Big East fails to reach NCAA Sweet 16 tournament

The Big East Conference faced a tough NCAA Tournament this year, with all five of its teams eliminated in the first weekend. The final blow came when the eighth-seeded UConn lost to top-seeded Florida, 77-75, on Sunday afternoon. This marks the first time since 2019 that the Big East will not have a team in the Sweet 16. St. John’s, the second seed, fell to 10th-seeded Arkansas with a score of 75-66 on Saturday. Also on Saturday, ninth-seeded Creighton lost 82-70 to Auburn, the tournament's top overall seed. Earlier, seventh-seeded Marquette was upset by 10th-seeded New Mexico, while 11th-seeded Xavier won their First Four matchup before losing to Illinois. UConn's loss ended their chance to win a third consecutive national championship. The Huskies previously had a strong tournament history, tying a record with 13 consecutive March Madness wins. UConn’s head coach, Dan Hurley, expressed mixed feelings about the loss to a lower seed, indicating some honor in how the season ended. Florida's Walter Clayton Jr. led all scorers with 23 points. He noted the challenge of facing the defending champions. Despite holding a lead late in the game, UConn could not secure victory. The Big East has been strong recently, with four championships in the last eight tournaments, but this year’s performance was disappointing. UConn finished the season with a 24-11 record after losing several key players from last year's team. Meanwhile, St. John’s had a successful season, capturing both the regular-season and conference tournament titles.