Big East Conference Realignment v2018

[cu blujs]

At this rate, Loyola will make the tournament sooner than DePaul. Loyola is also currently out-recruiting DePaul on the Chicago front. Moser is a class act. I've met him a few times and heard him speak at coaching clinics. He is a great fit at Loyola and they will only get better.

when Porter was a grad-assistant at Creighton, he also bartended at Pauli's, a local post-game favorite of many Jay fans. He would hightail it out of the old Civic Auditorium and sometimes beat us to the Pauli's to serve me my first post-game drink, which by the way was free with your ticket stub back then (that was before kids of course). How can I not route for the guy?

[DudeAnon]

From Steve Berkowitz, USA Today:

"University of Connecticut provided $33.9 million in institutional funding to its athletics department in FY2017, new document shows. That's up from $27 million in FY16, which was highest among D-1 public schools. In addition to $33.9 million in school funds, UConn athletics department received $8.3 million in student fees in FY17. (Fee total unchanged from FY16). Total athletics operating revenue for FY17: $83.4 million. Nearly $7M increase in institutional funding of athletics at UConn in FY17 appears largely tied to $5.4M rise in spending on severance, basically in connection w/ football coaching change."

With Kevin Ollie's potential dismissal after this season (and his very large contract), I would question on the current state of UConn athletics - one which its current TV contract with the American is a mere $1.7 million - is how this model is sustainable moving forward? How does the state continue pumping in these exorbitant amounts of money for such a little return?

I still stand by my prediction that UConn is back in the Big East by 2023. There is no way this can continue without a dramatic change in revenue (or success).

2023? I am betting they will be here for the 19-20 season.

[GoldenWarrior11]

Honestly, the perfect school would be Duquense if they can get their program headed in the right direction. Private catholic school in a big city without any current Big East presence, but with Big East history. They are a long way from being ready, but hopefully they are finally starting to get things headed in the right direction.

Duquesne is a very intriguing long-term candidate. They need to invest more in their athletics programs and get a little run going in men's basketball. Dambrot is a winner. While he is closer to the end of his career rather than his beginning, he can definitely get them on the right path moving forward. With Pitt being down, they have opportunity to take a piece of that market if they are successful.

[BigmanU]

Honestly, the perfect school would be Duquense if they can get their program headed in the right direction. Private catholic school in a big city without any current Big East presence, but with Big East history. They are a long way from being ready, but hopefully they are finally starting to get things headed in the right direction.

Duquesne is a very intriguing long-term candidate. They need to invest more in their athletics programs and get a little run going in men's basketball. Dambrot is a winner. While he is closer to the end of his career rather than his beginning, he can definitely get them on the right path moving forward. With Pitt being down, they have opportunity to take a piece of that market if they are successful.

NO NO NO!

Why would you bring in a small time school. We need schools who can fill a major venue when having an average year. What's up with teams that don't move the needle. Let them figure it out in the A10 like they have been for decades. If they can't pull their weight there, what makes anyone think that will change here. No teams should be added unless it benefits this conference. We are not extending olive branches.

This is the BEast, get rid of those small town thoughts.

[DudeAnon]

Honestly, the perfect school would be Duquense if they can get their program headed in the right direction. Private catholic school in a big city without any current Big East presence, but with Big East history. They are a long way from being ready, but hopefully they are finally starting to get things headed in the right direction.

Duquesne is a very intriguing long-term candidate. They need to invest more in their athletics programs and get a little run going in men's basketball. Dambrot is a winner. While he is closer to the end of his career rather than his beginning, he can definitely get them on the right path moving forward. With Pitt being down, they have opportunity to take a piece of that market if they are successful.

NO NO NO!

Why would you bring in a small time school. We need schools who can fill a major venue when having an average year. What's up with teams that don't move the needle. Let them figure it out in the A10 like they have been for decades. If they can't pull their weight there, what makes anyone think that will change here. No teams should be added unless it benefits this conference. We are not extending olive branches.

This is the BEast, get rid of those small town thoughts.

Agreed, when I hear these people throw out names like Duquesne, Loyola etc. I can't help but think they are just trying to be hipsters and think of a trendy school. There is no other explanation for the ridiculousness of these suggestions.

[ConnersvilleBulldog]

Agreed, when I hear these people throw out names like Duquesne, Loyola etc. I can't help but think they are just trying to be hipsters and think of a trendy school. There is no other explanation for the ridiculousness of these suggestions.

As strange as these words sound, I'd have to agree with the Xavier fan on this one.

[DudeAnon]

Agreed, when I hear these people throw out names like Duquesne, Loyola etc. I can't help but think they are just trying to be hipsters and think of a trendy school. There is no other explanation for the ridiculousness of these suggestions.

As strange as these words sound, I'd have to agree with the Xavier fan on this one.

I love that scene by Xavier fan Bill Murray.

[GoldenWarrior11]

There is a substantial difference between arguing a team deserves to be in the Big East today - right now - and the acknowledgement that a school has the potential to be a member down the road. Schools like Duquesne and Loyola are in the latter category. They are institutional fits and peers in big markets, but the commitment to men's basketball and its success is not yet there. Others - like Saint Louis and Dayton - are in another category, one that places such schools "on deck", pending the on-court product improves and is sustained. For another category, some schools would be invited today if the were to accept - UConn, Notre Dame, Gonzaga.

Right now, St. Johns, DePaul and Georgetown are all - effectively - in rebuild (JLP has said otherwise, but let's be real). That's 30% of our conference. The other 70% is - right now - in contention for an NCAA Tournament berth this year. That's pretty amazing. Imagine if the league were to ever expand with other strong men's programs, ones that wouldn't need the Big East brand in order to be successful, and ones that were already institutional fits, and how much greater this conference could be? Right now, there are no clear candidates that can be accepted today. However, in 2-3 years, anything is possible.

[EMT]

I'd rather step on UConn's neck and break it vs giving them a lifeline. They have little to no chance of getting into a major conference. They live in a state with a declining population. They are a public university. Their terrific fan base has abandoned their team and the attendance has appeared to settle into their old Yankee Conference base. Can you imagine Creighton & Marquette fans playing to a half-full arena? Marquette had over 13k for Mt Freakin Mary's.

Is UConn a program? Or was UConn Calhoun and they struggle to recover. Even as great as Calhoun was and you can't argue with NCAA Championships, the most NCAAs he made in a row was 5. The true blue bloods go every year. Izzo is on 20 straight. Marquette went to 8 straight with Crean/Buzz

[GoldenWarrior11]

I'd rather step on UConn's neck and break it vs giving them a lifeline. They have little to no chance of getting into a major conference. They live in a state with a declining population. They are a public university. Their terrific fan base has abandoned their team and the attendance has appeared to settle into their old Yankee Conference base. Can you imagine Creighton & Marquette fans playing to a half-full arena? Marquette had over 13k for Mt Freakin Mary's.

Is UConn a program? Or was UConn Calhoun and they struggle to recover. Even as great as Calhoun was and you can't argue with NCAA Championships, the most NCAAs he made in a row was 5. The true blue bloods go every year. Izzo is on 20 straight. Marquette went to 8 straight with Crean/Buzz

Maybe so, but UConn would absolutely increase the value of the Big East, and it would be a mutual benefit to both parties. They would add another top program to the collection of already strong men's basketball programs. Their attendance would immediately increase due to the number of proximal geographic and historical rivals. They would pack the Garden for the tournament. The substantial decrease in travel would also benefit their student-athletes, namely their basketball team, which would only benefit their program at this point. If Fox determined that adding UConn would bump up the payments to each of the Big East schools to $5 million for its next contract, not to mention the added potential of adding one of the strongest historical men's programs in the country (and former conference affiliate), it is a no-brainer (especially with leagues considering going to 20 conference games).