BIG EAST

1 month ago | bigeast.com | Sean Brennan

The BIG EAST knew they were getting four teams in the NCAA Tournament for sure with St.John’s, Creighton. Marquette and UConn as locks. But the league received a bonus when Xavier was tabbed as a fifth pick as it was picked to play in the First Four as an 11 seed against Texas in Dayton on Wednesday. St. John’s, fresh off its first BIG EAST Tournament championship in a quarter of a century, grabbed a No. 2 seed in the West Region and will face No. 15 Omaha in Providence on Thursday.

1 month ago | bigeast.com | Sean Brennan

By Sean Brennan, BIG EAST SpecialSo just how important an event is the BIG EAST Tournament to the 11 schools that will descend on Madison Square Garden this week in hopes of being crowned the 2025 champion? That’s clearly the main question to be answered over the next four days. But there are always a bevy of questions at this time of year when those 11 teams vie for BIG EAST basketball supremacy.

Mar 17, 2024 | bigeast.com | Sean Brennan

Four items. That’s all that was on the UConn Huskies To Do List this season. Feats that needed to be accomplished this season but had eluded the Huskies’ grasp even in their national championship season of a year ago. Four items. Sounds simple enough, but when you have to run the 20-game gauntlet that is the BIG EAST regular season, and then follow that up with what is arguably the finest/toughest postseason tournament there is in college basketball in the BIG EAST Tournament, heck.

Mar 14, 2024 | bigeast.com | Sean Brennan

Villanova Quotes | DePaul Quotes | Box ScoreBy SEAN BRENNAN Special to BIGEAST.comThe game plan for Villanova was simple. Don’t, under any circumstances, lose to DePaul in your tournament opener. Now it’s no secret the brutal season the Blue Demons have endured this year, winning just three times overall and going winless in 20 conference games this season. So admittedly, not much was expected from DePaul in the finale of the opening day tripleheader at Madison Square Garden.

Mar 7, 2024 | bigeast.com | Sean Brennan

With 30 games in the books this season for Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner, including 19 wars with conference opponents in the BIG EAST, let’s just say the Bluejays’ bye week came along at just the right time. After all, the Creighton center has spent the last four months turning in his usual superlative defensive performances (and offensive as well) while finding himself atop the leaderboard in blocks per game and total blocks and in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive rebounds.