'Big East Road Trip' to expand gameday celebrations for league basketball games

The Big East Conference unveiled Wednesday plans for a 13-stop mobile tour to expand gameday celebrations and enhance the fan experience surrounding the league’s men’s and women’s basketball games.

Billed as “Big East Road Trip,” the initiative is designed as an interactive “pop-up” that will roll into each city of a member school for upcoming men’s and women’s basketball games, culminating with stops at both conference tournaments. The men will play their conference tournament at Madison Square Garden from March 13-16, with the women playing at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut from March 8-11.

The Big East is doubling down on bolstering the fan experience at an interesting time for the robust basketball league. The age of football-driven super conferences in a Power Four conference landscape is dawning in earnest this year, while the NCAA has proposed the creation of a subdivision of like-minded, highly resourced institutions that would craft their policies and pay athletes directly from a trust fund.

Where such a proposal – if it is ever implemented – leaves elite Big East basketball programs that do not field football teams, such as Marquette and Creighton, or the defending men’s national champion, UConn – whose football team competes as an independent – remains to be seen.

East Coast is up next!

We will reveal the rest of the BIG EAST Road Trip schedule right here tomorrow morning starting at 10:00 a.m. ET! pic.twitter.com/ldkGBCUzj4

— BIG EAST Conference (@BIGEAST) January 3, 2024

Big East focused on building stronger brand

But there is no doubt that the Big East has re-established itself as one of the nation’s premier basketball leagues and has a brand worth showcasing in innovative, interactive ways to its fans. The men’s league ranks third nationally in KenPom‘s ratings, with both UConn (fourth) and Marquette (seventh) ranked prominently in this week’s Associated Press Top 25.

Each tour stop for Big East Road Trip, developed and executed in partnership with Playfly Sports, will host fans for two hours of pre-game entertainment and activities. They include shootaround shows, free throw challenges, spirit squad and mascot appearances, photo opportunities alongside the Big East championship trophy and school-specific additions unique to each spot.  

Calling it an “unparalleled interactive opportunity,” Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman said the “experiential event will not only bring an exciting pre-game atmosphere to each city but reinforces the strong connection between our conference, our schools and our dedicated fans.”