The Big East women’s basketball tournament may well be a formality at this point, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth watching. The undefeated Connecticut Huskies stand alone as the premier threat, with 10 other teams looking to send them into March Madness with their first loss of the season.
The tournament is essentially held in UConn’s backyard: Mohegan Sun Arena is about 30 miles south of the university’s campus in Storrs, and fans in attendance will heavily favor their local basketball behemoth. The Huskies have won the Big East tournament a record 23 times, and they’ve won all five since rejoining the conference in 2020 following a seven-year stint in the American Athletic Conference.
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How to watch the 2026 Big East women’s basketball tournament
Venue: Mohegan Sun Arena — Uncasville, Conn.
Date: March 6-9
TV: NBC Sports Network
Streaming: Peacock
Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub
Teams to watch
So let’s talk about UConn. Sarah Strong, still just a sophomore, has already established herself as one of the Huskies’ all-time greats. She enters the Big East tournament averaging 18.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and a conference-best 3.2 steals while shooting an unbelievably efficient 59.5 percent from the field.
Flanking Strong is perhaps college basketball’s best shooter, Azzi Fudd, who’s sinking a career-high 45.1 percent of her 3-pointers; she averages 6.9 attempts per game. The senior guard is also a stellar defender, ranking third on the team in steals with 78 over 31 games.
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That’s not to mention the rest of the pieces that have UConn operating at the highest level on both ends of the floor. The Huskies have beaten every Big East opponent by double digits, with a 14-point win over Villanova on Feb. 18 standing out as the “closest” result. By all means, UConn should roll through this tournament.
While UConn has held steady at No. 1, no other teams from the Big East have landed in the AP top 25 this season. But Villanova has made the most compelling argument. Entering the tournament at 23-6 (16-4), the Wildcats have all the hallmarks of an efficient, modern offense: They shoot a high volume from 3-point range at a near-36 percent clip, rank among the nation’s best teams with 18.4 assists per game and keep the turnovers fairly low.
Second-year guard Jasmine Bascoe is the engine, leading the Big East with 18.7 points and 5.0 assists per game. Her efficiency is a weakness — she posted a sub-40 field goal percentage during the regular season — but she can get going in a hurry.
Rounding out the top four seeds are Seton Hall and Marquette, two teams that stumbled down the stretch. The Pirates dropped their final three games to St. John’s, Villanova and Butler. The Golden Eagles lost four of their last six, including a matchup with Villanova in which they scored a season-low 39 points.
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Tournament schedule
All times ET. Conference tournament seedings are also listed.
Friday, March 6 – First round
Broadcasters: NBCSN and Peacock
Game 1: No. 9 Butler vs. No. 8 Georgetown, 11 a.m.
Game 2: No. 10 DePaul vs. No. 7 Providence, 1:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 11 Xavier vs. No. 6 St. John’s, 4 p.m.
Saturday, March 7 – Quarterfinals
Broadcasters: NBCSN and Peacock
Game 4: Game 1 winner vs. No. 1 UConn, noon
Game 5: No. 5 Creighton vs. No. 4 Marquette, 2:30 p.m.
Game 6: Game 2 winner vs. No. 2 Villanova, 7 p.m.
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. No. 3 Seton Hall, 9:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 8 – Semifinals
Broadcasters: NBCSN and Peacock
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Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 2:30 p.m.
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 5 p.m.
Monday, March 9 – Championship
Broadcaster: NBCSN and Peacock
Game 10: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 7 p.m.
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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Xavier Musketeers, Providence Friars, Creighton Bluejays, Marquette Golden Eagles, Seton Hall Pirates, DePaul Blue Demons, Georgetown Hoyas, Villanova Wildcats, St. John’s Red Storm, Butler Bulldogs, Connecticut Huskies, Women’s College Basketball, How to Watch
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