Providence men’s basketball picked 5th in Big East preseason poll

NEW YORK, N.Y. — The Big East men’s basketball preseason coaches’ poll has Providence projected to finish fifth in the conference for the 2026-27 season.

The Friars received 59 out of 100 possible points in the poll.

UConn was picked to finish first with 98 points and eight first-place votes. St. John’s ranked second with 90 points and two first-place votes. Marquette received the other first-place vote.

Villanova was picked to finish third, followed by Marquette in fourth and Providence in fifth.

Xavier was sixth, followed by Creighton, DePaul, Seton Hall, Georgetown and Butler.

Providence also had one player named to the preseason All-Big East teams.

Miles Byrd was selected to the second team. The guard transferred to Providence from San Diego State after being named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year last season.

St. John’s had two players selected to the preseason All-Big East first team. Ian Jackson and Tounde Yessoufou both received the honor.

Yessoufou was also one of the conference’s unanimous first-team selections.

UConn guard Silas Demary Jr. was named the preseason Big East Player of the Year.

Demary was joined on the unanimous first team by UConn’s Braylon Mullins, Marquette’s Nigel James Jr. and St. John’s Tounde Yessoufou.

The second team also included UConn’s Na’jai Hines, Marquette’s Royce Parham, Villanova’s Devin Royal and Kwame Evans Jr., along with Providence’s Miles Byrd.