BIG EAST sets 2026–27 TV schedule, from Rome opener to March tournament

BIG EAST men's basketball viewers can now plan the 2026–27 season by channel and tip time. The conference released its television assignments October 5, covering more than 200 regular-season games across FOX, NBC, TNT and ESPN platforms.

The announcement fills in the viewing details after the conference schedule was released in September. The league's own post links to the complete list of games and networks.

The season opens November 1 with Notre Dame against Villanova in Rome at 9:30 a.m. Eastern on FOX. UConn's November 2 opener against Gardner-Webb follows at 9 p.m. on Peacock.

FOX Sports will carry more than 60 regular-season games, with FOX and FS1 broadcasts also streaming on FOX One. NBC Sports and Peacock have more than 40 men's regular-season games. TNT Sports has 50, including 30 conference games, with its productions also streaming on HBO Max. Nearly 50 non-conference games are assigned to ESPN+.

The tournament is divided among partners, too. Peacock has the first round and Thursday afternoon quarterfinals. FOX carries the Friday semifinals and Saturday championship. Those are separate viewing destinations within the same March tournament.

Creighton's breakdown shows what that distribution means for one team. The Bluejays list at least nine games on FOX or FS1, six on Peacock, five on TNT, two on truTV, one on NBC and four non-conference home games on ESPN+. Their New Year's Eve home game against Marquette tips at 5 p.m. Eastern on Peacock. UConn's January 3 visit to Omaha is on NBC.

Hearst Connecticut's Declan Walsh reported that UConn begins conference play December 23 against Georgetown in Hartford at 3 p.m. Eastern on Peacock. The Huskies finish their regular season March 6 at Xavier, with a 2:30 p.m. Eastern game on TNT.

Some non-conference assignments remain open. Creighton says television coverage for Kansas State, Iowa and the Players Era 16 is still to be announced. Its release identifies the expected ESPN network family for the Players Era event, without naming a final channel.

For fans buying a package or adding a streaming service, the game-by-game listing is the useful starting point: one team's schedule can cross several services. All times in this article are Eastern.