10 most thrilling moments of a now crumbled Big East

1. Villanova upsets Georgetown (1985): Villanova, a No. 8 seed, won the national title with a 66–64 victory in the final over a dominant, Patrick Ewing-led Georgetown squad. The game is often cited among the greatest upsets in college basketball history.

1. (continued) Three Big East teams make it to the Final Four (1985): The same year Georgetown and Villanova squared off in the final, three-time Big East Player of the Year Chris Mullin led St. John's to the Final Four. That Lou Carnesecca-coached team finished 31-4.

2. Syracuse edges UConn in six overtimes (2009): The quarterfinal win helped Syracuse advance to the Big East Tournament title game. It was the second-longest game in NCAA Division I history and took 3 hours and 46 minutes to finish with a combined total of 244 points (102 of which were scored in overtime), 211 field-goals attempted (103 in overtime), 93 free throw attempts and 66 fouls, with four players on each team fouling out.

3. Beginning of a rivalry (1980): It was the first season of the Big East. Syracuse had won 57 consecutive home games at Manley Field House in New York. The Orange had one last game left to play at Manley, before moving on to the Carrier Dome the next season. Georgetown came from behind to escape with a 52-50 upset. Georgetown coach John Thompson said after the win, "Manley Field House is officially closed." And the rest is history.

4. Syracuse's improbable run (2006): As a No. 9 seed, the Orange were the lowest seeded team to win the Big East Tournament, winning four games on the way to the title. Guard Gerry McNamara fittingly was the tournament's most outstanding player. He made a running one-handed three-pointer with a half second left to give his team a 74-73 opening-round victory over Cincinnati, starting the Orange's historic four-game stretch.

5. Ray Allen's game-winner (1996): In one of the most exciting Big East Tournament championship games, Ray Allen's off-balance floater, with Allen Iverson guarding, helped Connecticut prevail 75-74 to capture its second conference tournament. The Huskies came back from 11-point deficit in the final four minutes.

6. Walter Berry blocks Pearl Washington (1986): Syracuse's Pearl Washington floated toward the basket for what would have been a game-winning layup in the championship game of the Big East Tournament. Then, Walter Berry appeared out of nowhere to the block the shot, giving St. John's the 70-69 win and the conference title.

7. Oliver Taylor's buzzer-beaters (1991): Taylor, a little-known Seton Hall point guard sparked his team to the Big East title game. Taylor made a last-second layup in a quarterfinal win over Pittsburgh and then made another game-winner to send Villanova home. In the title game, Seton Hall took care of Georgetown for a 74-62 win.

8. Kemba Walker's heroics (2011): In the Big East Tournament, Walker hit the game winning shot as time expired to help Connecticut clip Pittsburgh, which sparked a run that ended with a Big East Championship when UConn finished 9-9 in the league. The Huskies became the first school to win five games in five days to earn a conference championship.

9. West Virginia wins first-ever Big East title (2010): This picture of coach Bob Huggins embracing player Da'Sean Butler is quite powerful. Butler's running jumper with four seconds left lifted sixth-ranked West Virginia to a 60-58 victory over Georgetown to capture the Big East Tournament championship at Madison Square Garden.