The BIG EAST Conference
Building on a storied history that began in 1979, the BIG EAST Conference continues to position itself among the nation’s leading collegiate athletic conferences. The 2026-27 academic year marks the 14th season since the BIG EAST returned to its basketball-centric institutional configuration, and the accomplishments of its member schools during that period have reinforced the conference’s standing on the national stage.
Since the league’s reconfiguration in 2013, the BIG EAST has developed a clear identity rooted in the shared values of its member institutions. The conference combines high-level athletic competition with a commitment to academic achievement, student-athlete well-being, leadership development and community engagement.
The BIG EAST currently consists of 11 full member institutions: Butler, UConn, Creighton, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Villanova and Xavier. The conference sponsors championships in 22 sports and provides national-caliber participation opportunities for thousands of student-athletes across more than 200 men’s and women’s teams.
Conference Leadership
Dynamic leadership has been a defining characteristic of the BIG EAST throughout its history. Dave Gavitt, the former Providence men’s basketball coach and athletic director, was the driving force behind the conference’s creation in 1979 and helped establish a model that quickly made the league a national force.
On Sept. 1, 2026, Timothy J. Brosnan was named the sixth Commissioner in the history of the BIG EAST Conference. Brosnan is a former Georgetown student-athlete and accomplished executive with decades of experience in sports, business and media. He replaced Val Ackerman, who announced her retirement in April 2026.
Competitive Excellence
UConn’s return in 2020 restored one of the conference’s original members and brought the BIG EAST to its current 11-school configuration. Since rejoining the conference, UConn’s men’s basketball program won NCAA national championships in 2023 and 2024 and returned to the national championship game in 2026, marking its third appearance in the title game in four seasons.
UConn women’s basketball captured the program’s 12th national championship in 2025, its ninth as a BIG EAST member. In 2026, the Huskies advanced to their 25th Final Four after winning both the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament championships.
The 2025-26 season also featured another memorable year at Madison Square Garden. St. John’s won its second consecutive BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Tournament championship, and the conference tournament was played at Madison Square Garden for the 44th consecutive year. St. John’s advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999, while UConn reached the national championship game.
History
The BIG EAST became a reality in May 1979. Providence, St. John’s, Georgetown, Syracuse, Seton Hall, UConn and Boston College formed the original seven-school alliance, and the league quickly became one of the defining forces in college basketball.
While the composition of the conference has changed over the decades, its emphasis on academic strength, fair play and elite competition has remained constant. One of the defining moments in conference history came in 1985, when Georgetown, St. John’s and Villanova all advanced to the NCAA Men’s Final Four. Villanova went on to win the national championship, and the BIG EAST remains the only conference to place three teams in the same men’s Final Four.
Madison Square Garden became the home of the BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Tournament in 1983. The relationship between the conference, New York City and The World’s Most Famous Arena has become one of the most enduring traditions in college basketball. The tournament is scheduled to remain at Madison Square Garden through at least 2032.
In December 2012, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall and Villanova announced their intention to separate from the conference’s FBS football-playing schools and form an independent association. The seven schools reached an agreement to retain the BIG EAST name and the conference’s long-term relationship with Madison Square Garden. Butler, Creighton and Xavier joined the group, and the modern BIG EAST officially began July 1, 2013.
Academic Excellence, Community Service and Student-Athlete Development
Beyond competition, the BIG EAST has maintained a strong commitment to academic integrity, athletic excellence, leadership development and community service. Conference programs are designed to help student-athletes develop as students, competitors and future leaders.
BIG EAST Serves was established in 2014 to align conference initiatives with the service missions of member institutions. Programs under the conference’s broader student-athlete development umbrella have included career-development initiatives, campus safety and educational partnerships, and programming designed to support the mental and physical well-being of student-athletes.
The BIG EAST regularly recognizes academic excellence through the BIG EAST All-Academic Team, Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, institutional scholar-athlete awards and the Michael Tranghese Postgraduate Leadership Award. More than 3,000 student-athletes were named to the 2025-26 BIG EAST All-Academic Team.
The conference has also continued to invest in student-athlete education and competition integrity. In 2026, the BIG EAST expanded its partnership with IC360 to provide conference-specific integrity, sports wagering and compliance education to student-athletes and administrators across its member institutions.
BIG EAST in the Media
The BIG EAST has long been recognized as an innovator in sports media, and that tradition continues in the conference’s current broadcast and digital partnerships. The 2025-26 season marked the first year of a new six-year media rights agreement spanning the 2025-26 through 2030-31 seasons.
FOX Sports remains the BIG EAST’s lead television partner and continues to provide extensive coverage across FOX, FS1 and FS2. NBC Sports provides coverage across NBC and Peacock, while TNT Sports adds national coverage across its television and streaming platforms. The conference’s current media package provides broad national exposure for BIG EAST men’s and women’s basketball throughout the regular season and postseason.
In 2025, the BIG EAST also entered into a six-year digital media rights agreement with ESPN. ESPN+ streams hundreds of BIG EAST events annually, including women’s basketball, Olympic sports and selected non-conference men’s basketball games. Together, the agreements provide the conference with one of the broadest combinations of broadcast, cable and direct-to-consumer distribution in college athletics.
BIG EAST institutions are located in many of the nation’s largest media markets, including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Indianapolis, Hartford/New Haven, Cincinnati and Milwaukee, giving the conference a significant presence in major metropolitan areas across the country.
Conference and National Championships
The BIG EAST crowns conference champions in 22 sports and owns a national championship tradition spanning multiple generations. In the 46 years since the original conference began competition, BIG EAST teams have won 45 national championships in eight different sports, while 146 student-athletes have captured individual national titles.
BIG EAST men’s basketball programs have enjoyed extraordinary NCAA Tournament success. UConn has won national championships in 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023 and 2024. Villanova won NCAA titles in 1985, 2016 and 2018, while Georgetown and Marquette also own men’s basketball national championships. Butler, DePaul, Providence, St. John’s and Seton Hall have all reached the Final Four.
The conference has also achieved national success across a wide range of sports. Georgetown men’s soccer won the NCAA championship in 2019, while BIG EAST programs have captured national championships in women’s cross country and field hockey. UConn has been one of the nation’s premier field hockey programs, and Denver won the NCAA men’s lacrosse championship in 2015 while competing as a BIG EAST affiliate member.
That combination of historic tradition and continued national relevance remains at the center of the BIG EAST identity. From its founding in 1979 through its modern era, the conference has maintained a distinctive place in college athletics through elite competition, nationally recognized student-athletes and coaches, enduring championship traditions and a commitment to the academic and personal development of its student-athletes.