Reports are surfacing that the Catholic 7 are expected to announce their departure from the Big East later on Thursday. According to Brett McMurphy of ESPN.com, the Catholic 7 will leave the conference this summer and they will be taking the Big East name with them, along with continuing playing their conference championship at Madison Square Garden.

The Catholic 7 is made up of Georgetown, Villanova, Marquette, St. John’s, Providence, DePaul and Seton Hall.

The Catholic 7 are expected to add Xavier, Creighton and Butler to the new-look Big East for the 2013-14 season.

It is believed that St. Louis and Dayton could join the conference the following season.

All of the reports had signaled this move coming, but the official announcement that is expected later today should shine new light on the situation and give us a better outlook on what to expect in the Big East’s future.