Scholarship table
The butlers n SLUs will always be second fiddle type programs.
I trust you didn't seriously mean to say "Butler" here.
Since we're fantasizing about who to add, can we also talk about dropping DePaul?Every school in the C7 stepped up their game (either literally or metaphorically speaking) since the Big East renovation. Seton Hall and Providence are perennially competitive. St. John's is going through a rebirth. Georgetown has trended in the wrong direction lately, but has at least shown glimpses of righting the ship (or being able to) soon. MU already spends more on hoops than everyone else in the NCAA 'cept Duke and has a brand new arena (so not much more to improve off the court) and Nova... well, the last three years says everything.Then there's DePaul. Last place, last place, last place, last place.... well they did go to the Final Four last year, oh wait, never mind, that was the better Catholic team from Chicago. Think about that... LUC has more NCAA Tourney appearances than DePaul since the Reagan Administration. If you wanted an indicator that DePaul is serious about basketball, look no further than the finest indicator in the NCAA known to human kind regarding one's commitment to basketball (or lack thereof): JLP.IMO, if we're going to talk about changes to conference membership, the debate shouldn't be about SLU, Gonzaga, Dayton, Denver, Fordham, Duke or UCONN. It should be about DePaul, period. Then we can figure everything else out.
Absolutely did. The Big East programs have been good for 60-70 years or more. Butler was barely D1 20 years ago. Did they have great 2 year run yes, beyond that they have the least most impressive resume in the conference.
If SLU has a bil endowment, wee need viagra, hey?
Why can't Gonzaga join the BE as a basketball only member and keep their olympic sports in the WCC?They could even subsidize the WCC with a percentage of their found money in joining the Big East.Like it or not, every candidate outside of Gonzaga, UConn and maybe Cinci would be less of a member than current members. Not sure that's a recipe for success.
A great two year run? Try again.Your definition of second rate teams and unimpressive resumes is curious. Butler has something like 15 tournament appearances since 2000, five sweet 16s, and back-to-back NC appearances. Put that resume to any basketball-only school east of Omaha and north of the the Mason-Dixon and that team would already BE in the Big East, or on Val's speed dial at worst. By your criteria, who belongs in the conf? Georgetown....Nova....maybe St Johns. Anybody else? We sure wouldn't qualify. No "storied" program ever started out storied.
Whet power does the WCC have? Everything they have they owe to Gonzaga. Tho it’s probably moot, apparently your main conf needs to be your hoops conf.
It makes going to Omaha like a night out for beers in the neighborhood.
Wow, I'm very concerned for Benny. Being able to mimic Myron Medcalf's writing so closely implies an oncoming case of dementia.
Back to the Gonzaga thing for a minute. Do you guys know how unbelievably far away Spokane is? I do. I just drove through it on a cross country trip from Chicago to Seattle. Trust me. Far. Like really, really far. It makes going to Omaha like a night out for beers in the neighborhood.
Everything they have they owe to Gonzaga basketball. So if they could move their basketball program elsewhere, why would the WCC agree to keep them around?
Back to the Gonzaga thing for a minute. Do you guys know how unbelievably far away Spokane is? I do. I just drove through it on a cross country trip from Chicago to Seattle. Trust me. Far. Like really, really far. It makes going to Omaha like a night out for beers in the neighborhood. Fly to Spokane often, and It’s really not bad. I can imagine driving would be horrible