On Saturday night, the UConn Huskies face the Marquette Golden Eagles in the Big East Tournament Final. For the 44th time, the conference will anoint a tournament champion (although it’s the 45th Big East Tournament, no champion was crowned in 2020). And as usual, that champion will boast and celebrate in the hallowed halls of Madison Square Garden.
While conference realignment and the persistent pursuit of football has tried its best to impose its well, the Big East Tournament remains the best part of March.
Earlier this week, a tweet that Mike Rutherford, founder of SB Nation’s Card Chronicle blog and Louisville radio personality, pushed out a post that got serious traction. The post highlighted the Big East Tournament but in a previous form.
Annual reminder that Big East tournament intros to “Hypnotize” is the closest thing to basketball heaven there ispic.twitter.com/opRAIcHZri
— Mike Rutherford (@CardChronicle) March 14, 2024
The video is from the 2008 Big East Championship Game on March 15, 2008. Pitt played Georgetown in a terrific game that saw the 7th-seeded Panthers win the conference tournament. College basketball enthusiasts will tell you that this was the peak for the conference. In a lot of ways, they would be correct. The Big East’s heyday in the late 2000s and early 2010s produced remarkable and memorable moments. And every March, the Big East Tournament proved to be the attraction. No other tournament could really replicate it.
Certainly, plenty tried. They did so when the conference appeared “vulnerable” after realignment tore through it. The ACC made a move to New York, taking their annual event from their historic standing in Greensboro to unrecognizable Brooklyn. Even the Big Ten tried to play at the Garden and moved the tournament to accommodate the absurd request.
Yet… it all didn’t come together and hasn’t quite come together like the Big East Tournament. Even through all the mess, the tournament still stands tall. People like me, who grew up in New Jersey and got into the sport because of the conference, wanted to attend the event. Not just to attend but to be in on the fun, too. I always wanted to pursue a career that would have me there. 2017, I got there, working the event from bell to bell. And I must say, It was worth all the hype then, too.
It may seem superficial, but the Big East and Madison Square Garden go together too well for anything to affect it. There’s still great energy and excitement. So when it’s time to tip off again in New York tonight, know: There was nothing better then, and there’s nothing better now. It’s the best there is.
