UConn to the Big East? Rumors and Discussion Thread...

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

I'm sorry, but I have to laugh at the idea of UD, VCU, SLU or any other school currently in the A-10 jumping ship to the AAC. I mean, why exactly would any of those schools leave the A-10 for the AAC? First off, the A-10 and AAC are pretty equal as far as basketball goes. Second, the AAC is a hodge-podge of schools that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. That's not a shot at the AAC, but it was created out of necessity because a lot of those schools needed a home, and needed one quickly. Third, UD, VCU, & SLU are all "basketball only" schools at the moment. Why on Earth would they want to jump into a conference that is focused on football success. There is a pretty good case study available on what happens when basketball only schools mix with football schools, and I think everyone knows it doesn't end well. Fourth, I think it's pretty well understood that the "marquee" names in the AAC, the schools you'd want to be in that conference if your school joined it, are trying to get out as quickly as possible. Who wants to be in the AAC when Cincinnati, UCONN, etc. don't even want to be in it? I feel pretty confident in saying this, none of the schools discussed (UD, VCU, SLU) are leaving the A-10 for the AAC.

Excellent post Schickrateez.

How Wichita State's MVC tourney win shows it may have outgrown its league – CBS Sports – March 5, 2017

Gregg Marshall didn’t exactly poo-poo the idea of the Shockers leaving the Valley.

“That’s above my pay grade,” he said. “Ask my president.”

We basically already have John Bardo’s answer. He’s the -- shall we say – athletically aggressive Wichita State CEO who is pushing the school toward membership in the American Athletic Conference.

CBS Sports reported Friday that Wichita State is at a “serious evaluation point” by the American Athletic Conference . And why not? Both the American and the Shockers could find mutual benefit.

Marshall seemed to leave the door open again when asked about the suddenly vacant Missouri job . The news of Kim Anderson leaving made its way through Scottrade Center as Wichita State was getting out to a 33-25 halftime lead.

“When you have opportunities, if you want to listen -- and we do -- then you see how that goes,” Marshall said when asked about the Missouri job. “Right now we’re in a great place.”

[PC_Friars]

Bill Marsh its not that they can't handle the flying time, its the costs. The extended flying and everything that goes with that. The hotels, the extra meals, the taxiing to and from the airport.......Flying the non revenue generating sports (which would be everything but Men's basketball in our league -and yes its a lot of teams) coast to coast and putting them in hotels for every visiting school is an insane waste of money. It is one of the major issues with conference realignment, and has hurt many programs. I like Gonzaga but they make no sense for the Big East. Finding someone geographically more aligned with either the midwest contingent or the east coast (UCONN?) would make more sense. Then the trips are much shorter, and in some cases bus trips. That said clearly the BE is in the driver's seat and can be patient about who to add and when, if anyone.

[GoldenWarrior11]

It would be awesome if Duquesne ever made a full-court press on men's basketball. They have the ideal location, institution and identity to be a member of the Big East. They just have been awful at basketball for so long, that they would need to a substantial improvement with the basketball program to even be considered. Pittsburgh was a valued city in the original Big East. It would be great to reclaim that city as part of the conference.

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

RPI # 255 Duquesne finished dead last in the Atlantic 10 this season with a 3-15 conference record.

The Dukes' last NCAA Tournament appearance was in 1977, and their last NCAA Tournament win was in 1969 - before the first manned mission to the moon and the legendary music festival at Woodstock.

[GoldenWarrior11]

Other long-term programs that could be on the Big East's radar (if the school's give the appropriate commitment and resources to the men's basketball program):

Davidson - Thirteen total NCAA Appearances, including a recent Elite Eight. Alma mater of Stephen Curry, which could have significant value if he decides to donate money to the program. A new area/location for the Big East, including valuable recruiting spot (North Carolina). Private (Presbyterian) University. Only 1,800 enrollment, but large endowment (over $650 million). I would guess that they are currently #14 on the expansion list.

Saint Louis - Institutional and locational fit. Strong media market in Saint Louis, which now has huge viewership need during Winter thanks to the Rams leaving. Nice new arena. Checks all of the boxes except elite men's basketball success. Made a commitment to Travis Ford, who has immensely improved recruiting in under a year. My guess, as of today, would be that they are slotted in at #11.

Dayton - Institutional fit, academic fit, athletic program fit, but doesn't exactly bring a new market (too close to Cincinnati). This should be overlooked though because Dayton has one of the strongest fan bases in the country, and travel very well. They have a big arena, which they regularly sell out in the A-10. They would be a solid, maybe not strong, addition to the Big East, and would definitely add to the already challenging middle of the league. While Archie Miller may not be there long-term, the program has demonstrated a very strong history of coaches that have carried the program. My guess, as of today, would be that they are slotted in at #12.

Richmond - Institutional fit. Academic Fit. They are also within the footprint of the conference, and would bring a new market to the league. They have incredibly high endowment (over $2 Billion), and have prioritized it's men's basketball program within the athletic department. They had a strong year in the A-10 this year, but are likely NIT bound. They have a fairly large arena, seating over 7k, and they regularly attain over 6k at home games. I would guess they are #13 on the current expansion list.

Along with Duquesne, I would also place Fordham and St. Bonaventure together as a group. While they are within the footprint and are institutional fits, they are just too far behind athletically to be seriously considered today. If they make a strong push and commitment, they could easily jump near the top of the list because of their like-mindedness and locations, but it would require a pretty quick and large jump to make that happen. If you cannot compete in the A-10 consistently, it doesn't bode well for the Big East.

I left off VCU because I can only see them coming if UConn comes along, and I don't realistically see UConn joining now because it appears that they pulled a power-play in the American to go after Wichita State, VCU and Dayton.

[kayako]

Bottom line is that the travel burden is greatly exaggerated.

I didn't know the inner-workings of other olympic sports scheduling, thanks for the information. It seems like you're very high on adding Gonzaga, but I keep thinking back to Val's comment on "check a lot of boxes" in terms of expansion candidates. Obviously Mark Few is an incredible asset, but what other boxes do they check?

[Bill Marsh]

Bill Marsh its not that they can't handle the flying time, its the costs. The extended flying and everything that goes with that. The hotels, the extra meals, the taxiing to and from the airport.......Flying the non revenue generating sports (which would be everything but Men's basketball in our league -and yes its a lot of teams) coast to coast and putting them in hotels for every visiting school is an insane waste of money. It is one of the major issues with conference realignment, and has hurt many programs. I like Gonzaga but they make no sense for the Big East. Finding someone geographically more aligned with either the midwest contingent or the east coast (UCONN?) would make more sense. Then the trips are much shorter, and in some cases bus trips. That said clearly the BE is in the driver's seat and can be patient about who to add and when, if anyone.

PC_Friars, re-read my post. It's not a lot of teams. Right now Gonzaga sponsors only 6 teams of their 16 which compete with regular schedules during the season. Four of those 6 teams do not necessarily involve trips to Spokane every year. Their other 10 sports compete in conference championship tournaments at the end of the year and do not involve trips to Spokane at all.

There are no teams geographically more aligned who fit the profile and are competitive on a high level. Maybe Dayton, but they have strong internal resistance from Xavier. UConn is a pipe dream as long as they sponsor FBS football.

How do MAAC schools from NYC manage a trip to Buffalo, which they do by bus? A bus trip from NY to Buffalo takes about the same amount of time as a plane from NY to Spokane and it does involve hotel rooms. How about a bus trip from Penn or Princeton to Dartmouth? How do those conferences manage the costs?

The issue that remains for the conference is ratings. As a fan, I'm happy with the 10 team format. But it is the TV contract that pays the bills. It's been 4 years and despite promises from Fox, the ratings remain a problem and the problem won't go away by ignoring it. There's time to solve the problem, but the conference needs a plan and needs to be proactive in implementing it.

Gonzaga may not be the solution or even part of the solution. But if they are the answer to improved ratings and saving the TV contract, then the cost of hotel rooms once a year for a small handful of teams is worth the cost. UConn would certainly be an immediate boost in ratings, but they aren't available and as long as they have FBS football, it doesn't make financial sense for them. So what's the answer?

[kayako]

UConn would certainly be an immediate boost in ratings, but they aren't available and as long as they have FBS football, it doesn't make financial sense for them. So what's the answer?

We can wait 8 years and see if Creighton, Xavier, and Butler are national powers by then. Or at least that's the vibe I am getting from some of the newer fans of the Big East.

[Bill Marsh]

Bottom line is that the travel burden is greatly exaggerated.

I didn't know the inner-workings of other olympic sports scheduling, thanks for the information. It seems like you're very high on adding Gonzaga, but I keep thinking back to Val's comment on "check a lot of boxes" in terms of expansion candidates. Obviously Mark Few is an incredible asset, but what other boxes do they check?

I am high on adding Gonzaga. Imagine them competing in conference with Villanova this year. Or every year. Gonzaga's accomplishments dwarf every other realistic candidate. This year will make 19 consecutive tournament bids. They're not just a perennial top 25 team, but one that's been rated #1 in the country in at least a couple of seasons. They've been to the Elite 8 a couple of times in their current run, the Sweet 16 like 7 times. Who else comes close to that in their ability to raise the profile beyond where it even is now?

Boxes they check? Catholic, private, academically excellent, well managed program, strong support from the administration and board, strong community support, strong fan base which sells out every game, civic arena available for games which can generate higher attendance, national profile. It's their national profile which is most iimportant because it can help increase ratings. At least I hope so.

I'm not naive. If their were a better candidate in the Northeast of Midwest, I'd be all for thatSchool instead. I understand the logistical problems and challenges. I just think those are solvable for everyone but Gonzaga. And Gonzaga is saying, yes we can. I take them at their word.

[Bill Marsh]

UConn would certainly be an immediate boost in ratings, but they aren't available and as long as they have FBS football, it doesn't make financial sense for them. So what's the answer?

We can wait 8 years and see if Creighton, Xavier, and Butler are national powers by then. Or at least that's the vibe I am getting from some of the newer fans of the Big East.

I understand the thinking that Fox needs time to grow their cable sports network fan base. But the old Big East grabbed a fan base immediately. I know that it was a different time, but I think most products have their best opportunity when their new to the market. Whatever their first impression, they then tend to settle in to their niche and stay where they are.

My concern isn't just for keeping the Fox contract, but it's to have a product with enough demand that other networks are bidding for the Big East in addition to Fox. That's what will keep us on the receiving end of a lucrative contract.