Around College Basketball

[paultzman]

I don’t remotely get the rabid “Uconn is the 2nd coming of all that is evil” so I am certainly out of step with a large % of posters here but IMO, the BE is CLEARLY a better, more attractive league with them in it. To me, rationalize all you want, but it is an undeniable no-brainer.
As for them being a state school, you can’t have it both ways, desire and root for SJU to be a legitimate national player, and then be afraid of ANYONE. The Johnnies have always had the very real potential to be what we all have rooted for but they have been their own problem forever, it has had absolutely nothing to do with anyone else. Regarding college sports, as has been posted, IMO, and that opinion has changed over the last six months or so, March Madness is not going anywhere. In fact, the possibility it just becomes an open tournament with all D1 schools eligible is way more likely than the possibility of a “football only” incestuous snooze fest. The only challenge to the open tourney is for someone to figure out how to keep the conference tournaments relevant. But with all that $ involved, eventually they will.

Yes, UConn has obnoxious fan base, are desperately seeking a resting place for their atrocious football program and were readmitted to the BE despite leaving before, but I do agree as a national hoops player and current champion, that is beneficial to the conference.

Hurley will continue to attract high quality players and easily be a consistent top 20 or so team, so I will always dislike a lot about them, but the BE clearly benefits from that. I will greatly enjoy beating them, but in all honesty UConn’s success much like Nova is an essential part of the positive recognition the conference deservedly garners.

 

[Marillac2]

There is no way FSU and Clemson would be happy with 4 more schools that struggle to draw 30,000 fans when an inferior UCF is making 50 Mill a year.

 

[ADORAZ]

For anyone forgetting how much UConn helped the Big East this year, this is what the AP poll looked like in late December after OOC play:

#3 UConn

That's it. Imagine for a second UConn wasn't there and we had NOBODY ranked entering conference play. Would've been brutal for the league.

Instead a bunch of Big East teams beat up on UConn and this is what the conference looked like after the BET:

#6 Marquette
#10 UConn
#13 Xavier

#26 Creighton

We had 3-5 teams ranked every week after the first couple weeks of BE play, thanks in very large part to UConn's OOC play. Sure this wasn't the most typical year, but during a time when Nova was down, Creighton had injuries OOC, and St. John's and Georgetown hadn't yet hired our new coaches, this really could've been a rough year for the conference.

Fortunately next year should be better with 4-5 BE teams ranked preseason, but regardless UConn is very valuable to the conference and the league needs to do whatever it can to keep them. Also needs to have contingency plans in place in case they leave, such as Gonzaga.

 

[logen]

Yes, UConn has obnoxious fan base, are desperately seeking a resting place for their atrocious football program and were readmitted to the BE despite leaving before, but I do agree as a national hoops player and current champion, that is beneficial to the conference.

Hurley will continue to attract high quality players and easily be a consistent top 20 or so team, so I will always dislike a lot about them, but the BE clearly benefits from that. I will greatly enjoy beating them, but in all honesty UConn’s success much like Nova is an essential part of the positive recognition the conference deservedly garners.

IMO, obnoxious and fan go together like peanut butter and jelly for many, regardless of team. I grew up a Yankee fan, Mantle was absolutely my guy, but slowly lost my interest due to 3 most obnoxious things, Steinbrenner, Martin and some very, very entitled Yankee fans. I am by no means a hater but just completely indifferent to the team.

 

[mattc]

For anyone forgetting how much UConn helped the Big East this year, this is what the AP poll looked like in late December after OOC play:

#3 UConn

That's it. Imagine for a second UConn wasn't there and we had NOBODY ranked entering conference play. Would've been brutal for the league.

Instead a bunch of Big East teams beat up on UConn and this is what the conference looked like after the BET:

#6 Marquette
#10 UConn
#13 Xavier

#26 Creighton

We had 3-5 teams ranked every week after the first couple weeks of BE play, thanks in very large part to UConn's OOC play. Sure this wasn't the most typical year, but during a time when Nova was down, Creighton had injuries OOC, and St. John's and Georgetown hadn't yet hired our new coaches, this really could've been a rough year for the conference.

Fortunately next year should be better with 4-5 BE teams ranked preseason, but regardless UConn is very valuable to the conference and the league needs to do whatever it can to keep them. Also needs to have contingency plans in place in case they leave, such as Gonzaga.

Don't think anyone here forgets UCONN just winning a national championship.

 

[ADORAZ]

Don't think anyone here forgets UCONN just winning a national championship.

There's plenty of people saying they should be booted from the conference and we'd be better off without them. Arguments of they're a large public school and we're smaller private schools and them being in the BE hurts us. That hasn't at all been the case, especially this year when playing them benefitted most teams in the conference (even us who had at least one great game when we beat them). It's not like they ran through the conference at our expense, they didn't even win the BE regular season or BET.

I'm saying they're good for our league in basically all aspects (monetary, competitiveness, fan interest, strength of the BE, etc.).

 

[rehobie]

The fact that UCONN is a large public college should not deter us. When we are looking to update our scheduling who do we look for? Large public universities. I just think having UCONN is not a problem.

 

[Marillac2]

For anyone forgetting how much UConn helped the Big East this year, this is what the AP poll looked like in late December after OOC play:

#3 UConn

That's it. Imagine for a second UConn wasn't there and we had NOBODY ranked entering conference play. Would've been brutal for the league.

Instead a bunch of Big East teams beat up on UConn and this is what the conference looked like after the BET:

#6 Marquette
#10 UConn
#13 Xavier

#26 Creighton

We had 3-5 teams ranked every week after the first couple weeks of BE play, thanks in very large part to UConn's OOC play. Sure this wasn't the most typical year, but during a time when Nova was down, Creighton had injuries OOC, and St. John's and Georgetown hadn't yet hired our new coaches, this really could've been a rough year for the conference.

Fortunately next year should be better with 4-5 BE teams ranked preseason, but regardless UConn is very valuable to the conference and the league needs to do whatever it can to keep them. Also needs to have contingency plans in place in case they leave, such as Gonzaga.

Great points.

You can look at it like a pitching staff. Villanova was an elite ace for us when they had Wright. UConn is our ace now. If you add another ace like Gonzaga it just makes the whole “staff” better. That okay #3 starter becomes an elite 4th starter and so on.

We need a few elite teams that can compete with Kansas and Kentucky reliably and make it to the sweet 16 and beyond almost annually

I think when people look back on the Big East in 20-30 years, Jay Wright will be remembered as almost savior for what he did for the conference after the football divorce.

 

[paultzman]

 

[kranmars]

The fact that UCONN is a large public college should not deter us. When we are looking to update our scheduling who do we look for? Large public universities. I just think having UCONN is not a problem.

Except when they share a conference. Let uconn leave and schedule another out of conference state school in its place.

 

[Mike Zaun Returns]

My fear in realignment is we may be sitting too still. Eventually someone is getting Gonzaga for hoops only. One of the power confs. Once that precedent is set, there’s no going back & B12, SEC, ACC, B1G will panic to snatch up the best brands for power hoops only teams in BE. Biggest targets will be UConn, Nova, GTown, and SJ. I’m not saying this because it makes sense. Right now nothing makes sense. It’s just a full blown panic in realignment & the panic makes power confs do crazy things like ACC looking at PAC teams. I think the time to lock Gonzaga up is now. Again I don’t wish for all of this but it looks like it’s headed that way.

 

[Marillac2]

They are a good profile match with the second and third tier ACC football schools.

It’s funny how geography only matters to Big East fans. What a nightmare traveling to the east coast will be for all but one conference road game. And they’ve don’t have schools in the middle like Creighton, DePaul, Marquette, etc.

 

[Amaseinyourface]

They are a good profile match with the second and third tier ACC football schools.

It’s funny how geography only matters to Big East fans. What a nightmare traveling to the east coast will be for all but one conference road game. And they’ve don’t have schools in the middle like Creighton, DePaul, Marquette, etc.

Don’t you think there’s a chance it’s Gonzaga’s decision not to be in the BE?

Plus there’s a lot more money to join a football conference to cover the coast to coast travel. Im all for it, but it’s not the fans choice.

 

[Stevep502]

IMO, obnoxious and fan go together like peanut butter and jelly for many, regardless of team. I grew up a Yankee fan, Mantle was absolutely my guy, but slowly lost my interest due to 3 most obnoxious things, Steinbrenner, Martin and some very, very entitled Yankee fans. I am by no means a hater but just completely indifferent to the team.

Logan- we followed exact same path. Growing up in Whitestone queens, I was a die hard Mickey fan.
Similar, when I moved out to Long Island in the late 70s, I hated Steinbrenner buying pennants.
switched sides to Mets for 40+ years. Hated Wilpon’s management & budget.
although still a Mets fan, not a fan of new very deep pocket crazy spending

 

[Marillac2]

Don’t you think there’s a chance it’s Gonzaga’s decision not to be in the BE?

Plus there’s a lot more money to join a football conference to cover the coast to coast travel. Im all for it, but it’s not the fans choice.

We better hope it’s not their choice!
There is no other way we can land another blue blood.

Dayton would really be the only other program that wouldn’t water down the conference, but they are a few levels below Gonzaga.

I’m not really referring to the cost…just a 6 hour flight to play all but one of your away games in conference sounds a lot rougher than what Gonzaga would have to do with us.

 

[Mike Zaun Returns]

Don’t you think there’s a chance it’s Gonzaga’s decision not to be in the BE?

Plus there’s a lot more money to join a football conference to cover the coast to coast travel. Im all for it, but it’s not the fans choice.

From seeing many opinions on this, many seem to think the BE $ would be more than a hoops only share in B12. I’m not so sure. These football confs print $ so if they really want BE teams for hoops only, they may be able to woo some. Best case we merge with ACC leftovers & fball schools make own fball conf. Or BE stays as it is plus add Zags.

 

[Marillac2]

I promise I’ll stop beating the Gonzaga drum soon… but just wanted to point out that Hawaii provides an interesting model.

There is no other D-1 team within 2,700 miles so they have to be creative. They do 5 trips a season where they play Thursday and Saturday at closely located schools. Then they do another 2-4 trips for the OOC…usually one being a preseason tournament.

 

[dk423]

From seeing many opinions on this, many seem to think the BE $ would be more than a hoops only share in B12. I’m not so sure. These football confs print $ so if they really want BE teams for hoops only, they may be able to woo some. Best case we merge with ACC leftovers & fball schools make own fball conf. Or BE stays as it is plus add Zags.

From a fan perspective, a mix the latter is perfect. But I definitely think for us to have a fighting chance against these schools, we have to be in a bigger conference.

 

[Shannon]

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 promise I’ll stop beating the Gonzaga drum soon… but just wanted to point out that Hawaii provides an interesting model.

There is no other D-1 team within 2,700 miles so they have to be creative. They do 5 trips a season where they play Thursday and Saturday at closely located schools. Then they do another 2-4 trips for the OOC…usually one being a preseason tournament.

Hawaii doesn't have a choice.

Question I have, is that it affects all the school's sports, that get expensive and to go for one game, not sure it is worth it.

 

[MainMan]

Hawaii doesn't have a choice.

Question I have, is that it affects all the school's sports, that get expensive and to go for one game, not sure it is worth it.

Take Gonzaga basketball.
All other sports can remain in the WCC.
Boom. Solved.
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