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St. John’s basketball: Big East Tournament moving to Mohegan Sun

By Kevin Connelly

St. John's basketball. (Photo by Porter BInks/Getty Images)
St. John's basketball. (Photo by Porter BInks/Getty Images) /
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The Women’s Big East Tournament is on the move as the impacts could benefit the St. John’s basketball program.

Significant news hit the public regarding Big East basketball on Tuesday afternoon as the women’s conference tournament will be leaving Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois for Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

The tournament will be played at Mohegan Sun for at least the next three years, starting this season in 2020-21.

The biggest takeaway is the tournament moving for the first season after the Connecticut Huskies rejoin the conference and play in their backyard, the same arena the Lady Huskies play a select number of regular season games as well as its previous conference tournament in the AAC.

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Seemingly with the Big East doing UConn a favor by giving the Huskies a home game throughout the conference tournament in its first season back, the conference seems poised to try and jumpstart women’s basketball by riding the coattails of arguably the best women’s college basketball program ever.

https://twitter.com/BIGEASTWBB/status/1300871392725000193?s=20

Head coach Geno Auriemma’s program has won 11 National Championships since 1995 and the the Lady Huskies won 16 of its last 20 Big East Tournament Championships and the program won each AAC Tournament it took part in since joining the conference in 2014.

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Mohegan Sun is a 10,000 seat arena which has held many college basketball events in the past, including the Red Storm’s men’s team last season in the Air Force Reserve Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off which saw St. John’s come in third place thanks to a loss in its opening game against Arizona State but a comeback victory against Massachusetts in the consolation game.

There has been no official indication if fans would be allowed at the conference tournament in March because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic but the site has also been discussed as a host for many men’s non-conference and conference bubbles for the season.