NEW YORK – The BIG EAST Conference concluded a pair of productive and successful conference meetings over the past two weeks. The annual spring meeting was held from May 19-21 in Ponte Vedra, Fla. with the league’s Directors of Athletics, Senior Woman Administrators, head men’s and women’s basketball coaches, and conference staff. Representatives from the conference’s national television partners, Madison Square Garden, and the NCAA also joined the three-day event.
On Thursday, May 28, the conference’s Board of Directors, which is comprised of the Presidents of the BIG EAST’s 11 member institutions, held its spring meeting in New York City. The board announced the appointment of Elevate Talent, a leading executive search and leadership advisory firm, as the group that will spearhead the search for the next BIG EAST Commissioner. The search will be led by Liz Moulton, Chairman of Elevate Talent, and Kyle Bowlsby, Senior Partner.
Topics discussed at both meetings included operation of the House settlement; the possibility of federal legislation; the current national legal landscape; NCAA eligibility rules; future television and digital coverage plans; revenue generation ideas; and strategies to maintain the conference’s national successes in the sports of men’s and women’s basketball. In addition, Ed Kull, Director of Athletics at St. John’s University, was appointed chair of the AD group for the upcoming year.
As part of its customary recognition at the Florida meeting of outstanding individual contributions and service, the conference paid tribute to a pair of retired BIG EAST men’s basketball coaches, Butler’s Thad Matta and Creighton’s Greg McDermott, as well as Deb Williamson, outgoing women’s basketball supervisor of officials. The night concluded with a tribute to outgoing BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman, who announced her retirement in April after 13 years of leading the league’s rebirth and renaissance since 2013. In addition to a retrospective video honoring her impact and legacy of service across nearly four decades in the sports business, Ackerman was toasted by Senior Woman Administrators Jill LaPoint from Providence and Lynn Tighe from Villanova, Georgetown Director of Athletics Lee Reed and head men’s basketball coach Ed Cooley, UConn head women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma, and FOX Sports Executive Vice President Jordan Bazant.
Other highlights noted at the meetings were as follows:
Men’s Basketball — The 2026 BIG EAST Tournament again shined on the country’s biggest stage, playing before sold-out crowds in each of its five sessions at Madison Square Garden. St. John’s captured its second consecutive BIG EAST crown, with the Saturday night conference title game finishing as the most watched BIG EAST finale ever on the FOX broadcast network, with 1,766,000 viewers. This year’s men’s tournament was the 44th consecutive played at Madison Square Garden, the Tournament’s home since 1983, and will remain at The World’s Most Famous Arena through at least 2032. Three BIG EAST men’s teams received bids to the 2026 NCAA tournament, with St. John’s advancing to its first Sweet 16 since 1999 and UConn advancing to its third NCAA title game in the last four seasons.
Women’s Basketball — The BIG EAST celebrated UConn’s 25th Final Four appearance in program history after the Huskies captured the league’s regular season and tournament titles. The conference tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena boasted another year of record attendance and viewership numbers on Peacock, including a sellout during the championship game featuring UConn and Villanova. In March, the BIG EAST announced a three-year extension to keep the women’s championship at Mohegan Sun through 2029.
Sponsorship - The BIG EAST set a new corporate sponsorship sales revenue record during the 2025-26 season, with a 20% increase in sales over the prior year.
NCAA Representatives -- NCAA President Charlie Baker, Senior Vice President of Governance and Member Services Jenn Fraser, and NCAA Chief Legal Officer Senior Vice President and General Counsel Scott Bearby participated in the meetings virtually.
Broadcast Partners – Representatives from FOX Sports, NBC Sports, and TNT Sports presented to the administrators and coaches, providing a recap of the 2025-26 season as well as a look ahead to next year, with a focus on scheduling, content, and promotional strategies to enhance their continued comprehensive coverage of BIG EAST basketball. The 2025-26 season marked the start of the conference’s new, six-year media rights agreement with FOX Sports, NBC/Peacock and Warner Brothers Discovery - as well as ESPN+ - for all BIG EAST sports. Viewership levels of men’s and women’s basketball this year on Fox Sports linear platforms were the highest since the league reconfigured in 2013.
Madison Square Garden — Joel Fisher, Executive Vice President of Marquee Events, and Sal Federico, Senior Vice President of Sports Properties, joined the Florida meeting in person to discuss the success of the BIG EAST men’s tournament and the scheduling of future events involving BIG EAST schools at The World’s Most Famous Arena.