Big East Hoops Tourney Sold Out

By Delano Farley
It does not come as a surprise that Commissioner Michael Tranghese has announced that the Big East Men’s Basketball Conference Championship, presented by Aeropostale at Madison Square Garden March 8-11, is sold out.

The Big East Conference currently boasts seven top-25 teams in the two national polls for men’s college basketball. Villanova, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Louisville, West Virginia, Syracuse, and Cincinnati all currently hold top rankings in the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls. It marks the first time in league history that seven conference members have been rated in the top 25 at the same time. It seems fitting for a conference that has captured five men’s basketball championships and 25 national championships in six different sports.

The Big East Championship has been a permanent contest in New York, hosting its annual basketball championship event at Madison Square Garden for 24 years dating back to 1983. It is currently the longest consecutive college basketball postseason tournament held in the same location annually.

Aeropostal, a specialty retailer of casual apparel and accessories for young men and women, has been partners with the Big East Conference since 2001 and is also the sponsor of the Women’s Big East Basketball Championship.

The best 12 teams in the conference advance to the championship event, with the top four teams receiving a first-round bye in the nationally televised tournament. The Big East Championship is the only college basketball tournament which has every one of its games broadcast by ESPN or ESPN2 before a national viewing audience.

The event’s sellout marks the first time in the history of the league that all tickets for the annual postseason basketball championship were purchased in advance, negating the sale of tickets to the general public at Madison Square Garden.