Despite being picked for a fourth-place finish in the preseason coaches poll, the Johnnies limped to a seventh-place spot in the Big East.
There was a hunch that the Big East conference would be at its best in the 2021-22 season, given it regained Connecticut in the prior campaign and was considering expansion for the first time since the 2010-2013 realignment. Few expected the conference to be quite as good as the season shook out, with six teams qualifying for the NCAA Tournament and a couple bubble teams faltering down the stretch. Gaining an arsenal of transfer students to compliment the solidified All-Big East talents Julian Champagnie and Posh Alexander, the Johnnies’ were slated to finish fourth in the preseason coaches poll.