The 1986 Big East men's basketball tournament took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City, from March 5 to March 8, 1986.
Its winner received the Big East Conference's automatic bid to the 1986 NCAA tournament.
St. John's had the best regular season conference record and received the #1 seed.
St. John's defeated Syracuse in the championship game 70–69, to claim its second Big East tournament championship.
Most Valuable Player: Dwayne Washington, Syracuse All Tournament Team