March Madness will descend upon the state of Connecticut this week and that just doesn’t mean for UConn and the Big East. If things fall right, Connecticut could have four Division I men’s teams and two women’s programs gathered on March 16 awaiting news of their first-round opponents in the NCAA Tournament.
In addition to UConn, which is a lock to reach the tournament and vie for a third straight national championship, Central Connecticut, Yale and Quinnipiac are all legitimate contenders to earn automatic berths as men’s conference champions.
On the women’s side, the Central (NEC) and Fairfield and Quinnipiac (MAAC) are very much in the mix. Here’s a breakdown:
Big East men
Wednesday-Saturday at Madison Square Garden
The Big East regular season is now in the books and all eyes turn toward Madison Square Garden in New York City for the conference tournament that begins on Wednesday with the first round. Of course, everyone is rooting for a UConn-St. John’s matchup in Saturday’s championship game.
Wednesday’s first round (streamed on Peacock): No. 8 Providence vs. No. 9 Butler, 4 p.m.; No. 7 Georgetown vs. No. 10 DePaul, 6:30 p.m.; No. 6 Villanova vs. No. 11 Set0n Hall, 9 p.m.
Thursday’s quarterfinals: Providence/Butler vs. No. 1 St. John’s, noon, Peacock; No. 5 Marquette vs. No. 4 Xavier, 2:30 p.m. (Peacock); Georgetown/DePaul vs. No. 2 Creighton, 7 p.m.; (FS1); Villanova/Seton Hall vs. No. 3 UConn, 9:30 p.m. (FS1)
Friday’s semifinals: Day quarterfinal winners, 6:30 p.m., Fox; night quarterfinal winners, 9 p.m., Fox
Saturday’s championship: 6:30 p.m., Fox
Northeast Conference men
Tuesday at Detrick Gym, Central Connecticut State
After winning the NEC regular-season championship, the Blue Devils entered the conference tournament as the top seed. An relatively easy 86-67 win over No. 8 Le Moyne in the the quarterfinals, the Blue Devils narrowly escaped with a 76-72 win over No. 4 Fairleigh Dickinson in the semis.
Now third-seeded St. Francis, Pa., stands in the way of the program’s first NCAA bid since 2007. Central handled the Red Flash in two meetings this season, winning 74-59 on the road on Jan. 3 and then 83-67 at home on Feb. 15.
Tuesday’s championship: St. Francis, Pa., at Central, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Northeast Conference women
Monday, Thursday, Sunday at campus sites
Central, the No. 3 seed, opens play on Monday at home to No. 6 seed Chicago State hoping to kick off a run to its first NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils finished the regular season 11-18 overall and 10-6 in the NEC
Monday’s quarterfinals, all games at 7 p.m.: No. 8 LIU at No. 1 Fairleigh Dickinson; No. 7 Wagner at No. 2 Stonehill; No. 6 Chicago State at No. 3 Central Connecticut; No. 5 Le Moyne at No. 4 St. Francis, Pa.
Thursday’s semifinals: at higher seed, times TBA
Sunday’s championship: at higher seed, time TBA
Ivy League men
Saturday-Sunday at Providence, R.I.
They call it Ivy Madness and it will be played on Saturday and Sunday at the Pizzitola Sports Center in Providence. Yale, which has won the conference tournament and earned the automatic berth in two of the last three years, enters the postseason as the odds-on favorite to make it three in four years. The Bulldogs won the Ivy League with a 13-1 record and swept all three of its fellow tourney participants in the regular season.
Saturday’s semifinals: No. 1 Yale vs. No. 4 Princeton, 11 a.m., ESPNU; No. 2 Cornell vs. No. 3 Dartmouth, 2 p.m., ESPNNews.
Sunday’s championship: Noon, ESPN2
Metro Atlantic Athletic men
Tuesday-Saturday at Atlantic City, N.J.
The MAAC descends upon Atlantic City, N.J., with its five-day men’s and women’s tournaments beginning Tuesday at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. There are three state teams in the field, led by the top seed Quinnipiac men, which will be seeking its first NCAA bid. In addition, No. 7 Sacred Heart and No. 10 Fairfield will face each other in the first round.
But it’s the Bobcats with the most at stake. After winning the conference regular season with a 15-5 mark — 19-8 overall — they come into the postseason on a mini-skid, losing two of their final three games; to No. 2 Merrimack on March 2 and the tournament No. 10 seed Fairfield, 83-74 on Saturday night.
Tuesday’s first round (ESPN+): No. 8 Rider vs. No. 9 Siena, 6 p.m.; No. 7 Sacred Heart vs. No. 10 Fairfield, 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday’s quarterfinals (ESPN+): Rider/Siena vs. No. 1 Quinnipiac, 6 p.m.; Sacred Heart/Fairfield vs. No. 2 Merrimack, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday’s quarterfinals (ESPN+): No. 4 Iona vs. No. 5 Manhattan, 6 p.m.; No. 3 Marist vs. No. 6 Mount St. Mary’s, 8:30 p.m.
Friday’s semifinals: Wednesday and Thursday early game winners, 6 p.m., ESPNU; Wednesday and Thursday late game winners, 8:30 p.m., ESPNU
Saturday’s championship: 7:30 p.m., ESPNU
Metro Atlantic Athletic women
Tuesday-Saturday at Atlantic City, N.J.
Two state teams enter the postseason with the best chances to grab the automatic bid and neither are strangers to the NCAA Tournament. Top seed Fairfield (25-4 overall, 19-1 MAAC) has been to the tournament five times, last in 2022. Meanwhile No. 2 Quinnipiac (26-3, 18-2) has also been to the NCAAs five times, last in 2019. The two teams split their regular-season meetings, both winning at home.
Tuesday’s first round (ESPN+): No. 8 Manhattan vs. No. 9 Canisius, noon; No. 7 Saint Peter’s vs. No. 10 Iona, 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday’s quarterfinals (ESPN+): Manhattan/Canisius vs. No. 1 Fairfield, noon.; Saint Peter’s/Iona vs. No. 2 Quinnipiac, 2:30 p.m.
Thursday’s quarterfinals (ESPN+): No. 4 Mount St. Mary’s vs. No. 5 Marist, noon p.m.; No. 3 Siena vs. No. 6 Merrimack, 2:30 p.m.
Friday’s semifinals (streamed on ESPN+): Wednesday and Thursday early game winners, noon; Wednesday and Thursday late game winners, 2:30 p.m.
Saturday’s championship: 1:30 p.m., ESPNU
Originally Published: March 9, 2025 at 1:10 PM EDT
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