Big East men's basketball tournament

Big East men's basketball tournament
Conference basketball championship
The 2008 Big East men's basketball tournament trophy
SportCollege basketball
ConferenceBig East Conference
Number of teams11
FormatSingle-elimination tournament
Current stadiumMadison Square Garden
Current locationNew York City
Played1980–present
Last contest2024
Current championConnecticut Huskies
Most championshipsConnecticut Huskies, Georgetown Hoyas (8)
Official websiteBigEast.org
Host stadiums
Providence Civic Center (1980)
Carrier Dome (1981)
Hartford Civic Center (1982)
Madison Square Garden (1983–present)
Host locations
Providence, Rhode Island (1980)
Syracuse, New York (1981)
Hartford, Connecticut (1982)
New York City (1983–present)

The Big East men's basketball tournament is the championship tournament of the Big East Conference in men's basketball. The winner receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship.

As part of the 2013 deal in which seven schools left the original Big East Conference of 1979–2013 to form a new Big East Conference and the original conference became the American Athletic Conference, the new Big East retained the rights to the conference tournament.

Venue

Since 1983, the tournament has been held in Madison Square Garden in New York City. As such, the tournament is the longest-running conference tournament at any one site in all of college basketball. Madison Square Garden has a contract with the Big East Conference to host the tournament through 2028.[1]

Notable events

The 2009 tournament featured a six-overtime game in the quarterfinals between the Connecticut Huskies and the Syracuse Orange, in which Syracuse prevailed, 127–117. The game, the second-longest in NCAA history, started on the evening of March 12 and ended nearly four hours later in the early morning of March 13.[2]

In 2011, Connecticut, led by Kemba Walker, became the first and only team in the Big East tournament ever to win five games in five consecutive days to win the championship.

On March 12, 2020, the 2020 tournament was cancelled during halftime of a first-round game due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] The conference received an insurance payout of $10.5 million as a result of the tournament's cancellation.[4]

In 2021, Georgetown won four games in four days as an underdog in each contest, to win its record eighth title. Georgetown became the first eighth-seeded team to win the championship, and Patrick Ewing became the first person to win the championship as both a player and a head coach.

In 2024, UConn won the championship for the eighth time, tying it with Georgetown for the most titles.

Only three players have achieved repeat Most Valuable Player honors: Georgetown's Patrick Ewing (1984–1985), Louisville's Peyton Siva (2012–2013), and Villanova's Josh Hart (2015, 2017).

Seeding

From 1980 through 2000, all Big East member schools qualified for the Big East tournament. The Big East limited participation to 12 schools from 2001 to 2008, but since 2009, all member schools again have qualified for the tournament. The conference has based tournament seeding strictly on conference record and tiebreakers except between 1996 and 1998 and between 2001 and 2003; during those years, the conference used a divisional structure which also affected seeding.

1980–1995

In 1980, with seven member schools, the #2 through #7 seeds played in an opening quarterfinal round and the #1 seed received a bye until the semifinal round. In 1981, the conference expanded to eight teams, and in 1981 and 1982, all eight teams began play in a quarterfinal round. After the conference expanded again, to nine teams, the #8 and #9 seeds played in a single first-round game and schools seeded #7 or higher received a bye into the quarterfinal round; adopted in 1983, this format persisted through the 1991 tournament. After the Big East expanded to 10 teams, the 1992 tournament had two first-round games for the #7 through #10 seeds, teams seeded #6 or higher getting a bye into the quarterfinal round. This format continued through the 1995 tournament.

1996–2000

For the 1995–96 Big East Conference men's basketball season, the Big East expanded to 13 teams and adopted a divisional structure, with teams divided between the Big East 6 Division and the Big East 7 Division. The expansion resulted in a new tournament format in which the #4 through #13 seeds played in the first round and only the #1 through #3 seeds received byes into the quarterfinals. This format lasted through the 2000 tournament.

During the existence of the Big East 6 and Big East 7 divisions, seeding criteria also changed, with the winners of each division receiving the #1 and #2 seeds regardless of record, the second-place team with the best record receiving the #3 seed, and the rest of the schools receiving the #4 through #13 seeds based on conference record and tiebreakers. After the 1998 tournament, the Big East scrapped the divisions and returned to a unitary conference structure, and tournament seeding again was based strictly on conference record and tiebreakers in 1999 and 2000.

2001–2008

Jeff Green of the Georgetown Hoyas attempts to pass during the 2007 Big East Championship game against the Pitt Panthers.

From 2001 through 2008, Big East membership varied between 13 and 16 schools, but the conference limited tournament participation to 12 schools.

From 2001 through 2003, when the Big East again was divided into two divisions — an East and a West Division, each of seven teams — teams were seeded #1 through #6 by division. The third- through sixth-place finishers in each division (a total of eight teams) received the #3 through #6 seeds in each division and played in the first round, with the #3 East seed playing the #6 West seed, the #4 East seed playing the #5 West seed, the #5 East seed playing the #4 West seed, and the #6 East seed playing the #3 West seed. The first- and second-place finishers in each division (a total of four teams) received the #1 and #2 divisional seeds and a bye into the quarterfinal round. Two teams — the seventh-place finishers in each division, after the application of any necessary tiebreaking criteria — did not qualify for the tournament.

From 2004 to 2008, after the Big East again eliminated its division structure, schools again were seeded based on conference record and tiebreakers. The #5 through #12 seeds played in the first round, and the #1 through #4 seeds received byes into the quarterfinal round. The Big East's membership varied between 13 and 16 schools during these years, but only the teams which finished 12th or higher in the conference after the application as necessary of tiebreaking criteria qualified for the tournament.[1]

2009–2013

In 2009, the conference returned to a tournament format that included all member schools (16 from 2009 to 2012, and 14 in 2013). From 2009 through 2012, the teams seeded #9 through #16 played first-round games, teams seeded #5 through #8 received a bye to the second round, and the top four teams received a double-bye to the quarterfinals.[5] The final Big East tournament held by the original Big East Conference, which took place in 2013, saw only 14 teams compete—West Virginia had left the Big East for the Big 12 Conference after the 2011–12 season, and Connecticut was barred from the tournament due to an NCAA postseason ban for academic reasons. In that tournament, the teams seeded #11 through #14 played in the first round, with byes remaining the same as in the 2009–2012 period.

Throughout the 2009–2013 period, all member schools participating in the tournament were seeded in the tournament based on their conference records. Non-conference games were ignored. Ties were broken using an elaborate set of tiebreaker rules, with the first two tiebreakers being head-to-head record and common record against the next-best conference team.[6]

2014–present

During the offseason in 2013, seven schools left the original Big East Conference of 1979–2013 and joined three other schools in forming a new Big East Conference, the old conference becoming the American Athletic Conference (marketed as "The American"). The new Big East Conference took over control of the Big East tournament. From 2014 (the first tournament held after the formation of the new Big East) through 2019 all 10 member schools took part in the tournament, with tiebreakers similar to those used prior to the formation of the new conference employed as needed. The #7 through #10 seeds played in two first-round games, and all schools seeded #6 or higher received a bye into the quarterfinal round. The 2020 tournament would have followed the same format if it had not been canceled after the first round.

In 2021, after the Big East expanded to 11 teams with Connecticut's move to the Big East from the American Athletic Conference, the Big East tournament adopted an 11-team format in which the #6 through #11 seeds play in three first-round games and teams seeded #5 or higher receive a bye into the quarterfinal round.

Tournament results

Year Champion Score Runner-up MVP Venue
1980 Georgetown 87–81 Syracuse Craig Shelton, GU Providence Civic Center (Providence, Rhode Island)
1981 Syracuse 83–80 Villanova Leo Rautins, SU Carrier Dome (Syracuse, New York)
1982 Georgetown 72–54 Villanova Eric Floyd, GU Hartford Civic Center (Hartford, Connecticut)
1983 St. John's 85–77 Boston College Chris Mullin, St. John's Madison Square Garden (New York City)
1984 Georgetown 82–71 Syracuse Patrick Ewing, GU
1985 Georgetown 92–80 St. John's Patrick Ewing, GU
1986 St. John's 70–69 Syracuse Dwayne Washington, SU
1987 Georgetown 69–59 Syracuse Reggie Williams, GU
1988 Syracuse 85–68 Villanova Sherman Douglas, SU
1989 Georgetown 88–79 Syracuse Charles Smith, GU
1990 Connecticut 78–75 Syracuse Chris Smith, UConn
1991 Seton Hall 74–62 Georgetown Oliver Taylor, SH
1992 Syracuse 56–54 Georgetown Alonzo Mourning, GU
1993 Seton Hall 103–70 Syracuse Terry Dehere, SH
1994 Providence 74–64 Georgetown Michael Smith, PC
1995 Villanova 94–78 Connecticut Kerry Kittles, VU
1996 Connecticut 75–74 Georgetown Victor Page, GU
1997 Boston College 70–58 Villanova Scoonie Penn, BC
1998 Connecticut 69–64 Syracuse Khalid El-Amin, UConn
1999 Connecticut 82–63 St. John's Kevin Freeman, UConn
2000 St. John's 80–70 Connecticut Bootsy Thornton, SJU
2001 Boston College 79–57 Pittsburgh Troy Bell, BC
2002 Connecticut 74–65* Pittsburgh Caron Butler, UConn
2003 Pittsburgh 74–56 Connecticut Julius Page, Pitt
2004 Connecticut 61–58 Pittsburgh Ben Gordon, UConn
2005 Syracuse 68–59 West Virginia Hakim Warrick, SU
2006 Syracuse 65–61 Pittsburgh Gerry McNamara, SU
2007 Georgetown 65–42 Pittsburgh Jeff Green, GU
2008 Pittsburgh 74–65 Georgetown Sam Young, Pitt
2009 Louisville 76–66 Syracuse Jonny Flynn, SU
2010 West Virginia 60–58 Georgetown Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia
2011 Connecticut 69–66 Louisville Kemba Walker, UConn
2012 Louisville 50–44 Cincinnati Peyton Siva, Louisville
2013 Louisville 78–61 Syracuse Peyton Siva, Louisville
2014 Providence 65–58 Creighton Bryce Cotton, Providence
2015 Villanova 69–52 Xavier Josh Hart, Villanova
2016 Seton Hall 69–67 Villanova Isaiah Whitehead, SH
2017 Villanova 74–60 Creighton Josh Hart, Villanova
2018 Villanova 76–66* Providence Mikal Bridges, Villanova
2019 Villanova 74–72 Seton Hall Phil Booth, Villanova
2020 Canceled after first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Georgetown 73–48 Creighton Dante Harris, GU
2022 Villanova 54–48 Creighton Collin Gillespie, Villanova
2023 Marquette 65–51 Xavier Tyler Kolek, Marquette
2024 Connecticut 73–57 Marquette Tristen Newton, UConn

Championships by school

School Championships Title Years
Georgetown
8
 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2007, 2021
UConn
8
 1990, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2011, 2024
Villanova
6
 1995, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022
Syracuse
5
 1981, 1988, 1992, 2005, 2006
St. John's
3
 1983, 1986, 2000
Louisville
3
 2009, 2012, 2013
Seton Hall
3
 1991, 1993, 2016
Boston College
2
 1997, 2001
Pittsburgh
2
 2003, 2008
Providence
2
 1994, 2014
West Virginia
1
 2010
Marquette
1
 2023
Butler
0
Cincinnati
0
Creighton
0
DePaul
0
Miami
0
Notre Dame
0
Rutgers
0
South Florida
0
Virginia Tech
0
Xavier
0

NOTES: Italics indicate school is no longer a member of the Big East Conference.

Current members Butler and DePaul have yet to make an appearance in the Big East Championship Game. Former members Miami, Notre Dame, Rutgers, South Florida, and Virginia Tech did not appear in the championship game during their respective conference tenures.

Performance by team

1980–2005 conference alignment

Teams (# of titles) 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
BE (42) (7) (8) (8) (9) (9) (9) (9) (9) (9) (9) (9) (9) (10) (10) (10) (10) (13) (13) (13) (13) (13) (12) (12) (12) (12) (11)
1 Georgetown (8) C SF C QF C C SF C QF C SF F F QF F SF F SF QF QF SF QF QF QF 1R QF
1 UConn (8) SF QF QF QF QF QF 1R 1R QF QF C QF QF QF SF F C 1R C C F 1R C F C SF
3 Villanova (6) • F F SF SF SF SF QF F QF SF SF QF 1R QF C SF F QF QF QF QF QF 1R SF SF
4 Syracuse (5) F C QF SF F SF F F C F F QF C F QF QF SF QF F SF QF SF 1R SF QF C
5 St. John's (3) SF QF SF C SF F C QF QF 1R QF QF SF SF QF 1R 1R 1R SF F C 1R QF QF DNQ DNQ
5 Seton Hall (3) QF QF QF QF 1R 1R QF QF SF SF QF C SF C SF 1R QF 1R 1R QF QF SF 1R QF 1R 1R
7 Boston College (2) QF QF SF F QF QF QF QF QF QF 1R 1R QF QF QF QF QF C QF 1R 1R C QF SF SF QF
7 Pittsburgh (2) • • • QF QF QF QF SF SF SF QF QF 1R QF 1R QF 1R QF 1R 1R 1R F F C F QF
7 Providence (2) QF SF QF 1R QF QF QF SF 1R QF QF SF 1R SF C SF QF SF QF 1R 1R QF 1R QF QF 1R
10 West Virginia (1) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1R QF 1R 1R 1R 1R DNQ 1R 1R F
11 Miami (0) • • • • • • • • • • • • QF 1R 1R QF QF QF 1R SF SF 1R SF 1R DNQ •
11 Notre Dame (0) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1R 1R 1R 1R QF QF SF 1R QF 1R
11 Rutgers (0) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1R 1R SF QF 1R DNQ 1R DNQ 1R QF
11 Virginia Tech (0) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • DNQ DNQ DNQ QF •

NOTE: From 2001 through 2003, the teams which finished in last place in the East and West Divisions did not qualify for the tournament. In 2004 and 2005, teams which finished below 12th place in the conference did not qualify for the tournament.

2006–2013 conference alignment

Teams (# of titles) 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
BE (42) (12) (12) (12) (16) (16) (16) (16) (14)
1 Georgetown (8) SF C F 1R F 2R QF SF
1 UConn (8) QF 1R QF QF 1R C QF DNQ
3 Villanova (6) SF QF QF SF QF 1R 2R QF
4 Syracuse (5) C QF 1R F QF SF SF F
5 Louisville (3) 1R SF QF C 2R F C C
5 St. John's (3) DNQ 1R DNQ 2R 2R QF 1R 2R
5 Seton Hall (3) 1R DNQ 1R 2R 2R 1R 2R 2R
8 Pittsburgh (2) F F C QF QF QF 2R QF
8 Providence (2) DNQ 1R 1R QF 1R 1R 1R 2R
10 West Virginia (1) QF QF SF SF C 2R 2R •
11 Cincinnati (0) 1R DNQ 1R 1R QF QF F QF
12 Notre Dame (0) 1R SF QF 2R SF SF SF SF
12 Marquette (0) QF QF SF QF SF QF QF QF
12 Rutgers (0) QF DNQ DNQ 1R 1R 2R 1R 2R
12 South Florida (0) DNQ DNQ DNQ 1R 2R 2R QF 1R
12 DePaul (0) DNQ 1R DNQ 2R 1R 1R 1R 1R

NOTE: From 2006 through 2008, teams which finished below 12th place in the conference did not qualify for the tournament. In 2013, Connecticut did not qualify for the tournament because of Academic Progress Rate violations

Since 2014 realignment

through 2024 tournament
Teams (# of titles) 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
BE (43) (10) (10) (10) (10) (10) (10) (10) (11) (11) (11) (11)
1 Georgetown (8) 1R SF QF 1R 1R QF 1R C 1R 1R 1R
1 UConn (8) • • • • • • • SF SF SF C
3 Villanova (6) QF C F C C C DNP QF C QF QF
4 St. John's (3) QF QF 1R QF QF QF QFC QF QF QF SF
4 Seton Hall (3) SF 1R C SF QF F DNP SF QF 1R QF
6 Providence (2) C SF SF QF F QF DNP 1R SF QF SF
7 Marquette (1) QF QF QF QF QF SF DNP 1R QF C F
8 Creighton (0) F QF QF F QF QF DNP F F SF QF
8 Xavier (0) SF F SF SF SF SF 1R 1R 1R F QF
8 Butler (0) 1R QF QF QF SF 1R DNP QF QF 1R 1R
8 DePaul (0) QF 1R 1R 1R 1R 1R QFC QF 1R QF 1R

NOTE: The 2020 tournament was canceled during halftime of the first quarterfinal game due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Georgetown and Xavier lost their first-round games; Creighton and St. John's did not complete their quarterfinal game, and none of the other teams played their quarterfinal games.

Key

C Champion
F Lost in Final
SF Lost in Semifinals
QF Lost in Quarterfinals
2R Lost in Second Round
1R Lost in First Round
QFC Won first round; quarterfinal cancelled
DNP Did not play (bye in first round; quarterfinal cancelled)
DNQ Did not qualify for tournament
• Not a conference member

Television coverage

See also: List of Big East men's basketball tournament finals broadcasters

Before the 2013 conference split, the Big East was the only conference to have every tournament game broadcast nationwide on the ESPN family of networks, with every game from the second round forward broadcast on ESPN. 2011 marked the first year the tournament was broadcast in 3D on ESPN 3D.

Beginning with the 2014 tournament, FS1 is the television home for the Big East tournament.[7]

References

  1. ^ "BIG EAST, MSG Extend Partnership to Host BIG EAST Tournament". BIG EAST Conference. BIG EAST Conference. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  2. ^ Thamel, Pete (March 13, 2009). "Syracuse Left Standing After Marathon Game". The New York Times. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
  3. ^ St. John's vs. Creighton Box Score — March 12, 2020 https://theathletic.com/ The Athletic Retrieved May 19, 2020
  4. ^ Caron, Emily (December 2, 2020). "Big East recoups $10.5 million from men's basketball tournament insurance policy". Sportico. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  5. ^ "Big East tournament expands to 16 teams". United Press International. November 7, 2007. Archived from the original on 20 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
  6. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-20. Retrieved 2011-02-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ "Check out the complete college basketball on FOX, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2 and FSN TV schedule - College Basketball News | FOX Sports on MSN". Archived from the original on 2013-09-07. Retrieved 2013-09-06.