I think we'll be fine. If anything, I think our next 20 years will be substantially better than our last 20 years (can it be worse?). If you tell me the Pitino era is the high watermark of those 20 years, I wouldn't doubt you -- which is also why I did the Bahamas trip. If STJ is second weekend team, I'm going to try to make it as well.
I do think, however, the (new) Big East likely already hit their high watermark. The TV contract was good enough to survive and be close enough to the big conferences, but it also lowers our national presence in significant ways. Games that would be on network television are now on Peacock. That's a massive blow. TNT/TBS can be interesting, but let's see how many games end up there. It also expires right around when the rest of the other major conferences do as well as MSG's contract for the tournament. And, maybe it's no one's fault, but the Big East is not consulted in literally anything. We're treated as equals to the A-10 for any college basketball development. UConn admin clearly sees this and has one foot out the door. All of this are huge red flags for long-term stability.
We're also no longer in regular season challenges with the Big 12 or Big 10. It's extremely clear that half of the conference are still high-majors (UConn, Marquette, Creighton, Villanova, Georgetown, Xavier, us) with our budgets, and half the league simply isn't (Butler, Seton Hall, Providence, DePaul). That is also not sustainable.
I am still hoping the ACC implodes, the Big 12 commissioners are too stubborn about football-centric additions, and the BE can bolster itself by adding premiere programs. But I'm much more pessimistic today than I was last year.
