Helena Frye
The Big East Conference is an NCAA Division 1 conference that includes schools across the Northeast and Midwest of the United States. The conference was formed in 1979 by college basketball coach Dave Gavitt, and while it has achieved success in other sports, its primary focus has always been basketball. The Big East Men's Basketball Tournament is considered by some to be the most prestigious conference tournament in NCAA Division 1. The conference includes many private, Catholic institutions, such as Villanova University, Georgetown, and St. John's, and has been ranked highly in terms of revenue share allocated to men's basketball.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Schools | 11 |
| Founding Date | 1979 |
| Focus | Basketball, but also other sports and non-athletic programs |
| School Type | 9 private, Catholic institutions; 1 nonsectarian; 1 public institution |
| Founding Member | Dave Gavitt |
| Location | Northeast and Midwest |
| Notable Achievements | Widely considered one of the "Power 5" basketball conferences; Big East Men's Basketball Tournament is considered the most prestigious in NCAA Division I; over 40 national championships in various sports |
| Television Deal | 12-year deal with Fox Sports, with CBS Sports sublicensing select games |
| Recent Departures | Syracuse, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Rutgers, Louisville, and 7 non-FBS schools (Georgetown, St. John's, Villanova, DePaul, Marquette, Seton Hall, and Providence) |
| Recent Additions | Memphis, Central Florida, Houston, SMU, Boise State, San Diego State, and UConn |
| Revenue Sharing | Projected to have the highest revenue share allocated to men's basketball for 2025-26 among power conferences |
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Current members
The Big East Conference is an NCAA Division 1 conference including schools across the Northeast and Midwest of the United States. The conference was formed in 1979 by college basketball coach Dave Gavitt and has always primarily focused on basketball.
The Big East has been considered one of the "Power 5" basketball conferences, with the Big East Men's Basketball Tournament played at Madison Square Garden since 1983. The tournament is considered the most prestigious conference tournament in NCAA Division 1.
The Big East has seen a lot of changes in its members over the years, with many schools leaving and joining. As of 2025, the current members include:
- Georgetown
- St. John's
- Villanova
- DePaul
- Marquette
- Seton Hall
- Providence
- Connecticut (UConn)
- Butler
- Creighton
- Xavier
These schools are all private, Catholic institutions except for Butler University and UConn, which is the only public school in the conference. UConn is also the only member with a varsity football team in Division 1 FBS, although they remain independent for football.
The Big East Conference is not just about athletics, but also offers a variety of programs for students, including a focus on political issues and improving the mental health and well-being of student-athletes.
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Founding members
The Big East Conference was founded in 1979 by seven charter schools: Providence, St. John's, Georgetown, Syracuse, Seton Hall, Connecticut (UConn), and Boston College. Villanova joined the following year, followed by Pittsburgh in 1982.
The original Big East Conference was founded by Providence College basketball coach Dave Gavitt, who spearheaded an effort to assemble an east coast basketball-centric collegiate athletic conference. The core of the Big East formed when Providence, St. John's, Georgetown, and Syracuse invited Seton Hall, UConn, Holy Cross, Rutgers, and Boston College (BC) to join. Holy Cross and Rutgers initially turned down the invitation, while BC, Seton Hall, and UConn accepted.
In 1982, Georgetown, led by senior Sleepy Floyd and freshman Patrick Ewing, made the NCAA Championship Game. Two years later, in 1984, Georgetown won the Big East's first NCAA basketball championship, defeating the University of Houston. The following year, three Big East teams (Villanova, St. John's, and Georgetown) all advanced to the Final Four, with Villanova claiming the championship game victory over the heavily favored Georgetown Hoyas.
In 2012, the Big East's seven non-FBS schools—often referred to as the "Catholic 7"—voted unanimously to separate from the football-playing schools and form a new conference focused on basketball. These schools were DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, and Villanova.
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Future members
The Big East Conference is an athletic conference that includes 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. The conference was formed in 1979 by Providence College basketball coach Dave Gavitt, who wanted to create an east coast basketball-centric collegiate athletic conference.
The conference has undergone several changes since its inception, with schools joining and leaving over the years. In 2013, the Big East Conference split into two conferences: the "Catholic 7" members, which formed a new conference focused on basketball, and the football-playing schools, which formed the American Athletic Conference (AAC). The "Catholic 7" members that formed the new Big East Conference included DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John's, and Villanova.
In 2019, the Big East invited the University of Connecticut (UConn) to "re-join" the conference, which it did in 2020. UConn is the only member of the current Big East with a varsity football team in the top-level Division I FBS.
Looking to the future, there are no concrete plans for new members to join the Big East Conference. However, there have been speculations about the potential for collaboration with other Catholic schools with strong basketball programs, such as Xavier, Dayton, Creighton, or Gonzaga. Additionally, the conference has expressed interest in maintaining a 12-team football conference and has added new members for football, including Boise State and San Diego State.
The Big East Conference has a history of success in basketball, with its teams making 18 Final Four appearances and winning 7 NCAA championships as of 2013. The conference has been widely considered one of the "Power 5" basketball conferences and continues to be a prominent and competitive force in collegiate athletics.
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Past members
The Big East Conference was founded in 1979 by Providence College basketball coach Dave Gavitt. It initially consisted of up to 16 universities in the eastern half of the United States.
The original Big East Conference included Georgetown, St. John's, Villanova, Providence, Seton Hall, Connecticut (UConn), Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Boston College, and Rutgers. UConn, which joined the conference in 1990, became the preeminent power in the Big East, winning three NCAA championships as a Big East member.
In 2011, the Big East set a record for the most teams sent to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship by a single conference, with 11 out of their 16 teams qualifying.
However, in 2012, seven non-FBS schools, known as the "Catholic 7" due to their common religious background—DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, and Villanova—voted to separate from the football-playing schools within the Big East. This move was motivated by a desire to return to Gavitt's original vision of a strong, Northeast-based, and basketball-focused conference, as well as prospects for a better television deal.
In 2013, these seven schools formed a non-football playing conference that purchased the Big East Conference name, logos, basketball records, and the rights to the Big East Men's Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden. They were joined by Butler, Creighton, and Xavier, expanding the conference to ten members.
The remaining football-playing members of the old Big East, along with four schools from other conferences, formed the American Athletic Conference (AAC), which is the legal successor of the original Big East.
Over time, other schools have also departed from the Big East, including Syracuse, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Connecticut, Cincinnati, Temple, and South Florida.
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Revenue sharing
The Big East Conference is widely considered one of the "Power 5" basketball conferences. It was founded in 1979 by Dave Gavitt and comprises mainly private, Catholic institutions. The original Big East split in 2013, with the football-playing schools forming the American Athletic Conference (AAC).
The seven non-FBS schools, known as the "Catholic 7"—DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, and Villanova—voted to separate from the football-playing schools. These schools are committed to focusing on basketball and believe that separating from the football schools will allow them to secure better television deals.
The new revenue-sharing model in college sports, which is set to begin on July 1, 2025, will allow NCAA member schools to share a portion of their revenue directly with athletes. This permissive agreement establishes a framework for schools to distribute up to 22% of the average power conference athletic media rights, ticket sales, and sponsorship revenue to athletes, with an initial cap of $20.5 million per institution for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
The revenue-sharing model is expected to benefit basketball-focused conferences like the Big East. Since most Big East schools don't have major football programs, they have greater flexibility to dedicate a larger share of their revenue to men's and women's basketball. For example, Houston's athletic director, Eddie Nuñez, suggested that Big East schools could pay $6 million or more to their basketball teams.
Big East commissioner Val Ackerman emphasized the advantage of the revenue-sharing model, stating that schools can direct their dollars to basketball. She predicts that "everybody will be in the game," indicating that the revenue-sharing era will level the playing field for schools in the Big East.
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Frequently asked questions
The Big East basketball conference is made up of mostly private, Catholic institutions. The current members include:
- Georgetown
- St. John's
- Villanova
- DePaul
- Marquette
- Seton Hall
- Providence
- Butler
- UConn
Several schools have left the Big East basketball conference over the years, including:
- Syracuse
- Pittsburgh
- West Virginia
- Rutgers
- Louisville
- Cincinnati
- Temple
- South Florida
The Big East Conference is an NCAA Division 1 conference that was formed in 1979 by college basketball coach Dave Gavitt. It includes schools across the Northeast and Midwest and has always primarily focused on basketball.
The Big East Conference has been considered one of the "Power 5" basketball conferences. The Big East Men's Basketball Tournament is played at Madison Square Garden and is considered the most prestigious conference tournament in NCAA Division I.
