Time to Drop the "New" From The Big East Article

[MUBoxer]

Great article

Do I miss Cuse and UConn? Sure. Perfect world we go with the current 10 and those two. But they are gone, and while UConn might one day come back we don't need to sit around and wait for them.

But this current conference is awesome, and more similar to what we used to have. The three new additions have passionate fan bases, good program infrastructure, and quality coaches.

Once as Notre Dame and Miami entered the mix Pandora's box was opening. WVU, Rutgers and V-Tech really cheapened the hoops side of things. Not sure if people remember but the 1990's were a down time for the conference. No final four teams between Seton Hall 1989 and Syracuse 1996, and no titles between 1985 and 1999 (although 1996 was awesome). 13 team conference landed 4 bids in 1997, with a ten loss Villanova as the only ranked team (barely) entering the dance). Anyway, I don't really miss the schools like Miami, WVU or Notre Dame as I always viewed them as watering down the product and riding coattails.

The 2003 ACC raid was the best thing that happened to the conference because it allowed the conference to re-focus on basketball. But it was still a house divided and was always a short term fix. That's why, even though I immensely enjoyed that decade of basketball, I don't lament the loss of a power program like Louisville, they never had the long term feel anyway.

The fear of expanding to 16 in 2004 at the time (because at the time that was unique) was that the conference would lose its intimacy and become unweildly. And while the Big East flourished at the top, it did lose some intimacy and some teams (like PC, Seton Hall, and St. John's and DePaul) did get lost in the mix. I have friends from PC who used to love the Big East tournament but stopped making the trip because it was a lot of days off and money to watch your team lose in the middle of the week. Meanwhile, teams like Louisville and Pitt were benefitting from the Big East footprint.

Now we have a more intimate conference. One that has a common purpose. And the three new additions are perfect. Great fan bases, great facilities, national name brands. The schools that managed to stay a float in the old big east (GTown, Nova, Marquette) are still great and that is an awesome 6 team foundation. And the 4 schools that need work have the infrastructure to improve, they just need to rehabilitate after a decade of being over shadowed by the Louisville/Pitt/WVU's of the world. Providence is already back on track it looks.

The Big East gained a resurgence post-2003 because it refocused on basketball, but it wasn't great only because of schools like Louisville, UConn, Pitt, WVU, etc... Louisville in the late 1990's had lost its luster, WVU was a middling A10 team, UConn took a decade in the Big East before they achieved anything. Pitt didn't emerge until the 2000's with Ben Howland. These teams didn't make the Big East great. It's the opposite. The Big East made those teams great. The media footprint. The focus on the sport. The generations of fans who have followed the schools. And now it is time for the C7 + X, Butler and Creighton to reap the rewards.

The platform is still a great one for teams to succeed. Time for our teams to step up. Realignment creates voids and opportunity for other teams. Look at the old big east football conference when Miami, V-Tech and BC left, you suddenly had WVU as a power (they were not prior to the defections), Cincy got good, Rutgers had a respectable season. The Big East basketball brand still carries enough clout whereby the teams who do well will have national respect, and the increased recruiting bump will follow.

In college hoops, it is not about being in the best conference. It is about being in the conference that provides the best platform for your school to succeed. No way would I want to trade places with Boston College or Pitt right now. Heck, once Boeheim retires from Cuse, we will see how they rebuild in ACC. It is tough to argue that the old big east was not a "better" conference than the newer version. But as a Nova fan, I kind of like the opportunity that Nova has to be the new premier program of the northeast corridor instead of the two decades of looking up to Cuse and UConn in the post-Rollie era.

Only a couple gripes with this 1) ND was pretty damn good toward the end like 2007 till the end. Maybe when they were first added I could see the riding the coat tails but have you forgotten how good Harangody and Cooley were so soon? 2) Louisville in the late 90s had an Elite 8 in 97 and made the tournament in 99... not sure about losing luster and by the time they arrived in the Big East they were certainly a power again coming off a final four 3) Cincinatti was already good in the old CUSA when Huggins was coaching them. I know they struggled when they arrived in the Big East but they were coming off of 14 straight NCAA appearances and if Huggins had continued coaching them into the Big East I suspect Cincinnati not WVU would've been a dominant power.

Beyond those three minor details I think this was a fantastic, well thought out, sentimental post.

[NovaBall]

I'm surprised providence and uconn don't get a home/away series going. It's an easy travel game for both the teams and fans, good for both rpi, could be a big fox weekend game. I'm sure there are some uconn fans who don't want to admit they need that type of game, but when they get the chance to travel to providence on a Saturday in January or watch their team in big fox rather than play Tulsa or ecu or whatever, they will quickly swallow their pride. Plus, if uconn can win the game they keep the title of king of New England. They have the hockey east relationship, I'm surprised they don't renew the hoops thing.

Syracuse is going to keep a home/away rotation with nova, St. John's and Georgetown. It's in their best interest to do so. Providence keep a relationship with BC after they defected when everyone else blackballed the Eagles, as it was in their best interest (beyond hoops, the hockey thing too).

Nova doesn't really need to play a bunch of A10 teams and AAC temple as part of the big 5, but they are very convenient games for the fans and have their benefit. And so long as the team and coach respect the games and get up to play, the results will be there.

[NovaBall]

Also, along the lines of teams stepping into the void. I always felt that the recent conference realignment really helped teams like saint josephs, GW, Dayton, u mass and uri. The departure of Xavier, butler and temple meant somebody else would now be winning. The a10 only averaged about 2 Or 3 bids per year, but more than half of those bids were going to Xavier and Temple. The new version would probably still be around that number even when the three teams left. It's not like the A10 was a huge recruiting draw where the departures of those three teams would devastate recruiting for the teams that stayed.

The a10 May have become a weaker conference, but it became a better conference in terms of platform for success for some of its teams. And over the next decade, some of those teams will step up to more consistently make the tourney and establish themselves the way temple and Xavier had out of the old a10.

What is cool about the big east is that it trimmed enough fat and added enough good teams that it is not necessarily a weaker cinference top to bottom as it was prior to the reconfiguration. although it is weaker in terms of top end contenders, but over time our teams will step into the void left by Cuse and uconn and keep striving.

[ChelseaFriar]

I'm surprised providence and uconn don't get a home/away series going. It's an easy travel game for both the teams and fans, good for both rpi, could be a big fox weekend game. I'm sure there are some uconn fans who don't want to admit they need that type of game, but when they get the chance to travel to providence on a Saturday in January or watch their team in big fox rather than play Tulsa or ecu or whatever, they will quickly swallow their pride. Plus, if uconn can win the game they keep the title of king of New England. They have the hockey east relationship, I'm surprised they don't renew the hoops thing.

My understanding is that UConn has turned it down so far. PC/Cooley will only do it with a true home/away series and UConn doesn't believe PC deserves equal footing. UConn currently sees more value in playing former league rivals like St. John's, Georgetown and Villanova for a variety of reasons, including program prestige and having games in fertile recruiting areas.

Of all the "power" programs in the old BE, PC really gave UConn a difficult time on the court.

If they can't agree on a home/away, I'd like to see them put something together at Mohegan Sun Casino in CT, which is relatively close to both schools.

[cu blujs]

Huge point. I was shocked we ended up with the name and MSG. I live about 12 blocks south of MSG and was disappointed when I thought PC would no longer be playing in the Garden in March. Then the contract with Fox was astonishing.

12 blocks from MSG? I don't suppose you have an extra room or couch for some Jays fans come March? Just me, my wife and a couple of kids. You'd hardly notice us.

[GoldenWarrior11]

The fascinating and intriguing aspect of where we are today is how can the league grow and advance further? Natural conversations will center on expansion, but I think the league should focus on getting a scheduling alliance with either the ACC or Pac-12 (in addition to the Gavitt Games), as well as having intra-conference "throwback" games - where schools use throwback uniforms to embrace the identity and history of the Big East.

[stever20]

The fascinating and intriguing aspect of where we are today is how can the league grow and advance further? Natural conversations will center on expansion, but I think the league should focus on getting a scheduling alliance with either the ACC or Pac-12 (in addition to the Gavitt Games), as well as having intra-conference "throwback" games - where schools use throwback uniforms to embrace the identity and history of the Big East.

The key there with the alliance is that the terms have to be much more equitable than what the Gavitt Games are. Frankly, I would look more at the Big 12 than ACC or Pac 12, as Big 12 has 10 teams- so if all 10 teams are involved, would get everyone- to include Kansas.

[ChelseaFriar]

Huge point. I was shocked we ended up with the name and MSG. I live about 12 blocks south of MSG and was disappointed when I thought PC would no longer be playing in the Garden in March. Then the contract with Fox was astonishing.

12 blocks from MSG? I don't suppose you have an extra room or couch for some Jays fans come March? Just me, my wife and a couple of kids. You'd hardly notice us.

Ha, I wish I had the room. The downside of living there is I can barely fit my own 16 month old son (he's a chubby one!).

[NovaBall]

Stever being stever....

Th gavitt games are plenty equitable. Every team in the big ten is committed to play ten games. Sometimes we will get Maryland or Michigan or indiana or Iowa, other times we will get Nebraska or Illinois or rutgers or penn state.

The gavitt games. Re a tip off series. It's not intended to match our top 8 against their top 8, but rather a convenient scheduling alliance that can generate a little buZ and interest.

But Stever is Stever and will never quite understand...

[NJRedman]

Stever being stever....

Th gavitt games are plenty equitable. Every team in the big ten is committed to play ten games. Sometimes we will get Maryland or Michigan or indiana or Iowa, other times we will get Nebraska or Illinois or rutgers or penn state.

The gavitt games. Re a tip off series. It's not intended to match our top 8 against their top 8, but rather a convenient scheduling alliance that can generate a little buZ and interest.

But Stever is Stever and will never quite understand...

Exactly! Rutgers/St. John's and DePaul/Penn State are good match ups where bottom dwellers in both leagues can have a competitive game. As a SJU fan this year I didn't want to play Maryland or MSU. Though I do wish it was all 10 teams participating each year. I know the Gavitt Games is more of a scheduling agreement than a challenge like the ACC/Big Ten and I would like us to get our own challenge going where everyone takes part in.