Synopsis
The hosts for This Week In The BIG EAST are John Rooke, a well-known BIG EAST play-by-play voice for 27 years and Kevin McNamara, who has covered the BIG EAST for 25 seasons at the Providence Journal and is a columnist for Basketball Times. Rooke and McNamara give a comprehensive look at the teams, coaches, players and storied tradition of the top basketball conference in America. This Week in the Big East covers all things college basketball at Butler, Creighton, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, St. Johns, Villanova, and Xavior.
Episodes
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#TWITBE Ep. 11.9 - Rick Pitino, Val Ackerman, Jerry Walker
07/03/2025 Duration: 44minThis Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One, continued its 11th season with guests St. John's head coach Rick Pitino, BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman and BIG EAST Legend and former Seton Hall star Jerry Walker.The returning hosts for This Week In The BIG EAST (#TWITBE) are John Rooke, a longtime BIG EAST play-by-play voice, and Kevin McNamara, BIG EAST radio host, columnist and author. Rooke and McNamara give a comprehensive look at the teams, coaches, players and storied tradition of the top basketball conference in America in each episode.The ninth episode of TWITBE looks at the landscape of the BIG EAST heading into the final weekend of regular season action. With five games remaining before the BIG EAST Tournament Presented by JEEP, eight of the 11 seeds are up for grabs.The BIG EAST Spotlight is on St. John's head coach Rick Pitino, fresh off clinching the first outright regular season BIG EAST title in 40 years. Pitino now has the Red Storm poised for a pair of deep ru
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#TWITBE Ep. 11.8 - Sean Miller, Stevie Mitchell, Zach Braziller
28/02/2025 Duration: 44minThis Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One, continued its 11th season with guests Xavier head coach Sean Miller, Marquette guard Stevie Mitchell and New York Post Journalist Zach Braziller.The returning hosts for This Week In The BIG EAST (#TWITBE) are John Rooke, a longtime BIG EAST play-by-play voice, and Kevin McNamara, BIG EAST radio host, columnist and author. Rooke and McNamara give a comprehensive look at the teams, coaches, players and storied tradition of the top basketball conference in America in each episode.The eighth episode of TWITBE looks at the landscape of the BIG EAST heading into the final two weekends of regular season action. St. John's remains atop the standings after clinching at least a share of the regular season title for the first time since 1992.The BIG EAST Spotlight is on Xavier head coach Sean Miller, discussing the Musketeer's overcoming early season injuries to make a late season push in BIG EAST play and in the running for an NCAA Tournament
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#TWITBE Ep. 11.7 - Guests RJ Luis Jr., Steven Ashworth, Mike DeCourcy
21/02/2025 Duration: 44minThis Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One, continued its 11th season with guests St. John's junior guard RJ Luis Jr., Creighton senior guard Steven Ashworth and FOX Sports Bracketologist Mike DeCourcy.The returning hosts for This Week In The BIG EAST (#TWITBE) are John Rooke, a longtime BIG EAST play-by-play voice, and Kevin McNamara, BIG EAST radio host, columnist and author. Rooke and McNamara give a comprehensive look at the teams, coaches, players and storied tradition of the top basketball conference in America in each episode.The seventh episode of TWITBE looks at the landscape of the BIG EAST heading into the final stretch of regular season games. After a 2-0 week, St. John's maintains a 2.5 game lead atop the league, while Creighton and Marquette sit in a tie for second at 11-4, one game ahead of UConn (10-5).The BIG EAST Spotlight is on St. John's junior guard RJ Luis Jr., discussing the Johnnies' historic pace with six games remaining in the regular season
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#TWITBE Ep. 11.6 - Guests Patrick McCaffery, Isaiah Coleman, Tim Welsh
14/02/2025 Duration: 44minThis Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One, continued its 11th season with guests Georgetown head coach Ed Cooley, NCAA Basketball Analytics Expert Ken Pomeroy and FOX Sports and CBS Sports analyst Bill Raftery.The returning hosts for This Week In The BIG EAST (#TWITBE) are John Rooke, a longtime BIG EAST play-by-play voice, and Kevin McNamara, BIG EAST radio host, columnist and author. Rooke and McNamara give a comprehensive look at the teams, coaches, players and storied tradition of the top basketball conference in America in each episode.The sixth episode of TWITBE takes a look back on another thrilling week of BIG EAST games, with multiple finishes coming down to the wire. Most notably at the top of the league standings, St. John's hit a road bump for the first time in 10 games, coming up short against Villanova. In addition, UConn knocked off second-place Creighton in a nail-biter, the Huskies first win ever in Omaha, Neb.The BIG EAST Spotlight is on Butler senior forward Pat
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#TWITBE Ep. 11.5 - Guests Ed Cooley, Ken Pomeroy, Bill Raftery
07/02/2025 Duration: 44minThis Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One, continued its 11th season with guests Georgetown head coach Ed Cooley, NCAA Basketball Analytics Expert Ken Pomeroy and FOX Sports and CBS Sports analyst Bill Raftery.The returning hosts for This Week In The BIG EAST (#TWITBE) are John Rooke, a longtime BIG EAST play-by-play voice, and Kevin McNamara, BIG EAST radio host, columnist and author. Rooke and McNamara give a comprehensive look at the teams, coaches, players and storied tradition of the top basketball conference in America in each episode.The fifth episode of TWITBE takes a look at the top of the BIG EAST standings, as St. John's (20-3, 11-1 BIG EAST) enters Friday's top-20 match up at UConn (16-6, 8-3) riding a nine-game winning streak. Sitting just a game back in the standings and riding an eight-game winning streak, Creighton (17-6, 10-2) hosts Marquette (18-5, 9-3) on Saturday. The BIG EAST Spotlight is on Georgetown head coach Ed Cooley, to discuss the state of the Hoy
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#TWITBE Ep. 11.4 - Guests Shaka Smart, Eric Dixon, Donny Marshall
31/01/2025 Duration: 44minThis Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One, continued its 11th season with guests Marquette head coach Shaka Smart, Villanova senior forward Eric Dixon and college basketball analyst Donny Marshall.The returning hosts for This Week In The BIG EAST (#TWITBE) are John Rooke, a longtime BIG EAST play-by-play voice, and Kevin McNamara, BIG EAST radio host, columnist and author. Rooke and McNamara give a comprehensive look at the teams, coaches, players and storied tradition of the top basketball conference in America in each episode.The fourth episode of TWITBE takes a look at the top of the BIG EAST standings, as St. John's is in position at the halfway point to make a run at just their second ever BIG EAST regular season title. The Red Storm are tied with Marquette at the top of the standings at 9-1 and the pair of top-15 teams are set to face off on Feb. 4 at Madison Square Garden.The BIG EAST Spotlight is on Marquette head coach Shaka Smart, to discuss the state of the Golden Eagle
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#TWITBE Ep. 11.3 - Guests Kim English, Thomas Sorber, Rick Cordella
24/01/2025 Duration: 44minThis Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One, continued its 11th season with guests Providence head coach Kim English, Georgetown freshman forward Thomas Sorber and NBC Sports President Rick Cordella.The returning hosts for This Week In The BIG EAST (#TWITBE) are John Rooke, a longtime BIG EAST play-by-play voice, and Kevin McNamara, BIG EAST radio host, columnist and author. Rooke and McNamara give a comprehensive look at the teams, coaches, players and storied tradition of the top basketball conference in America in each episode.The third episode of TWITBE takes a look at the landscape of the BIG EAST as it nears halfway mark of league play. St. John's has taken over the lead in the league standings at 8-1, followed by Marquette just a half game back and UConn and Creighton only one game back in the loss column.The BIG EAST Spotlight is on Providence head coach Kim English, to discuss how his team has battled through injuries and adversity this season. English, in his second year a
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#TWITBE Ep. 11.2 - Guests Ryan Conwell, Alex Karaban, Ed Pinckney
17/01/2025 Duration: 44minThis Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One, continued its 11th season with guests Xavier junior guard Ryan Conwell, UConn junior forward Alex Karaban and Villanova legend Ed Pinckney.The returning hosts for This Week In The BIG EAST (#TWITBE) are John Rooke, a longtime BIG EAST play-by-play voice, and Kevin McNamara, BIG EAST radio host, columnist and author. Rooke and McNamara give a comprehensive look at the teams, coaches, players and storied tradition of the top basketball conference in America in each episode.The second episode of TWITBE takes a look at the landscape of the BIG EAST as it passes the first quarter mark of league play. The BIG EAST Spotlight is on Xavier guard Ryan Conwell, fresh off a 28-point second half to lead the Musketeers to a crucial league win over Villanova. A transfer from Indiana State, Conwell has been a big boost for the Xavier offense.The BIG EAST Focus shines on UConn forward Alex Karaban, who opens up about what it is like to to play for Dan Hurley a
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#TWITBE Ep. 11.1 - Guests Greg McDermott, Kam Jones, Seth Davis
13/01/2025 Duration: 44minThis Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One, begins its 11th season with guests Marquette senior guard Kam Jones, Creighton head coach Greg McDermott and FOX Sports Analyst Seth Davis.The returning hosts for This Week In The BIG EAST (#TWITBE) are John Rooke, a longtime BIG EAST play-by-play voice, and Kevin McNamara, BIG EAST radio host, columnist and author. Rooke and McNamara give a comprehensive look at the teams, coaches, players and storied tradition of the top basketball conference in America in each episode.Two weeks into the New Year, the first episode of TWITBE takes a look at the jumpstart of conference play, while taking a look at the landscape of BIG EAST Basketball..The BIG EAST Spotlight is on Marquette guard Kam Jones, who discusses his approach to basketball, the early success of the Golden Eagles and what it's like playing for head coach Shaka Smart.The BIG EAST Focus shines on Creighton head coach Greg McDermott.FOX Sports Basketball Analyst Seth Davis gives a vie
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#TWITBE Ep. 10.9 - Guests Devin Carter, Greg McDermott and Val Ackerman
08/03/2024 Duration: 44minThis Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One, continued its 10th season with guests Providence junior guard Devin Carter, Creighton’s head coach Greg McDermott and BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman.The ninth episode of This Week in the BIG EAST (TWITBE) looks ahead to Saturday’s regular season finale with the final five games determining official seeds and matchups at the 2024 BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Tournament Presented by JEEP. The show congratulates UConn following the program’s first outright regular season championship since 1999, and the expectations heading into the tournament for all 11 teams.The BIG EAST Focus shines on Providence junior guard Devin Carter. Carter has helped the Friars push toward a March run despite the loss of Bryce Hopkins to injury earlier this season. He leads the conference in scoring with 21.2 points per game, 1.3 more per game than second place Quincy Olivari in league games. The junior also ranks third in rebounds with 8.7 per contest. Heading into th
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#TWITBE Ep. 10.8 - Guests Cam Spencer, Ed Cooley and Andy Katz
01/03/2024 Duration: 44minThis Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One, continued its 10th season with guests UConn graduate guard Cam Spencer, Georgetown’s head coach Ed Cooley and NCAA.com and TNT Basketball Analyst Andy Katz.The eighth episode of This Week in the BIG EAST (TWITBE) takes a look ahead as the league enters the final week of regular season action prior to the 2024 BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Tournament Presented by JEEP. UConn heads into the final three games with a two-game lead over Marquette for the top-seed at Madison Square Garden. With a win over the weekend against Seton Hall, Creighton has leap-frogged the Pirates back into third, while Providence and Villanova will play Saturday to break a current tiebreaker for fifth. The BIG EAST Focus shines on UConn graduate guard Cam Spencer. The Huskies have looked the part of not just a BIG EAST Champion, but a potential back-to-back National Champion this season with only a few minor bumps in the road. Spencer has added important depth and experience
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#TWITBE Ep. 10.7 - Guests Quincy Olivari, Kim English and Seth Davis
23/02/2024 Duration: 44minThis Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One, continued its 10th season with guests Xavier graduate guard Quincy Olivari, Providence’s head coach Kim English and CBS and Turner Sports basketball analyst Seth DavisThe seventh episode of This Week in the BIG EAST (TWITBE) takes a look back at Tuesday’s top-15 matchup, with No. 15 Creighton (20-7, 11-5 BIG EAST) knocking off No. 1 UConn (24-3, 14-2 BE), 85-66. Despite the loss, the Huskies still hold a 2.5 game lead on second place and seventh-ranked Marquette (20-6, 11-4 BE), with Creighton and Seton Hall closely behind in third and fourth place, respectively.The BIG EAST Focus shines on Xavier graduate guard Quincy Olivari. Olivari talks about an upcoming milestone, as he enters Saturday’s game against Marquette just 16 points shy of 2,000. Olivari has scored 1,984 points in his collegiate career, including his totals at Rice and Xavier. On the year, he ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring with 19.1 ppg. Also in the episode, he takes th
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#TWITBE Ep. 10.6 - Guests Eric Dixon, Josh Oduro and Jason Benetti
16/02/2024 Duration: 44minThis Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One, continued its 10th season with guests Villanova senior forward Eric Dixon, Providence’s graduate student forward Josh Oduro and FOX Sports Play-by-Play announcer Jason Benetti.The sixth episode of This Week in the BIG EAST (TWITBE) takes a look at the league as a whole. Entering the final weeks of the BIG EAST regular season, UConn (22-2, 13-1 BIG EAST) holds a steady lead in the conference standings and maintains the pole position in the national landscape. No. 4 Marquette sits closely behind at 10-3 in conference play, with a top-5 matchup between the two looming on Saturday. Seton Hall and No. 17 Creighton sit in a tie for third at 9-5.The BIG EAST Focus shines on Providence graduate guard Josh Oduro. Playing all over the front court, Oduro’s versatility allows him to see action at both the center and forward positions. Stepping up in a big way following an early season injury to Bryce Hopkins, Oduro ranks fourth in the league play with 18.
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#TWITBE Ep. 10.5 - Guests Tyler Kolek, Daniss Jenkins and Joe Lunardi
09/02/2024 Duration: 44minThis Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One, continued its 10th season with guests Marquette senior guard Tyler Kolek, St. John’s graduate student guard Daniss Jenkins and ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi.The fifth episode of This Week in the BIG EAST (TWITBE) takes a look at the league as a whole. Past the midway point of the BIG EAST season, UConn (20-2, 11-1 BIG EAST) holds a steady lead in the conference standings and maintains the pole position in the national landscape. No. 7 Marquette sits closely behind at 8-3 in conference play, while Seton Hall is in third at 8-4. Overall, nine BIG EAST teams remain in the top-66 of the NET, including six in the top-50. The BIG EAST Focus shines on St. John’s guard Daniss Jenkins. A graduate transfer who played under head coach Rick Pitino at Iona a season ago, Jenkins made the move this summer to spearhead Pitino’s St. John’s team that looks to build toward the BIG EAST and NCAA Tournaments. Averaging 15.5 points and 4.8 assists per league cont
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#TWITBE Ep. 10.4 - Guests Trey Alexander, Thad Matta and Wayne Norman
02/02/2024 Duration: 44minThis Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One, continued its 10th season with guests Creighton junior guard Trey Alexander, Butler head coach Thad Matta and long-time Connecticut radio analyst Wayne Norman.The fourth episode of This Week in the BIG EAST (TWITBE) takes a look at the league as a whole. At the midway point of the BIG EAST season, UConn (18-2, 9-1 BIG EAST) holds the pole position in both the national landscape and conference play, followed closely behind by Creighton (7-3), Marquette (7-3) and Seton Hall (7-4). In a four-way tie for fifth place, Butler, Providence, St. John’s and Xavier are each 5-5. The BIG EAST Focus shines on Creighton junior guard Trey Alexander, fresh off winning BIG EAST Player of the Week as the Bluejays enter the weekend winners of seven of the last eight games. Averaging 17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, Alexander is a Top-10 finalist for the national Jerry West Award as the nation’s premier shooting guard. The BIG EAST Spotlight
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#TWITBE Ep. 10.3 - Guests Jayden Epps, Dan Hurley and Rich Chvotkin
26/01/2024 Duration: 44minThis Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One, continued its 10th season with guests Georgetown sophomore guard Jayden Epps, Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley and legendary play-by-play announcer Rich Chvotkin.The third episode of This Week in the BIG EAST (TWITBE) takes a look at the league as a whole. Depth is a strength this season for the league with nine of the 11 teams ranked among the top 62 in KenPom metrics and seven listed among the top-50 of the NET rankings.The BIG EAST Focus shines on Georgetown sophomore guard Jayden Epps, who discusses joining head coach Ed Cooley and the Hoyas after transferring from Illinois. Epps goes in depth on the overall pros and cons of the transfer portal, including the positive impact it has had on him personally. Epps also talks about the BIG EAST, with his favorite aspect being how competitive it is and the challenges each opponent brings night in and night out.The BIG EAST Spotlight is on UConn head coach Dan Hurley. After capturing the fifth na
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#TWITBE Ep. 10.2 - Guests Shaka Smart, Dan Leibovitz and Adam Zagoria
19/01/2024 Duration: 44minThis Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One, continued its 10th season with guests Marquette head coach Shaka Smart, BIG EAST Senior Associate Commissioner Dan Leibovitz and basketball insider Adam Zagoria.The second episode of This Week in the BIG EAST (TWITBE) takes a look at Seton Hall and UConn’s fast starts to conference play, as well as how each BIG EAST team has fared on the road.The BIG EAST Spotlight is on Marquette head coach Shaka Smart. Picked first in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches’ Poll fresh off their 2022-23 BIG EAST regular season and tournament titles, the Golden Eagles (12-5, 3-3 BIG EAST) understand they have a target on their backs and are going into each game with a mindset to continue to grow as a team and fight through adversity. The BIG EAST Focus shines on BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Senior Associate Commissioner Dan Leibovitz, who joined the conference in May after spending the past decade working in a similar role at the American Athletic Conference and Southeas
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#TWITBE Ep. 10.1 - Guests Kadary Richmond, Kyle Neptune and Donny Marshall
12/01/2024 Duration: 44minThis Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One, begins its 10th season with guests Seton Hall senior guard Kadary Richmond, Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune and FOX Sports National NCAA Basketball Color Analyst Donny Marshall.The returning hosts for This Week In The BIG EAST (#TWITBE) are John Rooke, a longtime BIG EAST play-by-play voice, and Kevin McNamara, BIG EAST radio host, columnist and author. Rooke and McNamara give a comprehensive look at the teams, coaches, players and storied tradition of the top basketball conference in America in each episode. Two weeks into the New Year, the first episode of TWITBE takes a look at the jumpstart of conference play, while taking a look at the landscape of BIG EAST Basketball, including a look back on UConn’s national championship run in 2023. The BIG EAST Spotlight is on Seton Hall guard Kadary Richmond, who discusses the role the transfer portal has played in the landscape of college basketball over the past couple seasons. Transferring from
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#TWITBE Ep. 9.10 - Tyler Kolek, Vin Parise and Shaka Smart
10/03/2023 Duration: 44minThis Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One, wrapped up its ninth season with guests BIG EAST Coach of the Year Shaka Smart, BIG EAST Player of the Year Tyler Kolek and FOX Sports Analyst Vin Parise.The tenth and final episode of TWITBE reviews the past week of BIG EAST basketball and places a focus on the BIG EAST Tournament ahead of the semifinals Friday night.The returning hosts for This Week In The BIG EAST (#TWITBE) are John Rooke, a longtime BIG EAST play-by-play voice, and Kevin McNamara, BIG EAST radio host, columnist and author. Rooke and McNamara give a comprehensive look at the teams, coaches, players and storied tradition of the top basketball conference in America in each episode.To join the conversation and send questions to Rooke (@JRbroadcaster) and McNamara (@KevinMcNamara33), use #TWITBE on Twitter. Fans may submit questions to be featured on the show. Please subscribe, rate and review to keep #TWITBE top of the podcast charts.This will air Friday, March 10 at 5 p.m. ET
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#TWITBE Ep. 9.9 - Guests Val Ackerman, Ed Cooley and Bill Raftery
03/03/2023 Duration: 44minThis Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One, continues its ninth season with guests BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman, Providence head coach Ed Cooley and CBS and FOX Sports analyst Bill Raftery.The ninth episode of TWITBE reviews the past week of BIG EAST basketball, taking a deep dive into the Marquette Golden Eagles regular season crown. Picked ninth in the preseason poll, Marquette earned the program’s first outright BIG EAST regular season title following a win at Butler on Tuesday and will enter the tournament as the top overall seed. In addition, Villanova is scorching at the right time, winning six of its last seven games and will enter the BIG EAST Tournament as the No. 6 seed.The BIG EAST Spotlight is on BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman, who gives her thoughts on the state of the conference. In a decade since realignment, Ackerman provides insight into the success of the conference and the teams who comprise it. From consistently rising attendance figures, to multiple teams