To SactownDog

[handdownmandown]

Did you say you had one more post and then you were going to leave it alone, then write five more long ones later?

There's only room for one Stever here.

[DudeAnon]

Um, Nova vs Xavier on FS1 drew 500,000. https://painttouches.com/2016/02/26/nov ... n-for-fs1/

Read that article and inform yourself please. The best thing for the Big East is to continue getting ranked and if we ever did expand it would be to add teams which are regularly ranked.

I will say a couple things:

1) VCU and Wichita State are regularly ranked. By every basketball measure over the past 15 years they would outperform much of the current league. Both currently have higher KenPom ratings then half our current league. So their addition is a plus by far to the current basketball strength. Not to mention both can claim final four appearances in the last 15 years and few of our current schools can claim that fact.

In terms of informing myself, I'm comparing ratings on OTA that eliminate FS1 biases. So your comment about Villanova getting a .2 is hardly a counterpoint.

You are an idiot, thats my counterpoint.

[Edrick]

Why are we even entertaining this bs? There's precisely the same odds of adding Duke and NJIT in an expansion, that itself isn't happening, than a team in freaking Kansas.

[ChestRockwell85]

Butler, Creighton and Xavier could NOT have been better additions for so many reasons. Right now besides Villanova they are the only Big East schools ranked. They have been helping the league TREMENDOUSLY. We only added 3 teams, and we added the RIGHT 3 teams. I hope to make it to each school and see a game.

As of right now, we stay at 10, it is amazing that we can do home and aways every year with EVERY team in the Big East. Most conferences don't get to enjoy that luxury. We really have something special right now, and until a team really starts to stand out, we shouldn't change a thing.

[Xudash]

Butler, Creighton and Xavier could NOT have been better additions for so many reasons. Right now besides Villanova they are the only Big East schools ranked. They have been helping the league TREMENDOUSLY. We only added 3 teams, and we added the RIGHT 3 teams. I hope to make it to each school and see a game.

As of right now, we stay at 10, it is amazing that we can do home and aways every year with EVERY team in the Big East. Most conferences don't get to enjoy that luxury. We really have something special right now, and until a team really starts to stand out, we shouldn't change a thing.

Exactly.

As Val has had the luxury of saying now for a while, there is no interest in expansion. And even if there were a slight amount of interest in it, the bar is set so high that the true, bona fide candidate list is so terribly small it isn't even funny. Basketball-only schools do not populate the list, and the teams that do aren't even available today.

[FriarJ]

These discussions amaze me as one thing always gets left behind and it's the most important factor by far! How much would Fox have to pay by the contract if we add 2 schools? The answer is that in this climate of shrinking revenues of cable, it's not happening, no way no how.

[Bluejay]

These discussions amaze me as one thing always gets left behind and it's the most important factor by far! How much would Fox have to pay by the contract if we add 2 schools? The answer is that in this climate of shrinking revenues of cable, it's not happening, no way no how.

There is one other thing that is equally as relevant. Decisions on conference members are made by university presidents, not athletic directors. The presidents of the schools in the Big East take academics extremely seriously. There is no way on God's green earth that the presidents of the current Big East schools are going to vote to admit a school with the academic ratings of Wichita St. UConn is always a possibility because, despite being public, it has strong academic ratings. SLU has strong academic bonafides as well. Wichita State is essentially a community college by comparison.

[billyjack]

wow, someone here hated more than me. I love it.

Wichita (err Wichiturd) St wouldn't even be close to one of the teams added if someone stuck a gun to the Big East's head and forced them to expand.

You're not hated. One of the joys of the board is picking apart your logic that disguises your loyalties. It's like doing the daily crossword puzzle. And nobody disrespects your knowledge or the amount of research you put into your positions that annoy us.

Fair enough. Let's be straight forward on my loyalties. My likely future son in law could well be a Butler basketball coach in 10-15 years. I want a strong program and league that has the TV dollars to be successful. TV revenue is a major chunk of each schools budget. The league, like it or not, simply has to draw better ratings or the TV revenue won't be there in 10-15 years when he's ready to coach.

This league lacks any compelling us versus them storylines to drive ratings other than the east coast city thing and even that's diluted with no clear east coast title for which to play. In my world you now have three clear compelling us versus them storylines:
Regional dominance: east city thing clearly shown by the division champ
Midwest versus east: the divisional make up clearly positions Midwest versus eastern hoops
Private Catholic versus public: while still heavily catholic the league has some balance to appeal more broadly

Couple of things, again repeated Groundhog Day comments:

- Splitting into divisions sucks. Our goal is always to tighten our connections, not divide. For me, i couldn't give 2 shits whether our eastern or midwestern teams excel. I root for all equally to have success and continually strengthen the conference.
- The Catholic thing is a non-factor as far as viewership numbers, except i guess for the few people on the lunatic fringe. And i have no interest in appeasing these few nuts by inviting Wichita.
- Wichita is never getting invited. But i thank them for the great name of alum Limburg "Cheese" Johnson.

[Hall2012]

What I still don't get is how you're complaining about TV ratings and then touting 2 small market programs that don't have enough of a following or national brand recognition to have any chance at making a dent in the league's tv ratings...

[DudeAnon]

What I still don't get is how you're complaining about TV ratings and then touting 2 small market programs that don't have enough of a following or national brand recognition to have any chance at making a dent in the league's tv ratings...

Didn't you hear? The entire country is on the edge of their seats to watch Catholics and Pagans battle it out! Honestly, before their Final Four run, I had never even heard of Wichita St. Same applies to VCU.