
The Big East Men's Basketball Tournament is an annual tournament held in March at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The tournament is the championship tournament of the Big East Conference, with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Since its expansion to 11 teams in 2021, the tournament has adopted an 11-team format, with the #6 through #11 seeds playing in the first round and the #1 through #5 seeds receiving byes into the quarterfinal round. The 2025 BIG EAST Tournament will mark its 43rd year and tickets are available for purchase on Ticketmaster.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year | 2025 |
| Location | Madison Square Garden, New York City |
| Month | March |
| Number of Years at Madison Square Garden | 43 |
| Number of Years at a Single Venue | Longest-running |
| Number of Championships Won by St. John's | 6 |
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What You'll Learn

The 2025 Big East Tournament
The Big East Men's Basketball Tournament is the championship tournament of the Big East Conference, with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The tournament typically takes place over four days in March, with basketball fans from around the world descending upon New York City to witness the highly anticipated event.
The 2025 tournament will be the first opportunity for Butler and DePaul to appear in the Big East Championship Game, as these current members have yet to make their debut. St. John's has clinched the 2025 Big East title, adding to their impressive record of six Big East Championships in the regular season.
Tickets for the 2025 Big East Tournament are available for purchase on Ticketmaster, with fans praising the ease of buying and distributing tickets to their groups. The event is highly regarded by spectators, with one fan describing it as "the most incredible remarkable experience a college basketball fan could ever have," surpassing even March Madness.
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UConn's move to the Big East
The University of Connecticut (UConn) has had a storied history with the Big East Conference. UConn was one of the original members of the Big East Conference, which was founded in 1979. In 2013, UConn left the Big East to join the American Athletic Conference, where they remained until 2020. During their time in the American Athletic Conference, UConn's women's basketball team went undefeated, winning every conference game over six years. The men's basketball team also found success, winning their fourth national championship in 2014. However, by 2018, the men's basketball team was facing historically low attendance numbers.
In 2020, UConn returned to the Big East Conference, resuming play in the Big East Tournament in 2021. This move was driven by several factors, including the opportunity to revive old rivalries outside of football and the potential for increased competition in the Big East. UConn's dominance in the American Athletic Conference had led to a lack of challenging opponents, which some attributed to their national semifinal losses in the previous three years.
The return to the Big East also had financial implications. As a basketball-centric school, UConn's revenue from the Big East was relatively low, estimated at around $6.3 million. In contrast, the Big 12 Conference, which UConn considered joining, distributed $470 million to its members in 2023. However, a move to the Big 12 would come with significant costs, including a potential exit fee from the Big East and an entrance fee for the Big 12.
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The tournament's history
The Big East Men's Basketball Tournament is the championship tournament of the Big East Conference in men's basketball. The winner gets an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
The tournament has been held annually since 1980, usually in early March, and caps off the Big East college basketball regular season. From its inception until 2013, the original Big East Conference consisted of seven member schools, which expanded to eight in 1981, nine in 1983, ten in 1992, and 13 in 1995. During this time, the tournament format and seeding criteria changed several times to accommodate the varying number of teams.
In 2013, seven schools left the original conference to form a new Big East Conference, and the original conference became the American Athletic Conference. The new Big East Conference initially consisted of ten teams, expanding to 11 in 2021 with the addition of the University of Connecticut (UConn), which moved from the American Athletic Conference.
Since 1983, the tournament has been held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, making it the longest-running conference tournament at any one site in college basketball. The venue is contracted to host the tournament through 2028.
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The divisional structure
The Big East Men's Basketball Tournament has a long and varied history of divisional structures. The tournament is the championship tournament of the Big East Conference in men's basketball, with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
In 1992, the Big East expanded to 10 teams, with the #7 through #10 seeds playing two first-round games, and #6 or higher seeds receiving a bye to the quarterfinals. This format continued until the 1995 tournament. For the 1995-96 season, the Big East expanded further to 13 teams and adopted a divisional structure: the Big East 6 Division and the Big East 7 Division. This expansion resulted in a new tournament format where the #4 through #13 seeds played in the first round, and only the #1 through #3 seeds received byes. This format lasted until the 2000 tournament.
From 2001 to 2008, the Big East limited participation to 12 schools, and during this time, the conference used a divisional structure that affected seeding. The first- and second-place finishers in each division (four teams in total) received the #1 and #2 seeds and a bye into the quarterfinals. The seventh-place finishers in each division did not qualify for the tournament.
After 2004, the Big East eliminated its divisional structure, and schools were seeded based on their conference record and tiebreakers. From 2009 onwards, the tournament returned to a format that included all member schools, with 16 teams from 2009-2012 and 14 in 2013. In 2021, the Big East expanded again to 11 teams, resulting in a new tournament format with three first-round games for the #6 through #11 seeds, and byes for the #5 or higher seeds.
The Big East Conference has solidified its legacy as a powerhouse in college basketball, with four of the last eight national championships going to Big East teams. The 2025 Big East Tournament will be held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, marking its 43rd year at this venue.
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The tournament's atmosphere
The Big East Men's Basketball Tournament is the championship tournament of the Big East Conference in men's basketball. Since 1983, the tournament has been held annually in March at Madison Square Garden in New York City, making it the longest-running college basketball conference tournament at a single venue.
The tournament atmosphere at Madison Square Garden is electric. It is a spectacle unmatched in the sport, with iconic coaches, legendary players, and heart-stopping buzzer-beaters. The games are a thrilling experience for college basketball fans, who descend upon "The World's Most Famous Arena" each year to witness the madness. The venue, which is also the home of the New York Rangers and Knicks, and the part-time home of the St. John's Red Storm, typically seats 19,812 people for basketball. Tickets, food, and drinks can add up to a expensive bill, but the experience is well worth it for basketball enthusiasts.
Over the years, the tournament has featured some memorable moments, such as the six-overtime game in the 2009 quarterfinals between the Connecticut Huskies and the Syracuse Orange, with Syracuse prevailing 127-117. The tournament has also seen the rise of powerhouse teams, with UConn Huskies claiming consecutive titles in 2023 and 2024.
The Big East Conference has solidified its legacy in college basketball, capturing four of the last eight national championships. The 2025 tournament will mark its 43rd year at Madison Square Garden, and fans can expect another year of exciting basketball action and unforgettable memories.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, there was a Big East men's basketball tournament in 2023.
The tournament took place on March 8, 2023.
The tournament took place at Madison Square Garden, the natural home of the Big East Conference.
Marquette entered the tournament as the top seed, followed by Xavier and Creighton as the second and third seeds, respectively.
Five teams had byes into the quarterfinals, but the sources do not specify which teams they were.





























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