Hard to know for sure at this point what the news of autonomy for the "big five" conferences will mean for the future of NCAA basketball.

However, I could see basketball breaking into a sort of football setup in the future where you would have the top 125-150 programs in what amounts to the FBS, another 150 or so programs in what amounts to the FCS, followed by DII and DIII.

I would prefer the current setup because the NCAA Tournament is great in large part because of upsets like the one Mercer pulled off over Duke last season.

It does appear to me the Big East is poised to remain at the highest level, thanks in large part to the TV contract from FoxSports 1 and the commitment level of the 10 schools in the league.