Episode 11

SEGMENT 1 (8:10) – John & Kevin welcome you to Season 12, Episode 11 of This Week in the Big East! Our final episode of the season comes to you from the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, home of the Big East Tournament! The St. John’s Red Storm enter the Big East Tournament as the #1 seed winning back-to-back Big East regular season titles for the first time in 40 years. UConn finished the regular season second in the standings and Villanova third, both teams firmly in the NCAA Tournament field. Seton Hall finished in fourth position in the Big East standings and still has work to do heading into Big East Tournament play to try to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament field.

SEGMENT 2 (@8:10) – Big East Spotlight: Seton Hall Head Coach – Shaheen Holloway: John and Kevin welcome Big East Coach of the Year, Shaheen Holloway of Seton Hall into This Week in the Big East from Madison Square Garden. The Pirates were picked dead last in a pre-season coaches’ poll and ended up finishing in fourth position. In addition, Seton Hall had a 13-win improvement from last season and remain alive for an NCAA Tournament birth heading into the Big East Tournament. Coach Holloway tells us just how special it was for him to be considered Coach of the Year by his peers and what his goals are for the Pirates in March.

SEGMENT 3 (@17:20) – Who’s Hot: John and Kevin run through the weekly awards for the Big East Conference as well as the Big East Honor Roll! In our Big East “Blast from the Past”, we turn the clock back to 2011 when “Cardiac Kemba” was born. March 10th, 2011, was the Kemba Walker shot heard around the world. His buzzer-beater began a run of UConn winning 5 games in 5 days to secure a Big East Tournament Title and NCAA Tournament bid. Connecticut then won 6 more games in a row in the NCAA Tournament to win the National Championship.

SEGMENT 4 (@26:40) – Big East Focus: – St. John’s Center – Zuby Ejiofor: John and Kevin welcome back St. John’s senior center, Zuby Ejiofor into This Week in the Big East, but this time as the Big East Conference Player of the Year! Zuby helped guide the Red Storm to back-to-back Big East Regular Season Titles and put up 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists per game this season. In addition to his outstanding offensive work, Ejiofor was also named Big East Defensive Player of the Year for his role as one of the nation’s best shot blockers.

SEGMENT 5 (@33:20) – The National Perspective: WNBC NY Sports Anchor – Bruce Beck: Kevin and John are joined by Big East Media Award Winner, Bruce Beck of WNBC New York. Bruce is a well-respected New York sports anchor and reporter and gives us his firsthand accounts of the special season had by St. John’s. Bruce also breaks down the stellar play of Big East Player of the Year, Zuby Ejiofor and gives his overall perspective on where the Big East stacks up heading into the NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday.

SEGMENT 6 (@41:20) – Who’s Got Next? John & Kevin wrap up the 11th and final episode of This Week in the Big East for the 2025-26 season by previewing the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden and breaking down what each Big East contender must do in order to quality for the NCAA tournament.

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This Week in the Big East (2025-26)

Episode 10

SEGMENT 1 – John & Kevin welcome you to Season 12, Episode 10 of This Week in the Big East! As we head into the final weekend of Big East regular season play, we still do not have a definitive champion in the Big East. Connecticut and St. John’s are tied for the top spot. The Red Storm will travel to Seton Hall Friday night and the Huskies will travel to Marquette on Saturday. Villanova in all likelihood has sealed a birth in the NCAA Tournament, while Seton Hall sits firmly on the bubble heading down the home stretch.

SEGMENT 2 (@6:00) – Big East Spotlight: Connecticut Head Coach – Dan Hurley: John and Kevin welcome Connecticut head coach, Dan Hurley into This Week in the Big East. Coach Hurley gives an honest account of his team’s performance so far this season as they look to secure Big East regular season, Big East Tournament, and NCAA Tournament titles. Coach also has a book out titled, “Never Stop”, that he co-wrote with New York Times bestselling Author, Ian O’Connor. UConn celebrated Alex Karaban last week on senior day and Coach Hurley opens up about relationship with Karaban and what he has meant to the Connecticut program.

SEGMENT 3 (@15:45) – Who’s Hot: John and Kevin run through the weekly awards for the Big East Conference as well as the Big East Honor Roll! In our Big East “Blast from the Past”, we turn the clock back to 1991, 35 years ago this week when 4-seed Seton Hall watched the three teams seeded above them all lose on quarterfinal Thursday! Syracuse, St. John’s, and UConn all losing paved the way for the Pirates led by the MVP play of Oliver Taylor to win the Big East Tournament Title.

SEGMENT 4 (@19:30 12:39) – Big East Focus: – Big East Commissioner – Val Ackerman: John and Kevin welcome Commissioner Ackerman once again into This Week in the Big East to preview the 44th playing of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Commissioner Ackerman also gives a state of the conference report on some potential scheduling changes coming next season and beyond. With the landscape of college athletics changing by the day, the Big East continues to be at the forefront of the conversation when it comes to innovation and enhancements to college basketball.

SEGMENT 5 (@32:00) – The National Perspective: NBC/Peacock Basketball Analyst – Jordan Cornette: Kevin and John are joined by NBC and Peacock Television Analyst, Jordan Cornette to discuss his impressions of Big East Conference play this season and who he thinks could open eyes during the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Cornette also provides a touching story on the Big East Legends program and how it has personally impacted him and his family in a profoundly positive way.

SEGMENT 6 (@42:10) – Who’s Got Next? John & Kevin wrap up the tenth episode of This Week in the Big East for the 2025-26 season by previewing the final weekend of regular season play in the Big East Conference! It’s hard to believe that March is here, but the Big East regular season champion will be decided this weekend during the St. John’s at Seton Hall and UConn at Marquette games on Friday and Saturday respectively.

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Episode 9

SEGMENT 1 – John & Kevin welcome you to Season 12, Episode 9 of This Week in the Big East! The Connecticut Huskies exacted their revenge over the St. John’s Red Storm on Wednesday night in Hartford. UConn beat St. John’s in stunning fashion, 72-40 holding the Red Storm without a made basket for the final 17:20 of the game! The victory moved Connecticut back atop the Big East standings by a ½ game in the win column and snapped St. John’s 13-game winning streak. Villanova remains securely in third position at 13-4 in conference play while the real parody has proven to be in the middle portion of the league standings.

SEGMENT 2 (@7:25) – Big East Spotlight: Creighton Head Coach – Greg McDermott: John and Kevin welcome Creighton Head Coach, Greg McDermott into This Week in the Big East. Coach McDermott joins the show to discuss his team’s uneven performance this season. The Blue Jays can beat any team in the league on any given night; however, they have suffered their share of heartbreaking losses such as at home to DePaul this week. Coach McDermott discusses the prospects for his team moving forward as they look to be dangerous at the Big East Tournament.

SEGMENT 3 (@19:30) – Who’s Hot: John and Kevin run through the weekly awards for the Big East Conference as well as the Big East Honor Roll! In our Big East “Blast from the Past”, we turn the clock back to March 3rd, 1999, when St. John’s and UConn met in the Big East Championship game. This week’s game was the 10th all-time between the two schools with both teams nationally ranked. 27 years ago this week, the #3 Huskies had their way with the #10 Red Storm winning 82-63 on their way to an eventual National Championship.

SEGMENT 4 (@24:35) – Big East Focus: – DePaul Senior Center – NJ Benson: John and Kevin welcome DePaul senior center, NJ Benson into This Week in the Big East. Benson is in his second season in Chicago following a transfer from Missouri State. This season he is averaging over 11 points and 7 rebounds per game for coach Chris Holtmann. Benson touches on how the Blue Demons have improved from last season and what they look to accomplish in March.

SEGMENT 5 (@35:15) – The National Perspective: Fox/Peacock and St. John’s Basketball Analyst – Vin Parise: Kevin and John are joined by Fox and Peacock Television Analyst, and St. John’s Radio Color Analyst, Vin Parise. Parise joins the show to talk about St. John’s stunning blowout loss at Connecticut Wednesday night and to speculate on just where the teams in the Big East Conference will stack up as we head toward the Big East Tournament.

SEGMENT 6 (@41:40) – Who’s Got Next? John & Kevin wrap up the ninth episode of This Week in the Big East for the 2025-26 season by previewing four Big East Conference matchups this Saturday. The Saturday slate features pivotal games such as Seton Hall at UConn at Noon and Villanova at St. John’s at 8PM.

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Episode 8

SEGMENT 1 (7:08) – John & Kevin welcome you to Season 12, Episode 8 of This Week in the Big East! We have a new team at the top of the Big East standings heading into the weekend! The St. John’s Red Storm are winners of 12 straight games and sit atop the conference at 14-1. Rick Pitino’s team beat Marquette and Providence this week while UConn suffered an upset loss at home Wednesday night at the hands of the Creighton Blue Jays. Meanwhile, Villanova has won six straight games and remain in third place as they make their push towards the NCAA Tournament.

SEGMENT 2 (@7:10) – Big East Spotlight: Georgetown Head Coach – Ed Cooley: John and Kevin welcome Georgetown Head Coach, Ed Cooley into This Week in the Big East. Coach Cooley has now been a division 1 basketball coach for 20 years over three different stops. Having spent much of his professional head coaching career at Providence and Georgetown, he is a Big East Tournament veteran. Bolstered by a mid-season 5-game winning streak in conference play, Coach Cooley has his Hoyas in the middle of the pack and poised to make a run at Madison Square Garden.

SEGMENT 3 (@16:40) – Who’s Hot: John and Kevin run through the weekly awards for the Big East Conference as well as the Big East Honor Roll! In our Big East “Blast from the Past”, we turn back the clock 99 years ago this week, with a midnight madness affair that was decades before its’ time! February 16th, 1927, 52 years before the Big East Conference was born, Villanova was playing midnight basketball against Seton Hall in the old Newark, NJ Armory. Prior to tip, an AAU track and field competition went late which delayed the Wildcats and Pirates tip time until just before midnight! Villanova ended up a 41-27 winner in the first recorded edition of “Midnight Madness”.

SEGMENT 4 (@21:55) – Big East Focus: – Xavier Graduate Forward – Tre Carroll: John and Kevin welcome Xavier Graduate Senior Forward Tre Carroll into This Week in the Big East. After spending the first part of his career at Florida Atlantic University and reaching the NCAA Tournament while receiving all-conference honors in the American Conference, Carroll entered the transfer portal and found a connection with Xavier Head Coach Richard Pitino. He is averaging an impressive 18 points, 6 rebounds, and nearly 3 assists per game for the Musketeers while shooting an amazing 51% from the field this season.

SEGMENT 5 (@34:00) – The National Perspective: Fox, Peacock, and St. John’s Basketball Analyst – Tarik Turner: Kevin and John are joined by St. John’s Red Storm, Fox, and Peacock Color Analyst, Tarik Turner. Turner talks all things St. John’s as the Red Storm have risen to the top of the Big East standings in late February. After a slower start in the non-conference, St. John’s has won 12 games in a row and is 14-1 in Big East Conference play as we look towards March.

SEGMENT 6 (@41:30) – Who’s Got Next? John & Kevin wrap up the eighth episode of This Week in the Big East for the 2025-26 season by previewing five Big East Conference matchups this Saturday. The Saturday slate features tasty matchups like Creighton fresh off an upset win at UConn visiting first place St. John’s at Noon Eastern and UConn visiting Villanova at 5:30 Eastern.

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Episode 7

SEGMENT 1 – John & Kevin welcome you to Season 12, Episode 7 of This Week in the Big East! Connecticut’s winning streak is no more after the Huskies hit their first Big East bump in the road last Friday night at Madison Square Garden in front of an electric crowd. The Friday night marquee matchup also boasted more than 1.5 million viewers on Fox. Villanova remains in third place behind St. John’s and UConn and has settled in as a March Madness contender. Connecticut will get their rematch with St. John’s February 25th in Hartford and that game could go a long way in determining a regular season Big East Champion.

SEGMENT 2 (@6:50) – Big East Spotlight: St. John ‘s Head Coach – Rick Pitino: John and Kevin welcome Hall of Fame St John’s Head Coach, Rick Pitino into This Week in the Big East. With over 50 years of coaching experience, Coach Pitino is having as much fun as ever competing in the Big East and leading his St. John’s Red Storm towards the top of the Big East standings. Coach Pitino explains his views on roster construction and hos his team continues to evolve and grow each week as they push toward a March Madness run.

SEGMENT 3 (@17:30) – Who’s Hot: John and Kevin run through the weekly awards for the Big East Conference as well as the Big East Honor Roll! In our Big East “Blast from the Past”, we turn back the clock to the 2003-04 season. Emeka Okafor was a large part of catapulting Jim Calhoun’s Connecticut Huskies into the national spotlight as an All-American and helped lead UConn to their 2nd National Title in six seasons. Okafor was a Big East Player of the Year, NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and National Defensive Player of the Year before being the first NBA draft choice of the then Charlotte Bobcats.

SEGMENT 4 (@22:45) – Big East Focus: – Georgetown Junior Guard – KJ Lewis: John and Kevin welcome Georgetown standout junior guard, KJ Lewis into This Week in the Big East. Lewis transferred to Georgetown after two seasons at Arizona. Finding a great match with Ed Cooley, Lewis has blossomed into an all-around performer averaging over 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists per game and is widely considered one of the best defenders in the Big East Conference.

SEGMENT 5 (@32:15) – The National Perspective: NY Post NCAA Basketball Writer – Zach Braziller: Kevin and John are joined by St. John’s Red Storm beat writer Zach Braziller of the New York Post. Zach, John, and Kevin recap St John’s huge home win last Friday over Connecticut. Zach also provides an overview of the Big East from top to bottom and predicts how many teams the conference could enter into March Madness. Braziller also makes a case for St. John’s standout center, Zube Ejiofor as the best St. John’s player this century.

SEGMENT 6 (@41:40) – Who’s Got Next? John & Kevin wrap up the seventh episode of This Week in the Big East for the 2025-26 season by previewing the best games coming up this weekend including looking at an action packed Big East Conference slate of games on Saturday. A big east quadruple header takes place on Valantine’s Day bookended by St. John’s at Providence and Georgetown at Connecticut.

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SEGMENT 1 – John & Kevin welcome you to Season 12, Episode 6 of This Week in the Big East! Connecticut’s winning streak rolls on, coming into play this week standing at 18 straight victories. This is the 3rd longest winning streak in program history and marks the best stretch of basketball in 27 years since the 1998-99 season. The Huskies streak will be tested Friday night in a heavyweight matchup with St. John’s who have won 8 straight games themselves. Meanwhile, Villanova and Seton Hall both continue to jockey for position in the top half of the Big East standings as both teams eye a March Madness invitation.

SEGMENT 2 (@6:40) – Big East Spotlight: Xavier Head Coach – Richard Pitino: John and Kevin welcome coach Pitino into This Week in the Big East as he continues his first year in the conference as a head coach at Xavier. He arrived in Cincinnati to spearhead a major rebuilding project, turning over nearly the entire roster in a physically demanding league like the Big East. Coach Pitino gives us a status report on his Musketeers and provides his impressions on the league as a whole during his first year as a Big East head coach.

SEGMENT 3 (@16:00) – Who’s Hot: John and Kevin run through the weekly awards for the Big East Conference as well as the Big East Honor Roll! In our Big East “Blast from the Past”, we turn back the clock to 2003 when a freshman by the name of Carmelo Anthony stormed onto the Big East scene in upstate New York for the Syracuse Orange. Anthony averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds during his one and only season at Syracuse and then averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game during the NCAA Tournament including a monster 33-point 14 rebound performance in the Final Four against Texas. Anthony and the Orange went on to win Syracuse’s one and only National Championship later that season.

SEGMENT 4 (@19:45) – Big East Focus: – Marquette Freshman Guard – Nigel James: John and Kevin welcome Marquette standout freshman guard, Nigel James into This Week in the Big East. James is developing into an all-around talent for Coach Shaka Smart as he enters this weekend’s play averaging 15 points, 3 rebounds, and nearly 5 assists per game. He’s also a prolific three-point shooter making 42% of his shots from behind the arc.

SEGMENT 5 (@29:30) – The National Perspective: ESPN / Peacock TV Color Analyst – Tom Crean: Kevin and John are joined by former Marquette Head Coach and current ESPN and Peacock television color analyst, Tom Crean. As a former Big East coach, Tom knows a thing or two about the rough and tumble play in the Big East Conference. He breaks down the top half of the league and discusses why he thinks Connecticut should be taken seriously as a National Championship contender. Plus, we preview Coach Crean being inducted into the Marquette Ring of Honor this Saturday in Milwaukee.

SEGMENT 6 (@42:25) – Who’s Got Next? John & Kevin wrap up the sixth episode of This Week in the Big East for the 2025-26 season by previewing the best games coming up this weekend including taking a look at an action packed Big East Conference slate of games on Saturday highlighted by Villanova at Georgetown and Seton Hall at Creighton. On Monday night, we preview Xavier visiting St. John’s at Madison Square Garden in a rematch of Father and Son, Rick and Richard Pitino.

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This Week in the Big East (2025-26)

Episode 5

SEGMENT 1 – John & Kevin welcome you to Season 12, Episode 5 of This Week in the Big East! Connecticut’s midseason dominance marches forward with their winning streak now reaching 16 games heading into this weekend. It’s the third longest winning streak in program history, and at 20-1 overall, they are ranked #2 in the media and coaches’ polls behind Arizona. The Huskies are 10-0 in Big East play and asking the question yet again, can they go undefeated in conference? Meanwhile, St. John’s behind Rick Pitino’s 900th career win has returned to the Top 25 and have just one Big East loss while winning seven straight games.

SEGMENT 2 (@6:25) – Big East Spotlight: Villanova Head Coach – Kevin Willard: John and Kevin welcome coach Willard back to the Big East! In his first season at Villanova following successful stops at Seton Hall and Maryland, coach Willard tells us what it’s like to reconstruct an entirely new roster through the transfer portal. He also speaks about how important legendary Villanova Head Coach, Jay Wright is to the program and how Wright and Willard’s long-time friendship led to Coach Willard’s difficult decision to leave Maryland for Villanova.

SEGMENT 3 (@17:00) – Who’s Hot: John and Kevin run through the weekly awards for the Big East Conference as well as the Big East Honor Roll! In our Big East “Blast from the Past”, we turn back the clock to 1987 and the start of a legendary Hall of Fame career for St. John’s Head Coach Rick Pitino. Pitino earned his 900th career victory last week beating his son Richard Pitino and the Xavier Musketeers. However, all the way back in 1987 a young Coach Pitino took his upstart Providence College Friars all the way to the Final Four.

SEGMENT 4 (@20:30) – Big East Focus: – Connecticut Senior Forward – Tarris Reed Jr.: John and Kevin welcome UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr. to This Week in the Big East! In his second season in Storrs after transferring from the University of Michigan, Tarris is averaging an impressive 14.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists for the Huskies. He talks about what it’s like to play for legendary Connecticut Head Coach Dan Hurley and the lofty expectations the Huskies have for this season.

SEGMENT 5 (@30:15) – The National Perspective: TNT/Tru TV play-by-play Announcer – Spero Dedes: Kevin and John are joined by Spero Dedes of TNT and TruTV after the networks agreed to a new broadcasting deal with the Big East Conference. In addition to calling NCAA Tournament games since 2010, Dedes is thrilled to be broadcasting Big East games this season and moving forward for Turner. He breaks down what he has seen out of the teams in the Big East this season and just how many of those teams may make it into the field come March.

SEGMENT 6 (@42:20) – Who’s Got Next? John & Kevin wrap up the fifth episode of This Week in the Big East for the 2025-26 season by previewing the best games coming up this weekend including taking a look at an action packed Big East Conference slate of games on Saturday featuring UConn at Creighton on Saturday night in a heavyweight bout in Omaha.

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This Week in the Big East (2025-26)

Episode 4

SEGMENT 1 – John & Kevin welcome you to Season 12, Episode 4 of This Week in the Big East! It’s still Connecticut’s world and we are all still living in it! As we near the midway point of the Big East schedule, the Huskies go into this weekend unbeaten at 8-0 followed by 7-1 St. John’s and 6-2 Villanova. Creighton, after squeaking by Xavier at home this week, also has six wins. Kevin and John discuss who if anyone is poised to make a run at UConn during the second half of Big East play.

SEGMENT 2 (@ 6:01) – Big East Spotlight: Marquette Head Coach – Shaka Smart: John and Kevin welcome coach Smart back into This Week in the Big East. In his fifth season as head coach of the Golden Eagles, Smart has taken his teams to four NCAA Tournaments and won a Big East regular season and tournament title. He joins John and Kevin to discuss his unique coaching style, demeanor, and leadership skills that have garnered him attention as one of the Top 40 Most Admired People in Sports by the Athletic.

SEGMENT 3 (@ 18:25) – Who’s Hot: John and Kevin run through the weekly awards for the Big East Conference as well as the Big East Honor Roll! In our Big East “Blast from the Past”, we turn back the clock to January 25th, 1988 when Pittsburgh’s Jerome Lang made Bill Raftery famous with his thunderous, backboard-shattering dunk against Providence in the Panthers’ win over the Friars.

SEGMENT 4 (@ 22:55) – Big East Focus: – Creighton Sophomore Guard – Austin Swartz: John and Kevin welcome Big East newcomer, Austin Swartz to This Week in the Big East. Austin joined the Creighton program through the transfer portal via the University of Miami. He talks about what made Omaha his preferred destination and how it’s taken time for him to adjust to the physicality of the Big East Conference. Swartz averages 11.6 points per game and hit a clutch game winner this week in a buzzer-beating win over Xavier.

SEGMENT 5 (@ 32:00) – The National Perspective: CBS & Fox Color Analyst – Bill Raftery: Kevin and John are joined by “The Governor” himself, Bill Raftery. Raf joins This Week in the Big East as one of the most beloved college basketball voices in the game for both CBS and Fox. The one-time Seton Hall head coach now TV analyst extraordinaire remembers “send it in Jerome!” just like it was yesterday at the old Fitzgerald Fieldhouse in downtown Pittsburgh.

SEGMENT 6 (@ 44:20) – Who’s Got Next? John and Kevin wrap up the fourth episode of This Week in the Big East for the 2025-26 season by previewing the best games coming up this weekend including taking a look at an action packed Big East Conference slate of games on Saturday featuring Villanova visiting UConn.

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