Big East Will Never Be The Same / Star Ledger

This article seems to be the current opinion; that while we all mourn the demise of the old Big East, the new Big East will hold it's own in terms of competition and rivalries. Thanks for the link!
 
I think saying Big East will never be the same is one man's opinion. Who would have thought when the conference first started that it would enjoy the lifespan we all became used to? I think the new league will do the same thing the old one did. This time with some different schools but I think they will do battle and new rivalries will be formed and I think the conference will surprise many people.I think it is going to become one of the premier conferences in the country. But then that is just one man's opinion.
 
I think saying Big East will never be the same is one man's opinion. Who would have thought when the conference first started that it would enjoy the lifespan we all became used to? I think the new league will do the same thing the old one did. This time with some different schools but I think they will do battle and new rivalries will be formed and I think the conference will surprise many people.I think it is going to become one of the premier conferences in the country. But then that is just one man's opinion.
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Absolutely! Teams like Pitt, Louisville, Cincyand some of the early defectors didn't make the Big East...

Syracuse and UCONN are part of the BE heritage and are big losses but the BE will survive and thrive and will help to elevate the newer teams...
 
I think saying Big East will never be the same is one man's opinion. Who would have thought when the conference first started that it would enjoy the lifespan we all became used to? I think the new league will do the same thing the old one did. This time with some different schools but I think they will do battle and new rivalries will be formed and I think the conference will surprise many people.I think it is going to become one of the premier conferences in the country. But then that is just one man's opinion.
Click to expand...

Absolutely! Teams like Pitt, Louisville, Cincyand some of the early defectors didn't make the Big East...

Syracuse and UCONN are part of the BE heritage and are big losses but the BE will survive and thrive and will help to elevate the newer teams...
 
The big east won't be the same. It wasn't the same after we added v-tech and Miami. Wasn't the same when we added WVU, Louisville. We added Marquette, DePaul. We lost a bunch now too. Bottom line is that it this league has been in flux for decades. It won't be the same, but in many ways I think it can be better than it has over the past few years when we have had a lot of turmoil and defections. Uconn doesn't want to be part of it. Not our problem.

Next year Georgetown, nova, Marquette, SJU, Providence, Butler, Xavier at minimum will all be NCAA tourney threats. We will IMO be a top 3-4 league right out the gate. We will still have the Big East name, MSG, grest basketball and double our tv contract. Only thing we will be without is the malcontents who yearn for big time football. It won't be the same, but I think we will be more than fine from the way it looks so far.
 
The only schools I will miss are UCONN and Syracuse, because of the history (like when BC left).

But, I think there is a lot of merit to the new league, and a lot to look forward to. These schools mostly have a lot in common and will create a heritage of their own, building on what is left of the "old BE".
 
The only schools I will miss are UCONN and Syracuse, because of the history (like when BC left).

But, I think there is a lot of merit to the new league, and a lot to look forward to. These schools mostly have a lot in common and will create a heritage of their own, building on what is left of the "old BE".
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Uconn and Syracuse and their history in the Big East were 100% attributable to Calhoun and Boeheim. Jim Calhoun is gone, and shortly Boeheim will be too. When that happens, they will have none of what got them there and much of that tradition and history is gone with their legendary coaches. I don't miss anybody that doesn't want to be here, and those days are over.
 
Yes, and in a couple of years, when STJ & G-Town defect to the ACC, the Big East will really no longer be a major conference ;)
 
Yes, and in a couple of years, when STJ & G-Town defect to the ACC, the Big East will really no longer be a major conference ;)
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Hold your breath and lets see when that happens.
 
Very good article, good writer there at the Star Ledger.

Jimmy OC graduated the same year as I did from undergrad, but I went to the newly opened Staten Island campus, back then it was named, “Notre Dame College of St. John’s University”.

Hey can someone answer this for me: Didn’t Pitt and Rutgers join a year or two into the BE infancy??

So in a way, if you take out Uconn and SYR, it was pretty much the Catholic schools all over again: SJU, Nova, SH, BC Prov and G-Town?

BC should have never left and ND should have had to “join” for football too!
 
The only schools I will miss are UCONN and Syracuse, because of the history (like when BC left).

But, I think there is a lot of merit to the new league, and a lot to look forward to. These schools mostly have a lot in common and will create a heritage of their own, building on what is left of the "old BE".
Click to expand...

Uconn and Syracuse and their history in the Big East were 100% attributable to Calhoun and Boeheim. Jim Calhoun is gone, and shortly Boeheim will be too. When that happens, they will have none of what got them there and much of that tradition and history is gone with their legendary coaches. I don't miss anybody that doesn't want to be here, and those days are over.[/
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Having finally resigned myself to the "split" I am looking forward to the new Big East and believe it can be one of the better bb conferences should the schools hold together however I still shake my head about some of the comments made about UCONN and Syracuse on this board. MCNPA posts above about much of their tradition and history will be gone once because Calgoon is gone and Boeheim will be retiring shortly. Is there anyone on this group who, if it had been around then, would have wrote that once Lou Carnesseca retired much of St John's tradition and history would be out the window. It boggles the mind how anyone following the league can feel good that two of the most successful basketball schools in the past quarter century will no longer be in our league. Times change and I fully understand the reasons for what happened but I just can't see the glee in losing two such programs.
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Yes, and in a couple of years, when STJ & G-Town defect to the ACC, the Big East will really no longer be a major conference ;)
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I think the odds are much better that it will be Georgetown and Villanova who wind up in the ACC.
 
The only schools I will miss are UCONN and Syracuse, because of the history (like when BC left).

But, I think there is a lot of merit to the new league, and a lot to look forward to. These schools mostly have a lot in common and will create a heritage of their own, building on what is left of the "old BE".
Click to expand...

Uconn and Syracuse and their history in the Big East were 100% attributable to Calhoun and Boeheim. Jim Calhoun is gone, and shortly Boeheim will be too. When that happens, they will have none of what got them there and much of that tradition and history is gone with their legendary coaches. I don't miss anybody that doesn't want to be here, and those days are over.[/
-----
Having finally resigned myself to the "split" I am looking forward to the new Big East and believe it can be one of the better bb conferences should the schools hold together however I still shake my head about some of the comments made about UCONN and Syracuse on this board. MCNPA posts above about much of their tradition and history will be gone once because Calgoon is gone and Boeheim will be retiring shortly. Is there anyone on this group who, if it had been around then, would have wrote that once Lou Carnesseca retired much of St John's tradition and history would be out the window. It boggles the mind how anyone following the league can feel good that two of the most successful basketball schools in the past quarter century will no longer be in our league. Times change and I fully understand the reasons for what happened but I just can't see the glee in losing two such programs.
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I love Louie as much as anybody, but he didn't do a third of what either Calhoun or Boeheim did. Those two several thousand wins and bunches of nation championships. I'm not thrilled that we lose them, but we aren't losing them WITH those coaches, therefore they aren't the same programs. Has SJU really been the same since Louie or have we sucked for the most part? Losing both uconn and Cuse without their hall of fame coaches in my opinion isn't all that bad. The big east as it stands will/does have grest coaches. When Boeheim goes, their bball program will be a shell of what it is now and not easy to recover. Uconn will have a difficult time recovering after Shabazz is gone as well, and Ollie will have to make his own mark on both the recruiting trail and on the court.
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Yes, and in a couple of years, when STJ & G-Town defect to the ACC, the Big East will really no longer be a major conference ;)
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I think the odds are much better that it will be Georgetown and Villanova who wind up in the ACC.
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I wouldn't worry about it. The ACC will dissolve to such a point where the new ACC is like 'The American 12". Gtown and Villanova won't join something like that. Why leave $4MM a year on the table for some dredges?
 
Yes, and in a couple of years, when STJ & G-Town defect to the ACC, the Big East will really no longer be a major conference ;)
Click to expand...
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I think the odds are much better that it will be Georgetown and Villanova who wind up in the ACC.
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Is that after Cincy and UConn?
 
My all time favorite Big East Championship was 1983 when we beat Boston college in the finals. (Big surprise - my avatar is the cover photo from Sports Illustrated) Boston college was a hated local rival. We played them twice a year. They had smart mascots - remember the Eagle the would run full court and spread its wings and slide across the court, or the giant Sony Walkbird he would wear. the had Michael Adams, Ernie Murphy, John Bagley in that era. We knew all the players in league and loved to hate them all.

Ask me, I LOVE that G'Town, Nova, Seton Hall and PRovidence all are here form the old days. I am gaining confidence that in a smaller league we may see a resurgence from DePaul. Marquette is a great program already. I love that they are all Catholic - it gives the league cache, and honestly so many of the students at 5 of these schools are from NYC metro anyways. I'm good with Xavier and Butler, but would rather add an Iona to the league than a Creighton.

Keep it small. Keep it local. And let the Garden Wars continue.
 
My all time favorite Big East Championship was 1983 when we beat Boston college in the finals. (Big surprise - my avatar is the cover photo from Sports Illustrated) Boston college was a hated local rival. We played them twice a year. They had smart mascots - remember the Eagle the would run full court and spread its wings and slide across the court, or the giant Sony Walkbird he would wear. the had Michael Adams, Ernie Murphy, John Bagley in that era. We knew all the players in league and loved to hate them all.

Ask me, I LOVE that G'Town, Nova, Seton Hall and PRovidence all are here form the old days. I am gaining confidence that in a smaller league we may see a resurgence from DePaul. Marquette is a great program already. I love that they are all Catholic - it gives the league cache, and honestly so many of the students at 5 of these schools are from NYC metro anyways. I'm good with Xavier and Butler, but would rather add an Iona to the league than a Creighton.

Keep it small. Keep it local. And let the Garden Wars continue.
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Iona averages about 1600 people per game whereas Creighton averages over 18,000 to home games. Not comparable fan bases. I do feel that the new Big East will need an additional Eastern team so that we can have two divisions eventually. Creighton fits extremely well for a western division with Marquette, Butler, Xavier, DePaul. If we add an eastern team, I don't think Iona should not will get the nod. The schools that fit the criteria are VCU, George Mason, Richmond. I think UMass would be a nice fit but they don't want to drop "big time" football. Furthermore if the league presidents want to stick with private schools, VCU won't make the cut although I think VCU is a great choice. I think Richmond might be a payer because they have nice sports programs, have some basketball background, are a private school and apparently have a huge financial endowment that would allow them to compete for a long time. Nice to have a school down on the atlantic coast as well.
 
My all time favorite Big East Championship was 1983 when we beat Boston college in the finals. (Big surprise - my avatar is the cover photo from Sports Illustrated) Boston college was a hated local rival. We played them twice a year. They had smart mascots - remember the Eagle the would run full court and spread its wings and slide across the court, or the giant Sony Walkbird he would wear. the had Michael Adams, Ernie Murphy, John Bagley in that era. We knew all the players in league and loved to hate them all.

Ask me, I LOVE that G'Town, Nova, Seton Hall and PRovidence all are here form the old days. I am gaining confidence that in a smaller league we may see a resurgence from DePaul. Marquette is a great program already. I love that they are all Catholic - it gives the league cache, and honestly so many of the students at 5 of these schools are from NYC metro anyways. I'm good with Xavier and Butler, but would rather add an Iona to the league than a Creighton.

Keep it small. Keep it local. And let the Garden Wars continue.
Click to expand...

Iona averages about 1600 people per game whereas Creighton averages over 18,000 to home games. Not comparable fan bases. I do feel that the new Big East will need an additional Eastern team so that we can have two divisions eventually. Creighton fits extremely well for a western division with Marquette, Butler, Xavier, DePaul. If we add an eastern team, I don't think Iona should not will get the nod. The schools that fit the criteria are VCU, George Mason, Richmond. I think UMass would be a nice fit but they don't want to drop "big time" football. Furthermore if the league presidents want to stick with private schools, VCU won't make the cut although I think VCU is a great choice. I think Richmond might be a payer because they have nice sports programs, have some basketball background, are a private school and apparently have a huge financial endowment that would allow them to compete for a long time. Nice to have a school down on the atlantic coast as well.
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Your analysis makes too much sense to refute. My suggestion is purely emotional, going back to the days where Manhattan and Billy Campion were strong regional opponents, when Ruland turned Iona into a nationally ranked program, even when travelling up to West Point to play army woudl be a tough game (Army had a few very good players and a brute of a forward named Adrian ??? who was on their football team). Keeping the Eastern division of the Big East a Northeast affair would allow fans to travel to away games easily as well. Richmond is a bit of a trip.

Bottom line. I have a growing confidence that the new Big East will be a major conference.
 
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