Top 5 Big East players to watch out for feat. UConn’s Alex Karaban 

The upcoming season is shaping up to be another exciting chapter in the Big East's storied history. With the departures of several standout stars such as UConn's Donovan Clingan, Creighton's Trey Alexander and Marquette's Oso Ighodaro, the conference is poised for new players to take the spotlight.

Although many talented freshmen including five-star forward Liam McNeeley, the Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year and four-star center Oswin Erhunmwunse will likely make big impacts, here are five returning players who could shake up the conference this coming year.

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5 Big East players to keep an eye on this campaign

#5. Eric Dixon

Villanova's power forward Eric Dixon had a breakout junior year, averaging 15.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. After missing his freshman year with an injury he has been bouncing back slowly and last season was a key player for the Wildcats.

Dixon led Kyle Neptune's team to the first round of the NIT and win the Battle 4 Atlantis championship. He was named for the Second-team All-Big East two years in a row and also won the Robert V. Geasey Trophy last season.

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#4. Kadary Richmond

Kadary Richmond will enter his final year of college basketball after a stellar year at Seton Hall. He played three seasons for the Pirates before joining another Big East side St. John's this summer.

Richmond is expected to be the top offensive player for Rick Pitino's team who went 11-9 last season in the league. The 6-foot-6 combo guard had 15.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 5.1 apg last season.

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#3. Kam Jones

Kam Jones, a fourth-year senior at Marquette, is one of the most experienced shooting guards in the Big East.

Fox Sports analyst John Fanta put Jones on the top of his list of the best players in the conference.

"Get ready for the Kam Jones show," Fanta said in a X/Twitter video post. "Jones have that microwave scoring ability. He plays the game at his pace ... He will have a big year for the Golden Eagles."

The Memphis native averaged 17.2 ppg this past season for Marquette who reached the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in a decade.

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#2. Alex Karaban

With Dan Hurley aiming for the three-peat this season, the return of Alex Karaban to the team has big implications for UConn. He averaged 13.3 ppg and 5.1 rpg as a sophomore.

"Don't look at Karaban’s just 12 or 13 [points] and five [rebounds] per game this past year, because I believe that he's ready for even bigger numbers this season, Fanta said.

Karaban is expected to be the focal point of the Huskies' offensive line this coming campaign.

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#1. Ryan Kalkbrenner

Ryan Kalkbrenner, who was recently named the Big East Preseason Player of the Year, is arguably the best Big East player. He has been a dominant force for Creighton since joining four years ago.

Kalkbrenner, a 7-foot-1 big man, won the conference's Defensive Player of the Year three times. He has 1,771 points, 843 rebounds and 306 blocks over his college career.