Big East or Midwest Catholic Conference

[dennycrane]

Was reading that Majerus expects the Big East to split up. He is hoping to position SLU to join a new conference made up of some of the western most BE schools and some A-10 schools.

Marq
ND
Depaul
Dayton
SLU
Xavier
?????

[Mods, Delete me please. 8/26/2020]

I chose big east, but if there was going to be a catholic conference i would prefer to be in one with some of the east catholic schools like gtown and nova as opposed to schools like SLU. 

[reinko]

I chose big east, but if there was going to be a catholic conference i would prefer to be in one with some of the east catholic schools like gtown and nova as opposed to schools like SLU. 

Agreed. Stay in the BE.  This vote shouldn't even be close.

[THEGYMBAR]

Is this a joke? I love Rick, but just because he is stuck at SLU doesn't mean we have to suffer. If that happened it would be a sad, sad day. MU must fight to stay in the BE at all cost or we can move the men's games to The AL.

[Pakuni]

Was reading that Majerus expects the Big East to split up. He is hoping to position SLU to join a new conference made up of some of the western most BE schools and some A-10 schools.

Marq
ND
Depaul
Dayton
SLU
Xavier
?????

Well, certainly The Rick wouldn't have any ulterior motive in advancing the notion of a Big East breakup, would he? 

[mu_hilltopper]

It's tough to vote for anything but the BE right now, as we're competitive.   If that were to change, and we were fighting in the bottom of the BE year after year ...

[4everwarriors]

Are you looking to take 2 steps back? It took umteen years to get committed enough to get our heines into an elite conference. Now, just stay put and pee with the big boys.
As for Ricky, have another pizza and a Bud pitcher and enjoy your wannabe A-10 school.

[79Warrior]

Rick is trying to get SLU upgraded.

ND will absolutely NOT join such a conference.

[Pardner]

If Rick was still at Ball U he would want us to join the Great 4 State.  When St. Louis and Indy can match the ESPN TV dollars that NY, DC, and Philly (Non DIV I fb schools) do, please come see us.  

[IAmMarquette]

Stay in the Big East. Always and forever. If nothing else, maybe the ACC or SEC.

[tower912]

The BEast is where we belong.   HOWEVER, hypothetically, if the football schools in the BEast decide to boot the basketball only schools, I would take the formation of the Catholic Schools basketball league, understanding it would take years to get an automatic bid.    MU, G'town, SJU, SHU, Xavier, Dayton, Depaul, ND, SLU would be a nice starting point.

[🏀]

The BEast is where we belong.   HOWEVER, hypothetically, if the football schools in the BEast decide to boot the basketball only schools, I would take the formation of the Catholic Schools basketball league, understanding it would take years to get an automatic bid.    MU, G'town, SJU, SHU, Xavier, Dayton, Depaul, ND, SLU would be a nice starting point.

+1.

One day the BE will fall. It worries me about the fallout. A catholic conference would be a cool idea, but the automatic bid will scare a lot of schools away I think., I don't think anyone will be ready to go against the NCAA on that issue.

However, it would leave us and the others without a conference to go to. I'd imagine ND would look for a larger conference to join with all their sports.

[IAmMarquette]

I guess I don't understand why so many feel the BE will eventually collapse. I also don't believe ND football will ever be affiliated. If BE basketball can remain anywhere near as competitive as it currently is, there is no reason (that I can see) the conference should fail. Granted, I understand nothing as it relates to running a successful college athletics conference.

[chapman]

I would rather be in the Big Ten than in that conference.  Or even the old CUSA.  It's a no brainer to want to be in the best conference in the country over an average mid-major.  Some people would actually prefer a half-full BC, never being on TV, not getting as good of recruits, and losing national exposure, prestige, and a good chunk of change?  And for what, to save on the fuel that's used traveling to Madison Square Garden for a huge conference tournament?

[77ncaachamps]

Just thinking of changing conferences makes me shudder.

My freshman year it was the Great Midwest.
My junior year it was the Conference USA.
Three years ago it was the Big East.

Ugh.

[dennycrane]

Well, certainly The Rick wouldn't have any ulterior motive in advancing the notion of a Big East breakup, would he? 

I assume Majerus knows more than anyone on this board. Majerus has no control over the BE. What is his ulterior motive?

[bilsu]

If the Big East splits, it will be because of football. We will not have a choice in the matter. I think if you have five teams from the old conference you do not have to wait for an automatic bid. the automatic bid only matters, if you do not have a good enough team to get an at large bid. Notre Dame is the only team that could join the Big Ten. Without football MU will always be a mid-major team.

[dennycrane]

The BEast is where we belong.   HOWEVER, hypothetically, if the football schools in the BEast decide to boot the basketball only schools, I would take the formation of the Catholic Schools basketball league, understanding it would take years to get an automatic bid.    MU, G'town, SJU, SHU, Xavier, Dayton, Depaul, ND, SLU would be a nice starting point.

Other BE non football schools (as you point out ) would be possible additions to a new league. That would keep TV markets in NY, Chi and Wash. It would add a major market in St. Louis. A couple of smaller markets in Ohio.

The BE has some problems. It is too large. There is no true conference champion.

[Pakuni]

I assume Majerus knows more than anyone on this board. Majerus has no control over the BE. What is his ulterior motive?

A conference with Notre Dame, Marquette and DePaul would be far more beneficial to St. Louis (and thereby Rick) than one with Duquesne, Richmond and St. Bonaventure, I would think.

[jce]

I guess I don't understand why so many feel the BE will eventually collapse. I also don't believe ND football will ever be affiliated. If BE basketball can remain anywhere near as competitive as it currently is, there is no reason (that I can see) the conference should fail. Granted, I understand nothing as it relates to running a successful college athletics conference.

The driving force is football.  The BE is a small, unbalanced football conference with each team getting only seven conference games a year, which automatically puts half of the conference at a disadvantage.  (Less conference home games.)  Furthermore, programs are having a tough time finding five non-conference opponents per year.  There has been some open lobbying among the football coaches to add a ninth member - say East Carolina or Memphis - to at least even up the home v. away advantage.

The conference has explored adding Army and Navy as somewhat associate members - both would play four BE opponents and these games would count in the conference standings.  I am not sure if they ever came to agreement on that.  But even if they did, I doubt it is sustainable.

But football makes much more money for the conference than basketball does.  If the football schools could significantly increase their revenue by adding four members and creating a championship game, they would do it in a second.  The problem is that the revenue increase that would bring wouldn't make up for dividing the football pie up twelve ways instead of eight.

[dennycrane]

A conference with Notre Dame, Marquette and DePaul would be far more beneficial to St. Louis (and thereby Rick) than one with Duquesne, Richmond and St. Bonaventure, I would think.

I am sure it is. He has no control over what the BE does. I don't see his motive in expressing his opinion that the BE will eventually break up.

[Kramerica]

As far as the automatic bid is concerned, didn't the Mountain West get an automatic bid right away when it split from the WAC?

Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing Marquette in a conference with the non-football BE schools and a couple of the better programs from the A-10.  If we had a conference of G'town, Nova, Marq, SHU, SJU, DePaul, ND, Providence, St. Joes, Xavier, Dayton and SLU (I'm including them since I live in St. Louis and want to get a Marquette game back here every year), that would be a pretty solid conference, one that would average about 4-6 bids a year. 

Now, I'm not saying that I want out of the Big East, but if the conference were to force a split over football, a conference like this wouldn't be the end of the world. 

[MarkMiller]

If -- and it's a huge if -- the Big East were to break up as Majerus believes, it will be divided by football, leaving Marquette in a league with ...

Villanova, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Seton Hall, Providence, St. John's and De Paul. That's a good eight-team league. Add Xavier and Dayton to make it 10 or even St. Louis and perhaps St. Joseph for 12. That's a strong basketball conference.

Could happen, but probably not for a while if at all.

[jce]

As far as the automatic bid is concerned, didn't the Mountain West get an automatic bid right away when it split from the WAC?

Yes, and that is what created the dreaded "play-in game."  The Mountain West got an automatic bid, which forced two low level conference champions to play in a crappy game in Dayton because God forbid the team that finished 7th in the SEC gets booted from their rightful place in the tournament.

[OneMadWarrior]

I agree, this is a stupid poll the answer is obvious. However, when (not if) the Big East Football Schools Leave, IT is Likely that you wil see a Catholic Basketball Conference in the Vein of the A-10.
Remaining
Georgetown
Marquette
Villanova
DePaul
Providence
Seton Hall
St John's
Added
Xavier (OH)
St. Joseph's
St. Louis
Creighton
Dayton