Big East Tournament Bracket sets UConn-Creighton semifinal as title path narrows

Emerson Raymont

Published: March 8, 2026 8:41 AM ET

Big East Tournament Bracket sets UConn-Creighton semifinal as title path narrows

Saturday at 10: 30 a. m. ET, the big east tournament bracket has moved into the semifinal stage at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, with No. 1 UConn and coach Geno Auriemma still unbeaten after an 84-39 win over No. 8 Georgetown. What remains unresolved is whether anyone can disrupt UConn’s run; the next answers arrive with UConn vs. No. 5 Creighton at 2: 30 p. m. ET and the second semifinal at 5 p. m. ET.

UConn and Geno Auriemma enter the semifinals with an unbeaten record

UConn reached the semifinals with a confirmed 84-39 win over Georgetown in Game 4 of the tournament. That result keeps intact a perfect 31-0 season for the Huskies, and it extends their win streak dating back to last year’s national championship run to 47 games.

UConn’s season profile is equally clear in the confirmed numbers: the Huskies have averaged a 37. 8-point margin of victory, and they have had only one game decided within single digits—a three-point win over then-No. 6 Michigan back in November. Since then, the results have been described as repeated blowouts, and UConn completed an undefeated regular season for the 11th time in program history.

Still, the tournament’s central competitive question isn’t settled by those margins alone. The Big East title is decided in a short sequence of games, and UConn’s next two opponents—first Creighton, then potentially the winner of the second semifinal—will provide the only confirmed path to testing that dominance inside this bracket.

Big East Tournament Bracket: the confirmed results, matchups, and TV plan

The tournament is confirmed to run March 6-9 at Mohegan Sun Arena, with coverage listed for Peacock and NBCSN. The early-round and quarterfinal results have already shaped the remaining matchups.

Confirmed completed games in the bracket include: Georgetown over Butler 62-58 (Game 1), Providence over DePaul 69-55 (Game 2), and St. John’s over Xavier 53-48 (Game 3). In the quarterfinals, UConn beat Georgetown 84-39 (Game 4), Creighton beat Marquette 57-44 (Game 5), Villanova beat Providence 73-65 (Game 6), and Seton Hall beat St. John’s 63-61 (Game 7).

Game 8: No. 1 UConn vs. No. 5 Creighton — 2: 30 p. m. ET (Peacock/NBCSN)
Game 9: No. 2 Villanova vs. Game 7 winner (Seton Hall) — 5: 00 p. m. ET (Peacock/NBCSN)
Game 10: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner — 7: 00 p. m. ET (Peacock)

That structure is the immediate source of uncertainty for the title race. No matter how the regular season looked, the championship matchup is not confirmed until the two semifinal results are final.

Creighton, Villanova, and Seton Hall are the specific hurdles that will decide the title game

The next inflection point is straightforward and observable: UConn must beat Creighton in Game 8 to reach the championship game. Creighton’s quarterfinal win is confirmed—57-44 over No. 4 Marquette—and it secured the semifinal meeting with the top seed.

In the other half of the bracket, Villanova’s path is also defined by a confirmed matchup. Villanova, the No. 2 seed, advanced by beating Providence 73-65, and is scheduled to face Seton Hall, the Game 7 winner after a 63-61 result over St. John’s. Villanova earned the No. 2 seed after going 16-4 in league play, but the scale of the challenge against UConn is also a confirmed data point: Villanova lost both regular-season games against UConn by a combined 63 points.

Yet even that margin does not confirm a rematch, because Seton Hall has already proven it can win a tight postseason game, and the semifinal is a single, decisive result. The exact triggers that will clarify the tournament’s remaining uncertainty are the final scores in Game 8 and Game 9. Once those are known, the championship matchup in Game 10 becomes fully determined.

The stakes differ in each confirmed scenario within the bracket. If UConn wins Game 8, the Huskies will play for the Big East title at 7: 00 p. m. ET. If Creighton wins Game 8, UConn’s tournament run ends immediately, and the championship field changes at once. Separately, Villanova must win Game 9 to keep the No. 2 seed’s title bid alive, while Seton Hall needs a win to claim the championship-game spot from the lower-half semifinal.

The schedule provides the final layer of clarity: the championship is set for March 9 with Game 10 at 7: 00 p. m. ET. If UConn is confirmed to win at 2: 30 p. m. ET, a UConn appearance in that 7: 00 p. m. ET title game is expected later the same day; if not, the Big East champion will be decided without the tournament’s top seed.