Photo Credits: Creighton University photographer and student Xavier Rincon

The Big East regular season has concluded, and the post-season has begun. Marquette was the Big East Regular Season Champions. They finished with a 17-3 record in conference play, finishing two games ahead of Xavier. The Musketeers finished in second place, followed by Creighton and a two-way tie between UConn and Providence for fourth place. The Big East standings were decided by individual games that came down to the wire to add to the intensity of earning a favorable seeding for the Big East and NCAA Tournaments.

The Big East Tournament, played at Madison Square Garden in New York City, took place March 8-11. There were notable matchups such as Marquette against St. John’s, Creighton versus Villanova and Marquette facing UConn.

The quarterfinals matchup between No. 8 St. John’s and No. 1 Marquette was a thriller. Marquette was down ten at half, and they were able to force overtime. Marquette was lead by a big performance from Tyler Kolek to help them win by two in the final seconds.

The Creighton Bluejays were motivated coming into the tournament playing against Villanova. Twelve days earlier, the Bluejays lost at Villanova. This matchup had NCAA tournament implications for the Villanova Wildcats. Creighton came out strong in the first half and continued that momentum to finish the game, winning 87-74. Creighton advanced to the semifinals, where a cold shooting night led to 60-82 loss to the Xavier Musketeers.

Marquette had another nail bitter game in the semifinals against UConn. The game was tied going into half with 38 points. The last two and a half minutes were scoreless, and Marquette’s consistent defense helped them secure the win to advance to the championship. The toughest matchup in the conference tournament was between Marquette and UConn, and it could have predicted the team who won that game would win the championship.

Marquette went onto the championship to beat Xavier, 65-51.

After the Big East Tournament concluded, five Big East teams were selected for the NCAA tournament: Creighton, Marquette, Providence, UConn, and Xavier.

The post season is not only about the athletes, but it involves the university and student body. As the post season begins, most universities are on spring break or about to be on spring break. This provides the opportunity for students to attend the games. Students are able to show their school spirit while getting to travel on their break. This grows the campus community. Students are able to watch their universities make athletic history as they advance each round.

Another positive aspect of the post season is the awareness it brings to universities through national television exposure. It can attract future students to consider and possibly attend their prospective schools. This provides future students a real-life experience of what a college gameday is like on campus. It shows a college culture that people might find attractive.

Revenue increases for universities as the post season continues. Each year the NCAA tournament profits more and more, which can help increase the income source for each school. The university earns money for each game won in the NCAA tournament. These universities can utilize these funds to benefit the student body, for example by making more scholarships.  

The post season benefits the university student body and athletes. Post season appearances help put students’ universities on the map, which can benefit campuses beyond their basketball teams.