2006 Big East men's basketball tournament
The 2006 Big East men’s basketball tournament was held March 8–11 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was a four-round, single-elimination event. Connecticut earned the #1 seed after tiebreakers with Villanova.
Syracuse, the 9th seed, pulled off a historic run to win its fifth Big East title and an automatic NCAA bid. They became the lowest seed to win the Big East tournament and the first team to win four games in four days. Jim Boeheim coached the Orange, and Gerry McNamara was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, scoring a total of 65 points in the event.
Key games and moments:
- Opening game: Syracuse beat Cincinnati 74–73 on a running one-handed three by McNamara with about half a second left after a late foul by Cincinnati’s Devan Downey.
- Quarterfinals: Syracuse upset Connecticut 86–84 in overtime after McNamara drilled a 30-foot 3 with five seconds left to force OT; he finished with 13 assists.
- Semifinals: Syracuse faced Georgetown. McNamara, who had a groin injury and sat out part of the game, came back to hit five three-pointers in the second half, including one with 45 seconds left to help force a late comeback. A steal by Demetris Nichols led to a winning lay-in by Eric Devendorf with 1.5 seconds remaining, giving Syracuse a 58–57 win.
- Final: Syracuse defeated Pittsburgh 65–61. McNamara hit a timely three, and Josh Wright sealed the victory with four clutch free throws in the final minute.
Syracuse’s 7–9 Big East record that season underscored how improbable the run was; they would go on to lose to Texas A&M in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The NCAA later vacated all of Syracuse’s victories from the 2005–06 season, including the four Big East tournament wins, due to ineligible players.
Dave Gavitt Trophy (Most Outstanding Player): Gerry McNamara, Syracuse.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 06:22 (CET).