Only two days are in the books for the 2025-26 season, but already nine Big East teams have taken the floor for their debuts. From an analytical standpoint, the opening performances were a mixed-bag — at least relative to preseason rankings.
Five of the nine teams to have already played improved on their preseason KenPom rating, with Seton Hall's +1.83 jump in adjusted efficiency being the 17th-biggest in the country. Conversely, wins by Providence and Xavier did not meet expectation, leading to the 12th and 15th-largest falls from preseason AdjEM on opening day, respectively.
But there's plenty more to discuss than just single-night changes from a preseason system. As such, why not jump into the first edition of the weekly Big East round-up right away? From Georgetown building on its exhibition success to head coaches making their debuts at Xavier and Villanova, let's dive in.
Georgetown returning to the Cooley blueprint on O.
I wrote last week about how crucial free-throw rate has been for Ed Cooley’s offenses when evaluating KJ Lewis as a potential defining addition. To summarize, Georgetown ranked 348th in free-throw rate last season, despite Cooley-coached teams finishing in the top 130 in 11 of the prior 14 seasons and never worse than 168th. Well, if the season-opener against Morgan State is any indication, the new Hoyas are returning to the usual Cooley model.
Georgetown took 39 free throws against the Bears, a number that would have eclipsed any of its free-throw attempt totals from all of last season (season-high was 28). Looking back at the preseason exhibitions shows the opener isn’t likely to be a one-off. Georgetown attempted 19 free throws against Georgetown and 23 against Kentucky. Adding in the win over Morgan State, and they have a .445 free-throw rate through three documented games. For reference, Georgetown only eclipsed that mark in five of 34 games last season.
After a slow start that included only five points in the first 6:50, Georgetown never led by fewer than eight over the final 24:57 against Morgan State. The Hoyas shot only 43.1% from the field, but overcoming poor shooting with foul-drawing is in the Cooley blueprint. His eight* NCAA Tournament teams have averaged ranking 202nd in eFG% and 85th in FTR.
How about some foul shots in Milwaukee, too?
Unlike other teams with televised exhibitions and public box scores, Marquette’s opener against Albany was the first chance for many to see the squad. The Golden Eagles didn’t mess around, either, leading for the entire final 34:32 en route to an 80-53 final score.
Marquette did not shoot well (41.4% FG, 20.8% 3P) but its 39 free throw attempts were a program-high since Nov. 25, 2020; they had not shot even over 30 attempts in a game in any of the last three seasons. Marquette's defensive pressure also thrived, creating 16 points off 23 turnovers (18 steals); five different Golden Eagles notched multiple steals, including five from Chase Ross, who also led the team in points (15) and assists (5).
Looking into the minutes distribution, the first half tells the best story. Marquette never led by more than 11 first half, whereas the second half allowed more minutes for deeper bench options. The Golden Eagles started Sean Jones, Ross, Zaide Lowery, Ben Gold, and Caedin Hamilton — the first four of whom played 12+ minutes each in the first half. From a depth standpoint, 12 total Marquette players saw the floor in the first half.
He missed some time with an injury against Albany, but you'll want to familiarize yourself with freshman Nigel James.
Seton Hall swats away Saint Peter's.
It was a block party in the Prudential Center for Seton Hall's season opener against Saint Peter's. Led by freshman big man Najai Hines, who recorded six blocks himself off the bench, Seton Hall posted the highest block rate (32.1%) of any Division I team to take the floor on opening night. The Pirates finished with more blocked shots (9) than Saint Peter's had made 2-point field goals (8).
Offensively, if you thought Georgetown and Marquette attempted a lot of free throws, it was actually Seton Hall that led Big East teams in free-throw rate on opening night. The Pirates converted 30-of-36 (83.3%) at the line as well, a welcome sight after the program ranked 341st in FT% a year ago.
If the first-half minutes distribution was any indication, expect Seton Hall to rely heavily on its bench again this season after ranking 19th in bench minutes percentage last year; 10 players saw at least six minutes before halftime.
The biggest takeaway, though, is that Najai Hines looked good. Seton Hall needs a ceiling-raiser this season, and he already appears to be the top candidate:
Xavier hangs on late in Richard Pitino’s opener.
Xavier entered its opener against Marist as a 16-point favorite on KenPom, but it did not look the part early. The Musketeers scored only two points in the first five minutes of the game, and didn’t take their first lead of the contest until 3:45 left in the first half (17-16). And while they found their rhythm in the game’s intermediate, building a 20-point lead by the 16:38 mark in the second half, that dissipated into a one-point deficit late (60-59 with 3:22 left).
Marist didn’t make a field goal from that point forward, though, and a Jovan Milicevic 3-pointer with 1:46 left put Xavier ahead for good. It may not have been pretty relative to expectations, but ugly wins are still wins. With this one now in the back pocket, how did the tempo and play style match how Pitino-coached teams have performed in the past?
The single-game sample size is not even close to enough to draw substantive conclusions from, but Xavier's tempo was down compared to what Pitino-coached teams had posted against sub-200 KenPom opponents over the previous four seasons. From a shot-selection standpoint, the Musketeers continued a trend of more 3s from Pitino-coached teams. Again, the sample size is not nearly enough, but it is all we have to go on so far.
As far as individual performances go, Malik Messina-Moore was the top man with 16 points on 4-for-10 shooting. Perhaps the most important performer was Valparaiso transfer All Wright, though. On a night in which Xavier attempted more 3s than a usual Pitino-coached team, Wright’s 4-for-5 shooting was needed amid his teammates combining to shoot 3-for-21. Milicevic and Tre Carroll also reached double-figures.
Villanova shows potential in close loss to top-10 BYU
Villanova lost its season-opener to nationally-ranked BYU but put up an intense fight in the five-point defeat. The Wildcats fell behind by double-digits on several occasions, but stayed within enough reach for a Bryce Lindsay barrage to take a lead with 6:28 left to play. BYU closed out the game from that point forward, but there is a lot to be encouraged about from 'Nova's perspective.
First and foremost, Lindsay lived up to his reputation as a shooter. The James Madison transfer was the only Wildcat to make more than one 3-pointer, hitting five en route to leading the team in scoring. Additionally, Grand Canyon transfer Duke Brennan was a monster on the glass, nearly posting a double-double of eight points and 15 boards.
Villanova not only outrebounded BYU but also dominated the second-chance points battle (38-7). Kevin Willard-coached teams have ranked in the upper half of the nation in offensive rebounding rate in 11 straight seasons, and his first Villanova team appears in good shape to continue that streak through one game.
The downside was the play of freshman Acaden Lewis, who posted just five points and three assists on 1-for-6 shooting. He was also off the floor for Nova's comeback, sitting the entire last 14:55. Still, he played well in the preseason and will likely bounce back; the fact that Villanova hung with BYU without Lewis playing well might actually be encouraging for the full-season outlook.
Villanova would have obviously preferred to earn the victory, but the performance wasn't without its pluses.
Headlining games to watch in the coming week
Nov. 7: Georgetown at Maryland
I know, I know, Kentucky was down some key pieces, but Georgetown still turned heads in the preseason when it won in Rupp Arena. Now, the Hoyas have the chance to draw regular-season attention with a road game at Maryland. Georgetown only committed seven turnovers in its win over Morgan State, but will now face a Maryland team that forced 20 giveaways against Coppin State (and is coached by Buzz Williams, who has led six of his last seven teams to top-65 TO% defensive ranks).
Nov. 8: St. John’s vs. Alabama
Arguably one of the best games of the opening week across all of college basketball, St. John's looks to build on some impressive statistics from its opening win over Quinnipiac. Offensively, the Red Storm shot 8-for-19 (42.1%) from three and dissuaded some point guard concerns by dishing out assists on 25 of 39 made field goals; seven players recorded 2+ assists. Defensively, St. John's forced 22 turnovers.
Nov. 9: Marquette vs. Indiana (in Chicago)
Marquette still has another home game to play (vs. Southern) before its first high-major test against Indiana this weekend, but fans can play lookahead more than the players and coaches. And with the Colts playing in London in the morning and the Packers slated for Monday night, Marquette/Indiana's early-afternoon tip time on Sunday feels perfect. This matchup is the first of four games against the Big Ten on Marquette's schedule (the Golden Eagles will also play Maryland, Wisconsin, and Purdue before mid-December).
