The Big East Tournament is as fundamental to Madison Square Garden’s mythos as Billy Joel on top of the turnstiles and Willis Reed out of the tunnel. The conference tourney has been played on Manhattan’s main stage for more than four uninterrupted decades now. It’s the institution that gave us Allen Iverson vs. Ray Allen, the six-overtime game and “Cardiac Kemba.”
This year, rejuvenated St. John’s pursues its first tournament title since the dawn of the 21st century. Rick Pitino made routine runs through this event back when he was with Louisville. Dan Hurley and back-to-back national champion Connecticut try to correct for a wonky regular season. Greg McDermott’s Creighton crew builds off a second-place conference finish at 15-5, while Shaka Smart’s Marquette clings to the edge of poll rankings. It’s the Big East Tournament.
How to watch the 2025 Big East men’s basketball tournament
Full schedule
All times Eastern, to be updated throughout the tournament.
First round — Wednesday, March 12
- No. 9 Butler 75, No. 8 Providence 69
- No. 10 DePaul 71, No. 7 Georgetown 67
- No. 6 Villanova 67, No. 11 Seton Hall 55
Quarterfinals — Thursday, March 13
- Game 4: No. 1 St. John’s vs. No. 9 Butler | Noon | Peacock
- Game 5: No. 4 Xavier vs. No. 5 Marquette | 2:30 p.m. | Peacock
- Game 6: No. 2 Creighton vs. No. 10 DePaul | 7 p.m. | Fox Sports 1
- Game 7: No. 3 UConn vs. No. 6 Villanova | 9:30 p.m. | Fox Sports 1
Semifinals — Friday, March 14
- Game 8: Winner of Game 4 vs. winner of Game 5 | 6:30 p.m. | Fox
- Game 9: Winner of Game 6 vs. winner of Game 7 | 9 p.m. | Fox
Championship — Saturday, March 15 | 6:30 p.m. on FOX
Players to watch
There were four unanimous selections for first-team all-conference honors — Ryan Kalkbrenner of Creighton, Kam Jones of Marquette, RJ Luis Jr. of St. John’s and Eric Dixon of Villanova. Kalkbrenner, a four-year starter at center, led the Big East in both rebounds and blocks per game. Fellow senior Jones closed out on a roll, averaging around 21 points and seven assists in his final four games. Luis Jr. is a downhill force who can lock up all around the floor. His 28-point, 11-board performance pushed the Johnnies ahead of the Golden Eagles in the thrilling regular season finale. Villanova’s Dixon topped Division I in scoring average, drilling 43 percent of his 3-pointers on more than seven tries per game.
UConn has national champs in Solomon Ball, Alex Karaban, Hassan Diarra and Samson Johnson. Xavier’s Ryan Conwell made at least four treys in his last four tries. St. John’s Kadary Richmond deflates opponents with aggressive, hawking man defense. Teammate Zuby Ejiofor does this:
ZUBY CALLED GAME…AGAIN‼️ pic.twitter.com/zvUcZD36Ze
— St. John’s Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall) March 8, 2025
More analysis from The Athletic
The Red Storm in CJ Moore’s latest national rankings:
“Zuby Ejiofor’s buzzer beater on Saturday was the fourth time this season the Johnnies have made a bucket in the final 10 seconds that was either to tie the game or take the lead. That’s tied for the most in Division I, per CBB Analytics. After losing its first three games this season that required a shot in that situation, St. John’s has won six of its last seven.”
Jim Root’s bubble watch:
Locks: Creighton, Marquette, St. John’s, UConn
In the Mix: Xavier
“It was not overly convincing, but Xavier got by Providence on Saturday, 76-68. That set the stage for what could amount to a win-and-in opportunity against Marquette on Thursday in the Big East tournament quarterfinals, and the Musketeers have already beaten the Golden Eagles in Milwaukee. Even despite its current seven-game winning streak, Sean Miller’s squad probably comes up short for an at-large bid with a loss in that game.”
Brendan Quinn, in conversation with Dan Hurley, on UConn’s disappointing season:
“Poor coaching, according to Hurley, tops the list. Star freshman Liam McNeeley missed time with injury and is, even now, still catching up. Alex Karaban, a preseason All-Big East First Team selection, hasn’t played to such levels. Hassan Diarra has ridden a bum knee. Young guys have looked like young guys. The transfer portal wasn’t particularly fruitful. And the defense has been terrible. Oh, and, along the way, Hurley, a man already prone to caricature, decided to tell an official: ‘I’m the best coach in the f—ing sport,’ setting off a fire hose of takes. Hurley gave his long, long line of critics everything they wanted, and he gave it to them on a platter.”
Big East Tournament odds
Tournament record book
Georgetown and UConn each have eight tourney titles. Villanova follows behind them with six. The only other active members with multiple Big East Tournament championships are St. John’s (3), Seton Hall (3) and Providence (2).
Tournament MVPs with NBA minutes this season:
- Tristen Newton (2024, UConn)
- Tyler Kolek (2023, Marquette)
- Collin Gillespie (2022, Villanova)
- Mikal Bridges (2018, Villanova)
- Josh Hart (2017 and 2015, Villanova)
NBA all-time starting five of Big East Tournament MVPs:
- Kemba Walker (2011, UConn)
- Josh Hart (2017 and 2015, Villanova)
- Chris Mullin (1983, St. John’s)
- Patrick Ewing (1984-85, Georgetown)
- Alonzo Mourning (1992, Georgetown)
Bench mob would include Bridges plus Caron Butler (2002, UConn), Ben Gordon (2004, UConn), Jeff Green (2007, Georgetown) and Eric “Sleepy” Floyd (1982, Georgetown). This team would be absolutely balling.
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(Photo of RJ Luis Jr.: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)
