Madison Square Garden just feels different in March. You can smell the history—or maybe that’s just the overpriced Nathan’s hot dogs and the damp New York City subway air drifting up through the floorboards. Either way, the Big East Men's Basketball Tournament 2025 wasn't just another week of hoops. It was a fever dream.
Honestly, if you weren't there, it’s hard to describe the specific brand of chaos that ensues when Rick Pitino is stalking the sidelines of the "World's Most Famous Arena" with a top-seeded team.
The 2025 edition marked the 43rd consecutive year the Big East took over Midtown Manhattan. That’s the longest-running conference tournament at a single venue in the country. It’s a marriage that shouldn't work in the modern era of conference realignment, yet it’s the only thing in college sports that still feels sacred.
The Pitino Resurrection and the Friday Night Wars
Most people thought the Big East was UConn’s personal playground. After all, Dan Hurley’s squad had been treating the rest of the league like a JV scout team for a couple of years. But 2025 was the year the Red Storm actually brought the thunder. St. John's entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed after a dominant 18-2 conference run.
The energy for the semifinals on Friday, March 14, was genuinely terrifying.
St. John’s lined up against Shaka Smart’s Marquette. It wasn't a basketball game; it was a track meet with more physical contact than a mid-90s Knicks game. RJ Luis Jr., who basically spent the season proving he was the best player in the league, dropped a cool 18.1 average during the season and didn't let up here. St. John's walked away with a 79-63 win, but it felt closer than the score suggests.
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Then came the nightcap. Creighton versus UConn.
If you’re a purist, this was the peak. Greg McDermott’s Bluejays are always fundamentally sound, but they played with a mean streak this time. Ryan Kalkbrenner, the 7-foot-1 mountain of a human, was a problem. UConn’s Alex Karaban tried to stretch the floor, but Creighton’s defense was suffocating. The Jays pulled off the 71-62 upset, sending the Husky faithful back to Connecticut earlier than they expected.
Why the Big East Men's Basketball Tournament 2025 Broke the Mold
Kinda weird, right? The two-time defending national champs (UConn) didn't even make the Big East final. That’s the magic of this tournament. You can have the best roster on paper, but if you can't handle the localized pressure of a Wednesday-to-Saturday gauntlet in NYC, you're toast.
The bracket was a mess from day one.
- The Opening Act: No. 9 Butler kicked things off on Wednesday by bounced No. 8 Providence.
- The DePaul Shock: We need to talk about DePaul. They’ve been the league’s punching bag for years, but under Chris Holtmann, they actually looked like a basketball team. They took down Georgetown in the first round (71-67) and nearly scared the life out of Creighton in the quarterfinals.
- The Villanova Slide: Kyle Neptune’s seat is officially a furnace. Seeing the Wildcats fall to UConn in the quarters (73-56) felt like the end of an era for a program that used to own this building.
The Championship Saturday: A Red Out
By the time Saturday, March 15 rolled around, the Garden was a sea of red. St. John’s vs. Creighton.
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Rick Pitino looked like he’d aged backwards ten years. The game was tight for about twenty minutes. Creighton’s Steven Ashworth was hitting shots from the logo, but the depth of St. John’s was just too much. Zuby Ejiofor—remember that name—was a beast on the glass.
The final score? 82-66. St. John’s took the trophy.
It was the first time the Johnnies won the Big East Tournament since 2000. Think about that. A quarter-century of mediocrity wiped away in four days. The floor was covered in confetti, and Pitino was smiling like he’d just discovered the fountain of youth in a Queens pizzeria.
Looking Past the Box Score
What most people get wrong about this tournament is thinking it’s just about the "Big Six" or the "Catholic Seven." It’s about the fact that every single game matters for the NCAA Tournament bubble.
Xavier and Marquette were fighting for seeding. Villanova was fighting for their lives. Even Georgetown, despite a rough 8-12 conference record, showed signs of life under Ed Cooley before stumbling. The Big East sent five teams to the Big Dance in 2025: St. John’s, Creighton, UConn, Marquette, and Xavier.
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Meanwhile, the "unlucky" ones—Butler, Georgetown, DePaul, and Villanova—ended up in the inaugural College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas. Not exactly the Garden, but hey, it’s postseason ball.
How to Handle the 2026 Big East Craze
If you’re planning on going next year, you’ve gotta be smart. Tickets for the 2025 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament were some of the most expensive in history because of the local St. John's hype.
- The "Peacock" Factor: Get used to the streaming. In 2025, five of the early games were on Peacock. If you don't have a login, you're missing the first two days.
- The MSG Bag Policy: Don't be the person trying to bring a suitcase into the arena. They are strict. Anything bigger than 22″ x 14″ x 9″ is a no-go.
- Midday Sessions: The Thursday afternoon session is the best value. You get two games back-to-back, and the energy is peak "playing hooky from work."
The Big East isn't going anywhere. While other conferences are stretching from New Jersey to California and losing their identity, this league is doubling down on its roots. It's grittier. It's louder. And as the 2025 tournament proved, it’s still the best show in college basketball.
If you want to stay ahead for the 2026 cycle, keep an eye on the transfer portal this spring. St. John's will be the hunted now. UConn is going to be angry. And some kid from a mid-major is going to transfer to Providence and become the next Big East villain. That’s just how the cycle works. Get your tickets early, or you'll be watching from a bar in Penn Station.
The 2026 tournament is already locked in for March 11-14. Mark the calendar. Don't say I didn't warn you.