Pac 12 Challenge

[WaitingPatiently]

Last Thursday on Creighton's weekly sports hour radio show, they had the Creighton AD on there. Ras mentioned that the BE was working on a contract with the Pac 12 for a conference challenge. He said one of the hurdles is the differing number of teams, but that they were able to get that hurdle cleared in the B1G challenge that has been signed. Then he dropped the bomb that both UCLA and Arizona were unwilling to participate. The Pac 12 thought that helped solve the differing number of teams, but the BE went back that they're not doing a challenge that doesn't include the two flagship programs. He didn't say why they were unwilling. Maybe it's my paranoia, but I read it as both viewing themselves above our conference. If so, screw them. Screw Miller and screw Alford (even if it's their administration and not them). I hope if it gets worked out that any BE team wipes the floor with those two.

[Hall2012]

Screw the Pac-12. What's there conference ranking? 6th or something? I'm pretty sure it's not in the top 5. We shouldn't dilute our brand by associating ourselves with those mid-majors. And this is a particularly good year for them, most years we'd be better off having a challenge with the A10.

[FormulaX]

That's fine with me. The only upside seems to be recruiting, a west coast trip. Just like the adding Zags to our conference. Why would you want your team going all the way out there? Long trip, big time adjustment. You get a loss, then a hangover loss when you get back. Why?

[novahoops11]

UCLA is probably still scared of Nova from the '09 NCAAs.

One of the great memories of Nova's Final Four run that year was the UCLA players crying to the refs about Nova fouling too hard.

[TheBall]

UCLA and Arizona would have to be included for this to be worth it.

Some of the other pac 12 teams are okay (Utah is solid, Washington and arizona state put up some decent teams), but those are the type of games we could just schedule as home-away series or wait for pre-season tournaments for.

Not sure why zona or ucla would decline, especially if you paired them with one of the eastern schools in the nba arenas. Those games are usually attractive enough where nova, sju and gtown can land plenty of top notch out of conference home-away opponents. Duke is playing at sju in a week, kansas visited gtown this yr, and nova does fine drawing ooc teams (ucla had a home-away series with them back when Gary buchanan was lighting it up on the main line)

Heck, if seton hall opens the top deck at the rock, that becomes an attractive ooc game for a big name opponent. And when depaul's new arena is built (and if depaul can improve a bit), that's another attractive game.

[DeltaV]

UCLA is probably still scared of Nova from the '09 NCAAs.

One of the great memories of Nova's Final Four run that year was the UCLA players crying to the refs about Nova fouling too hard.

My first time rushing the court at the Pavilion was when they came (they were ranked, we weren't anywhere close) in 2001 to commemorate the 1971 Championship.

My parents were there in '71, my Dad remembers apparently walking down to UPenn after winning the semifinal to gloat.

[MUPanther]

If true about UCLA and Arizona, I don't see this happening.

[bmorex]

If that was the stipulation from the Pac 12, I would've done the same thing if I was Val and the Big East.

[gofriars08]

Eh, do it without those two for two years and watch the BE wipe the floor with that poseur conference. Bill Walton might have a heart attack and Dave us all from further pain listening to his drivel about how great the Pac12 is.

[cu blujs]

I think its simply that UCLA doesn't want another probable OOC loss. Alford can't beat a well-coached team, and the BE has some of the best coaches in the country top to bottom, IMO. Not sure about AZ, but perhaps Miller heard from NC how dirty CU plays.