The inaugural Big East men's basketball tournament took place at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island, in March 1980. It is a single-elimination tournament with three rounds. Georgetown, St. John's and Syracuse finished tied for the regular-season championship at 5–1. In head-to-head matchups, Georgetown defeated Syracuse, Syracuse defeated St. John's, and St. John's defeated Georgetown, giving each team a 1–1 head-to-head record. The conference conducted a coin flip to determine to no. 1 seed in the tournament. The no. 2 seed would be determined by the head-to-head result. Syracuse won the coin flip and was seeded first, receiving a bye into the semifinals; St. John's received the no. 2 seed by virtue of its victory over Georgetown. Georgetown defeated Syracuse in the championship game 87–81.

Bracket

Awards

Most Valuable Player: Craig Shelton, Georgetown All Tournament Team