Two years later, Big East still looks like a major conference - ESPN Insider

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Article would have been better if he wouldn't have stated that Uconn, Cincy, and South Florida had left the Big East.

Everyone knows that's not what happened.

I think it's more accurate to say they were excommunicated.

[Dawson Rental]

I think it's more accurate to say they were excommunicated.

Nice.

The fate of all who succumb to demon football.

[MU82]

The significance and importance of the C7 withdrawing from the Old Big East could never be emphasized enough.  In a conference that was set to lose Syracuse, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Louisville, West Virginia, and Rutgers, the Catholic 7 schools not only fled the disaster that was joining a league with Tulane, East Carolina, UCF, SMU, Tulsa, Houston and Memphis, but they kept the Big East name (worth so much more than the American Conference) and Madison Square Garden as the location of the tournament.  They added quality and strong basketball-only schools in Butler, Creighton and Xavier (who are all similar institutions in big cities), and got a HUGE TV deal from Fox that spans 12 years (totaling over $500 million). 

The Big East of 2013-present is not as good as the Big East of 2005-2012.  However, with the way the landscape changed, Marquette (and the other C7 schools) made the absolute best of the possible situation.  We should be so thankful that the way things turned out the way that they did.

Bravo!

[The Sultan]

The significance and importance of the C7 withdrawing from the Old Big East could never be emphasized enough.  In a conference that was set to lose Syracuse, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Louisville, West Virginia, and Rutgers, the Catholic 7 schools not only fled the disaster that was joining a league with Tulane, East Carolina, UCF, SMU, Tulsa, Houston and Memphis, but they kept the Big East name (worth so much more than the American Conference) and Madison Square Garden as the location of the tournament.  They added quality and strong basketball-only schools in Butler, Creighton and Xavier (who are all similar institutions in big cities), and got a HUGE TV deal from Fox that spans 12 years (totaling over $500 million). 

The Big East of 2013-present is not as good as the Big East of 2005-2012.  However, with the way the landscape changed, Marquette (and the other C7 schools) made the absolute best of the possible situation.  We should be so thankful that the way things turned out the way that they did.

Your post sums up perfectly why those who complain about the "New" Big East are so misguided.  Some people have revisionist history as if the Catholic 7 were the ones who broke up the conference.  The conference was breaking apart and the Catholic 7 implemented a plan that began with discussions months earlier.  The Fox contract was serendipitous. 

[MarquetteDano]

Given what the C7 were dealt with, definitely made the best of the situation at the time.

In terms of it looking like a major conference it has done pretty well.  I still think if the Big East does not get a team in the Final Four soon we are not going to look very major.  We haven't even got an Elite Eight team since the conference reformed.

I am not saying that is fair or right but at the end of the day you got to get a Final Four team every few years or so otherwise you just look like every other mid major.

[Galway Eagle]

Given what the C7 were dealt with, definitely made the best of the situation at the time.

In terms of it looking like a major conference it has done pretty well.  I still think if the Big East does not get a team in the Final Four soon we are not going to look very major.  We haven't even got an Elite Eight team since the conference reformed.

I am not saying that is fair or right but at the end of the day you got to get a Final Four team every few years or so otherwise you just look like every other mid major.

The Pac12 hasn't had a final four team since UCLA in 2008 and they're still considered a power conference. Sure we haven't had an elite 8 team but outside of Nova last year (who's been consistently choking since their FF run) who did you expect could make it?

[MarquetteDano]

The Pac12 hasn't had a final four team since UCLA in 2008 and they're still considered a power conference. Sure we haven't had an elite 8 team but outside of Nova last year (who's been consistently choking since their FF run) who did you expect could make it?

Not about who we expect to make it.  This is more about perception than fairness or reality.  Arizona has been a contender for years now and have been knocking on the door step of the Final Four. They have been to the Elite Eight three out of the last four years, IIRC.  So that is why the PAC-12 gets a pass.  If the Big East gets any team to the Elite Eight three out of four years that will solidify it as well.

I just really think getting a few teams to the Sweet Sixteen every so often isn't going to do it, despite the RPI or whatever numbers one uses to compare conferences.  Non-believers will believe when we send someone to the Final Four or at least have teams knocking on the door consistently.

[GoldenWarrior11]

I think the most important thing about having success in March for the conference is that you want to have as many teams as possible in the tournament - in order to increase your odds of having one (or multiple) teams having deep runs.  I don't think the conference should rely on a Villanova, a Georgetown, or even a Marquette to depend upon getting into Sweet 16's, Elite 8's or Final Fours.  We should want 5 or even 6 (although I think 6 is unrealistic consistently) teams in every year, because that means the Big East has 5 (or 6) opportunities to make a run (regardless of seeding).  Increasing the teams-in, increases the odds of success.

Thankfully, between Villanova, Georgetown, Xavier, Marquette, Butler, Creighton, Providence, and St. Johns (everyone besides DePaul and Seton Hall), there is a strong history of consistent NCAA Tournament births.  Now, we just need to capitalize on the births and make something of it.

[keefe]

Of course it did, Did UConn, etc. really think that we would have forgotten about LeDaryl Billingsley?

Outstanding!

The final nail in the Mike Deane coffin

[Galway Eagle]

I think the most important thing about having success in March for the conference is that you want to have as many teams as possible in the tournament - in order to increase your odds of having one (or multiple) teams having deep runs.  I don't think the conference should rely on a Villanova, a Georgetown, or even a Marquette to depend upon getting into Sweet 16's, Elite 8's or Final Fours.  We should want 5 or even 6 (although I think 6 is unrealistic consistently) teams in every year, because that means the Big East has 5 (or 6) opportunities to make a run (regardless of seeding).  Increasing the teams-in, increases the odds of success.

Thankfully, between Villanova, Georgetown, Xavier, Marquette, Butler, Creighton, Providence, and St. Johns (everyone besides DePaul and Seton Hall), there is a strong history of consistent NCAA Tournament births.  Now, we just need to capitalize on the births and make something of it.

Providence has a smaller history than you'd think. 17 all time appearances 5 s16 4 e8 2FF.

7 appearances in 26 years. They've capitalized off of te new conference with back to back bids but if argue that's the direct result of us having dropped as far as we did.

[Dawson Rental]

Providence has a smaller history than you'd think. 17 all time appearances 5 s16 4 e8 2FF.

7 appearances in 26 years. They've capitalized off of te new conference with back to back bids but if argue that's the direct result of us having dropped as far as we did.

I think that Providence's hiring of Ed Cooley as their head coach was at least as important, and probably more so.

[77ncaachamps]

Tell me something we don't already know!

[Spotcheck Billy]

Mike Brey has some nice comments about the old BEast in this CBS interview:

CBS Sports: You used to tell me that when you were coaching in the Big East that you would wake up in a cold sweat on Christmas Eve because you knew what was ahead in January and February. How does that compare to the feeling you have now that you're coaching in the ACC?

Brey: I still have that cold sweat. There's no question about it. I really feel this coming season that the ACC has the feel of the Big East I left when we were getting eight or nine bids. I didn't feel that my first two years in the league and it was maybe the right feeling because we only had six bids. I actually looked up and down the standings and now we have a good feel of the league because we've been through it twice and we've played in everybody's arena.

I actually feel it has that kind of old Big East depth that we left a couple of years ago. I'm just looking at it and wondering how do we survive? You're looking at your home schedule. You're looking at your away games in January and how you finish in February. You're thinking about how you can steal a bid. It sure would be nice if we get this thing to eight bids this year in this league.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/25301561/qa-notre-dames-mike-brey-on-acc-elite-eight