CBS Sports Network)
Feb 16: Creighton @ St. John's (FS1)
Feb 23: UConn @ St. John's (FOX)
Mar 5: Marquette @ UConn (FS1)
Mar 8: St. John's @ Marquette (FOX)
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him at @John_Fanta.
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