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Since the Big East reconfigured itself a decade ago, Villanova and Jay Wright have not just dominated the league; they’ve pretty much carried it. The Wildcats’ success lofted the “new” Big East into the national picture and helped boost the profile of every team in the conference. Now that Wright has retired, who’s got next?

Two dominant storylines

Can Creighton assume the mantle?

Opportunity is practically knocking the door down in Omaha, where Greg McDermott returns a legit top-10 team at the same time that Villanova transitions to a new coach.  The Bluejays have won but one Big East regular-season title since joining the league, and advanced to one Sweet 16. Now or never might be too extreme, but it better be now.

What’s old is new again

Three new coaches roll into the Big East this season, but new is a bit of a stretch for each of them. Shaheen Holloway takes over at Seton Hall, where he starred as a player and served as an assistant under Kevin Willard, while Thad Matta and Sean Miller both return to the places that made them famous as head coaches — Butler and Xavier, respectively. That familiarity has the fan bases at each school anticipating big — and immediate — results. Can they deliver?

Three players to watch

Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton: Beating Kansas in the second round last year might have been a big ask regardless, but doing it without Kalkbrenner, who injured his knee against San Diego State, made it near impossible. Kalkbrenner is not just a good scorer with an expanded range to his game, he’s a great defender. If the Bluejays are going to be the team people expect them to be, it will be because Kalkbrenner is the force he’s capable of being.

Posh Alexander, St. John’s: Alexander is a prototypical nasty, mean, tough, defensively-hungry Big East guard, and near tailor-made for Mike Anderson. He tried to be a one-man wrecking crew for the Red Storm last year — averaging 13.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.3 steals — but now he doesn’t have to go it alone. Adding Andre Curbelo to the backcourt should make Alexander even better.

Adama Sonogo, UConn: The league’s preseason player of the year was a load for the Huskies last year but will be asked to do even more this year after Dan Hurley lost 65 percent of his scoring. He’s more than capable and could be the difference between UConn just making the NCAA Tournament, as its done in the last two years, and advancing deep in it.

Top newcomer

Cam Whitmore, Villanova: The big presumption here is that Whitmore recovers from the thumb injury that required surgery. Villanova said he would be re-evaluated in early November, which doesn’t mean that he’s returning in early November. Assuming he can take the court, he’s not only got the game to star — he led Team USA with 18.7 points per game in the FIBA U18 Americas Championship this summer — but Villanova needs him to be exceptional this year if the Wildcats want to be exceptional, too. Perfect combination of talent and opportunity.

Coach who needs to win

Patrick Ewing, Georgetown: After winning zero games in the Big East a year ago, this one is easy. Hopes of restoring Georgetown under the Hoya great have not gone well; actually, it’s been horrific — one winning season overall, just one .500 finish in the league. Georgetown wants no part in firing its legend, but it may not have a choice.

Predicted league finish

1. Creighton: Four returning starters, including Kalkbrenner, put the Bluejays in position for not just their best Big East season, but maybe their best postseason, too. The big bonus, though, is South Dakota State transfer Baylor Scheierman. The last two years, Creighton has been a terrific defensive team — 19th in KenPom last season — but its offense has not quite matched its defensive output. Scheierman, the Summit League Player of the Year, and a career 41 percent shooter from the arc, should change that.

2. UConn: Some could argue this is too high but the Huskies feel more solidified right now than the others right beneath them. Mostly because Sanogo is the concrete in Storrs. The big man averaged 14.8 and 8.8 a year ago, and will now become even more of a focal point for Hurley’s team. Expect Jordan Hawkins, the uber-athletic wing, to take a jump, too, now that there’s more opportunity for him to get the ball.

3. Villanova: Every year in recent memory, the Wildcats have had one (and sometimes two) players you knew would get the ball with the game on the line. Who is that this year? That’s the biggest question for Kyle Neptune in his first year. His obvious alphas are out for a bit — Whitmore with a broken thumb, and Justin Moore still recovering from the torn Achilles he suffered last March. If Villanova finds its “it” guy, the Cats could certainly win the league again. But it feels a lot less certain this season.

4. Xavier: The Musketeers won the NIT last year … and fired their coach. To say that Miller has big expectations is an understatement. The good news: He’s got plenty to work with — four starters back from last season, including the versatile Colby Jones, and the double dose of Jack Nunge and Zach Freemantle. So it’s a matter of whether or not that crew is actually better than their finish (and late February swan dive) last season, and Miller can take them there, or was the NIT their ceiling?

5. Providence: Ed Cooley masterfully melded a team of transfers and old veterans last season, leading the Friars to the Sweet 16. This season, though, there is a lot of new and not so much old, as Cooley went yard on the transfer portal, with five additions. How they all fit together, and how Jared Bynum directs the traffic will determine where Providence lands. It’s worth noting, though, the Friars were picked seventh last year and won the league.

6. St. John’s: The Red Storm will be one of the most fascinating teams to watch in the country. The big question is will it be good fascinating, or more like rubbernecking on the highway? Alexander and Curbelo have a chance to be the dynamic, typical Big East backcourt that could key tike Anderson’s defensive disruption and lead St. John’s on offense. Or it could fall apart fantastically if the two top dogs can’t figure out how to work together.

7. Seton Hall: People don’t really appreciate how much Kevin Willard helped the Hall hit above its station. Holloway does. He knows his job isn’t nearly as easy as Willard made it look, hence why he went deep into the portal (seven players) to try to get old fast. But that could take some time to work out — especially as injury and COVID-19 have robbed the Pirates of quality practice time together in the preseason. The Pirates could very well be a team that gets better — and dangerous — as the season progresses.

8. Marquette: Shaka Smart has opted, at least for this season, to get old the old-fashioned way — by returning players and building a nucleus. He added no one from the transfer portal, and instead will rely on Tyler Kolek, Kam Jones and Olivier Maxence-Prosper to simply take the next step and fill the void left by Daryl Morsell and Justin Lewis. It could work — the Golden Eagles rode a seven-game January win streak into an eventual tourney berth last year.

9. Butler: Matta has been out of coaching for five years, but clearly had no trouble adjusting to the new world of college hoops. He scored three big adds from the portal, with Manny Bates (NC State), Ali Ali (Akron) and Eric Hunter, Jr. (Purdue) joining to bolster a roster that lost four players. The Bulldogs very well could be a team that rises up the rankings if those new pieces gel.

10. DePaul: There’s a reason that Tony Stubblefield is the fourth coach at DePaul in the last 13 years: This is a really hard job. He wisely opted to add some talent via the portal in Umoja Gibson (Oklahoma) and Caleb Murphy (USF) but lost his top three scorers from last season. The climb is arduous.

11. Georgetown: Qudus Wahab is a boomerang transfer, opting to leave Georgetown for Maryland in 2021, only to double back to the Hoyas this offseason. When last he left, he averaged 12.7 points and 8.2 rebounds. Partnering him with UConn transfer Akok Akok certainly makes the frontcourt intriguing for Ewing, who presumably knows a thing or two about coaching big men. But the rest of the roster includes only five guys who saw time a year ago, on a team that went 0-19 in the conference.

(Top photo of Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images)