2010–11 Big East Conference men's basketball season

2010–11 Big East Conference men's basketball season
LeagueNCAA Division I
SportBasketball
DurationDecember 27, 2010
through March 5, 2011
Teams16
Total attendance3,003,173
Average attendance11,082
TV partner(s)Big East Network, ESPN
Regular Season
ChampionPittsburgh (15–3)
  Runners-upNotre Dame (14–4)
Season MVPBen Hansbrough (ND)
Tournament
ChampionsConnecticut
  Runners-upLouisville
Finals MVPKemba Walker (CONN)
2010–11 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 4 Pittsburgh 15 3   .833 28 6   .824
No. 5 Notre Dame 14 4   .778 27 7   .794
*No. 12 Syracuse 12 6   .667 27 8   .771
No. 14 Louisville 12 6   .667 25 10   .714
No. 18 St. John's 12 6   .667 21 12   .636
Cincinnati 11 7   .611 26 9   .743
No. 22 West Virginia 11 7   .611 21 12   .636
Georgetown 10 8   .556 21 11   .656
No. 9 Connecticut 9 9   .500 32 9   .780
Villanova 9 9   .500 21 12   .636
Marquette 9 9   .500 22 15   .595
Seton Hall 7 11   .389 13 18   .419
Rutgers 5 13   .278 15 17   .469
Providence 4 14   .222 15 17   .469
South Florida 3 15   .167 10 23   .303
DePaul 1 17   .056 7 24   .226
2011 Big East tournament winner
As of April 4, 2011
*Syracuse:: 7 wins vacated due to sanctions against the program; Disputed record: Syracuse–(27–8)(10–6)
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2010–11 Big East Conference men's basketball season was the 32nd season of competitive basketball played by the Big East Conference, since its inception in 1979, and involved its 16 full-time member schools. The season officially opened on December 27, 2010, when Pittsburgh defeated Connecticut, 78–63, and ended on March 5, 2011, with a 72–56 victory for St. John's over South Florida.

Pittsburgh captured the regular season title for the fourth time, and third outright, with a conference win–loss record of 15–3. The Panthers also received the no. 1 seed in the Big East tournament, and a bye into the quarterfinals, along with 2nd-seed Notre Dame, 3rd-seed Louisville, and 4th-seed Syracuse. St. John's, West Virginia, Cincinnati, and Georgetown rounded out the top eight, and all received a bye into the tournament's second round. Play began at noon on Tuesday, March 8 in Madison Square Garden, when 9th-seed Connecticut defeated 16th-seed DePaul, 97–71. Play ended on Saturday, March 12, when Connecticut won their fifth game in five days, defeating Louisville, 69–66, for their seventh Big East Championship.

At the finish of the regular season, prior to seeding for the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, it was widely speculated that the Big East would eclipse its NCAA record 8 bids, sending as many as 11 teams to the tournament. The official tournament selection process took place on Sunday, March 13, and the predictions were accurate, as the following 11 Big East teams received bids into the tournament. Connecticut won the national title, its third-ever national championship.