I hope UConn joins that conference for all sports.
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- Thread starter paultzman
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I agree the Big East should have added Gonzaga at the same time as UConn. It’s actually really stupid that they didn’t. I’m not so sure about St. Mary’s due to their small enrollment and attendance figures more so than the actual basketball product.
The only thing that the Big East can reasonably control right now is not being badly hurt (or worse) by major non-football schools joining power conferences. The head of that spear is Gonzaga. If we don’t add them immediately, that spear will be driven through our back.
Gonzaga is the key to the PAC-12 and the Big 12 surpassing us in basketball. Even a heavily scavenged ACC would become out of reach for us if they added Gonzaga and UConn.
There is no scenario where we are weaker or less attractive to major conferences with Gonzaga.
UConn should have never been let back and Gonzaga was not committed to going anywhere at that time and still have not made a move.
I think you guys are fretting over way too much.
After Rick wins the NC in 2026, I am done with college basketball.
I will no longer care about the future of STJ, the Big East, the NCAA tourney, any of it.
I will be satisfied. And I will move on like Frodo leaving Middle Earth.
After Rick wins the NC in 2026, I am done with college basketball.
I will no longer care about the future of STJ, the Big East, the NCAA tourney, any of it.
I will be satisfied. And I will move on like Frodo leaving Middle Earth.
UConn has been great for us. We are a better conference with them and we should do everything in our power to keep them.
Respectfully disagree. The Big East did not need them but they needed us. We threw them a lifeline with a middling buyout where the max was probably at least a couple of million dollars too low and for too short of a time before it goes down.
The championship is nice and if they didn’t have FBS football I would agree even with their being a state school. But the drama and soap opera they cause immediately looking to leave is not worth it. That will be hanging over the conference until they either leave or drop football.
I’m assuming it’s Sunday brunch and you made a typo and meant to write 24 in stead of 26I think you guys are fretting over way too much.
After Rick wins the NC in 2026, I am done with college basketball.
I will no longer care about the future of STJ, the Big East, the NCAA tourney, any of it.
I will be satisfied. And I will move on like Frodo leaving Middle Earth.
Ok I’m order to keep them it’s time for Marillac to take one for the team again with one of their former women’s players
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The buyout should have been prohibitive, but the conference leadership sucks. That doesn’t mean Uconn’s membership hasn’t been good for the conference.
We got another national championship…that’s absolutely huge.
Every conference will have to do things they don’t want to flourish. Do you think the Big 10 actually wanted Rutgers and Maryland?
I don’t even think this is susceptible to debate. We need Gonzaga and we should do everything we can to keep UConn. They are blue bloods and we will need them for survival in 15-20 years.
The NCAA championship banner should only have “Big East” on it. Without the BE saving UConn from oblivion, they would never sniff a national championship.
Do not sell your soul to keep UConn as they are going to leave if they get a Big Five offer that includes football no matter what you do unless they de-emphasize or disband their football program.
Kick the tires on Gonzaga and gage their interest and if they are acceptable to exploration, enter into serious talks. However, if they don’t want to come, they won’t and there is nothing we can do about it.
This is what I’m saying. It’s inevitable and we can prevent it if we act immediately. We can get it done this week. Send a Shanley-led contingent to Spokane to get it done.
Just can't wait to start the games! This conference realignment stuff is what dulls my interest in college sports and I am not ready for that after all these years of waiting for the Johnnies to be super relevant again. Let Midnight Madness begin and all this other stuff be damned!
Agreed, but one big silver lining is with Pitino we shouldn't get left behind. Worst case we'll remain in the Big East without UConn, so what the conference was like from 2013-2019. A year or two ago for instance with Wright still at Nova I could see the Big 12 (or a depleted ACC) inviting UConn, Nova and Georgetown. That would've been an absolute dagger for this program. Our product was a joke and we were continually devaluing our MSG relationship by playing fewer and fewer games there.
With Pitino we've reversed that trend and I don't believe a conference will capture MSG without us. This year we're finally going to be the home team there every game.
I can't wait for the season to start and hope UConn either makes a move prior or the talk dies down until next summer. UConn football also starts this month, so hopefully a mediocre season will kill any momentum they've gained.
I don’t share your optimism regarding MSG long term, and I think posters have short memories.
Outside of Villanova, our conference was a complete joke in the tournament most years before UConn rejoined.
The Big 10 already had their tournament in MSG in 2018, drew 13,000 more fans, and had a sellout championship game.
If the ACC lands Uconn, MSG will bounce us so fast it won’t even be funny.
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It's been so long since I've been to a big east finals game I could have sworn we sell out the finals too.
Regardless of Uconn leaving if the Big East stays intact I dont see anyway we lose MSG especially with Pitino. St Johns starts winning with Pitino fans are going to come out of the wood work just like Lavin's first year. When St Johns is playing in an afternoon game even when we stink every TV on the floor of the stock exchange has St Johns on. Granted it's a small sample but when we win New York will get insane
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As clarification the big east was the 19k.
You are assuming they haven’t been approached (they have heard from conferences including the Big East I have heard) and are looking to make a move, and want to come to the Big East. They have been playing it coy waiting to see what would be the best spot for them and I don’t believe they are convinced yet the BE is it. Again they do not have to do anything right now. They know out of the “basketball only” schools, they are one of if not the most attractive (Villanova would be the other but they are in a stong conference already).