Big East Will Start 2026-27 Season With New Leadership

The conference enters the 2026-27 season as Tim Brosnan takes over as commissioner following Val Ackerman's long tenure.

Updated on Oct. 7, 2026 in Basketball

Big East Will Start 2026-27 Season With New Leadership

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As the 2026-27 basketball season begins, the Big East Conference undergoes a major leadership transition with Tim Brosnan replacing commissioner Val Ackerman. The league faces this change amid personnel shifts across multiple member institutions.

Why it matters

The transition in the commissioner's office arrives as the conference looks to rebound from a season where only three teams qualified for the NCAA tournament. Strategic adjustments are underway to improve the league's standing following recent coaching changes and roster turnover.

The NCAA has expanded its tournament to 76 teams, a change that follows a season where only three Big East squads qualified. Marquette concluded last season with a 12-20 record, while Seton Hall enters the new year after finishing 10-10 in conference play.

The players

Tim Brosnan

He is the newly appointed commissioner of the Big East Conference.

Val Ackerman

She served as the commissioner of the Big East Conference from 2013 until her recent replacement.

Shaka Smart

He is the head coach of the Marquette basketball team who remains with the program despite last season's 12-20 record.

Bryan Hodgson

He is the new head coach leading the program at Providence.

Greg McDermott

He is the former Creighton head coach who retired after a 16-year career with the team.

The details

Coaching staff changes are defining the preseason, with Bryan Hodgson joining Providence and Greg McDermott retiring from Creighton after a 16-year tenure. Meanwhile, Seton Hall has aggressively reshaped its roster by adding 13 players through the transfer portal.

2013 marked the beginning of Val Ackerman's term as commissioner.
2021 was the last year Marquette missed the tournament before last season.
2026-27 represents the upcoming basketball season.

Roadmap

The conference is adapting its competitive strategy to navigate the NCAA tournament expansion to 76 teams. This shift forces member schools to prioritize roster depth through the transfer portal to remain viable in an increasingly crowded postseason landscape.

Fans can expect to see significantly different rotations at schools like Seton Hall due to the heavy influx of 13 transfer portal additions. The conference's projected resurgence relies on these new player combinations to improve team records against the previous year's benchmarks.

The takeaway

The upcoming season serves as a critical test for whether new administrative leadership and coaching changes can restore the conference's traditional dominance. Success will likely depend on how effectively programs integrate new transfers and adapt to the expanded national tournament field.