Val Ackerman is a gangster.
As the 2018-19 college basketball season started to wind up, both Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany and ACC Commissioner Jack Swofford got a chance to talk about playing their basketball conference tournaments in New York City last year and the opportunity to play there going forward. Both men indicated an interest in returning to the city and they definitely indicated an interest in playing at Madison Square Garden in the timeframe that has been occupied by the Big East since 1983.
Commissioner Ackerman wasn’t having any of that nonsense.
On Sunday, the Big East and Madison Square Garden announced an extension of the contract between the two that will keep the league’s conference tournament at its traditional home on its traditional weekend through the 2027-28 season.