The Big East continues to secure its roots in the Big Apple.
One of college basketball’s premier conferences is locked in at Madison Square Garden through 2032, the league office is moving to the Empire State Building, and the preseason poll put St. John’s at No. 1 with UConn next. Now it’s about who proves it on 33rd St.
League commissioner Val Ackerman has made New York City a focal point of her vision. She said the Big East Tournament will remain at MSG for at least the next seven years, which will help mark the event’s 50th anniversary in the building. “We believe the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden is the best event of its kind in college basketball,” she said, calling it “a staple on the New York City sports calendar.”
She also confirmed the conference will move its headquarters to the Empire State Building by year’s end, keeping the league’s biggest week and its day-to-day footprint in midtown Manhattan.
Ackerman’s look back set up the local stakes. Last season, St. John’s clinched its first outright regular-season men’s title in 40 years and its first Big East Tournament crown since 2000. The city will expect to see that standard again in this building.
New York’s team is No. 1
St. John’s is the local headliner and the league’s early target. They’re ranked No. 5 in the country in the AP poll and first in the Big East preseason poll with seven first-place votes and 97 points, both being their highest preseason rankings in program history. The awards match it: Senior forward Zuby Ejiofor is the Preseason Player of the Year, while new transfers Bryce Hopkins, Ian Jackson, Dillon Mitchell, and Joson Sanon were recognized across All-Big East teams.
Inside MSG, St. John’s message was about improving as a team, not headlines.
“We don’t really think about preseason rankings or talk about it a lot. We have something to work towards,” Ejiofor said. That tone fits what this market expects: a team that treats Madison Square Garden like a palace to defend.
Rick Pitino framed the Garden’s impact in numbers.
“St. John’s was playing six, seven games a year, and they were averaging 5,000 to 6,000 people. So they were bleeding financially,” he said. “Now we’re getting 19,000 people and they’re making money.”
That is relevance you can count on, and it changes everything from recruiting to how often the team becomes part of the city’s week. The new Johnnies even feel the building differently.
“This arena has crazy history. You just see it all over, you feel it when you step inside of here,” guard Oziyah Sellers said. “I’m just excited to play home games in here.”
The real assignment for the No. 5-ranked team: turn the atmosphere and the attendance into habits and wins.
Huskies eye the Garden
UConn opened at No. 2 in the Big East preseason poll with four first-place votes. The conversation kept circling around the brewing rivalry between the Huskies and St. John’s.
Head coach Dan Hurley took the long view. Rankings are noise in October. Rivalries, he said, are built on real stakes.
“Preseason polls are pretty meaningless. I don’t even do mine,” Hurley said. “It’s great for college basketball to have rivalries. You need programs that are legitimately top-five or top-ten caliber. It’s the only way you can have a rivalry.”
Guard Solo Ball leaned into what the last couple of seasons have felt like against St. John’s.
“It’s been real competitive,” he said, “and seeing the rivalry grow into what it is now and what it can become is electric.”
Rick Pitino answered from the other sideline with a coach’s reset. One opponent, he said, does not define their schedule. “I don’t consider Connecticut any more of a rival than Villanova or Providence or Marquette or Creighton or any of them.”
Around the league / New faces
Fresh voices are coming into the city this season. Villanova turns to Kevin Willard, who returns to the conference as head coach. Richard Pitino takes over at Xavier, with a family-reunion date circled in New York later this winter.
Creighton offered the reminder that continuity still wins here. “We’ve been in the top four in this league nine years in a row,” coach Greg McDermott said. “If you’re competing for conference titles into February and early March, the NCAA stuff takes care of itself. We play in a league that is strong enough that if you do well, you’re going to be rewarded.”
Preseason snapshot
NYC dates to know
- St. John’s vs. Providence (Big East opener at MSG): Jan. 3, 2026
- St. John’s vs. UConn: Feb. 6
- Big East Tournament at MSG: March 12–15
Big East men’s preseason poll (top five):
- St. John’s (7) — 97
- UConn (4) — 94
- Creighton — 80
- Providence — 64
- Marquette — 60
Honors
Preseason Player of the Year: Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s
First Team highlights: Bryce Hopkins (SJU), Alex Karaban (UConn), Tarris Reed Jr. (UConn), Owen Freeman (Creighton), Chase Ross (Marquette), Solo Ball (UConn)
Also recognized: Ian Jackson (SJU), Dillon Mitchell (SJU), Joson Sanon (SJU)
