Mohegan Sun Arena announced as site of Big East Women’s Basketball Tournament through 2023

UConn women’s basketball’s conference tournament will be staying in Connecticut. On Tuesday, the Big East Conference announced it will host its next three championship tournaments at Mohegan Sun Arena through 2023.

“We’re thrilled to have the Big East Tournament come to Mohegan Sun,” head coach Geno Auriemma said in a statement. “We have the best women’s basketball fans in the nation in Connecticut and they’ll be excited to see UConn back in the Big East. Continue wearing masks and taking necessary health and safety precautions so this tournament can take place in 2021.”

Mohegan Sun had been the site of the AAC Tournament for the first seven years of the conference’s existence until UConn’s departure to the Big East this year. The move has long been rumored with Providence athletic director Bob Driscoll telling the Westerly Sun as much back in June.

Since the formation of the new Big East back in 2013, the conference tournament has bounced around with the last three held at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Prior to the breakup, it was played at the XL Center in Hartford for a decade, where it led the nation in conference postseason attendance in nine of those years.

​”We are very excited to bring one of the Big East’s premier competitions to Mohegan Sun Arena, a one-of-a-kind facility that has long served as one of the best women’s basketball venues in the country,” said Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman in a statement. ”We are proud to welcome the Huskies and their women’s basketball fans back into the Big East fold, and we look forward to working with Amber Cox and her staff to deliver a memorable and first-class experience for our student-athletes, coaches and supporters.”

Mohegan Sun is a logical choice for the conference as not only does UConn have the largest fanbase in the conference, the casino also offers easy accommodations for visiting teams and fans as well as top quality facilities.

UConn re-joined the Big East on July 1 after spending the last seven seasons in the AAC. The Huskies won every conference title — regular season and tournament — in the American and never lost a game, going 139-0.