ACC and MSG

[MU/Panther]

I realize they are missing the last two years. Still, they had not sold out their 7,500 seat facility. I don't know what solid numbers mean or how that translates into a BE Tournament at the MSG. Counting on VCU to travel to the tournament may not be the best.

VCU this past season and first season on the A-10, home average attendance was 7,693.

I coudn't tell or get numbers but it sounded and looked like VCU brought the most fans to the A-10 tourney.

[MU/Panther]

Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor and Iowa State were begging to come to the Big East!!! Yes, they wanted into the Big East. I even spoke to people in a Big 12 athletic dept about this.

And why is that? Big East has an BCS bowl bid. $$$$$$$$$$$$$

[pbiflyer]

I guess I never realized how pathetic the venues for the ACC have been that they want out so bad. For that matter, that the entire ACC was that bad. They had to improve football with Syracuse and Pitt?
Basketball had fallen to such depths of despair that they had to raid the BEast to make themselves decent. Wow, what an admission by the ACC. No wonder FSU and Miami so desperately wanted out.

[TheSultan]

I will answer the second question first. There are performance stipulations. That leaves MSG with some power to make the change if they deem necessary. if the Big East falls short in 2013 or 2014, the 2026 date is absolutely meaningless. I don't think the Big East will allow that to happen, but 10 schools as opposed to 16, and Butler and Creighton as opposed to Syracuse, UConn, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Rutgers could be a HUGE shift in ticket sales.

Now to the first question - What could they have done? Think back....

Remember the headlines? Remember the Big 12 getting raided and falling apart with Texas A&M and Missouri leaving? Offers extended for the Texas and Oklahoma schools to join the PAC 12?

Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor and Iowa State were begging to come to the Big East!!! Yes, they wanted into the Big East. I even spoke to people in a Big 12 athletic dept about this.

Only as a fall back had the nightmare scenario happened with the other schools going to the Pac 12. They weren't going to leave before then. If they would have left prior to then, they would have been leaving money behind...and that would have gotten a number of people fired.

When the B10 opened Pandora's Box and said they were going to expand, it set up a chain of events where those on the bottom were inevitably going to get eaten by those above them. It was all about money, and the BE had nothing to offer.

[MU/Panther]

I didn't see anything about Miami wanting to move on. That was Clemson.

[MUMac]

VCU this past season and first season on the A-10, home average attendance was 7,693.

I coudn't tell or get numbers but it sounded and looked like VCU brought the most fans to the A-10 tourney.

Still not enough to make me want to count on them for attendance in the BE Tournament at MSG.

[MU/Panther]

We need the public of New York to sell out the Garden.

[MUMac]

Panther, I agree. The concern is that Cuse brought so many fans and who will replace those fans? I was responding to, Goose, I believe, regarding VCU. I think for the BE to succeed at MSG, they need to market it to the NY public. St. Johns and Seton Hall being viable again would not hurt, though.

[Halo]

The MSG will sell out. The BE and Fox will guarantee that it does. Each school will have to commit to X amount of tickets and be billed for it. There may be homeless people in there with free tickets, but it will sell out. They won't give the MSG a reason to walk away.

[IWB]

Only as a fall back had the nightmare scenario happened with the other schools going to the Pac 12. They weren't going to leave before then. If they would have left prior to then, they would have been leaving money behind...and that would have gotten a number of people fired.

When the B10 opened Pandora's Box and said they were going to expand, it set up a chain of events where those on the bottom were inevitably going to get eaten by those above them. It was all about money, and the BE had nothing to offer.

Yes, it was always a fall back, but instead of being raided further, the Big 12 took massive actions and forged ahead. The Big East did nothing.

To Gato's point, I agree that Pitt & Cuse were already in dirty dealing with the ACC, but the conference was still viable even after those two left.