2016-17 Season: The Most Important Yet

[gtmoBlue]

Next season (2016-17) is no different than any other season. There is no need for amping up the volume on what the conference "must do or must not do". The perceptions of others have been well documented, noted, and catalogued. The response by the conference has been to win 94/95 games/yr vs the footballers, to have multiple ranked teams in the conference, and to send an average of 5 schools to the NCAA Tourney annually. There is nothing further we need to do, just continue to win as we have and perform as we have. Oh, I forgot...one of our teams won the national championship this past season...that should help sway perceptions a bit.

Relax. According to Val, we are ahead of schedule. Next season will be fine...Creighton's turn to win the conference and make the deep run in the NCAA's.

[stever20]

Next season (2016-17) is no different than any other season. There is no need for amping up the volume on what the conference "must do or must not do". The perceptions of others have been well documented, noted, and catalogued. The response by the conference has been to win 94/95 games/yr vs the footballers, to have multiple ranked teams in the conference, and to send an average of 5 schools to the NCAA Tourney annually. There is nothing further we need to do, just continue to win as we have and perform as we have. Oh, I forgot...one of our teams won the national championship this past season...that should help sway perceptions a bit.

Relax. According to Val, we are ahead of schedule. Next season will be fine...Creighton's turn to win the conference and make the deep run in the NCAA's.

I think next year just can't be like 3 years ago.... Doesn't have to be a great season- but it can't be where only 4 get in and everyone out of the tourney 1st weekend. Just has to be solid.

[Mufan15]

The Big East is clearly a quality league that can send teams to the final 4. The league has proven that and doesn't have anything left to prove about it's quality. It's now time to focus on the brand of the Big East. The league has the opportunity to be about more than the schools that play in it. The big east has to position it self so that when people hear "big east" they don't think Villanova and G'town (the two biggest brands the league has in my mind) but rather think about the big city, bright lights, high intensity, passionate style of basketball played in the league.

College football has a unique atmosphere around it, tailgating, big college towns, etc. The big east can give college basketball it's own unique image that is exclusive to the big east. Basketball has always been an inner city game and the football 5 don't have big city schools while that is all the Big East has. Time for the league to take advantage of that fact. Getting the tournament at MSG was huge for this as it already has the feeling of being the big event going on in the big city for the week it is happening. Now it's time to make every big east game a big event for the whole city to the extent possible. The conference doesn't have the alum base to have the games only be about the schools playing in them. If there is a Xavier-Marquette game in Milwaukee it shouldn't just be an event for people affiliated with Marquette. It also should be for the Bucks fan who loves basketball but doesn't have a college affiliation, or the high school kid who loves basketball.

I think this is the brand the Big East once had and it can bring it back again. One last thing, the Big East should do everything it can to be involved with the NBA. Over half the league plays in the same city as an NBA team, and 4 teams share arenas with NBA teams. I love what Marquette is doing with partnering with the Bucks on their athletic research facility. Little things like this means Bucks fans associate Marquette with the NBA to a small extent. For recruits being at a school that has a relationship with an NBA team is one step closer to being in the NBA.

[GumbyDamnit!]

BE messaging moving forward:

1. No football. You come here and you don't play second fiddle to anyone.
2. MSG and the BET. There are no brighter lights than NYC on a Saturday night.
3. You can get to a FF and win a NC here. 7/10 BE programs have made a FF in the modern era (since tourney expanded to 64+). 13 total FF's over that span and 3 NC's for these 10 "little"' BE schools.
4. Want every game of yours to be on national TV? Done.
5. Want to play in the NBA? I think there is something like 20+ current BE alums in the NBA right now. Sure we're not UK but we're not competing with UK either.
6. Ever notice that none of our programs are ever facing sanctions and investigations? It's because your sons WILL get an education. We do it the right way.

Lots to be bullish about. Get the talent, trust our coaches to coach 'em up and keep getting teams in the tourney. As Val said: "we are ahead of schedule."

[xusandy]

Excellent post, Gumby -- a great summary of the recruiting message we can/should be putting out there to every top high school hoops star in the country who has what it takes intellectually to earn a REAL college degree. Let the cheater schools and look-the-other-way leagues have the rest.

BTW, your point #3 doesn't even need to include what happened in the old BE; 3. NC in 2016, and Nova lost 3 times during conference play. One more point: 7. Want to play against the best, night after night? 7 of our 10 programs have made the dance at least once since we came together. 4 of our teams were ranked in the top 10 at some point in 2015-16.