A few days back I talked to a source within the Big East and asked if they were looking at the "Basketball" model, and was told, "We are looking into it, we are just trying to see what it would be worth." Meaning, will ESPN or any other network put enough on the table to split from the rest of the conference. Well, if the reports out there today are accurate, and I do believe they are, apparently the "Basketball" model can work, and is valuable.
As news broke today I was in touch with another source who told me, "It is too early to tell on all of this." There are ways to read that, and I read it to mean that this will happen, but what will it entail? What happens to the schools that have strong basketball programs that will no longer have a football conference? Do you just leave UConn, Cincy, Temple and Memphis and say thanks? Do you invite schools from the A-10 and beyond, and if so how many?
It appears that the presidents of Marquette, St. John's, Georgetown, Villanova, Providence, Seton Hall and DePaul are ready to take the next step, its just a matter of what that next step will be.
First off, when looking at schools like UConn, Cincinnati, Memphis and Temple, I don't like to hear that the "hybrid model doesn't work". The model did work, and it worked quite well. That is, until the ACC decided to expand. When Miami, Boston College and Virginia Tech decided to leave, in came Cincinnati, Louisville and South Florida, but Marquette and DePaul, 'basketball only schools', were added. The Big East wasn't as strong as they were in football as they were before Miami etc left, but still a strong conference, and the best basketball conference in the country.
Then the Big 10 added Nebraska, setting off a chain of events that led us to the demise of the Big East.
This has been coming for a while. Even The Onion had reported that friends and family members had been called to the Big East's bedside. As the Big XII, Big 10 and ACC picked off schools with ease, there wasn't much the Big East could do - every conference had new TV contracts, the Big East's was up for renewal - that made them an easy target.
So, what is the next step?
Step 1 - The first step is the most important - retaining the Big East name and the conference tournament in Madison Square Garden.
Step 2 - What do do about Cincinnati, UConn, Temple and possibly Memphis - If the football schools can create their own hybrid with those four, South Florida, UCF, SMU, Houston, Tulane, Boise State and SDSU, you have something - let them form a football only conference, and do what they can with their other sports, leaving the door open for the Basketball 7 to invite the four previously mentioned.
Step 3 - Looking at other schools. Some reports claim that the Big East and A-10 will merge. If this move was triggered because the Basketball Seven was unhappy with the addition of Tulane, then why in the world would they want to partner with the bottom feeders of the A-10? That makes no sense. What does make sense is prominent basketball schools in large TV markets that have a strong tradition and commitment to success. I know there will be a strong push for schools like Gonzaga, St. Mary's or Creighton, and those are all worthy candidates, but for this conference to work, it has to make sense, and going coast to coast just doesn't make sense.
Step 2 - What do do about Cincinnati, UConn, Temple and possibly Memphis - If the football schools can create their own hybrid with those four, South Florida, UCF, SMU, Houston, Tulane, Boise State and SDSU, you have something - let them form a football only conference, and do what they can with their other sports, leaving the door open for the Basketball 7 to invite the four previously mentioned.
Step 3 - Looking at other schools. Some reports claim that the Big East and A-10 will merge. If this move was triggered because the Basketball Seven was unhappy with the addition of Tulane, then why in the world would they want to partner with the bottom feeders of the A-10? That makes no sense. What does make sense is prominent basketball schools in large TV markets that have a strong tradition and commitment to success. I know there will be a strong push for schools like Gonzaga, St. Mary's or Creighton, and those are all worthy candidates, but for this conference to work, it has to make sense, and going coast to coast just doesn't make sense.
So, we know who the first seven members of the conference will be, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Saint John's, Seton Hall and Villanova, so who else and how many?
Group 1 - Xavier, Butler, Dayton, St. Louis, Creighton
Group 2 - Cincinnati, Connecticut, Memphis, Temple
Group 3 - Gonzaga, St. Mary's
The possibilities are endless, and it will take some time to sort out, but it is heading in the right direction.
The saddest thing of all, as stated by people like Fran Fraschilla, is that the Big East will never be the same. It was the greatest basketball conference in the history of college basketball. A conference that put three teams into one Final Four. A conference whose tournament was more than just a tournament, it was one of the greatest shows on earth. All gone for football TV money.
I will embrace the 'New Big East', whatever it is, but I sure as hell will miss the old one, probably even moreso than I miss the old days of tradition in college football. The way the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl used to be. Back when universities were proud to be in a conference, proud to be a part of the traditions and rivalries that made college sports what they are. Now, they just want your cash.
RIP - BIG EAST CONFERENCE
vBulletin Message