The stakes of the Big East tournament have only gotten higher. After UConn’s abysmal loss to Marquette granted St. John’s its second straight regular-season title, the Madison Square Garden showcase is seemingly the Huskies’ final hope of netting a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance.
With the tournament returning to the “World’s Most Famous Arena” for the 44th consecutive time, the Johnnies hope to give their hometown crowd something to cheer for once again. They won last year’s conference tournament to break a 25-year drought.
Standing in their way: a UConn squad with even more to play for than when they split meetings during conference play, a Villanova Wildcats team on the cusp of securing a spot in NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022, and a few lower-seeded programs with high-volume scorers.
How to watch the 2026 Big East men’s basketball tournament
- Venue: Madison Square Garden — New York City
- Dates: March 11-14
- TV: NBCSN, FS1, Fox
- Streaming: Peacock on March 11-12; Fubo (Watch Now) on March 12-14
- Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.
All Fox broadcasts are also available to stream on Fox One.
Teams to watch
UConn’s season is one of redemption. Hopes of becoming a “dynasty” snapped before Dan Hurley’s eyes last year during a 24-11 campaign, and his team failed to become the first program to win three straight national championships in over half a century. This season, UConn only dropped one game going into conference play, falling to Arizona in November.
Entering the tournament, the Huskies’ overall record sits at 27-4, after losses to Creighton, a tough battle with St. John’s and last weekend’s blunder against Marquette. Meanwhile, Hurley’s role as head coach is more important now than ever before.
UConn has one of the nation’s most efficient defenses. The Huskies are buoyed by guard Silas Demary Jr., who is averaging a conference-leading 6.5 assists per game, and senior bigs Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed Jr. Those three were named to the All-Big East first team, becoming the first trio from the same squad to earn the honor in conference history.
This is a complete team heading into March Madness. But as was the case last season, the Achilles’ heel of this program is not solely about the schemes and players that Hurley uses, but ultimately what he does out there on the floor with them. Costly technical fouls. Meaningless ejections. The main thing between Hurley and cutting down the netting for the third time in four years could be himself.
The Johnnies are a force to be reckoned with in Rick Pitino’s third season with the Red Storm. Zuby Ejiofor, a unanimous Big East first-team selection, has used his 6-foot-9 frame to terrorize teams on both sides of the floor, all while setting his teammates up for opportunities to score.
Ejiofor is critical to his team’s success, especially against top-ranked opponents. In St. John’s win over UConn, the former Kansas Jayhawk put forth an impressive 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. When they traveled to UConn, however, Ejiofor only managed six points on 2-for-5 shooting from the field.
It’s easy to get lost in the Huskies-Johnnies debate before play starts at Madison Square Garden — they are the conference’s only ranked teams — but Villanova (24-7, 15-5) isn’t too far behind.
Five Wildcats have scoring averages in the double digits. Led by guard Tyler Perkins with 13.7 points per game, Villanova also has a presence on the boards in 6-foot-10 senior Duke Brennan, who averages over 10 rebounds per game. His effort on the glass could be the difference between a win and a ride home.
Among teams in the lower half of the bracket, Providence is one to keep tabs on. Coming in as the No. 9 seed, the Friars are the highest-scoring team in the conference and have players like guard Jaylin Sellers — averaging a league-best 18.1 points per game — who can go off on a whim. They also have beaten St. John’s at MSG once already this season.
Providence defends poorly, however, and Kim English won’t have time to find a solution to plug the leak in its defensive setup. But why not go out with a bang? That’s not to say the Friars are going to win the whole thing, but wilder things have happened on an NCAA court around this time of year.
Tournament schedule
All times ET. Conference tournament seedings are also listed.
Wednesday, March 11 – First round
Broadcaster: Peacock/NBCSN
- Game 1: No. 8 Butler vs. No. 9 Providence, 4 p.m.
- Game 2: No. 7 Marquette vs. No. 10 Xavier, 6:30 p.m.
- Game 3: No. 6 DePaul vs. No. 11 Georgetown, 9 p.m.
Thursday, March 12 – Quarterfinals
Broadcaster: Peacock/NBCSN, FS1
- Game 4: No. 1 St. John’s vs. Game 1 winner, noon (Peacock/NBCSN)
- Game 5: No. 4 Seton Hall vs. No. 5 Creighton, 2:30 p.m. (Peacock/NBCSN)
- Game 6: No. 2 UConn vs. Game 2 winner, 7 p.m. (FS1)
- Game 7: No. 3 Villanova vs. Game 3 winner, 9:30 p.m. (FS1)
Friday, March 13 – Semifinals
Broadcasters: FS1, Fox
- Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 5:30 p.m. (Fox)
- Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 8 p.m. (FS1)
Saturday, March 14 – Championship
Broadcaster: Fox
- Game 10: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 6:30 p.m.
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