Big East Men's Basketball Tournament bracket: 2026 schedule and seeding

St. John's Red Storm against Marquette in Big East basketball game

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Matthew Couden

By Matthew Couden

Contributing Writer

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The Big East Conference wrapped up its regular season over the weekend, with the No. 4-ranked UConn Huskies falling to the Marquette Golden Eagles stunningly.

That particular loss brought significant consequences, including Dan Hurley's late-game ejection, leading to a fine, and UConn failing to claim a share of the Big East title with St. John's. Along with that, UConn also dropped out of the conversation for one of the NCAA Tournament's No. 1 seeds.

The Big East Men's Basketball Tournament will arrive this week, with some intriguing rematches potentially looming. Along with that, there's the opportunity for a team to earn an automatic entry into the Big Dance by winning the conference tournament.

Big East Tournament 2026 Bracket and Schedule

New York City's Madison Square Garden will once again host the Big East Tournament with three games starting off the schedule on Wednesday, March 11.

To begin, No. 9 seed Providence plays No. 8 seed Butler at 4 p.m. Eastern Time. That is followed by No. 10 Xavier taking on No. 7 Marquette at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

The first day's action concludes with No. 11 Georgetown vs. No. 6 DePaul at 9 p.m. Eastern Time. All of the opening round's games are on Peacock and NBC Sports Network.

St. John's Red Storm against Marquette in Big East basketball game

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The quarterfinals arrive on Thursday, March 12, as five teams with first-round byes will play their first games. At 12 p.m., the No. 1 seed, St. John’s, plays either Providence or Butler. After that game ends, No. 5 seed Creighton plays No. 4 seed Seton Hall at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

The night’s action includes No. 2 seed UConn potentially playing Marquette in a rematch at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. The No. 3 seed Villanova gets the late game at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time with either Georgetown or DePaul as its opponent. These quarterfinal games are on Peacock, NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), and/or FS1.

Friday brings the semifinals, with four teams battling to reach the championship game. Those games are at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern Time with coverage on Fox and FS1.

The Big East Tournament final is on Saturday, March 14, at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time to decide the Big East champion. Fans will be able to watch this one unfold on Fox.

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As of this writing, UConn and St. John's are the strong favorites to win the conference tournament, but that doesn't mean another team couldn't play spoiler.

If anything, the Big East has been quite competitive this past season, as indicated by Creighton and Marquette achieving stunning upsets over a talented UConn roster, and St. John's falling to Providence at home.

Which Big East Teams Will Make the NCAA Tournament?

As of now, only three Big East teams appear locked in for tournament spots. The UConn Huskies have been in the conversation as a top seed for the Big Dance since the start of the season, and should be at most a No. 2 seed.

St. John's is also expected to reach the NCAA Tournament, based on their impressive body of work this season. In addition, ESPN's Joe Lunardi has the Villanova Wildcats as a No. 7 seed in his Bracketology projections.

It's also worth noting that Lunardi doesn't have any Big East teams listed as "on the bubble" right now.

With only three Big East teams currently in the March Madness bracket, there is a massive opportunity for one of the other squads. A successful run through the conference tournament to become champion would gain an automatic entry into the NCAA Tournament.

Anything can happen in March, and one team could become an early Cinderella story by scoring some surprising upsets at MSG.

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