The end of an era (Big East and AAC split)

[Xudash]

Joseph Duarte
@Joseph_Duarte
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson on departure of UConn to Big East: “It’s a national brand. But the bell cow of our conference has been Stever.”

Let's take a look at that bell cow. And I'll be fair.
.

Stever is the bell cow of the AAC? Love it.

I think that’s fair

Touché. Stever is a pitiful chap, But to his credit, while he makes a fool of himself here, he at least appears to leave lower life forms alone.

[kayako]

The new Era is officially Big East vs the P5. I am not sure how this play out in the long term but you can be damned sure the P5 will do the best they can to push us out if they can.

I don't see this happening. Unlike the aaaaack that screams P6 like a child to anyone that'd listen and claims football titles, I think the Big East is well respected by its basketball peers. This is why we never have problems with H&H scheduling, not once got screwed out of a NCAAT bid, and gets involved with conference challenges.

[VCE]

Reinvented Big East >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Reinvented CUSA (now called the AAC)

Only AAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK (did I do that right?) apologists would disagree.

Long time lurker on both here and csssaaannnnnbbbbbs, but this guy is our biggest win in the conference realignment sweepstakes

Smart man/woman. May I ask which school you support?

Hoya Saxa. You probably don’t even remember the classic ‘96 season

[Xudash]

The new Era is officially Big East vs the P5. I am not sure how this play out in the long term but you can be damned sure the P5 will do the best they can to push us out if they can.

I don't see this happening. Unlike the aaaaack that screams P6 like a child to anyone that'd listen and claims football titles, I think the Big East is well respected by its basketball peers. This is why we never have problems with H&H scheduling, not once got screwed out of a NCAAT bid, and gets involved with conference challenges.

Exactly.

Among other clear signals, how do we end up with the challenges with the B1G and BIG XII if they were seriously pulling away?

The P5 needs for the NCAAT to remain "as-is".

[kayako]

Among other clear signals, how do we end up with the challenges with the B1G and BIG XII if they were seriously pulling away?

The P5 needs for the NCAAT to remain "as-is".

Agreed. NCAAT contract with CBS/Turner is good till 2032, and even at that point I don't believe the P5 wants separation in basketball. 16x4 talk is pure fantasy, but even if something like that were to happen, I don't think it affects the Big East.

[adoraz]

The new Era is officially Big East vs the P5. I am not sure how this play out in the long term but you can be damned sure the P5 will do the best they can to push us out if they can.

I don't see this happening. Unlike the aaaaack that screams P6 like a child to anyone that'd listen and claims football titles, I think the Big East is well respected by its basketball peers. This is why we never have problems with H&H scheduling, not once got screwed out of a NCAAT bid, and gets involved with conference challenges.

Exactly.

Among other clear signals, how do we end up with the challenges with the B1G and BIG XII if they were seriously pulling away?

The P5 needs for the NCAAT to remain "as-is".

Yep. There are 65 P5 teams. If they broke off and formed their own tournament (extremely unlikely), then the Big East and others would have to be part of it. They wouldn't want to make it 32 teams rather than 64 (actually 68). Big East also has too many strong partners for that to ever happen. Fox, CBS and MSG wouldn't allow the Big East to be excluded from anything.

The P5 also wouldn't want to dismiss national brands like Nova, UConn, Gonzaga, Georgetown, etc because then those schools would form their own tournament (probably a continuation of the current NCAA Tournament). The P5 would need to prevent any other type of tournament that people would care about. If they invited the Big East, Gonzaga, some or all of the AAC, some or all of the A10, etc then they'd have a monopoly on major fan bases (besides the pissed off low-major fans).

In short, there's absolutely no way the P5 would be financially better off excluding the Big East rather than including them.

[gtmoBlue]

End of an era for sure. The C7 with all it's faults, tallied some unintended consequences with their breakaway move and the reconfigured BE. One of those consequences was the inadvertent fulfillment of Catholic hoop dreams...A major Catholic basketball conference.

For well over 50 years and counting good Catholic folk dreamed the impossible dream - to wake up on Christmas morning and have a Div1. high major level, college CYO - an all Catholic league. "To dream, the impossible dream To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow To run where the brave dare not go..."

Then, lo and behold, in Dec 2012, the impossible dream became real. Santy brought us the Catholic Conference (reconfigured Big East), and it came with quality teams (sans ND), increased dollars, & a 12 year warranty (contract) - a frikking Maserati in our driveway, Hallelujah!

Wonders never cease...1st a Black President, now the mythical Catholic hoops conference. There is a God!


"When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds2LbtOX7fY

Over it's short 6 year lifespan the CC has been a resounding success. Top level play, excellent OOC play, internal dogfights, and a couple of Natty's. The stuff dreams are made of. Soon to be 7 years of heaven. But alas, as in all good things...it's coming to an end. The C7 Prez's were only concerned with reconfiguration of the Big East and money. Fulfilling dreams was not a part of their plans. Now after 6 years, they re-admit a public school in the mix for both financial and nostalgic reasons, effectively killing off the CC in its' wake. The end of the Catholic Conference era! So it's Back to an older iteration of the Big East and history be damned. We dreamers are consigned to return to watching the mid-major West Coast Catholic (WCC) league and the Zags vs Santa Clara...ho hum.

Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

[bluejayfanatic]

gtmo, your schtick is getting old. The Big East exit from the basketball schools was about uniting the basketball-driven purists from the football dregs, not about religious identity (hence why, despite your saccharin narrative, Butler isn't Catholic). UConn is rejoining the league because they have renounced football as the center of their athletics program and have committed to doing exactly what Big East schools do - commit resources to compete at the highest level in basketball above all else.

[gtmoBlue]

gtmo, your schtick is getting old. The Big East exit from the basketball schools was about uniting the basketball-driven purists from the football dregs, not about religious identity (hence why, despite your saccharin narrative, Butler isn't Catholic). UConn is rejoining the league because they have renounced football as the center of their athletics program and have committed to doing exactly what Big East schools do - commit resources to compete at the highest level in basketball above all else.

Yep, young lad, I suppose it is. I've been doing my "shtick" for many a decade and thanks to this here internet, perhaps a few more. My stuff was probably old on the day you were born, but that's beside the point. It's what I do and with time I'll get better. I keep cranking out pieces and every now and then I roll a winner. I would suggest you develop your own shtick...practice, practice, practice...less time to critique mine. Luv ya.

I did say "unintended consequences"... Butler is not Catholic?? Say it ain't so... They've got Georgetown's mascot down cold though.

[kayako]

I've been doing my "shtick" for many a decade and thanks to this here internet, perhaps a few more.

It never gets old gtmo, especially pillsbury Doughboy.