Guests this week include Providence head coach Ed Cooley, Big East commissioner Val Ackerman and CBSSports.com senior basketball writer Matt Norlander.

Guests this week include Providence head coach Ed Cooley, Big East commissioner Val Ackerman and CBSSports.com senior basketball writer Matt Norlander.

Westwood One Sports brings you live play-by-play of college football, college basketball (including the Men's and Women's NCAA tournaments) and several other NCAA championship events throughout the year.

NCAA on Westwood One Sports

TWITBE: Ed Cooley, Val Ackerman and Matt Norlander

Episode 8

SEGMENT 1 (7:08) – John & Kevin welcome you to Season 12, Episode 8 of This Week in the Big East! We have a new team at the top of the Big East standings heading into the weekend! The St. John’s Red Storm are winners of 12 straight games and sit atop the conference at 14-1. Rick Pitino’s team beat Marquette and Providence this week while UConn suffered an upset loss at home Wednesday night at the hands of the Creighton Blue Jays. Meanwhile, Villanova has won six straight games and remain in third place as they make their push towards the NCAA Tournament.  

SEGMENT 2 (@7:10) – Big East Spotlight: Georgetown Head Coach – Ed Cooley: John and Kevin welcome Georgetown Head Coach, Ed Cooley into This Week in the Big East. Coach Cooley has now been a division 1 basketball coach for 20 years over three different stops. Having spent much of his professional head coaching career at Providence and Georgetown, he is a Big East Tournament veteran. Bolstered by a mid-season 5-game winning streak in conference play, Coach Cooley has his Hoyas in the middle of the pack and poised to make a run at Madison Square Garden.

SEGMENT 3 (@16:40) – Who’s Hot:  John and Kevin run through the weekly awards for the Big East Conference as well as the Big East Honor Roll! In our Big East “Blast from the Past”, we turn back the clock 99 years ago this week, with a midnight madness affair that was decades before its’ time! February 16th, 1927, 52 years before the Big East Conference was born, Villanova was playing midnight basketball against Seton Hall in the old Newark, NJ Armory. Prior to tip, an AAU track and field competition went late which delayed the Wildcats and Pirates tip time until just before midnight! Villanova ended up a 41-27 winner in the first recorded edition of “Midnight Madness”.

SEGMENT 4 (@21:55) – Big East Focus: – Xavier Graduate Forward – Tre Carroll: John and Kevin welcome Xavier Graduate Senior Forward Tre Carroll into This Week in the Big East. After spending the first part of his career at Florida Atlantic University and reaching the NCAA Tournament while receiving all-conference honors in the American Conference, Carroll entered the transfer portal and found a connection with Xavier Head Coach Richard Pitino. He is averaging an impressive 18 points, 6 rebounds, and nearly 3 assists per game for the Musketeers while shooting an amazing 51% from the field this season.

SEGMENT 5 (@34:00) – The National Perspective: Fox, Peacock, and St. John’s Basketball Analyst – Tarik Turner: Kevin and John are joined by St. John’s Red Storm, Fox, and Peacock Color Analyst, Tarik Turner. Turner talks all things St. John’s as the Red Storm have risen to the top of the Big East standings in late February. After a slower start in the non-conference, St. John’s has won 12 games in a row and is 14-1 in Big East Conference play as we look towards March.

SEGMENT 6 (@41:30) – Who’s Got Next?  John & Kevin wrap up the eighth episode of This Week in the Big East for the 2025-26 season by previewing five Big East Conference matchups this Saturday. The Saturday slate features tasty matchups like Creighton fresh off an upset win at UConn visiting first place St. John’s at Noon Eastern and UConn visiting Villanova at 5:30 Eastern.

Episode 8
SEGMENT 1 (7:08) &ndash; John &amp; Kevin welcome you to Season 12, Episode 8 of This Week in the Big East! We have a new team at the top of the Big East standings heading into the weekend! The St. John&rsquo;s Red Storm are winners of 12 straight games and sit atop the conference at 14-1. Rick Pitino&rsquo;s team beat Marquette and Providence this week while UConn suffered an upset loss at home Wednesday night at the hands of the Creighton Blue Jays. Meanwhile, Villanova has won six straight games and remain in third place as they make their push towards the NCAA Tournament. &nbsp;
SEGMENT 2 (@7:10) &ndash; Big East Spotlight:&nbsp;Georgetown Head Coach &ndash; Ed Cooley: John and Kevin welcome Georgetown Head Coach, Ed Cooley into This Week in the Big East. Coach Cooley has now been a division 1 basketball coach for 20 years over three different stops. Having spent much of his professional head coaching career at Providence and Georgetown, he is a Big East Tournament veteran. Bolstered by a mid-season 5-game winning streak in conference play, Coach Cooley has his Hoyas in the middle of the pack and poised to make a run at Madison Square Garden.
SEGMENT 3 (@16:40) &ndash; Who&rsquo;s Hot:&nbsp; John and Kevin run through the weekly awards for the Big East Conference as well as the Big East Honor Roll! In our Big East &ldquo;Blast from the Past&rdquo;, we turn back the clock 99 years ago this week, with a midnight madness affair that was decades before its&rsquo; time! February 16th, 1927, 52 years before the Big East Conference was born, Villanova was playing midnight basketball against Seton Hall in the old Newark, NJ Armory. Prior to tip, an AAU track and field competition went late which delayed the Wildcats and Pirates tip time until just before midnight! Villanova ended up a 41-27 winner in the first recorded edition of &ldquo;Midnight Madness&rdquo;.
SEGMENT 4 (@21:55) &ndash; Big East Focus: &ndash; Xavier Graduate Forward &ndash; Tre Carroll: John and Kevin welcome Xavier Graduate Senior Forward Tre Carroll into This Week in the Big East. After spending the first part of his career at Florida Atlantic University and reaching the NCAA Tournament while receiving all-conference honors in the American Conference, Carroll entered the transfer portal and found a connection with Xavier Head Coach Richard Pitino. He is averaging an impressive 18 points, 6 rebounds, and nearly 3 assists per game for the Musketeers while shooting an amazing 51% from the field this season.
SEGMENT 5 (@34:00) &ndash; The National Perspective:&nbsp;Fox, Peacock, and St. John&rsquo;s Basketball Analyst &ndash; Tarik Turner: Kevin and John are joined by St. John&rsquo;s Red Storm, Fox, and Peacock Color Analyst, Tarik Turner. Turner talks all things St. John&rsquo;s as the Red Storm have risen to the top of the Big East standings in late February. After a slower start in the non-conference, St. John&rsquo;s has won 12 games in a row and is 14-1 in Big East Conference play as we look towards March.
SEGMENT 6 (@41:30) &ndash; Who&rsquo;s Got Next?&nbsp; John &amp; Kevin wrap up the eighth episode of This Week in the Big East for the 2025-26 season by previewing five Big East Conference matchups this Saturday. The Saturday slate features tasty matchups like Creighton fresh off an upset win at UConn visiting first place St. John&rsquo;s at Noon Eastern and UConn visiting Villanova at 5:30 Eastern.

TWITBE: Ed Cooley, Tre Carroll and Tarik Turner

Episode 7

SEGMENT 1 – John & Kevin welcome you to Season 12, Episode 7 of This Week in the Big East! Connecticut’s winning streak is no more after the Huskies hit their first Big East bump in the road last Friday night at Madison Square Garden in front of an electric crowd. The Friday night marquee matchup also boasted more than 1.5 million viewers on Fox. Villanova remains in third place behind St. John’s and UConn and has settled in as a March Madness contender. Connecticut will get their rematch with St. John’s February 25th in Hartford and that game could go a long way in determining a regular season Big East Champion.

SEGMENT 2 (@6:50) – Big East Spotlight: St. John ‘s Head Coach – Rick Pitino: John and Kevin welcome Hall of Fame St John’s Head Coach, Rick Pitino into This Week in the Big East. With over 50 years of coaching experience, Coach Pitino is having as much fun as ever competing in the Big East and leading his St. John’s Red Storm towards the top of the Big East standings. Coach Pitino explains his views on roster construction and hos his team continues to evolve and grow each week as they push toward a March Madness run.

SEGMENT 3 (@17:30) – Who’s Hot:  John and Kevin run through the weekly awards for the Big East Conference as well as the Big East Honor Roll! In our Big East “Blast from the Past”, we turn back the clock to the 2003-04 season. Emeka Okafor was a large part of catapulting Jim Calhoun’s Connecticut Huskies into the national spotlight as an All-American and helped lead UConn to their 2nd National Title in six seasons. Okafor was a Big East Player of the Year, NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and National Defensive Player of the Year before being the first NBA draft choice of the then Charlotte Bobcats.

SEGMENT 4 (@22:45) – Big East Focus: – Georgetown Junior Guard – KJ Lewis: John and Kevin welcome Georgetown standout junior guard, KJ Lewis into This Week in the Big East. Lewis transferred to Georgetown after two seasons at Arizona. Finding a great match with Ed Cooley, Lewis has blossomed into an all-around performer averaging over 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists per game and is widely considered one of the best defenders in the Big East Conference.  

SEGMENT 5 (@32:15) – The National Perspective: NY Post NCAA Basketball Writer – Zach Braziller: Kevin and John are joined by St. John’s Red Storm beat writer Zach Braziller of the New York Post. Zach, John, and Kevin recap St John’s huge home win last Friday over Connecticut. Zach also provides an overview of the Big East from top to bottom and predicts how many teams the conference could enter into March Madness. Braziller also makes a case for St. John’s standout center, Zube Ejiofor as the best St. John’s player this century.

SEGMENT 6 (@41:40) – Who’s Got Next?  John & Kevin wrap up the seventh episode of This Week in the Big East for the 2025-26 season by previewing the best games coming up this weekend including looking at an action packed Big East Conference slate of games on Saturday. A big east quadruple header takes place on Valantine’s Day bookended by St. John’s at Providence and Georgetown at Connecticut.

Episode 7
SEGMENT 1 &ndash; John &amp; Kevin welcome you to Season 12, Episode 7 of This Week in the Big East! Connecticut&rsquo;s winning streak is no more after the Huskies hit their first Big East bump in the road last Friday night at Madison Square Garden in front of an electric crowd. The Friday night marquee matchup also boasted more than 1.5 million viewers on Fox. Villanova remains in third place behind St. John&rsquo;s and UConn and has settled in as a March Madness contender. Connecticut will get their rematch with St. John&rsquo;s February 25th in Hartford and that game could go a long way in determining a regular season Big East Champion.
SEGMENT 2 (@6:50) &ndash; Big East Spotlight: St. John &lsquo;s Head Coach &ndash; Rick Pitino: John and Kevin welcome Hall of Fame St John&rsquo;s Head Coach, Rick Pitino into This Week in the Big East. With over 50 years of coaching experience, Coach Pitino is having as much fun as ever competing in the Big East and leading his St. John&rsquo;s Red Storm towards the top of the Big East standings. Coach Pitino explains his views on roster construction and hos his team continues to evolve and grow each week as they push toward a March Madness run.
SEGMENT 3 (@17:30) &ndash; Who&rsquo;s Hot:&nbsp; John and Kevin run through the weekly awards for the Big East Conference as well as the Big East Honor Roll! In our Big East &ldquo;Blast from the Past&rdquo;, we turn back the clock to the 2003-04 season. Emeka Okafor was a large part of catapulting Jim Calhoun&rsquo;s Connecticut Huskies into the national spotlight as an All-American and helped lead UConn to their 2nd National Title in six seasons. Okafor was a Big East Player of the Year, NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and National Defensive Player of the Year before being the first NBA draft choice of the then Charlotte Bobcats.
SEGMENT 4 (@22:45) &ndash; Big East Focus: &ndash; Georgetown Junior Guard &ndash; KJ Lewis: John and Kevin welcome Georgetown standout junior guard, KJ Lewis into This Week in the Big East. Lewis transferred to Georgetown after two seasons at Arizona. Finding a great match with Ed Cooley, Lewis has blossomed into an all-around performer averaging over 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists per game and is widely considered one of the best defenders in the Big East Conference. &nbsp;
SEGMENT 5 (@32:15) &ndash; The National Perspective: NY Post NCAA Basketball Writer &ndash; Zach Braziller: Kevin and John are joined by St. John&rsquo;s Red Storm beat writer Zach Braziller of the New York Post. Zach, John, and Kevin recap St John&rsquo;s huge home win last Friday over Connecticut. Zach also provides an overview of the Big East from top to bottom and predicts how many teams the conference could enter into March Madness. Braziller also makes a case for St. John&rsquo;s standout center, Zube Ejiofor as the best St. John&rsquo;s player this century.
SEGMENT 6 (@41:40) &ndash; Who&rsquo;s Got Next?&nbsp; John &amp; Kevin wrap up the seventh episode of This Week in the Big East for the 2025-26 season by previewing the best games coming up this weekend including looking at an action packed Big East Conference slate of games on Saturday. A big east quadruple header takes place on Valantine&rsquo;s Day bookended by St. John&rsquo;s at Providence and Georgetown at Connecticut.

TWITBE: Rick Pitino, KJ Lewis and Zach Braziller

SEGMENT 1 – John & Kevin welcome you to Season 12, Episode 6 of This Week in the Big East! Connecticut’s winning streak rolls on, coming into play this week standing at 18 straight victories. This is the 3rd longest winning streak in program history and marks the best stretch of basketball in 27 years since the 1998-99 season. The Huskies streak will be tested Friday night in a heavyweight matchup with St. John’s who have won 8 straight games themselves. Meanwhile, Villanova and Seton Hall both continue to jockey for position in the top half of the Big East standings as both teams eye a March Madness invitation.

SEGMENT 2 (@6:40) – Big East Spotlight: Xavier Head Coach – Richard Pitino: John and Kevin welcome coach Pitino into This Week in the Big East as he continues his first year in the conference as a head coach at Xavier. He arrived in Cincinnati to spearhead a major rebuilding project, turning over nearly the entire roster in a physically demanding league like the Big East. Coach Pitino gives us a status report on his Musketeers and provides his impressions on the league as a whole during his first year as a Big East head coach.

SEGMENT 3 (@16:00) – Who’s Hot:  John and Kevin run through the weekly awards for the Big East Conference as well as the Big East Honor Roll! In our Big East “Blast from the Past”, we turn back the clock to 2003 when a freshman by the name of Carmelo Anthony stormed onto the Big East scene in upstate New York for the Syracuse Orange. Anthony averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds during his one and only season at Syracuse and then averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game during the NCAA Tournament including a monster 33-point 14 rebound performance in the Final Four against Texas. Anthony and the Orange went on to win Syracuse’s one and only National Championship later that season.

SEGMENT 4 (@19:45) – Big East Focus: – Marquette Freshman Guard – Nigel James: John and Kevin welcome Marquette standout freshman guard, Nigel James into This Week in the Big East. James is developing into an all-around talent for Coach Shaka Smart as he enters this weekend’s play averaging 15 points, 3 rebounds, and nearly 5 assists per game. He’s also a prolific three-point shooter making 42% of his shots from behind the arc.

SEGMENT 5 (@29:30) – The National Perspective: ESPN / Peacock TV Color Analyst – Tom Crean: Kevin and John are joined by former Marquette Head Coach and current ESPN and Peacock television color analyst, Tom Crean. As a former Big East coach, Tom knows a thing or two about the rough and tumble play in the Big East Conference. He breaks down the top half of the league and discusses why he thinks Connecticut should be taken seriously as a National Championship contender. Plus, we preview Coach Crean being inducted into the Marquette Ring of Honor this Saturday in Milwaukee.

SEGMENT 6 (@42:25) – Who’s Got Next?  John & Kevin wrap up the sixth episode of This Week in the Big East for the 2025-26 season by previewing the best games coming up this weekend including taking a look at an action packed Big East Conference slate of games on Saturday highlighted by Villanova at Georgetown and Seton Hall at Creighton. On Monday night, we preview Xavier visiting St. John’s at Madison Square Garden in a rematch of Father and Son, Rick and Richard Pitino.

SEGMENT 1 &ndash; John &amp; Kevin welcome you to Season 12, Episode 6 of This Week in the Big East! Connecticut&rsquo;s winning streak rolls on, coming into play this week standing at 18 straight victories. This is the 3rd longest winning streak in program history and marks the best stretch of basketball in 27 years since the 1998-99 season. The Huskies streak will be tested Friday night in a heavyweight matchup with St. John&rsquo;s who have won 8 straight games themselves. Meanwhile, Villanova and Seton Hall both continue to jockey for position in the top half of the Big East standings as both teams eye a March Madness invitation.
SEGMENT 2 (@6:40) &ndash; Big East Spotlight: Xavier Head Coach &ndash; Richard Pitino: John and Kevin welcome coach Pitino into This Week in the Big East as he continues his first year in the conference as a head coach at Xavier. He arrived in Cincinnati to spearhead a major rebuilding project, turning over nearly the entire roster in a physically demanding league like the Big East. Coach Pitino gives us a status report on his Musketeers and provides his impressions on the league as a whole during his first year as a Big East head coach.
SEGMENT 3 (@16:00) &ndash; Who&rsquo;s Hot:&nbsp; John and Kevin run through the weekly awards for the Big East Conference as well as the Big East Honor Roll! In our Big East &ldquo;Blast from the Past&rdquo;, we turn back the clock to 2003 when a freshman by the name of Carmelo Anthony stormed onto the Big East scene in upstate New York for the Syracuse Orange. Anthony averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds during his one and only season at Syracuse and then averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game during the NCAA Tournament including a monster 33-point 14 rebound performance in the Final Four against Texas. Anthony and the Orange went on to win Syracuse&rsquo;s one and only National Championship later that season.
SEGMENT 4 (@19:45) &ndash; Big East Focus: &ndash; Marquette Freshman Guard &ndash; Nigel James: John and Kevin welcome Marquette standout freshman guard, Nigel James into This Week in the Big East. James is developing into an all-around talent for Coach Shaka Smart as he enters this weekend&rsquo;s play averaging 15 points, 3 rebounds, and nearly 5 assists per game. He&rsquo;s also a prolific three-point shooter making 42% of his shots from behind the arc.
SEGMENT 5 (@29:30) &ndash; The National Perspective: ESPN / Peacock TV Color Analyst &ndash; Tom Crean: Kevin and John are joined by former Marquette Head Coach and current ESPN and Peacock television color analyst, Tom Crean. As a former Big East coach, Tom knows a thing or two about the rough and tumble play in the Big East Conference. He breaks down the top half of the league and discusses why he thinks Connecticut should be taken seriously as a National Championship contender. Plus, we preview Coach Crean being inducted into the Marquette Ring of Honor this Saturday in Milwaukee.
SEGMENT 6 (@42:25) &ndash; Who&rsquo;s Got Next?&nbsp; John &amp; Kevin wrap up the sixth episode of This Week in the Big East for the 2025-26 season by previewing the best games coming up this weekend including taking a look at an action packed Big East Conference slate of games on Saturday highlighted by Villanova at Georgetown and Seton Hall at Creighton. On Monday night, we preview Xavier visiting St. John&rsquo;s at Madison Square Garden in a rematch of Father and Son, Rick and Richard Pitino.

TWITBE: Richard Pitino, Nigel James and Tom Crean

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TWITBE: Ed Cooley, Val Ackerman and Matt Norlander

NCAA on Westwood One Sports

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