Tulane to the Big East

[Pakuni]

It means Goodbye.

Good God people, chill out.

Marquette made the Final Four and landed great players as a member of C-USA.
As did Lousiville and Memphis.
Butler went to two Final Fours as a member of the Horizon League.
Gonzaga has been a consistent top 20 team as a member of the WCC.
Same with Xavier in the A-10.

Joining a hoops-centric league with the like of G'town, St. John's, DePaul, Nova, Temple, etc., (and maybe the best of the A-10) is far from ideal and definitely a step back, but it's not the ruination of Marquette basketball.

[honkytonk]

But unless other hoops schools like Villanova, Georgetown, and St Johns are willing to move, what can MU do? It's hard to get a TV contract for a one-team league.

MU can't go it alone. Unfortunately, MU's future is tied to other schools.

It's all about re-adjusting expectations. MU no longer plays in the top hoops conference in America. We, as alums and fans, need to accept this. We may also need to get used to smaller crowds, less media attention, and fewer top recruits.  

Marquette - the investment is there
Georgetown - founding BE member with storied history
SJU - TBD. Lavin is a decent hire and I think they will be the new "Team Bubble Team" for awhile
Prov - Cooley seems pretty good. Their recruits are high risk, high reward types (Ledo). Upside is bubble, I think.
Nova - Wright has been down recently, but the programs history is great.
SHU - Not a fan. The university is struggling. They were warned by the BE a few years ago with regard to their investment in athletics. They need to step up.
Houston - Meh. Not a buyer.
SMU - Will Larry Brown still be coaching when next year's freshmen are seniors? No chance. He'll be 106 by then.
Memphis - solid top 25 team
DePaul - potential. That word is getting old.
USF - pretty much a football school but could build to become a perennial bubble team.
UCF - I THINK the resources are there for them to take a step up
Temple - Can Temple and Nova co-exist? Both programs recruit Philly heavily. It might be a case of one or the other in any given year.
Tulane - barf


Im expecting UL, UC and UConn to leave.

[MU82]

Good God people, chill out.

Marquette made the Final Four and landed great players as a member of C-USA.
As did Lousiville and Memphis.
Butler went to two Final Fours as a member of the Horizon League.
Gonzaga has been a consistent top 20 team as a member of the WCC.
Same with Xavier in the A-10.

Joining a hoops-centric league with the like of G'town, St. John's, DePaul, Nova, Temple, etc., (and maybe the best of the A-10) is far from ideal and definitely a step back, but it's not the ruination of Marquette basketball.

Thanks for saying this before I could, Pakuni.

Shouldn't we at least see where the ledge ends up being before climbing on it for that last fatal leap?

[ATWizJr]

Good God people, chill out.

Marquette made the Final Four and landed great players as a member of C-USA.
As did Lousiville and Memphis.
Butler went to two Final Fours as a member of the Horizon League.
Gonzaga has been a consistent top 20 team as a member of the WCC.
Same with Xavier in the A-10.

Joining a hoops-centric league with the like of G'town, St. John's, DePaul, Nova, Temple, etc., (and maybe the best of the A-10) is far from ideal and definitely a step back, but it's not the ruination of Marquette basketball.

those days are gone. our best chances to remain relevant are to start a BB only conference or beg one of the power conferences to take us w/o football.

[Goose]

Madtown

Maybe LW and BOT are doing something by not doing anything. On the surface it does not appear that we are taking aggressive path on where we end up. I am not jumping to conclusions yet because I want to see how things fall out. That said, we have not seen or heard much that would give me a great deal of confidence that we remain in a great basketball conference.

[RJax55]

I know, it sucks. But I'm simply being realistic. For about eight years, MU got to sit at the adult's table in the dining room. Now, it's back to the kiddie table in the kitchen.

I don't understand all the doom and gloom. They are enough basketball-only schools that play at a high caliber to put together a strong 12 team conference. Will it be the old Big East, no, but it can be a conference that has quality teams that receives (4-6) NCAA bids a year. The key IMO is to finally make the break with the football schools.

[Lennys Tap]

So Buzz will be gone and our team will consist of 3.8 GPA traditionals from Appleton Xavier and Loyola Academy who think Carpenter Hall is the nuts. Hiroshima, Part II.

[Pakuni]

Madtown

Maybe LW and BOT are doing something by not doing anything. On the surface it does not appear that we are taking aggressive path on where we end up. I am not jumping to conclusions yet because I want to see how things fall out. That said, we have not seen or heard much that would give me a great deal of confidence that we remain in a great basketball conference.

When did you hear about Rutgers and Maryland leaving for the Big 10?
Pitt and Syracuse leaving for the ACC?
Tulane and ECU heading to the Big East?
All less then 48 before the official announcement, right? And in most cases, less than 24 hours.
Don't assume that just because you and your vast array of sources don't know anything "on the surface" that nothing is happening.

Though it's good to see that we're finally finding a way to pin this on LW and Pilarz.

[AirPunches]

The basketball only conference wouldn't be a huge step back if MU can get creative with non-con scheduling. Unfortunately, it's looking like less and less of a possibility. Although, If/when uconn, ul, cincy leave then we will know our chances of splitting from those god forsaken programs that we were all happy to part with years ago. The basketball schools have to wait till that happens first to do anything. If they leave and the basketball schools don't split then I would worry. I still believe that Buzz could recruit at the highest level in a basketball only league.

[madtownwarrior]

On the surface it does not appear that we are taking aggressive path on where we end up.


Does any one have any knowledge or expect to have any knowledge of what MU or Larry is doing?  Likely not until the steps are taken - quite precarious to balance staying in the Big East while potentially trying to form a new conference with financial ramifications at stake.

But that wont stop the message board crowds from demanding MU does something proactive now and inform all of us of it...

Madtown

Maybe LW and BOT are doing something by not doing anything. On the surface it does not appear that we are taking aggressive path on where we end up. I am not jumping to conclusions yet because I want to see how things fall out. That said, we have not seen or heard much that would give me a great deal of confidence that we remain in a great basketball conference.

[Goose]

Pakuni

I agree that much can be going on behind the scenes. However, I highly doubt the other schools leaving happening overnight. Those deals and buyouts took time to be decided. Find it troubling that no one on here or anyone I know have had any info to share on this topic. Hopefully a ton is being done behind the scenes and everyone involved is being more tight lipped than ever. That is why I am not ready to give up hope. I do think the possibility that we are sitting on our hands at least can be discussed.

[Niv Berkowitz]

Good God people, chill out.

Marquette made the Final Four and landed great players as a member of C-USA.
As did Lousiville and Memphis.

Who was the coach at Louisville and Memphis? Were those players there because of the affiliation w/the conference, or was it because of the coach and his legendary status? If so, how does MU get to that point? I'm not sure Buzz is that guy, nor do I think he'll stay to become that guy.

[Lennys Tap]

Marquette made the Final Four and landed great players as a member of C-USA.

Without a once in a lifetime prop 48 (who we couldn't take now), the best MU could do in Conference USA was 8-8 and the NIT. Buzz has the program in great shape and we could sustain excellence if he stays. If not, a significant decline is likely - hell, nearly inevitable.

[honkytonk]

The basketball only conference wouldn't be a huge step back if MU can get creative with non-con scheduling.

Totally agree. The problem, though, is the loss of leverage we have to sign 1 and 1 games with high majors. There certainly will be programs that want 1 and 1's but they wont be the top tier teams. Those programs would want 2:1. We lose revenue that way...and probably earn more losses. Its a tight-rope walk.

[Niv Berkowitz]

Side note - I'm not giving up hope and I think a hoops-only power conference the likes of which are being touted here does sound great.

Just right now...I'm still not seeing it happening. I'm seeing us holding our jock while the music stops playing and everyone else has found a chair.

[Niv Berkowitz]

Totally agree. The problem, though, is the loss of leverage we have to sign 1 and 1 games with high majors. There certainly will be programs that want 1 and 1's but they wont be the top tier teams. Those programs would want 2:1. We lose revenue that way...and probably earn more losses. Its a tight-rope walk.

Non Conf scheduling takes a back-seat if you have a really quality conference. For years MU has gone on and survived by playing UW home every-other-year and usually one semi-decent BCS program at home. The rest is filler or off-campus tournaments. Get a good conference first...then worry about filling an additional 6-8 games a year. You did it before, I'm sure you can do it again.

You do realize we played UMBC last night, right?

[Pakuni]

Without a once in a lifetime prop 48 (who we couldn't take now), the best MU could do in Conference USA was 8-8 and the NIT. Buzz has the program in great shape and we could sustain excellence if he stays. If not, a significant decline is likely - hell, nearly inevitable.

So,  the 95-96 and 96-97 teams that did considerably better than 8-8 in C-USA and went to the tournament didn't really exist?
The "MU will die if Buzz leaves" thing is nonsense and has been demonstrated already. MU has lost good coaches before and gone on to continued success. Should the school remain committed to it and make good decisions, MU will continue to have success if/when Buzz leaves.
Chicken Little-ism run amok today.

[Benny B]

Good God people, chill out.

Marquette made the Final Four and landed great players as a member of C-USA.
As did Lousiville and Memphis.
Butler went to two Final Fours as a member of the Horizon League.
Gonzaga has been a consistent top 20 team as a member of the WCC.
Same with Xavier in the A-10.

Joining a hoops-centric league with the like of G'town, St. John's, DePaul, Nova, Temple, etc., (and maybe the best of the A-10) is far from ideal and definitely a step back, but it's not the ruination of Marquette basketball.

Exactly.

Consider - for a moment - a 13-team conference consisting of GTown, Nova, MU, SJU, Temple, DePaul, Butler, Xavier, Creighton & Wichita State (and probably SHU, Providence, maybe Davidson?)

Coverage in 4 of the 10 largest TV markets in the country
Total coverage of 21,750,000 TV households
Total enrollment 175,000 students
Average endowment of $350M, total endowment of $4.6B
Combined 259 NCAA tournament bids (average of 20 bids/school)

Interestingly... MU would have the fourth highest endowment in that group --- behind GTown, DePaul, and Davidson (mmmm.... tobacco money).


Something tells me MU is going to be juuuuuust fine.

[RJax55]

Side note - I'm not giving up hope and I think a hoops-only power conference the likes of which are being touted here does sound great.

Just right now...I'm still not seeing it happening. I'm seeing us holding our jock while the music stops playing and everyone else has found a chair.

Honestly, if something was happening, I doubt anyone would know. But, I do share your concern. My fear is that MU and the other bb schools will sit quietly as long as Cincy, UL and UConn remain in the conference.

The problem with that is those schools will bolt in one second, if they get another conference offer. You can't place your future in hands of such unreliable partners.

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

 those days are gone. our best chances to remain relevant are to start a BB only conference or beg one of the power conferences to take us w/o football.

Gotta be this one.  Big Ten is out, UW will never let it happen.  ACC is out, they will go w Gtown and STJ before MU.    Let's go hat in hand to the Big 12 and offer them them Cobeen's finest virgins.   Would make Buzz's recruiting of Texas that much easier.  

[madtownwarrior]

It is what it is:

1)  MU is a medium-sized private university without a football team.
2)  The Big East is no longer a premiere Basketball league.
3)  MU options are severely limited by the above to call their own shots to be in the optimal position for MU.

So what will MU do in response:
1)  Sit tight in a weakened Big East
2)  Join a new basketball-only league
3)  Jump to a lesser conference (A-10)
4)  Eventually get invited to a major conference as a basketball only school


Who knows?  But what can we do about it?  I am shocked at the folks that think MU would just sit around and make no plans.

In the end it will likely be a lesser conference than the Big East the past few years.

1)  Will it impact Buzz?  who knows?  
2)  Will it be less exciting? -  somehow the fans of Butler and Gonzaga had had a lot of thrills lately (more so than MU in the Big East).
3)  Will the whining about it ever stop?  unlikely...

[honkytonk]

Non Conf scheduling takes a back-seat if you have a really quality conference. For years MU has gone on and survived by playing UW home every-other-year and usually one semi-decent BCS program at home. The rest is filler or off-campus tournaments. Get a good conference first...then worry about filling an additional 6-8 games a year. You did it before, I'm sure you can do it again.

You do realize we played UMBC last night, right?

Yes, I knw very well we played UMBC last night. And that is a luxury right now because the conference schedule is a 'cure-all' formula. No Pitt, WVU, Syr, ND (and prob UConn, UC and UL). UMBC prob wouldnt be on the schedule then. We would have to schedule a grade higher. Looking at KenPom, a program like Tulane (#132) would be WAY better. Oh wait....

[Niv Berkowitz]

Exactly.

Consider - for a moment - a 13-team conference consisting of GTown, Nova, MU, SJU, Temple, DePaul, Butler, Xavier, Creighton & Wichita State (and probably SHU, Providence, maybe Davidson?)

Coverage in 4 of the 10 largest TV markets in the country
Total coverage of 21,750,000 TV households
Total enrollment 175,000 students
Average endowment of $350M, total endowment of $4.6B
Combined 259 NCAA tournament bids (average of 20 bids/school)

Interestingly... MU would have the fourth highest endowment in that group --- behind GTown, DePaul, and Davidson (mmmm.... tobacco money).


Something tells me MU is going to be juuuuuust fine.

This article was started...I believe...based on how awful the Big East NOW has become. I don't think all of comments here are based on that fictitious super-conf you are talking about. If that happened, I think people would be satisfied/happy. What they don't like - myself included - is what we have before us.

[wiscwarrior]

Good God people, chill out.

Marquette made the Final Four and landed great players as a member of C-USA.
As did Lousiville and Memphis.
Butler went to two Final Fours as a member of the Horizon League.
Gonzaga has been a consistent top 20 team as a member of the WCC.
Same with Xavier in the A-10.

Joining a hoops-centric league with the like of G'town, St. John's, DePaul, Nova, Temple, etc., (and maybe the best of the A-10) is far from ideal and definitely a step back, but it's not the ruination of Marquette basketball.

+1,000

[Niv Berkowitz]

2)  Will it be less exciting? -  somehow the fans of Butler and Gonzaga had had a lot of thrills lately (more so than MU in the Big East).
3)  Will the whining about it ever stop?  unlikely...

If Gonzaga or Butler fans went from having a taste of the likes of UWM and Portland year after year, and were then treated to a feasting of say, USC, Cal, Arizona and/or Indiana, MSU and Illinois, do you think they'd want to go back to the prior?

You've been to the BC. Compare the BC in the BEast to the BC vs. CUSA save one, two games a year. No comparison. If MU had a 12,000 seat arena, it wouldn't matter cuz it'd always be loud/fun. But that's a post/story for another time.