1. ESPN with egg on their face. Not that they will let that stop them from continuing to belittle the Big East. But fans other than Big East fans will begin to notice the bias.
2. Tourney credit$.
3. Recruiting: This is how we play basketball in the Big East. And hoops are our top priority. You can be the BMOC AND compete for national championships.
4. Increased profile. I spent the weekend with my wife's extended family, Badger alum all. "Where is Villanova?"
5. Easier to coach existing players. "The Villanova guys live in the weight room." 'Villanova develops players over 4 years.' "Win with scrappy defense" 'Attitude matters.'
Villanova's win was huge for the Big East on so many levels. Need to exploit it, as individual teams and as a conference. And Marquette needs to get another one of its own.
Quote from: tower912 on April 06, 2016, 12:43:12 PM
1. ESPN with egg on their face. Not that they will let that stop them from continuing to belittle the Big East. But fans other than Big East fans will begin to notice the bias.
2. Tourney credit$.
3. Recruiting: This is how we play basketball in the Big East. And hoops are our top priority. You can be the BMOC AND compete for national championships.
4. Increased profile. I spent the weekend with my wife's extended family, Badger alum all. "Where is Villanova?"
5. Easier to coach existing players. "The Villanova guys live in the weight room." 'Villanova develops players over 4 years.' "Win with scrappy defense" 'Attitude matters.'
Villanova's win was huge for the Big East on so many levels. Need to exploit it, as individual teams and as a conference. And Marquette needs to get another one of its own.
One of the key assets we have as a conference is our double round robin schedule. Every school can point out to their recruits they will be playing each of the top teams in the country twice a year.
Look at the benefit Henry received. Got to showcase himself against strong teams all year and will likely realize on his dream because he was successful .
All schools in conference need to promote this Villanova win very hard.
Loving the thought pattern tower.
Typical Badger fans. Don't know anything outside of the Big Ten. That's like any of us asking where Vanderbilt or Gonzaga is.
Quote from: tower912 on April 06, 2016, 12:43:12 PM
4. Increased profile. I spent the weekend with my wife's extended family, Badger alum all. "Where is Villanova?"
A lot of Wisconsinites think the world ends at the state line.
I remember the State Motto was "We like it here"
That speaks volumes actually
Good stuff tower. I think the combination of championship potential along with 'only game on campus' will be importsnt for overall conference recruiting. Not saying we get back to 1983 but this is HUGE (Bernie accent).
And while the casual observer might not notice, basketball junkies including younger players will.
I agree...and would add that it was HUGE for Wright to continually mention Nova's membership in the Big East in his Final Four press conferences.
Most coaches talk about "out team," "our fans," and such...but Wright very openly "shared" Nova's participation with the whole conference.
I would like the conference innovate into some unique direction besides 'bball only' to broaden the exposure of the games.
If you think the original conference point of differentiation was ESPN/cable tv driven and the late night game during the week. The new iteration should be something digitally oriented. The P5 conferences have too much invested in the cable based model to take a risk here. I think Fox & the BEast could.
Or maybe something that takes on the sanctity of the conference schedule. Like a coast to coast week in February where the conference takes on the Pac 10.
I don't know - I just think there are so many options since it is a small group of schools, with a good product and not a lot to lose.
Quote from: keefe on April 06, 2016, 12:56:49 PM
A lot of Wisconsinites think the world ends at the state line.
I remember the State Motto was "We like it here"
That speaks volumes actually
You and I are in full agreement on this. My redneck brother is a prime example. Never leaves the state, but is 100% sure nothing is better.
Also, not knowing where Villanova is, is beyond ridiculous. It's annoying when people from NYC aren't aware of what's beyond the city limits (but in their defense, NYC
is the center of the US)...but sorry, Vadgers from fly-over Wisconsin do not get to co-op this attitude.
As MU fans, we have been whistling past the graveyard a little bit. 'The Big East is still a major conference.' 'MU is still relevant and can still compete for national championships.'
I know in the back of my eternally optimistic mind, I had little corners of doubt.
Now? Hell, yeah! Wojo, get to it! MU CAN compete! The Big East is still a top conference! Get busy!
It justifies the decision of the Catholic 7 to grab like-minded schools and separate. The original Big East model as well as the current model is validated. Now it is up to the schools and the coaches to leverage this momentum.
Quote from: tower912 on April 06, 2016, 01:09:03 PM
As MU fans, we have been whistling past the graveyard a little bit. 'The Big East is still a major conference.' 'MU is still relevant and can still compete for national championships.'
I know in the back of my eternally optimistic mind, I had little corners of doubt.
Now? Hell, yeah! Wojo, get to it! MU CAN compete! The Big East is still a top conference! Get busy!
It justifies the decision of the Catholic 7 to grab like-minded schools and separate. The original Big East model as well as the current model is validated. Now it is up to the schools and the coaches to leverage this momentum.
+1 Not sure i would have admitted this a few weeks ago - but i certainly admit it now.
Quote from: tower912 on April 06, 2016, 12:43:12 PM
I spent the weekend with my wife's extended family, Badger alum all. "Where is Villanova?"
Agree with the point but that could be any Badger fan asked about any non-B10 school
Quote from: Chicos' Buzz Scandal Countdown on April 06, 2016, 01:21:45 PM
Agree with the point but that could be any Badger fan asked about any non-B10 school
But do you blame them? After all, rust belt Big 10 territory is truly the center of civilization. ::)
Quote from: jsglow on April 06, 2016, 12:57:45 PM
Good stuff tower. I think the combination of championship potential along with 'only game on campus' will be importsnt for overall conference recruiting. Not saying we get back to 1983 but this is HUGE (Bernie accent).
And while the casual observer might not notice, basketball junkies including younger players will.
Hopefully you mean Sanders, not Fine.
I would also add marketing promotion and increased ticket revenue. "Come see your Golden Eagles take on the Champion Villanova Wildcats." "Tune in to FS1 to see the champion Villanova Wildcats take on the Georgetown Hoyas at 9pm EST" And so on
Nova is gonna be damn good next year. Would love to see them put together another fantastic year.
You mean the Big East is still relevant? Maybe Buzz will come back!
I was on spring break with the family last week. My 2nd grader is a sports nut so we have ESPN / SportsCenter on 24/7 as background noise. The amount of love for Oklahoma was unreal. It wasn't until Saturday afternoon traveling home that I started look at twitter and see Non-ESPN personalities expect Nova to walk.
What we need now is another BE Final Four. Be it X, Seton Hall, Georgetown, the Fighting Cooleys or us, the Big East now needs to show we stacked with power. And in 2016, hoops power is announced in March (or April).
Quote from: Marqevans on April 06, 2016, 01:51:22 PM
You mean the Big East is still relevant? Maybe Buzz will come back!
And Nova won it all by beating the ACC champs. ;)
Lots of pressure on Val and her team to take advantage of this.
I agree winning the NC was HUGE for the BE. It validates the league as a high major.
And from my personal viewpoint the BE fans are much more ready to root for another school in the league. I don't believe Wisconsin fans have the same desire to support Mich St or Iowa going to the Final 4. Once their team looses they are done and its "can't wait till football season".
At the BE "Its all about hoops" and that is a powerful message.
I would love a retro-jersey matchup night, where all the Big East teams wear throwback uniforms in their opponents against one another. Perhaps the Bradley could install an old school MECCA floor for the occasion, eh?
(http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m040h2AuuV1qmiggu.jpg)
(http://g03.a.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1Do7VIVXXXXaRXFXXq6xXFXXXl/30-kittles-Villanova-Wildcats-throwback-retro-basketball-jersey-navy-blue-white-ANY-SIZE-all-name-and.jpg)
(http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/30518/Depaul_Jersey.jpg)
It's important that the league follow up on the 'Nova title with continued success. If in a decade, the F5 conferences can say "sure, there was that upstart Villanova, but no Final Four appearances for non-football schools since" then this will be a blip on the radar. The league needs to be able to keep competing for titles.
I think we are in good position for that. 'Nova and Xavier look strong for the next few years, Creighton, Butler, and Seton Hall all seem to have bright futures, and Marquette and St. John's have the horses to be better once the kids grow up.
That leaves Georgetown, who seems to excel at underperforming expectations under JTIII of late (especially come crapshoot time), Providence, who needs to reload but has been consistently competitive under Cooley, and DePaul, who, well, still exists.
I have confidence in 9 of the 10 teams putting the requisite resources into being competitive, but if it doesn't pay off in March, then 'Nova's win could just be that blip, the one non-football school in 31 years to cut down the nets.
Bottom line, Monday wasn't the accomplishment of a long-term goal. It was the first step in a long-term plan.
Quote from: brewcity77 on April 06, 2016, 02:25:13 PM
Bottom line, Monday wasn't the accomplishment of a long-term goal. It was the first step in a long-term plan.
Agreed. But a HUGE step.
Quote from: The Lens on April 06, 2016, 01:55:04 PM
What we need now is another BE Final Four. Be it X, Seton Hall, Georgetown, the Fighting Cooleys or us, the Big East now needs to show we stacked with power. And in 2016, hoops power is announced in March (or April).
This. It would be massive to put another team in the Final Four next year.
Quote from: GooooMarquette on April 06, 2016, 01:56:47 PM
And Nova won it all by beating the ACC champs. ;)
But but but, according to Doug Gottlieb, Nova wouldnt even crack the top 4 of the ACC
Will them winning help Marquette get back to the big dance? That's all I care about. As happy as I was for Nova and the Big East, I am still worried about the state of our beloved program. Wojo hasn't done much to make the fan base happy and with Henry leaving (no surprise there) we lose our best player/rebounder and will be small again next year. Need better athletes, basketball players, coaches, etc. etc.
Step it up Wojo. Just win baby.
Nova and X both have Final Four caliber teams next year.
What if they both made it? Could happen.
Quote from: Al Davis on April 06, 2016, 02:40:10 PM
Will them winning help Marquette get back to the big dance? That's all I care about. As happy as I was for Nova and the Big East, I am still worried about the state of our beloved program. Wojo hasn't done much to make the fan base happy and with Henry leaving (no surprise there) we lose our best player/rebounder and will be small again next year. Need better athletes, basketball players, coaches, etc. etc.
Step it up Wojo. Just win baby.
I will live vicariously through another Big East team for exactly one year, now it is time for MU to get to work.
Quote from: tower912 on April 06, 2016, 01:09:03 PM
As MU fans, we have been whistling past the graveyard a little bit. 'The Big East is still a major conference.' 'MU is still relevant and can still compete for national championships.'
I know in the back of my eternally optimistic mind, I had little corners of doubt.
Now? Hell, yeah! Wojo, get to it! MU CAN compete! The Big East is still a top conference! Get busy!
It justifies the decision of the Catholic 7 to grab like-minded schools and separate. The original Big East model as well as the current model is validated. Now it is up to the schools and the coaches to leverage this momentum.
The question is:
Is Wojo up to it?
Big East rules!!!
Quote from: NotAnAlum on April 06, 2016, 02:04:26 PM
And from my personal viewpoint the BE fans are much more ready to root for another school in the league. I don't believe Wisconsin fans have the same desire to support Mich St or Iowa going to the Final 4.
Nor will we once it becomes a regular occurrence. Right now our league esprit de corps is a function of needing to convince ourselves and the world that the BE really is a power conference, along with healthy dose of Jay Wright being a class act and easy to cheer for. But once that is firmly established by BE teams commonly making deep runs, that will end IMO.
At least I hope so. I hope the league, and of course MU, is so successful we can re-establish rivalries worthy of hate-filled invective a la Georgetown-Syracuse and MU-ND.
Quote from: Al Davis on April 06, 2016, 02:40:10 PM
Will them winning help Marquette get back to the big dance? That's all I care about. As happy as I was for Nova and the Big East, I am still worried about the state of our beloved program. Wojo hasn't done much to make the fan base happy and with Henry leaving (no surprise there) we lose our best player/rebounder and will be small again next year. Need better athletes, basketball players, coaches, etc. etc.
Step it up Wojo. Just win baby.
Honestly? It may. Not a guarantee, but if the Big East can turn in similarly positive results on a yearly basis, we might be able to be that league where 9-9 or 8-10 gets you in. Hopefully by then we'll be ahead of that curve and in regardless, but if we want to get more than 4-6 teams in, we need to show we can win in March and that the league's strength reaches all the way down.
I think there is something to be said about the Big East being a stable conference for the near future. My opinion, but I don't think any current members of the conference are looking around for better options. The teams are in it together, and figure F the guys that left.
Quote from: damuts222 on April 06, 2016, 03:28:20 PM
I think there is something to be said about the Big East being a stable conference for the near future. My opinion, but I don't think any current members of the conference are looking around for better options. The teams are in it together, and figure F the guys that left.
At this point, there are no better options for non-football schools. That doesn't mean in the future there won't be. Conference membership has always been fluid for one reason or another. No reason to expect that will change.
Quote from: willie warrior on April 06, 2016, 02:56:13 PM
The question is:
Is Wojo up to it?
The big question. Nobody knows at this point.
Quote from: tower912 on April 06, 2016, 12:43:12 PM
1. ESPN with egg on their face. Not that they will let that stop them from continuing to belittle the Big East. But fans other than Big East fans will begin to notice the bias.
Was out and about this morning and saw Bob Ley interviewing Dana O'Neil on OTL about the Big East, and what the win means for the conference.
I unfortunately didn't have any sound from the show, but the crawls looked like they were saying nice things.
Dana's beat used to be the Big East when ESPN used to actually cover it. Also a Philly area native, I think.
FOX certainly has to be pleased with the results of this year's tournament. They can market a ton of games next year featuring the defending national champions.
Quote from: Coleman on April 06, 2016, 04:38:55 PM
FOX certainly has to be pleased with the results of this year's tournament. They can market a ton of games next year featuring the defending national champions.
Hopefully they put as many as possible on the Fox Broadcast network.
Nova won the NC due, in no small measure, to the level of in conference competition they faced.
I'm happy Nova won and all, but I think some here are way overthinking things here. Do you know what FS1 was showing after the conclusion of TBS broadcast on Monday night? TMZ Sports.
I don't think the casual college basketball fan is turning FS1 on next year and seeing Nova on thinking "the champs are on, I gotta watch this!" Didn't see that happen after UConn won it all. People next year are going to be glued to Josh Jackson, Tatum/Giles/Duke. Sustained success will help, building guys like Brunson into 4 year stars helps. As great as Nova is/was, having no first round NBA players doesn't help market things for the average fan going forward.
Happy for Nova, but MU is going to have to find NCAA success on its own.
Quote from: MUDish on April 06, 2016, 08:54:48 PM
I'm happy Nova won and all, but I think some here are way overthinking things here. Do you know what FS1 was showing after the conclusion of TBS broadcast on Monday night? TMZ Sports.
I don't think the casual college basketball fan is turning FS1 on next year and seeing Nova on thinking "the champs are on, I gotta watch this!" Didn't see that happen after UConn won it all. People next year are going to be glued to Josh Jackson, Tatum/Giles/Duke. Sustained success will help, building guys like Brunson into 4 year stars helps. As great as Nova is/was, having no first round NBA players doesn't help market things for the average fan going forward.
Happy for Nova, but MU is going to have to find NCAA success on its own.
Nova success means more main stream media respect for the conference. Which directly equates to better recruiting for all schools. Better players mean more success for all. More success for all leads to more games being shown on Fox Broadcast channel versus FS1. It is a virtuous circle.
Yes MU has to find its own success. All we need to do is recruit four good kids a year. We need to use Nova success to our recruiting advantage now.
FS1 and Fox need to step up their CBB offering for the Big East to get some recognition. When you only have one conference, you're only going to get fans of that conference and die-hards. The Big 10 contract is up soon (after next season maybe? didn't look it up), if Fox could land that they'd have another power conference, along with the cross-over viewership and coverage that comes with it. They have the pockets to make a serious bid, but time will tell if it's big enough to unseat ESPN. They'll have to pay significantly more than they did for the BE, and idk if they're willing to shell out that kind of money.
Quote from: Marquette Fan In NY on April 06, 2016, 09:33:53 PM
Nova success means more main stream media respect for the conference. Which directly equates to better recruiting for all schools. Better players mean more success for all. More success for all leads to more games being shown on Fox Broadcast channel versus FS1. It is a virtuous circle.
Yes MU has to find its own success. All we need to do is recruit four good kids a year. We need to use Nova success to our recruiting advantage now.
I just don't buy into any of these theories. UConn has won two of the last six NCAA titles, is the American now this great conference with tons of mainstream media exposure? I was talking to Josh Langford last week, when discussing his recruitment, he said he was only going to ever go to a blueblood program, despite none being relatively close to home. No recruit cares we're playing Nova. FS1 vs Fox...recruits don't care. ESPN has zero financial incentive to promote BE basketball. All of this stuff may matter to some on here, but a lot of this is just white noise.
Agreed. Great point about UConn and the American.
Nova winning is nice. But just one step on a very long road.
Uconn won it after the Big East breakup and that did not do anything for the AAC. We need another NCAA championship by a Big East team other than Villanova to make it a conference thing.
I'm not going to fall completely into the "it's largely irrelevant" camp. The Big East is a basketball brand. That brand was greatly diminished with the split, but is now regaining its respect. That does help with recruiting and the image of the conference.
That being said, going five years without another Final Four school will render what Nova did somewhat useless.
Quote from: jsglow on April 06, 2016, 01:59:49 PM
Lots of pressure on Val and her team to take advantage of this.
Val will be speaking in the heart of BTWhatever country soon at The Economic Club of Indianapolis. I find the timing and location of her speech, well, serendiputous.
goinUptown
Quote from: The Sultan of Sunshine on April 07, 2016, 07:31:25 AM
I'm not going to fall completely into the "it's largely irrelevant" camp. The Big East is a basketball brand. That brand was greatly diminished with the split, but is now regaining its respect. That does help with recruiting and the image of the conference.
That being said, going five years without another Final Four school will render what Nova did somewhat useless.
So the other coaches/teams have to look at what's possible and raise their games.
Quote from: goinUptown on April 07, 2016, 08:08:39 AM
Val will be speaking in the heart of BTWhatever country soon at The Economic Club of Indianapolis. I find the timing and location of her speech, well, serendiputous.
goinUptown
That speech happened yesterday. Should be archived and available for listening on Saturday.
Quote from: The Sultan of Sunshine on April 07, 2016, 07:31:25 AM
I'm not going to fall completely into the "it's largely irrelevant" camp. The Big East is a basketball brand. That brand was greatly diminished with the split, but is now regaining its respect. That does help with recruiting and the image of the conference.
That being said, going five years without another Final Four school will render what Nova did somewhat useless.
I agree with this.
Nova winning is meaningful. Narratives matter. One of the major narratives parroted by ESPN and other Power5 conferences prior to the championship was that the Big East was a mid-major, or at least widely-diminished from its major status and somewhere between Power5 and mid-major.
Did Nova completely change the narrative forever? No. One win is not capable of that. What Nova did is question this existing narrative and perhaps give credence to the competing narrative that the Big East is a bigger player than some have thought. It will take continued success, by more teams than just Nova, to completely eliminate the negative narrative. The win helps recruiting and exposure for all teams in the conference. Does it instantly propel the conference to P5 status? No. but it helps.
Will this change everything forever for every team in the conference? Of course not. Are some here perhaps overestimating the impact of this one win? Probably. But this win is far from irrelevant. It matters, and matters greatly.
Quote from: Coleman on April 07, 2016, 09:39:36 AM
It will take continued success, by more teams than just Nova, to completely eliminate the negative narrative. The win helps recruiting and exposure for all teams in the conference.
And Georgetown doesn't have to be -- but
should be a part in that. I think they should listen to this guy more... https://firejohnthompsoniii.wordpress.com/
Quote from: rocky_warrior on April 07, 2016, 10:42:38 AM
And Georgetown doesn't have to be -- but should be a part in that. I think they should listen to this guy more... https://firejohnthompsoniii.wordpress.com/
Yep. He's GTown's Joey Meyer.
Dad can only help so much from the stands.
Quote from: MUDish on April 06, 2016, 08:54:48 PM
I'm happy Nova won and all, but I think some here are way overthinking things here. Do you know what FS1 was showing after the conclusion of TBS broadcast on Monday night? TMZ Sports.
I don't think the casual college basketball fan is turning FS1 on next year and seeing Nova on thinking "the champs are on, I gotta watch this!" Didn't see that happen after UConn won it all. People next year are going to be glued to Josh Jackson, Tatum/Giles/Duke. Sustained success will help, building guys like Brunson into 4 year stars helps. As great as Nova is/was, having no first round NBA players doesn't help market things for the average fan going forward.
Happy for Nova, but MU is going to have to find NCAA success on its own.
Agree 100% FS1 programing has a long way to go in highlighting the BEAST
Nova's NC will only be a small nudge in recruiting, we have to sell MU.
Villanova winning the title means that a Big East team can, which should help recruiting and perception some. But the best thing for the conference's image would be a team other than Villanova making the Final Four in the very near future. I mean, if Gonzaga won the National Championship you wouldn't think the WCC was a major conference, would you? Villanova has dominated the new Big East (first place and 16-2 all three seasons) and there is reason to think of them as a big fish in a small pond.
Quote from: Marqevans on April 06, 2016, 01:51:22 PM
You mean the Big East is still relevant? Maybe Buzz will come back!
That train has left the station and is thousands of miles away.
The bigger question is who would want that Hillbilly back? He may be able to coach, but when it comes to basketball, we don't turn the other cheek. And we don't forget either.
Leave that Hillbilly in Hokie hell.
Quote from: CTWarrior on April 07, 2016, 11:40:06 AM
Villanova winning the title means that a Big East team can, which should help recruiting and perception some. But the best thing for the conference's image would be a team other than Villanova making the Final Four in the very near future. I mean, if Gonzaga won the National Championship you wouldn't think the WCC was a major conference, would you? Villanova has dominated the new Big East (first place and 16-2 all three seasons) and there is reason to think of them as a big fish in a small pond.
I agree with you that the Big East needs more consistent deep runs by other teams in the NCAA tournament, but the WCC did not have 5 teams in the tournament. I don't think it is analogous at all.
The more apt comparison is probably UConn and the AAC. There are some other teams in that conference with success and tradition (Memphis, Cincy, Temple, SMU, etc.) I do think the Big East is a much better conference than the AAC though, top to bottom.
I think it does help conference recruiting, but it should help Villanova recruiting more.
Quote from: warriorchick on April 07, 2016, 11:00:12 AMYep. He's GTown's Joey Meyer.
Dad can only help so much from the stands.
I would think a Hall of Fame coach like John Thompson who was so successful for so long would have other former assistants that Georgetown could consider. But I honestly don't know who that might include.
Quote from: Marcus92 on April 07, 2016, 07:06:46 PM
I would think a Hall of Fame coach like John Thompson who was so successful for so long would have other former assistants that Georgetown could consider. But I honestly don't know who that might include.
Like many programs, the legacy thing often doesn't work. Might I cite the Packers and to a lesser extent our Warriors as examples. As was duscussed elsewhere, Duke would be advised to cast a wide net.
So, does this mean we're done with the chants?
http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=50877.0 (http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=50877.0)
Quote from: GoldenWarrior11 on April 06, 2016, 02:11:28 PM
I would love a retro-jersey matchup night, where all the Big East teams wear throwback uniforms in their opponents against one another. Perhaps the Bradley could install an old school MECCA floor for the occasion, eh?
(http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m040h2AuuV1qmiggu.jpg)
[/img]
It'll never happen for a variety of reasons (Nike doesn't promote that which it does not control), but here's a road opponent (and jersey) for you:
(http://www.halloffamememorabilia.com/images/products/p-1371357-mike-laughna-basketball-card-georgetown-1991-collegiate-collection-94-aw3-101912.jpg)