Big East Energy Weekly

About Big East Energy Weekly

Join Co-Host's Mark Zanetto and Casey Matthews for Big East Energy Weekly, On the Big East Energy Network! It's your all-access pass to everything Big East basketball and beyond. Hosted by passionate hoops heads who live and breathe the conference, this podcast delivers sharp analysis, hot takes, player interviews, and plenty of banter about the teams, rivalries, and moments that define Big East hoops. Whether you’re a diehard fan or just here for the madness, get your fix of weekly recaps, previews, and bold predictions—because in the Big East, the energy never stops.

Publisher

Big East Energy

Category

news · sports

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

26 Mar 2025

Latest episode

16 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

51 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   16 Oct 2026

   BREAKING: Dink Pate Bolts, Kelsey Testifies & St. John's Goes Global

   Louisville's Pat Kelsey took the stand and told a Kentucky court that coaches "don't think there are rules." Mark Zanetto and Subbi debate whether that was authentic or performative, and whether coaches really didn't know the rules. Then: Dink Pate leaves Providence for the G League, the TRO chaos hanging over Babacar Sane and St. John's, and Rick Pitino's U.N. delegation of a roster. Plus UConn's win over Syracuse and Dan Hurley's message to Na'jai Hines, why new rosters need time to gel, a surprise case for Jon Scheyer and Duke, guards vs. bigs in March, and UConn vs. the field. CHAPTERS 0:00 Cold open: a coach yells "End the chaos" from the witness stand 1:25 Pat Kelsey's testimony: authentic or performative? 5:15 "We don't think there are rules": did coaches know the rules? 8:19 Dink Pate leaves Providence for the G League 8:48 TROs, stays of eligibility and the slow legal system 10:40 Todd Golden vs. Pat Kelsey: why the messenger matters 14:15 St. John's eligibility update: Quinn Ellis cleared, Babacar Sane until Nov. 9 15:40 Pitino's U.N. delegation: 10 international players 18:40 Why new rosters need to gel and the non-conference trap 22:07 Defense travels: how teams survive early 26:49 Hurley's message to Na'jai Hines in the Syracuse exhibition 29:11 Brutal schedules and who gets the longest leash 32:24 "I hate Duke, but...": why Jon Scheyer could break through 40:57 Guards vs. bigs: what wins national titles 45:03 Around the league: Providence, DePaul, Georgetown 47:04 UConn or the field? 53:02 Wrap-up FOLLOW Mark Zanetto on X: @markzanetto SPONSOR MyBookie.ag: new players get up to $1,000 in bonus bets with promo code BBE on deposit. 21+. Please bet responsibly. Subscribe for Big East Energy every week during the 2026-27 college basketball season. #BigEast #CollegeBasketball #UConn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2. 

   9 Oct 2026

   The Big East Has the Best Coaches in America. This Season Proves It.

   Does the Big East have the best group of coaches in college basketball? Mark Zanetto says yes, and that last year's 3-bid embarrassment was about resources, not coaching. With rosters now in the $14-16M range, the 2026-27 season is the proving ground. CBB Theater's Subi joins Big East Energy to push back. Dan Hurley and Rick Pitino lead the league, but the debate is about everyone behind them: Alan Huss replacing a legend at Creighton, Bryan Hodgson waking up Providence, Ron Nored taking over Butler, Chris Holtmann's DePaul rebuild, Kevin Willard at Villanova, Richard Pitino's pressure at Xavier, Shaka Smart's bounce-back at Marquette, Shaheen Holloway doing more with less at Seton Hall, and whether the Ed Cooley era at Georgetown is already over. Plus: how the Big East stacks up against SEC and Big Ten coaches, what NIL money really means for expectations, the 76-team NCAA Tournament, and our prediction for how many Big East teams make the field. CHAPTERS 0:00 Big East Energy intro 0:45 Does the Big East have the best coaches in the country? 1:15 Hurley and Pitino: the top two coaches in America 2:25 The depth case: Huss, Holtmann, Cooley, Hodgson, Nored 5:35 Big East vs SEC vs Big Ten: counting national titles 9:15 The three new coaches: Hodgson, Huss, Nored 10:35 Butler: Ron Nored replaces Thad Matta 12:25 Creighton under Alan Huss, Providence under Bryan Hodgson 17:10 Georgetown's "aura" and Ed Cooley 19:50 Mid-major winners: Hodgson, Chris Jans, Will Wade, Steve Forbes 23:45 Handpicked successors and when schools move on 25:55 Marquette's ceiling and floor 28:15 The transfer portal and Pat Kelsey's Louisville 29:50 Butler last? Seton Hall and DePaul projections 32:15 DePaul's resurgence and the 76-team tournament 34:20 Seton Hall, Shaheen Holloway and the NIL haves vs have-nots 38:20 Xavier's $15M roster and rising expectations 41:15 Is the Georgetown fanbase apathetic? 43:20 How many Big East teams make the NCAA Tournament? 44:40 Teams that could disappoint: Providence, Creighton, Xavier 47:20 Why non-conference play decides the bids 50:10 Hot take: Creighton finishes higher than expected 52:35 Sponsors, Only Legends merch and where to find Subi FOLLOW SUBBI Twitter/X: @CBBTheater SPONSOR MyBookie.ag: new players get up to $1,000 in bonus bets with promo code BBE on deposit. 21+. Please bet responsibly. MERCH Only Legends, the new Big East Energy merch site: https://onlylegends.co Subscribe for Big East Energy every week during the 2026-27 college basketball season. #BigEast #CollegeBasketball #UConn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3. 

   2 Oct 2026

   Did the Big East Coaches Get It Right? | 2026-27 Preseason Breakdown

   Did the Big East coaches get it right? 🏀 Big East Media Day 2026 is in the books and Mark Zanetto breaks down the 2026-27 Big East preseason coaches' poll, preseason awards and the eligibility chaos hanging over the league with two guys who were in the room: Matt Janus of Holy Nova and basketball insider Adam Zagoria of ZAGSBLOG, NJ.com and The New York Times. UConn is picked first with eight first-place votes, St. John's is second and Villanova is third. New commissioner Tim Brosnan says he expects six Big East teams in the NCAA Tournament. Kevin Willard says Villanova is not recruiting a single high school player. And Rick Pitino, Richard Pitino, Shaka Smart and Dan Hurley all weighed in on the NCAA's five-for-five eligibility rule and the court rulings that could reshape rosters before opening night. IN THIS EPISODE - 2026-27 Big East preseason poll reaction: UConn, St. John's, Villanova, Marquette - Is the Big East a six or seven bid league again? - NIL, revenue sharing and which Big East programs are spending smart - Tyler Perkins, the Josh Hart comparison and the Player of the Year race - Silas Demary Jr. as Preseason Big East Player of the Year: right call? - Villanova vs. Notre Dame in Rome and the Pope - Kevin Willard's "no high school recruits" bombshell - Five-for-five rule, G League eligibility cases and TROs at St. John's and Georgetown - Dan Hurley as the league's elder statesman and Shaka Smart's reset at Marquette - Seton Hall, DePaul, Georgetown and Butler: who's too high and who's too low - Predictions: who wins the Big East and how many bids CHAPTERS 0:00 Did the coaches get it right? 0:30 Welcome to Big East Energy Weekly 1:10 MyBookie: $1,000 in bonus bets 1:40 Matt Janus joins: preseason poll reaction 3:25 NIL money and getting ROI on your roster 6:35 Tyler Perkins and the Josh Hart comparison 8:15 Silas Demary Jr. and the Player of the Year debate 10:15 Villanova in Rome: will the Pope bless the Wildcats? 12:20 Kevin Willard: "We aren't recruiting high schoolers" 15:10 Eligibility limbo: are coaches setting up excuses? 20:00 Dan Hurley, elder statesman of the Big East 21:45 Which coach won media day? Shaka Smart's evolution 26:10 Matt's picks: league winner and NCAA Tournament bids 31:25 Adam Zagoria joins: the vibe in the room 33:45 G League players, TROs and who's eligible 36:10 Demary, Braylon Mullins and Na'jai Hines to UConn 37:40 Too high, too low: Marquette, Seton Hall, DePaul, Georgetown 39:20 Adam's picks: who wins the Big East 40:35 Closing thoughts and the new Big East Energy theme song 💰 SPONSOR: MyBookie.ag. New customers get up to $1,000 in bonus bets with promo code BBE100. Must be of legal age. Please bet responsibly. 🔔 SUBSCRIBE to the Big East Energy Network for daily Big East basketball coverage all season. 🌐 BigEastEnergyNetwork.com 🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music GUESTS Matt Janus: three-time Delaware Broadcaster of the Year, lead host of Holy Nova on the Big East Energy Network Adam Zagoria: founder of ZAGSBLOG, NJ.com, contributor to The New York Times 💬 Drop your Big East order of finish in the comments. #BigEast #UConn #Villanova #StJohns #BigEastBasketball #CollegeBasketball #BigEastMediaDay #DanHurley #RickPitino #KevinWillard #Marquette #SetonHall #NIL #MarchMadness #CollegeHoops Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who has been a guest on Big East Energy Weekly

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• John Fanta
• Big East insiders
• George Raveling
• Ryan Hammer

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

764,682

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

17 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1,712 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 69 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

81

Social presence

0

YouTube

93

Engagement

51

Contact Big East Energy Weekly

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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