The Big East's Evolving Rep

[Bill Marsh]

it's laughable to think that this tourney run from nova came without regular season success.

It's about getting better thru the grind of regular season battles. I believe all the tough BE matchups made nova into who they are as well as heartbreaking losses from previous tourneys. this is actually a culmination of 3 years of excellence and success.

so yes. tourney accomplishment is important but it doesn't come without sustained excellence.

You hit the nail on the head, Homer.

This year's Villanova team was molded in the tournament defeats that e upperclassmen experienced in the previous 2 tournaments. The word that probably best defines this team is "toughness". That didn't develop overnight.they came into this season with a mission. They worked all year to improve from game to game, and we see the results in this tournament performance. As you say, it was the challenges presented every game by BE opponents that gave them what they needed to improve.

Perhaps Xavier and other league teams can take heart from this. A loss in the tournament isn't the end of something; it's a beginning.

[Bill Marsh]

To me the tourney is what casual fans remember FAR FAR FAR more than the regular season. Folks will be talking Nova's year 50 years from now. They won't be talking Xavier's year 2 years from now. And that's only because of the tournament.

Hardcore fans sure- they might remember the regular season more. But there are far more casual fans than there are hard core fans.

You might not like it, you might not agree with it, but that is reality.

You're totally wrong.

The topic and point of the thread is about the Big East's evolving rep, with Nova's achievement contributing a key piece, BUT A PIECE of the overall pie.

Nova makes it to Houston with brand perception that equates to a big-time program, not a mid-major overachieving its way to the Final Four. Perception. Perception is the topic. Perception of the conference is the topic, and now Nova has delivered the piece we've all agreed we've been missing. Nonetheless, it is a piece of what is a pie that is made up of tournament success, number of teams ranked during the year, etc.

The regular season and the rankings and all that CONTRIBUTED to the seeding that helped to lead to Monday night.

You might not like it, but your opinion is your opinion only.

The problem is to a lot of folks- regular season is great, but post season is what is remembered. Like it or not, Syracuse will be remembered by more people for this season than Xavier.

The thing is I think it's like a meal.....
I think a lot of folks here think the regular season is the entrée and the tournament is the dessert.
I think(and I think a lot of media folks and all the casual fans) think that the regular season is just the appetizer and the tournament is the entrée.

Why are you so concerned about what casual fans think? If that's your audience, you're posting in the wrong place.

There are knowledgable reporters in the media and there are hacks. Knowledgable reporters in the media know what the Big East is.

[whiteandblue77]

Interesting take on FS1 in the Washington Post article. You could take this as the Big East being bigger than FS1 and deserving of BETTER TV exposure or you could chalk it up to just another dig... thoughts?

The Big East still faces plenty of questions, particularly in regard to an onerous television contract with Fox Sports, which hurts its exposure.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2016/04/02/villanovas-romp-to-the-national-title-game-gives-the-big-east-needed-validation/

[xusandy]

Thanks for Washington Post link. The writer's idea that our Fox deal is "onerous" and "limits" our exposure does seem a bit strange, given that almost every game of every team in the league is broadcast on one Fox channel or another, and our top matchups are on FS1. I know I can't watch even half of all Clemson games, Purdue games, Baylor games, etc. etc., but that this past winter I could have watched virtually every Marquette game, every Georgetown game, or even every St. John's game. Our "depth" of coverage is fabulous when compared to the coverage available in other leagues. I don't know about you, but I usually check the schedule and choose which games I want to watch, and which channel they're on is pretty much irrelevant. Maybe this guy's idea is that fewer households get FS1 than get ESPN, or even that we gotta be on ESPN or CBS regularly before Joe Fan will consider us a top league. Well, I do know that BE games don't currently draw nearly the audience that games between the top teams in Football 5 leagues draw, but that doesn't mean our deal is "onerous", and next year, I'm pretty sure our audience numbers will continue to rise. Anybody know how many homes get FS1 vs. how many get ESPN vs. how many get a CBS affiliate?

[BEX]

What's onerous about 4.2 million a yr.?

[Bill Marsh]

Thanks for Washington Post link. The writer's idea that our Fox deal is "onerous" and "limits" our exposure does seem a bit strange, given that almost every game of every team in the league is broadcast on one Fox channel or another, and our top matchups are on FS1. I know I can't watch even half of all Clemson games, Purdue games, Baylor games, etc. etc., but that this past winter I could have watched virtually every Marquette game, every Georgetown game, or even every St. John's game. Our "depth" of coverage is fabulous when compared to the coverage available in other leagues. I don't know about you, but I usually check the schedule and choose which games I want to watch, and which channel they're on is pretty much irrelevant. Maybe this guy's idea is that fewer households get FS1 than get ESPN, or even that we gotta be on ESPN or CBS regularly before Joe Fan will consider us a top league. Well, I do know that BE games don't currently draw nearly the audience that games between the top teams in Football 5 leagues draw, but that doesn't mean our deal is "onerous", and next year, I'm pretty sure our audience numbers will continue to rise. Anybody know how many homes get FS1 vs. how many get ESPN vs. how many get a CBS affiliate?

Exposure matters for recruiting. It also matters to recruits because their families want to be able to watch them play. I had to add FS1 as part of an extra option to my DirecTV package. Many recruits' families aren't able to do that. Fox has to get its sports able channels onto basic able systems.

[XtoDC]

It would be interesting to see how the perception of the Big East would be different if year 1 and year 3 were flipped. Would a great Nova run be enough to sustain the league for a couple of seasons, or would the people that wanted to bury the Big East be quick to dismiss it as carryover from the bloated Big East (like some people wanted to do with Louisville's and Connecticut's)?

[NJRedman]

Thanks for Washington Post link. The writer's idea that our Fox deal is "onerous" and "limits" our exposure does seem a bit strange, given that almost every game of every team in the league is broadcast on one Fox channel or another, and our top matchups are on FS1. I know I can't watch even half of all Clemson games, Purdue games, Baylor games, etc. etc., but that this past winter I could have watched virtually every Marquette game, every Georgetown game, or even every St. John's game. Our "depth" of coverage is fabulous when compared to the coverage available in other leagues. I don't know about you, but I usually check the schedule and choose which games I want to watch, and which channel they're on is pretty much irrelevant. Maybe this guy's idea is that fewer households get FS1 than get ESPN, or even that we gotta be on ESPN or CBS regularly before Joe Fan will consider us a top league. Well, I do know that BE games don't currently draw nearly the audience that games between the top teams in Football 5 leagues draw, but that doesn't mean our deal is "onerous", and next year, I'm pretty sure our audience numbers will continue to rise. Anybody know how many homes get FS1 vs. how many get ESPN vs. how many get a CBS affiliate?

Exposure matters for recruiting. It also matters to recruits because their families want to be able to watch them play. I had to add FS1 as part of an extra option to my DirecTV package. Many recruits' families aren't able to do that. Fox has to get its sports able channels onto basic able systems.

You did? I didn't. It was just a few channels away from ESPN.

[Xudash]

Hey, how about that: it just evolved some more, and at the expense of the ACC!