Can the Big East keep its men's basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden?
NEW YORK — The Big East Tournament is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary at Madison Square Garden.
That was among the highlights of an address from commissioner Val Ackerman ahead of the league’s formal Media Day schedule on Tuesday.
Ackerman said discussions are underway to extend the existing men’s basketball deal between the conference and the facility through the 2031-32 season. The league is also at the outset of negotiations to continue its media rights deal with Fox Sports.
“I can’t say we’re unconcerned about what the future has in store for college sports and what that means for us,” Ackerman said. “But we think we’ve put the conference in the best possible position to remain relevant and successful, come what may.”
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The 2024 edition of the event is set for Wednesday through Saturday, March 13-16. Providence captured a pair of tournament crowns exactly 20 years apart — under Rick Barnes in 1994 and under Ed Cooley in 2014. The Friars outlasted St. John’s, Seton Hall and Creighton to raise that most recent trophy — Bryce Cotton, Josh Fortune, LaDontae Henton and Tyler Harris each played all 40 minutes in a 65-58 triumph over the Bluejays.
“Every conference in the country would die to be in this building,” Providence athletic director Steve Napolillo said. “It’s the Big East. It’s what we stand for.”
The splintering of the so-called Catholic 7 away from football schools like Louisville, Rutgers and Cincinnati ahead of the 2013-14 season was thought to be a death blow for the league. The Big East has thrived instead, readmitting Connecticut to stand at 11 members and flush with network television cash. The original deal inked by the conference and its television partners was for $500 million over 12 years, with Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2 debuting to carry men’s and women’s basketball in competition against ESPN and other major network sports subsidiaries.
![PC athletic director Steve Napolillo says: "Every conference in the country would die to be in [Madison Square Garden]."](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/KodRKtrDPspi2FA7c2oJMA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-providence-journal/b9afd6b9155d3e8584d0b9abd5702eeb)
“TV will really set us where we’re going,” Napolillo said. “We all need the revenue. Those are critical dollars at every school, so we’re investing at the highest level in basketball with all of our programs.”
Sellout crowds and Manhattan energy have defined the tournament since it was first played at this site in the early 1980s. Patrons have returned in full force after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, and bringing the Huskies back from the American Athletic Conference added another layer of intrigue. Ackerman said the league plans to stay with its 20-game schedule for men’s basketball — two games against each fellow member, home and away — in the immediate future.
“It’s simply easier for us to double down on basketball without football distractions on our campuses or on conference media days,” Ackerman said.
One apparent casualty of the current conference realignment that’s bloated several football entities — the Gavitt Games. Ackerman told NJ.com the series is unlikely to be picked up after its existing contract expires. The Friars are scheduled to host Wisconsin in what could be the last such matchup against the Big Ten on Nov. 14.
“We had an agreement in principle, we sent them a contract and then they changed their minds,” Ackerman said.
Ackerman is fresh off work on a national committee regarding name, image and likeness reforms. She favors provisions that include agent registration, public deal disclosures, standard contract protections and financial education at schools. Ackerman would like to see a national set of standards that overrides current various state-specific legislation and resolves any conflicts with respect to Title IX.
“If college basketball today has a soul, you’ll find it in our league,” Ackerman said.
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Big East negotiating a deal that will last through the 2031-32 season
