The days of the old Big East are over, but a new crop of competitors has created an intriguing conference in 2022.
For years, the annual Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden was one of the hottest tickets in college basketball. The best teams across the east coast met at MSG to battle for an NCAA Tournament bid.
The venue hasn’t changed, but the teams are slightly different these days. Perennial Big East powers like UConn, Villanova and Georgetown are still in the conference. Then, there’s relative newcomers in Creighton, Xavier and Butler who are looking for their first Big East Tournament title.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2022 Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament:
When is the 2022 Big East Tournament?
The 2022 Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament begins with the first round on Wednesday, March 9. Games will be played every day until the championship on Saturday, March 12.
Where is the 2022 Big East Tournament?
NCAA
All games for the Big East Tournament will be played at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The home of the New York Knicks, MSG has hosted the tournament every year since 1983.
A look at the Big East Conference standings
- Providence, 14-3
- Villanova, 16-4
- UConn, 13-6
- Creighton, 12-7
- Marquette, 11-8
- Seton Hall, 11-8
- St. John’s, 8-11
- Xavier, 8-11
- Butler, 6-14
- DePaul, 6-14
- Georgetown, 0-19
Here’s the 2022 Big East Basketball Tournament bracket
First round (Wednesday, March 9)
Game 1: No. 8 Xavier vs. No. 9 Butler, 4:30 p.m. ET
Game 2: No. 7 St. John’s vs. No. 10 DePaul, 7 p.m. ET
Game 3: No. 6 Seton Hall vs. No. 11 Georgetown, 9:30 p.m. ET
Quarterfinals (Thursday, March 10)
Game 4: No. 1 Providence vs. Winner of Game 1, 12 p.m. ET
Game 5: No. 4 Creighton vs. No. 5 Marquette, 2:30 p.m. ET
Game 6: No. 2 Villanova vs. Winner of Game 2, 7 p.m. ET
Game 7: No. 3 UConn vs. Winner of Game 3, 9:30 p.m. ET
Semifinals (Friday, March 11)
Game 8: Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5, 6:30 p.m. ET
Game 9: Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 7, 9 p.m. ET
Championship (Saturday, March 12)
Game 10: Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 9, 6:30 p.m. ET
How to watch and stream the 2022 Big East Basketball Tournament
The first round, quarterfinals and semifinals will be shown on Fox Sports 1 and in the Fox Sports App. Those games are also available to stream online here.
The championship game on Sunday will be aired on FOX and streamed online here.
Who are the best players in the Big East?
Collin Gillespie, Villanova: The fifth-year senior guard returned to the Wildcats after injuring his knee last season, and he’s made the most of his final college opportunity. Gillespie, who already has two career Big East titles, is averaging a career-high 16.3 points and 3.8 rebounds.
Justin Lewis, Marquette: After averaging 7.8 points in 20 games last season, Lewis has elevated his game in 2021-22. The 6-foot-7 forward is the third-highest scorer in the Big East with 17.1 points per game, and a big conference tournament could send Marquette to the NCAA Tournament.
R.J. Cole, UConn: The Huskies’ history of great point guards continues with Cole, who played two years at Howard before transferring to UConn in 2020. Cole is averaging 15.8 points per game for the No. 3 seed Huskies as they look for their first conference title since re-joining the Big East in 2020.
Nate Watson, Providence: The 6-foot-10 senior leads Providence in scoring and blocks, as the Friars finished 14-3 in the conference. At 24-4 overall, Providence is in the midst of its best season since 1973-74.
Jared Rhoden, Seton Hall: In his fourth and final season at Seton Hall, Rhoden has emerged as the team’s leading scorer at 16.2 points per game. A bigger guard at 6-foot-6, Rhoden is capable of punishing smaller opponents inside and out.