Big East Women's Basketball Tournament
The Big East Women's Basketball Tournament is a conference championship tournament in women's basketball. It was first held in 1983, at the end of the 1982–83 college basketball season that was the first in which the Big East Conference sponsored women's basketball. Following the 2013 split of the original Big East along football lines, the women's basketball history of the original conference has been maintained by the non-football league that assumed the Big East name.[1] The tournament determines the conference's champion, which receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
| Big East Women's Basketball Tournament | |
|---|---|
| Conference Basketball Championship | |
 Big East Conference logo | |
| Sport | College basketball |
| Conference | Big East Conference |
| Number of teams | 11 (from 2021) |
| Format | Single-elimination tournament |
| Current stadium | Wintrust Arena |
| Current location | Chicago, Illinois |
| Played | 1983–present |
| Last contest | 2020 |
| Current champion | DePaul Blue Demons |
| Most championships | UConn Huskies (18) |
| Official website | BigEast.com Women's Basketball |
From 2004 through 2013, the tournament was held in the Veterans Memorial Coliseum[2] at the XL Center (formerly known as the Hartford Civic Center). The first three tournaments after the relaunch of the Big East in 2013 were hosted by DePaul University. In 2014, opening-round games were played at McGrath–Phillips Arena on the school's Chicago campus and all other games played at Allstate Arena in suburban Rosemont. All games in the 2015 tournament were held at Allstate Arena, and all 2016 tournament games were held at McGrath–Phillips Arena. The 2017 tournament was the first since the relaunch to be held outside the Chicago area, with all games being played at Al McGuire Center on the Marquette University campus in Milwaukee. From 2018–2020, the tournament was held at Wintrust Arena at the McCormick Place convention center on Chicago’s Near South Side.
Starting in 2009, the tournament expanded to include all 16 of the conference's teams at that time. The teams finishing 9 through 16 in the regular season standings played first round games, while teams 5 through 8 receive a bye to the second round. The top 4 teams during the regular season receive a double-bye to the quarterfinals.[3] The 2013 tournament, the final one under the original Big East structure, saw 15 teams participate, following West Virginia's 2012 move to the Big 12 Conference. The tournament now features all 11 members of the reconfigured conference.
In June 2020, it was reported that the tournament will return to Connecticut at the Mohegan Sun Arena moving forward with the return of UConn. [4]
History of the Tournament Finals
- Notes
- Athletically branded as "UConn" since 2013–14.
- See also Bird at the Buzzer, a book focusing on this specific game.
Performance by school
| Club | Winners | Winning years |
|---|---|---|
| UConn[a 1][a 2] | 18 | 1989, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 |
| St. John's | 4 | 1983, 1984, 1988, 2016 |
| DePaul | 4 | 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019 |
| Villanova | 3 | 1986, 1987, 2003 |
| Miami (FL)[a 3] | 2 | 1992, 1993 |
| Syracuse[a 4] | 1 | 1985 |
| Providence | 1 | 1990 |
| Boston College[a 5] | 1 | 2004 |
| Rutgers[a 1] | 1 | 2007 |
| Notre Dame[a 4] | 1 | 2013 |
| Marquette | 1 | 2017 |
| TOTAL | 37 |
- Following the 2013 split of the original Big East, Connecticut and Rutgers remained in the football-sponsoring portion now known as the American Athletic Conference.
- Connecticut, which changed its official athletic brand to "UConn" in 2013–14, joined the current Big East in 2020.
- Miami left for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in 2004.
- Notre Dame and Syracuse left for the ACC in 2013.
- Boston College left for the ACC in 2005.
Most Outstanding Player
| Years | Title of Award |
| 1998–present | Most Outstanding Player |
| 1994–1997 | Most Outstanding Performer |
| 1983–1993 | Most Valuable Player |
References
- "Big East basketball schools get Big East name". ESPN. March 5, 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
- "Big East Record Book" (PDF). p. 188. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-18. Retrieved 30 Aug 2011.
- "The Big East Conference Media guide" (PDF). Big East. p. 27. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
- https://www.theuconnblog.com/2020/6/4/21279333/uconn-huskies-womens-basketball-report-big-east-womens-basketball-tournament-moving-to-mohegan-sun
- "2009 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Tournament". Archived from the original on 2010-11-23. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
- "2011 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Tournament". Archived from the original on 2010-11-23. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
- "Connecticut Captures Women's Basketball Championship with 63-54 Win Over Notre Dame". Big East. Archived from the original on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
- "BIG EAST CHAMPS! Achonwa's Layup Lifts #2 Irish Past #3 UConn, 61-59". University of Notre Dame Sports Information. Associated Press. March 12, 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2013.