Revisionist History - What if Big East had added more teams

[Hall2012]

If expansion were to happen, Iona just jumped to #2 on my wish list

Lol, funny, i thought the same thing. Too bad he didn't take a job in Boston, then it would be perfect.

And for the record, the only reason they stay'd #2 behind Saint Louis is that I'd prefer to add another major market rather than add a 3rd team to an existing one. I agree, it would've been perfect if he took a Boston job.

[MUBoxer]

I have been a fan of the big east since its inception. Like all of us, that follow the league closely, I have a well-deserved pride in its accomplishments and its ability to adapt. Therefore, I thought I would just add a few comments and observations:

League size: as a business person, I have always adhered to the belief that to maintain the status quo was the equivalent of moving backwards. Therefore, I believe that the Uconn addition was a very wise decision and that the addition of a 12th member would be equally advantageous. After all, wouldn’t it make sense to have a BE tournament schedule that has 4 games on Wed instead of 3? I’m confident that MSG would look favorably on the additional game and…. let’s face it, the ability to keep the MSG venue is paramount to the league. I know our contract was recently extended but that is one thing the league should never become complacent about!

Round Robin: this is looked upon, by many fans, as highly desirable but is it really as great as some suggest? I for one, would enjoy a little more diversity. Round robins could still be maintained with most of the league members (or divisional members within the league) but a rotating schedule based on program strength could also be worked out. I fear that adherence to the current format could negatively influence future beneficial decisions.

Territoriality: This is one of the more foolish arguments I have heard. To suggest that a given state already has a BE team and therefore none should be added is absurd. Should we breakup the ACC since four schools originate from NC? Should Purdue and Michigan be forced out of the Big 10? Of Course not! After all, DePaul and Marquette are only 54 miles apart, SHP and SJ are separated by only 39 miles and PC and Uconn by 49 mi.

New Members: There are several interesting candidates – VCU, Dayton, SLU, Wichita. While Gonzaga would be the best program, they are simply geographically undesirable. Therefore, let’s look at the others. I only have first hand experience with VCU and Dayton so I will focus on them. I can tell you that the fan base of both are outstanding. They are passionate and travel! But of the two, I would favor Dayton. They have a large state-of-the-art arena (the NCAA obviously thinks so) and like many of the existing members are truly a basketball school/town. The regional aspect of competing with X (when they were both in the A10 and MCC they had a tremendous rivalry) and Butler would be intriguing. Some have suggested that their existing resume is not quite strong enough (debatable) but there is little doubt that if they, or any of the others, were members the level of their programs would rise as we all know the recruiting becomes that much easier. Lastly, as a private catholic school they align well with nine of the existing members.

Again, just a few thoughts and observations.

Unless depaul has a campus in Lakeforest that I'm not aware of then MU and DPU are 90mi apart (88 if you wanna be exact).

[butlerguy03]

OK, let's be real. There are no other schools to consider right now. Notre Dame or Syracuse if either of them get tired of the ACC. Otherwise, it would just be a watering down effect. Stop it.

[Hall2012]

OK, let's be real. There are no other schools to consider right now. Notre Dame or Syracuse if either of them get tired of the ACC. Otherwise, it would just be a watering down effect. Stop it.

Lol I was okay with bringing UConn back but screw Syracuse

[Bogg]

OK, let's be real. There are no other schools to consider right now. Notre Dame or Syracuse if either of them get tired of the ACC. Otherwise, it would just be a watering down effect. Stop it.

Eh, it's always good to have a school or two in mind as a potential candidate if circumstances dictate a move. It's just that it's pretty clear that Dayton and SLU are the school or two, while we sort of collectively kick the dirt and wish Gonzaga were in Detroit or Pittsburgh, and it's also pretty clear the next window for possible expansion isn't until the next media deal.