Big East Conference
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| Full name | Big East Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division One |
| sport | Juniors: 10; Juniors: 12; no American football |
| abbreviation | Big East |
| Association | NCAA |
| League foundation | 2013 (see AAC : 1979) |
| Teams | in basketball : 11 |
| Country countries | United States |
The Big East Conference is an 11-university league in the United States for a variety of sports that play in NCAA Division I.
history
The Big East Conference originally came into being in 1979 and was based in Providence . Over the years there was a dispute over participation in American football . While some of the universities did not particularly support the sport, the teams of the universities that actively pursued the sport became more and more successful in this sport and were able to conclude lucrative television and advertising contracts. In addition to American football, such contracts were particularly popular in basketball. In the end, it became a hindrance when negotiating such contracts that the sports at universities in the Big East were organized separately from one another, which is why a nucleus of seven universities, known as Catholic Seven , split off, but the name Big East for their new conference based in New York City . The remaining universities, which, in contrast to the former ones , also operated American football in NCAA Division I, were renamed the American Athletic Conference , but retained the organization and infrastructure of the old Big East and thus see themselves as the immediate successors of the old Big East.
The Catholic Seven eventually joined with the teams from the Xavier University of Cincinnati , Creighton University and the non-Catholic Butler University, other universities that previously did not belong to the old Big East. Especially in lacrosse and field hockey, the teams of the new Big East cooperate with university teams that are otherwise not organized in the new Big East. Conversely, Butler, as well as Georgetown University and Villanova University, have football teams, but they take part in the game operations of other conferences.
The Big East gained its first new member since its inception with the arrival of the University of Connecticut (UConn) in July 2020.
In the old Big East, the basketball teams were among the most successful in Division I. In 2011, eleven of the then 16 teams qualified for the 68-participant NCAA Division I Basketball Championship tournament.
Members
| university | place | Team name | founded | joined | from | Sponsorship | students |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler University | Indianapolis ( IN ) | Bulldogs | 1855 | 2013 | A-10 | Private | 4,667 |
| Creighton University | Omaha ( NE ) | Bluejays | 1878 | 2013 | MVC | Private | 7,730 |
| DePaul University | Chicago ( IL ) | Blue demons | 1898 | 2005 | C-USA | Private | 25,398 |
| Georgetown University | Washington, DC | Hoyas | 1789 | 1979 | Private | 16,437 | |
| Marquette University | Milwaukee ( WI ) | Golden Eagles | 1881 | 2005 | C-USA | Private | 11,599 |
| Providence College | Providence ( RI ) | Friars | 1917 | 1979 | Private | 4,585 | |
| St. John's University | Queens ( NYC ) | Red Storm | 1870 | 1979 | Private | 21,354 | |
| Seton Hall University | South Orange ( NJ ) | Pirates | 1856 | 1979 | Private | 9,745 | |
| University of Connecticut (UConn) | Storrs ( CT ) | Huskies | 1881 | 2020 | American | state | 32,257 |
| Villanova University | Villanova ( PA ) | Wildcats | 1842 | 1980 | Private | 10,482 | |
| Xavier University | Cincinnati ( OH ) | Musketeers | 1867 | 2013 | A-10 | Private | 6,584 |
For other former members of the old Big East Conference until 2013, see American Athletic Conference .
- UConn was a founding member of the old Big East Conference in 1979, but switched to the American Athletic Conference in 2013.
- UConn was an associate member in two sports before becoming a full member in July 2020. Women's field hockey was a member from 2013 to 2020 and women's lacrosse was a member from 2013 to 2018.
Associate members
| university | place | Team name | founded | sport | in Big East since | Main Conference | Sponsorship | students |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Denver | Denver ( CO ) | Pioneers | 1864 | Lacrosse (men and women) | 2013 (men) 2016 (women) |
Summit League | Private | 11,476 |
| Liberty University | Lynchburg ( VA ) | Lady Flames | 1971 | Field hockey (women) | 2016 | ASUN | Private | 14,000 |
| Old Dominion University | Norfolk ( VA ) | Lady Monarchs | 1930 | Field hockey (women) | 2013 | C-USA | state | 24,126 |
| Quinnipiac University | Hamden ( CT ) | Bobcats | 1929 | Field hockey (women) | 2016 | MAAC | Private | 9,000 |
| Temple University | Philadelphia ( PA ) | Owls | 1884 | Field hockey (women) | 2013 | American | state | 38,648 |
Members' venues
| university | Basketball arena | capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Butler* | Hinkle Fieldhouse | 9,100 |
| Creighton | CenturyLink Center Omaha | 18,320 |
| DePaul | Wintrust Arena | 10,387 |
| Georgetown * | Capital One Arena | 20,035 |
| Marquette | Fiserv Forum | 17,500 |
| Providence | Dunkin 'Donuts Center | 12,400 |
| St. John's |
Madison Square Garden (sometimes) Carnesecca Arena |
19,979 5,602 |
| Seton Hall | Prudential Center | 18,711 |
| UConn * |
Gampel Pavilion XL Center |
10,167 15,564 |
| Villanova * |
Wells Fargo Center (sometimes) Finneran Pavilion |
20,328 6,500 |
| Xavier | Cintas Center | 10,250 |
* The football teams at these universities do not play in the Big East Conference.