The UConn Fan's Guide to the 2025 Big East Tournament
With their victory over Seton Hall in the last game of the regular season, UConn secured the No. 3 seed in this week’s Big East Tournament. The Huskies are looking to repeat as Big East Tournament champions for the first time since 1998-1999. Analytics guru Ken Pomeroy gives UConn a 14% chance to win the tournament and a 35% chance to reach the final.
The Big East tourney starts Wednesday at MSG. Fun facts: - Bid thief potential: Eric Dixon - NCAA is declaring these games neutral for St. John's who is playing on their home court - Would encourage NCAA to invest in semi-home™ game designation technology which was invented 20 years ago.
— kenpom (@kenpom.com) March 11, 2025 at 2:31 PM
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UConn’s First Game
Thursday, 9:30 PM | FS1
UConn’s opening opponent will be the winner of the No. 6 Villanova vs. No. 11 Seton Hall matchup. Both teams have defeated UConn this season, though both losses involved late-game errors by the Huskies. In the other matchups, UConn stormed back from a 14-point second-half deficit to defeat Villanova and dominated Seton Hall in their most recent meeting. McNeeley didn’t play in UConn’s loss to Villanova, but did in both meetings against Seton Hall.
Key Storylines in Other Wednesday/Thursday Games
(9) Butler vs. (8) Providence
Wednesday, 4:00 PM | Peacock
Do either of these teams want to keep playing this season? They’ve lost a combined nine straight games entering the tournament (four for Butler, five for Providence) and then the winner faces top-seeded St. John’s at Madison Square Garden. Neither team seems long for the tournament. Providence is dealing with injuries to key rotation players (including the disappointing season of Bryce Hopkins), while Butler has simply struggled in close games. The Bulldogs have won just 4 of 15 games decided by fewer than 10 points this season. It seems like both Matta and English will be back for next year regardless of the results of this tournament, but neither fanbase seems particularly enthused with their coach at the moment.
(7) Georgetown vs. (10) DePaul
Wednesday, 6:30 PM | Peacock
Can DePaul really beat Georgetown three times? The Blue Demons snapped a 29-game Big East losing streak by beating Georgetown in Washington, D.C., in January—when the Hoyas were missing freshman standout Thomas Sorber. In Sorber’s continued absence, Micah Peavy has stepped up as a two-way force, earning First Team All-Big East honors. DePaul, despite missing its top two centers and starting point guard, won two straight games to close the regular season. The winner advances to play Creighton.
(6) Villanova vs. (11) Seton Hall
Wednesday, 9:00 PM | Peacock
Can Kyle Neptune save his job? The Wildcats' head coach faces a brutal potential path through the tournament (worst case: Seton Hall → UConn → Creighton → St. John’s). Some reports suggest even winning the tournament wouldn’t be enough to secure his job, as Georgetown’s athletic department has taught everyone in the conference a lesson. On the other side, Seton Hall seemed to pack it in against UConn last week, but Shaheen Holloway is known for getting his teams to peak in March (see: Saint Peter’s Elite Eight run, last year’s NIT title).
(5) Xavier vs. (4) Marquette
Thursday, 2:30 PM | Peacock
Which side of the NCAA Tournament bubble is Xavier on? This is a game with real stakes. The Musketeers are currently projected as the last team in, per BracketMatrix. They’ve won seven straight, taking advantage of a favorable schedule and a late-season surge to resurrect their at-large hopes. The problem? Their resume is lacking Quadrant 1 wins. Fortunately, their draw in the Big East Tournament provides multiple chances to fix that.
Meanwhile, Marquette—once considered a top-10 team—has stumbled to the No. 4 seed in the Big East. Losses to UConn and St. John’s last week allowed both teams to sweep the Golden Eagles this season. Even more concerning, Marquette hasn’t beaten an NCAA Tournament-bound team since Jan. 3 against Creighton. Can Kam Jones and company rediscover their early-season form? UConn fans might want to root against Marquette, as a Huskies tournament run could see them surpass Marquette for NCAA seeding and allow them to escape the 8/9 game.
St. John’s’ First Game
Thursday, 12:00 PM | Peacock
Is this finally the year for St. John’s? The Johnnies will open Thursday’s action against the winner of Butler vs. Providence. They won the Big East regular season title outright for the first time in nearly 40 years and are favored to win their first tournament championship in 25 years. Rick Pitino has energized both the team and the fan base, potentially giving St. John’s a true home-court advantage in the Garden. A St. John’s vs. UConn final would be electric.
Creighton’s First Game
Thursday, 7:00 PM | FS1
Can Ryan Kalkbrenner finally win something? The Bluejays have been consistently strong during Kalkbrenner’s tenure but have yet to win a Big East regular-season or tournament title. They’ve finished second in the conference three times and reached the Big East Tournament final twice. This year’s team might not be their strongest on paper, but they have a favorable draw, opening against the winner of Georgetown vs. DePaul. Georgetown dominated Creighton in their first meeting, but that was with Thomas Sorber in the lineup.
With the bracket set, UConn’s road to a repeat begins Thursday night.