Our college basketball preview finishes up with a look at UConn's return to the Big East. After going a perfect 139-0 in the American, the Huskies will see a significant uptick in league play. Though it's not going to be the heyday of the Big East, when UConn grappled with Rutgers, then Louisville and Notre Dame, but there are multiple top-25 programs who could challenge the Huskies.
DePaul: Since UConn left after the 2012-13 season, the Blue Demons have been the class of the league, winning five of seven Big East Tournament titles, including each of the last three. Off a 28-5 campaign, Doug Bruno's screw loses its top scorer (Chante Stonewall; 17.4 PPG), rebounder and distributor (Kelly Campbell; 8.1 RPG and 6.1 APG).
Still, DePaul brings back three double-figure scorers from last year in Sonya Morris, Lexi Held and Deja Church, and DePaul can score with the best of them. If you remember their meeting with UConn last year, they trailed 55-29 at the half before storming all the way back in the fourth quarter, at one point cutting the Husky lead to four.
Marquette: The Golden Eagles have become one of the most consistent teams in the conference, winning at least 20 games in four straight seasons. That include a 24-8 finish a season ago that ended with a fourth straight trip to the Big East Tourney title game, where they lost to DePaul. It came despite a ninth place prediction in the preseason poll, as former Notre Dame standout Megan Duffy blew away expectations in her first season on the bench.
This year's edition sees the return of leading senior scorers Selena Lott (15.5 PPG) and Lauren Van Kleunen (11.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG), with a number of depth players behind that crash the glass -- their +10.7 rebounding margin was fourth in the nation last season.
St. John's: The Johnnies were firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble after a 19-12 season, and while they're set at the top, they lose a lot of depth. Their leading scorers Qadashah Hoppie (15.4 PPG; 38% from three) and Leilani Correa (12.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG) are both back, with Correa likely moving into the starting lineup after winning Sixth Woman of the Year honors as a freshman. Beyond that, more will be needed from sophomores Kadaja Bailey and Emma Nolan, who combined for 11 points and 6 rebounds per game. Another season on the bubble looks likely.
Creighton: UConn has only played the Blue Jays once all-time, as they weren't in the league when the Huskies transitioned to the American. Creighton is coming off a 19-11 season in '19-20, where they bolstered the league's Player of the Year in Jaylyn Agnew. Unfortunately she graduated, meaning the team loses its top scorer (20.8 PPG), rebounder (6.3 RPG) and distributor (3.3 APG) all at once. Losing Olivia Elger, another double-figure scorer, doesn't help either, as those two combined accounted for nearly half of the team's points and made threes. So who is the new go-to? Temi Carda was a pre-season All-Big East selection as the leading returning scorer (12.9 PPG).
Seton Hall: The Pirates lose their top two scorers off a 19-win season, but Desiree Elmore returns for her senior season after averaging 13 points and 7.2 rebounds (she's also from Hartford, graduating from Capital Prep). Here's a fun fact: Connecticut has played no opponent more times than Seton Hall's 60, with the Huskies leading the all-time series 50-10, riding a 30-game win streak. It's fitting that UConn's return to the Big East sees them travel to South Orange on December 6.
Villanova: Close behind Seton Hall is Villanova (53 all-time meetings vs. Connecticut), who underwent its first coaching change in 43 years this off-season. Harry Perretta, a longtime friend of Geno Auriemma and a Women's Basketball Hall of Famer, retired after 42 years at the school. Though the Wildcats haven't replicated their early-2000s success - they've made just three NCAA Tournaments since reaching the Elite 8 in 2003 - they've won at least 18 games in nine straight years.
In comes Denise Dillon, who played for Perretta and achieved great success as a coach at a nearby Philly school in Drexel. She inherits the reigning Big East Freshman of the Year in Maddy Siegrist (19.3 PPG; 9.1 RPG), which is a solid start. Beyond that... there are a lot of question marks.
Butler: The Huskies have never played the Bulldogs, so it will be an entirely new experience when they come to Storrs on December 15. A 19-win team last year, Butler loses five seniors from the roster, including leading scorer and rebounder Kristen Spolyar. Oumou Toure is the leading returning in both categories (9.1 PPG; 6.1 RPG) but the key might be Tenley Dowell, who was off to a good start in her collegiate debut before suffering a season-ending injury.
Providence: After a sub-.500 season there was a mass exodus from the program, with five players transferring out of the program. However, most of them were role players last year. Leading scorer Mary Baskerville (11.8 PPG; 7.6 RPG; 1.8 blocks) is back and should see an uptick in minutes, as she only averaged 20.7 last year (side note: the Connecticut native is the Enfield High's all-time leading scorer). The Friars have only had one winning season in a decade, so there's work to do.
Georgetown: Late in the Huskies' first tenure in the Big East, the Hoyas were a consistent NCAA Tournament team. Then they went 15-16 in UConn's final year in the league, and it's been a struggle since. They haven't made a Big Dance since 2012, and made just one WNIT appearance in that span. Things bottomed out last year, with a 5-25 seasons and they're starting over. Three seniors graduated and five underclassmen transferred. Only one returner, Anita Kelava, averaged more than 13 minutes a game last year. It'll be a long season in DC.