BIG EAST Extends Partnership With Madison Square Garden To Host Tournament For Next Decade

NEW YORK -- The BIG EAST Conference and The Madison Square Garden Company (NYSE: MSG) announced today an extension through 2028 of their agreement to hold the BIG EAST Tournament at The World's Most Famous Arena. The agreement also ensures that the Tournament will be staged on its traditional dates at the close of college basketball's regular season.

The BIG EAST and Madison Square Garden have been partners since the Tournament was first played at the iconic venue in 1983. The BIG EAST Tournament is the longest-running postseason championship at the same location in college basketball.

"Our new agreement with Madison Square Garden means that BIG EAST schools, players and supporters will have the privilege of playing our conference tournament at the 'Mecca of College Basketball' without interruption for another decade," said BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman. "The BIG EAST Tournament at MSG has long been synonymous with tradition, rivalries and heart-stopping moments, and we are very grateful to Jim Dolan, Andy Lustgarten and Joel Fisher for their support of one of the most enduring alliances in the sports world."

"Madison Square Garden and the BIG EAST Conference has been the best marriage in college basketball for 36 years," said Joel Fisher, executive vice president, MSG Marquee Events. "The BIG EAST Tournament has been a pillar event at The Garden and has given generations of basketball fans unforgettable memories. We would like to thank the conference and member schools for their long-term commitment to Madison Square Garden and look forward to providing fans with exciting basketball for years to come."

The 2019 BIG EAST Tournament will be played March 13-16. In 2018, the BIG EAST enjoyed its highest tournament attendance levels since the league reconfigured in 2013-14, with three of the five sessions selling out. The action on the floor typified BIG EAST Tournament play over the years, with Villanova defeating Providence 76-66 in overtime in the championship game in front of a boisterous sellout crowd. Three weeks later, Villanova went on to win its second NCAA national title in three years.

One of college basketball's most prestigious events, the BIG EAST Tournament has been a staple of the New York City sports scene for decades. The BIG EAST and the Garden signed their first agreement to bring the Tournament to MSG on October 7, 1981. St. John's won the first BIG EAST Tournament at MSG in 1983, with Chris Mullin, the Johnnies' current head coach, named Most Valuable Player.

The move to Madison Square Garden helped accelerate the BIG EAST's rapid ascent on the national scene, enabling the league to showcase highly-ranked teams with All-American players who now had the opportunity to play in the premier building in the nation's largest media market.

The BIG EAST tradition of basketball competition at the highest level has continued with the conference's current 10-school alignment. Since reconfiguration in 2013-14, BIG EAST schools have earned 28 NCAA Tournament bids, with more than half of the league on average qualifying for the Big Dance in each of the past five seasons. Two BIG EAST players, Creighton's Doug McDermott and Villanova's Jalen Brunson, were named consensus national players of the year in 2014 and 2018, respectively. Last year, Villanova and Xavier were awarded NCAA Tournament No. 1 seeds, with four other squads receiving invitations.

For nearly 140-years, Madison Square Garden has been the epicenter of sports and entertainment and in New York City, hosting thousands of unforgettable events – from last year's Grammy Awards, to Pope Francis' celebrated mass, to NCAA basketball and wrestling tournaments - to go along with many incredible Big East Tournament moments over the past three-plus decades.

THE BIG EAST:

The BIG EAST Conference is an association of ten nationally prominent colleges and universities that foster healthy athletic competition, community service and the pursuit of excellence in academic environments. The athletic programs of BIG EAST institutions provide national-caliber participation opportunities for more than 3,500 student-athletes on over 180 men's and women's teams in 22 sports. Established in 1979 and headquartered in New York City, the BIG EAST's members are located in seven of the country's top 36 largest media markets and include Butler University, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John's University, Seton Hall University, Villanova University and Xavier University. For more information, visit www.bigeast.com.

About The Madison Square Garden Company

The Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) is a world leader in live sports and entertainment experiences. The company presents or hosts a broad array of premier events in its diverse collection of iconic venues: New York's Madison Square Garden, Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre; the Forum in Inglewood, CA; The Chicago Theatre; and the Wang Theatre in Boston. Other MSG properties include legendary sports franchises: the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL) and the New York Liberty (WNBA); two development league teams – the Westchester Knicks (NBAGL) and the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL); and esports teams through Counter Logic Gaming, a leading North American esports organization, and Knicks Gaming, MSG's NBA 2K League franchise. In addition, the Company features the popular original production – the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes – and through Boston Calling Events, produces New England's preeminent Boston Calling Music Festival. Also under the MSG umbrella is TAO Group, a world-class hospitality group with globally-recognized entertainment dining and nightlife brands: Tao, Marquee, Lavo, Avenue, Beauty & Essex and Vandal. More information is available at www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com

Prove it in the stands.
Prove it on the court.
Prove it against the competition.
Prove it with a new look.

Thanks to our teams and fans for continuing to prove why the @BIGEAST Tournament at @TheGarden is NYC's basketball tournament.

Here's To Being Home pic.twitter.com/jTt2LO1M0t
— BIG EAST Conference (@BIGEAST) December 9, 2018

TRANSCRIPT

Val Ackerman (VA):

The BIG EAST and Madison Square Garden have been a match made in heaven for more than three decades—37 years to be exact—and I'm very happy to report that we have renewed our vows and have extended our long-standing contract to play the BIG EAST Tournament in this storied venue through 2028. That means the BIG EAST Tournament will continue to be played at the World's Most Famous Arena in our traditional window in March for at least another decade and hopefully longer.

The photo on my left hangs in our offices, or a version of it, and it shows Dave Gavitt and many of the basketball giants on whose shoulders we stand in front of the old Garden marquee circa 1983, which was the first BIG EAST Tournament here. The caption of the marquee reads as follows: The BIG EAST and Dave Gavitt are making it big in the big town.

Fast forward, now, the photo on my right, not exactly a carbon copy of Gavitt and company, but it shows Joel Fisher and me with the presidents and athletic directors of today's BIG EAST led by our Chair, President Jim Danko from Butler University, after we authorized the extension at the meeting held here in New York City earlier this week. To say the least, it was another big time moment for our conference.

The BIG EAST Tournament at Madison Square Garden has firmly established itself as a New York City staple. It's brought incredible competition, enduring rivalries, roaring crowds, iconic players and coaches in heart-stopping moments. For the BIG EAST, this building is home. It's in our DNA. It's an enormous part of who we are. Our conference has been through considerable changes over the past 39 years, but it's this past year that demonstrated, yet again, the BIG EAST Tournament and Madison Square Garden has been a constant that has withstood the test of time and then some. So, we're thrilled to be locked in with Madison Square Garden for the next decade and we know that many magic moments at the mecca of college basketball await our schools, coaches, players, and our fans in the years to come.

On behalf of presidents, athletics directors, men's basketball coaches, and our supporters here in New York City and all throughout the league, we want to thank Jim Dolan, Andy Lustgarten, and Joel [Fisher] for 36 outstanding years and for their willingness to preserve this unique and enduring alliance and to keep a great thing going.

So, Joel, I'm very pleased to present you with this autographed ball as a small token of our gratitude for our partnership and for everything you and your staff have done. We have the ball signed by all of our men's basketball coaches, our presidents, our athletics directors, and me.

St. John's Head Coach Chris Mullin:

I just want to congratulate Val and Joel. I think it's something that's the right thing. When we took that picture, what year was that?

VA: '83.

CM: '83? What is that? 36 years ago? It's been a great relationship. Joel has been great to us. Like Val mentioned, it's just the right thing to do. It is our home and I know, coast-to-coast, it's a place everyone [watches] on TV, they want come back to watch the BIG EAST Tournament. Congratulations. Appreciate it. It's a wonderful accomplishment. Great Job

Joel Fisher (JF): Thank you for coming today. The Garden is just thrilled with the partnership of, what we believe is, the country's premier basketball tournament. We look forward to the BIG EAST Tournament being here for many more years.

The Garden and the BIG EAST are synonymous with each other. The BIG EAST is a part of the fabric of Madison Square Garden and Madison Square Garden is obviously part of the fabric of the BIG EAST. The BIG EAST [Tournament] is a pillar event on our calendar. People plan their social calendars around coming to the BIG EAST Tournament. And, it's exciting every March when the Tournament rolls around and we have just incredibly great games. I watch that tape and I still get chills when I see a lot of those moments. There is just nothing like having the BIG EAST Tournament here at the Garden and the excitement that it brings. It's one of our best events on our calendar. It's celebrated every year. And, we are just thrilled with the relationship that we have with the BIG EAST and thrilled it will continue year in and year out for at least another ten years, and I'm sure a lot more than that. We're coming on, as Val mentioned, 37 years. We're looking forward to this year's tournament. I'll end by saying this. There's nothing like college basketball here at the Garden. I read a quote today from Kevin Willard from Seton Hall—a lot of you were probably here yesterday and saw the incredible win Seton Hall had over Kentucky—and in the paper today he said, "There's something special about that place," and I think that says it all about the Tournament, the Garden, and the relationship that we have. So, we are just beyond thrilled to be able to extend this relationship. Thank you.

There are reports that the ACC and Big Ten were trying to get their tournaments in the building. How close did that get to happening?

JF: We are extremely honored that they were both very interested in playing here. We've had a relationship with the BIG EAST for many years. We, the Garden, myself, we talked to all the conferences, all the teams. We want everybody to play here. But, we never really had any serious discussions to get to any point where we were considering that. It's nice to be wanted, but the BIG EAST and us have a long-standing relationship. We felt, and it is extremely important, and this comes right from our ownership, our president, myself, that loyalty means a lot. And the BIG EAST has been tremendously loyal to us. They've been great to us, they provided some of the best moments in our history. So, it was never serious. We were always going to go with the BIG EAST. We're thrilled with the relationship.

Was the timing of putting those rumors to bed aligned with the timing of the extension?

VA: I would say for our part the sooner that we could lock in our future, the better. I think from our perspective, the momentum couldn't have been better for us, coming off the great tournament we had last year—it was our best since reconfiguration, great games. We were so pleased that Jim was able to come to our semi-finals and finals this year and see for himself what the BIG EAST has remained. Certainly having Villanova as national champions two of the last three years was in our favor. And, as Joel mentioned, we've got a great relationship with Joel and his staff and with this place. I would say it was really after the basketball season ended last year that we began to have the conversation. For us, the sooner the better and we are just grateful the Garden has given us this opportunity to continue.

JF: I would just add that, as Val said, she came to us. There was a lot of talk out there about the other conferences, and, as I said, we were honored that they were interested. But, it just made sense. All these conferences need to plan for their future. It's not easy to get a building for four or five days so they needed to know what was going to happen in the future. The timing made sense right now to lock it down, if that's what we were going to ultimately do in fairness to both the BIG EAST as well as the Big Ten and the ACC, for them to make plans.

In terms of the new contract, are there any opt outs or is it ironclad through 2028?

JF: What I'll say is this. We have a very firm agreement for the next ten years. However, if the landscape of college basketball or the BIG EAST Conference changes dramatically, Val and I will have some discussions about what the future will hold.

What message does this send to the other leagues that were swooping in on your territory?

VA: Well, that would be a question for you to ask them. But, I would just say for us, our guys really want to be here. It's so much a part of who we are. When we were presented with this opportunity to continue, I went to my Board and I would say it was a very easy decision to enter into the expansion, to make this long-term commitment. There was really just no place else we wanted to be. As Joel noted, there are some great buildings out there including in our footprint, but, for us, this is it. So, from where I sit here, the good news for our coaches and for our student athletes now and to come as well as all the fans that have supported this tournament over so many decades—and not just BIG EAST schools, these are fans who want to be here for the Tournament. And, as Joel noted, they mark it on their calendar. I think this is great news. We look forward to continuing to deliver these magic moments for many years to come.

JF: John Swofford, the Commissioner for the ACC, Jim Delany, Commissioner for the Big Ten; great friends, great people, and their conferences are tremendous. And, as you know, we do a lot of games and we try to do a lot of games with their teams and we will continue to do that so they'll have some presence here. But, it was important that we continue the relationship out of loyalty, out of the success that the BIG EAST has had. We felt that that was very important to lock that down so we just knew what was going to happen over the next ten years, fans could plan for it, we will continue to plan for it and that's why we did that.

Will the Wednesday through Saturday schedule continue?

VA: It's the same as it's always been. We're currently in a four-day format with only ten schools, so that's the Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. If we were to expand in the future, we would take another look at that format and the number of days we need to be here in order to get all the games in. But for the foreseeable future, it's that Wednesday through Saturday.

JF: And we'd given ourselves the flexibility to do that if that ever happens.

Will the BIG EAST reach 20 conference games soon?

VA: I would say anything is possible. Nothing is cooking in terms of expansion. Our schools really like the ten-school configuration we have. We have modeled that if we go to 11, we can keep the double round robin, which has worked really well for us in terms of building rivalries, giving every set of fans the chance to see the other teams. We could do that with 11, we can get to a 20 game schedule. For now, we're set. I will note that with our Gavitt Games alliance with the Big Ten, which has been fantastic, and then new alliance we announced with the Big 12 which will start next year, we're in effect getting to 20 high major games because we have the 18 BIG EAST games and we have the Big Ten and Big 12 lined up for our schools that are participating in both in any given year and all ten will participate in the Big 12 alliance ever year. So, that was our way to get to 20 in the near-term and make sure we have that because we know how important that is not only to get ready for the BIG EAST season, but also in the eyes of the men's basketball tournament selection committee, having a tough strength of schedule means a lot. That's where we are for now. No expansion on the horizon at this point.

Could you foresee sharing the building with two conferences for conference tournaments?

JF: The BIG EAST has their traditional week, but we would be very open if, again the Big Ten, or the ACC, or any other conference, was interested in coming in the week before like we did last year. It turned to be an incredible two weeks of basketball for the Garden, for the area. You'd have to talk to Jim [Delany] about that, to compress their regular-season schedule, but it obviously didn't hurt their performance in the Tournament. We were very proud that both Tournament champions ended up being in the NCAA Finals. So, if either of those conferences or any conference wanted to play the week before, we would be very open to that.

BIG EAST Extends Partnership With Madison Square Garden To Host Tournament For Next Decade

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