Could UConn Be Eligible for Big East Tourney?

On Wednesday, the Big East announced that the conference tournament, which has been played at Madison Square Garden since 1983, will remain there for the foreseeable future after the two sides agreed to a multi-year extension, according to the New Haven Register's David Borges.

“Madison Square Garden has been the Big East’s home for 30 years,” new commissioner Mike Aresco said Wednesday, “and has produced some of the signature moments in college basketball history. We are happy that our teams will continue to bring the excitement of Big East basketball to the Garden.”

The development means little to the Huskies, at least this season, since they won't be allowed to participate in the postseason as a result of NCAA sanctions resulting from low APR scores … except that could change.

Details via Borges:

While the chances are extremely slim, UConn is holding out a bit of hope that the league presidents change their mind on their decision last March to bar any postseason-ineligible teams from its conference tourney. The presidents meet again in a couple of weeks in Chicago for what would appear to be the Huskies’ last chance. UConn is hoping that, since the players responsible for the poor APR scores are long-gone (and, now, Jim Calhoun is gone, too), that the presidents may reconsider.

Borges concedes that the Big East tournament remains a long shot.

“It’s possible that it could be discussed,” Aresco said, “but again, UConn hasn’t indicated yet what they want to do. It could be discussed, but I want to state that that’s our policy of our conference at this point.”

It's not much but it's something.

And if UConn is allowed to participate in the conference tourney, it'll give these players -- many of whom had nothing to do with the poor academic performance -- something to play for.

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