Tidbit from ESPN

[MUBasketball]

Ultimately I think the whole idea is foolish. It's a 10 team league and a complete round robin schedule. How can the league "force" rivalries. If every team played each other once and only 1 team twice and those mirror opponents are what the league is considering, ok. But everybody plays everybody twice so what's it matter who they "pair up" (whatever that means)? Based on when the games are played? What's it matter?

And the league shouldn't lock itself into season ending games based on their rivalry opinions. Going into every season, matchup final games with teams expected to be finishing around the same spots in conference. Inexact science, but for the most part will have picked properly come the end of the season most years.

[ValiantSailor]

The first component of a rivalry is uncertainty. Who will win? If everyone other than die hard fans pick one team to win, it isn't a rivalry. It's just another game on the schedule.

Our "rivalry" game this year should be against one of the projected leaders of the conference, i.e., someone other than DePaul.

Rivalries change. Once, DePaul - Marquette would have been the game of the week. Not now.

VS

[MUMac]

Ultimately I think the whole idea is foolish. It's a 10 team league and a complete round robin schedule. How can the league "force" rivalries. If every team played each other once and only 1 team twice and those mirror opponents are what the league is considering, ok. But everybody plays everybody twice so what's it matter who they "pair up" (whatever that means)? Based on when the games are played? What's it matter?

And the league shouldn't lock itself into season ending games based on their rivalry opinions. Going into every season, matchup final games with teams expected to be finishing around the same spots in conference. Inexact science, but for the most part will have picked properly come the end of the season most years.

Man, you really get on anything this league does. Constant complaining gets old. Nothing is satisfactory for you. When they do not do any marketing, they are bad. When they do, they are foolish. This is all about TV and marketing. Not about you, the fans in attendance ... Nothing, though, will be good enough for you with this league, I guess.

[MUBasketball]

Man, you really get on anything this league does. Constant complaining gets old. Nothing is satisfactory for you. When they do not do any marketing, they are bad. When they do, they are foolish. This is all about TV and marketing. Not about you, the fans in attendance ... Nothing, though, will be good enough for you with this league, I guess.

Wow...you dont know me at all.

My point was am I misunderstanding what the league is trying to do? Its a round robin schedule so I dont get how they can "control" who are rivals or even try to establish rivalries. Simply by when the games are played? Like we're trying to figure out who Fox is going to match up as rivals but its a 100% even schedule so I dont know why it matters. Like the old BE there was suspense with who the 3 mirror opponents would be each year, but dont have to worry about that now.

Understand now? I'm not at all complaining.

[Goose85]

Taking a page out of ESPN's book that must be working. ESPN has had a "rivalry week" for awhile. It doesn't mean every game played in the ACC or old Big East was a rivalry, but it did mean Duke v. UNC, Syracuse v. Georgetown type game, etc.

Almost every week in college football seems to have some type of "... week" attached to it. It must sell or they wouldn't do it.

Rivalry week, to those who don't follow the teams closely, indicates the games played should be more intense than your normal conference game.
If they are or aren't it really doesn't matter, they are trying to drum up interest / find ways to promote a set of games.
We are hoping Fox is as good or better than ESPN at promoting the conference.

If you were not a fan of a Big East team, would you be more apt to pay attention to adds that called a slate of games Rivalry Week, or Week 18?

[MinnesotaJeb]

Last Weekend of the Seson - Try to match up schools likely to be battling for the top spot.
This year it would be G-Town v. Creighton / MU v. St. John's / Villanova v Xavier / Providence v. Butler / Seton Hall v. DePaul.
Good chance the winner of one of those first two games listed might clinch the regular season title on that final Saturday.

Sounds like a good plan.

It's obviously hard to guess the future, but I have a sense we might develop a strong rivalry with St. John's, similar to our Louisville rivalry, given the high-end recruits Lavin has been attracting and their take-no-prisoners attitude.

[MUBasketball]

Here's clarification...now it makes sense.

UPDATE - 8/29 (6:00pm):*New Big East media relations chief John Paquette has clarified to VUhoops that the end-of-season rivalry games will change from year-to-year. So, even if Villanova closes the 2013-14 season with Seton Hall this year, they could be scheduled for Georgetown next season."[T]hat does not mean every team will have one rival -- or the same rival -- on the last day of the season," Paquette explained.In effect, the Big East has only decided to make the last day of the regular season a rivalry for each school. Which rival a school will play, however, can change on a yearly basis.

[TheSultan]

Here's clarification...now it makes sense.

UPDATE - 8/29 (6:00pm):*New Big East media relations chief John Paquette has clarified to VUhoops that the end-of-season rivalry games will change from year-to-year. So, even if Villanova closes the 2013-14 season with Seton Hall this year, they could be scheduled for Georgetown next season."[T]hat does not mean every team will have one rival -- or the same rival -- on the last day of the season," Paquette explained.In effect, the Big East has only decided to make the last day of the regular season a rivalry for each school. Which rival a school will play, however, can change on a yearly basis.

Fox is trying to find different ways to market the basketball league. This is a good thing. Even if things don't work out, or sound corny, at least they are trying.

[MUMac]

Fox is trying to find different ways to market the basketball league. This is a good thing. Even if things don't work out, or sound corny, at least they are trying.

Ding, ding, ding, ding. That is how I viewed it from the very beginning. I love that the BE is affiliated with Fox. They will market the heck out of this and they know how to market. A proven track record. This will be, as Goose85 said above, marketed like ESPN does on Rivalry Week.

[ValiantSailor]

So the "Rivalry" is simply the last game of the season? And this is a creative new marketing concept?

Wow!

VS