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Big East Conference

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Big East Conference
NameBig East Conference
Established1979
AssociationNCAA
DivisionDivision I
SubdivisionFBS (football, 1979–2013)
Members11 (full), 7 (affiliate)
Sports22
HeadquartersNew York City
CommissionerVal Ackerman
RegionEastern United States

Big East Conference. The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in the NCAA's Division I. Founded in 1979, it was originally renowned for its dominant men's basketball programs, particularly within the annual tournament at Madison Square Garden. Following a major realignment in 2013, the conference now operates as a non-football league, with its charter focused on basketball and Olympic sports.

History

The conference was founded in 1979 by seven institutions, including Providence College, St. John's University, and Georgetown University, with Dave Gavitt serving as its first commissioner. It quickly rose to national prominence in the 1980s, fueled by intense rivalries and legendary coaches like John Thompson of Georgetown and Lou Carnesecca of St. John's. The league expanded its footprint and influence by adding football in 1991, leading to membership for schools like the University of Miami and Virginia Tech. Periods of significant realignment occurred in the 2000s and early 2010s, driven by shifts in BCS football dynamics, culminating in the 2013 split that saw the football-playing schools depart to form the American Athletic Conference. The reconstituted league, under Commissioner Val Ackerman, retained the historic name and focused on its basketball core, adding members such as Butler University, Creighton University, and Xavier University.

Member schools

The conference currently has eleven full member institutions, all of which are private, non-football schools. The full members are Butler University, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John's University, Seton Hall University, University of Connecticut, Villanova University, and Xavier University. The University of Connecticut rejoined in 2020 after a seven-year stint in the American Athletic Conference. The league also includes several affiliate members for specific sports, such as the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Tennessee for women's rowing, and Old Dominion University for field hockey.

Sports sponsored

The conference sponsors championship competition in ten men's and twelve women's sports. Men's sponsored sports include basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, and track and field (indoor and outdoor). Women's sponsored sports include all of the aforementioned plus beach volleyball, field hockey, rowing, softball, and volleyball. The most prominent sport remains men's basketball, with the conference maintaining its status as one of the premier leagues in the nation. Women's basketball has also grown in stature, with programs like UConn achieving historic success.

Conference championships

The conference crowns champions in each sponsored sport, with the most celebrated event being the Big East men's basketball tournament, held annually in New York City. The Big East women's basketball tournament is also a major event. Other notable championship tournaments include those for soccer, lacrosse, and baseball. The conference has celebrated numerous NCAA national championships, particularly in basketball, with members like UConn, Villanova, and Georgetown having won titles. Individual athletes have also won national titles in sports like track and field and cross country.

Facilities

Member schools compete in a variety of notable venues. For basketball, these include Madison Square Garden for the conference tournament, Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University, and the CHI Health Center Omaha for Creighton University. Other significant facilities include Cooper Field at Georgetown University for lacrosse, Fitton Field for baseball, and the Al McGuire Center at Marquette University. Many schools have invested in modern athletic complexes, such as Villanova's renovation of the Finneran Pavilion and Xavier's Cintas Center.

Media coverage

The conference maintains a major media rights partnership with Fox Sports, with the majority of its events, including the Big East men's basketball tournament, broadcast on Fox, FS1, and Fox Sports 2. Selected basketball games are also televised on CBS Sports and ESPN. The conference operates its own digital network, the Big East Digital Network, which streams events not on linear television. This arrangement, established after the 2013 realignment, has ensured widespread national exposure for its premier sports, particularly men's basketball.

Category:Big East Conference Category:NCAA Division I conferences Category:College athletic conferences in the United States