If the Catholic 7 breaks from the Big East, who should be invited to join?

[Pakuni]

What about Wichita St? If Gonzaga is on this, Wichita St should be too.

Why?
Wichita St. doesn't really fit the profile.

[brewcity77]

What about Wichita St? If Gonzaga is on this, Wichita St should be too.

Not sold on WSU. They wouldn't be a bad call necessarily, but 2 NCAA appearances in the past 24 years doesn't fill me with much confidence. They already lost one coach not too long ago and Marshall is rumored with big jobs every year, seems like a matter of time before he's gone. I'd sooner have St. Mary's, who has 6 NCAA appearances in that same span and Randy Bennett seems to have a stronger commitment there, having been at SMC for 10 years. They'd probably need to upgrade from McKeon Pavilion, but they are closer and have more of a natural connection with Gonzaga while also getting into a much bigger market of San Fran.

[chapman]

What about Wichita St? If Gonzaga is on this, Wichita St should be too.

They might fit in a 14-16 team model, but I don't think the 10-12 we're hearing about.  I'd think if the conference goes to the VA market, and if they decide they must have VCU over Richmond, then Wichita State comes into play as another public school in another market and a travel partner for SLU.

[Lennys Tap]

To put it another way: The Zags have a tough non-conf. out of necessity. I hope they don't change that because now they will have 4-5 conference losses.

If 16-2 in their old conference translates to 13-5, 12-6, 11-7 or worse in a new conference they would be foolish not to go to a slightly easier non conference schedule.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

If 16-2 in their old conference translates to 13-5, 12-6, 11-7 or worse in a new conference they would be foolish not to go to a slightly easier non conference schedule.

Yea, but that's what I'm worried about.

I don't want to to be a race to the bottom where everybody is trying to build their non-conf. record up before they play in this league.

Gonzaga is a bit of an extreme example, but IMO, to keep the conference profile high, these schools have to aggressively go out and schedule games against BCS schools and be on TV as much as possible.

To put it another way: There are years when the A10 is a pretty good conference, but you still don't hear much about it. This league has to do everything in it's power to keep the profile up.

-Schedule big games
-Premium conf. tournament location
-Good TV package, maybe even something progressive/cutting edge with internet viewing
-Maybe some PR stunts/events that other conf. aren't willing to do
etc.

Publicity and profile, especially in the next 3-5 years is VERY important.

[Tommy Brice for Coach]

Yea, but that's what I'm worried about.

I don't want to to be a race to the bottom where everybody is trying to build their non-conf. record up before they play in this league.

Gonzaga is a bit of an extreme example, but IMO, to keep the conference profile high, these schools have to aggressively go out and schedule games against BCS schools and be on TV as much as possible.

To put it another way: There are years when the A10 is a pretty good conference, but you still don't hear much about it. This league has to do everything in it's power to keep the profile up.

-Schedule big games
-Premium conf. tournament location
-Good TV package, maybe even something progressive/cutting edge with internet viewing
-Maybe some PR stunts/events that other conf. aren't willing to do
etc.

Publicity and profile, especially in the next 3-5 years is VERY important.

I am all about internet viewing. If the C7 conference is willing to let me pay $10/15/20 a month to watch all of the games (or even just MU games) on my iPad/XBox/Ps3/Roku/etc that would be awesome - I would cancel my cable instantly.

[Blackhat]

Picked Butler, Xavier, St. Louis, Gonzaga and Creighton.
Actually like VCU over St. Louis, but the latter provides a bit more of a geographical balance and puts the conference in another large market.

From there, I'd set two divisions, with home-and-home games against division rivals and one game against each member of the other division, for 16 conference games in all. Or could create a rotating system with home-and-homes with other division opponents once every three years for an 18-game schedule.

East
Georgetown
Villanova
St. John's
Providence
Seton Hall
Xavier

West
Marquette
DePaul
Butler
St. Louis
Creighton
Gonzaga

Yeah, Big East East and Big East West sound silly (and could be improved upon), but at least it's not Legends and Leaders.

Like this order that you came up with except replace St. Louis with St. Mary's which would allow two west coast trips and get teams into Caly for recruiting.

[Norm]

Here's how I would create a new league (or somehow keep Big East name with MSG as tournament):

Core 7 members:

Marquette
Found in 1881. Jesuit. Undergraduate enrollment of 8,387. $401 million endowment. Milwaukee media market (#34). Bradley Center capacity of 18,850, average attendance 15,183 (#13). 30 NCAA tournament bids, 1 NCAA championship (1977), 3 Final Fours (last in 2003).

Georgetown
Found in 1789. Jesuit. Undergraduate enrollment of 7,590. $1.16 billion endowment. Washington, DC media market (#8). Verizon Center capacity of 20,035, average attendance 11,283 (#35). 28 NCAA tournament bids, 1 NCAA championship, 5 Final Fours (last in 2007).

Villanova
Found in 1842. St. Augustine. Undergraduate enrollment of 6,394. $370 million endowment. Philadelphia media market (#4). Wells Fargo Center/Pavillion capacity of 20,038/6,500, average attendance 8,923 (#44). 31 NCAA tournament bids, 1 NCAA championship (1985), 3 Final Fours (last in 2009).

St. John's
Found in 1870. Vincentian. Undergrduate enrollment of 15,720. $267 million endowment. New York media market (#1). Madison Square Garden/Carnesecca Arena capacity of 19,979/5,602, average attendance 8,428 (#54). 27 NCAA tournament bids, 2 Final Fours (last in 1985).

Providence
Founded in 1917. Dominican. Undergraduate enrollment of 3,852. $164 million endowment. Providence media market (#53). Dunkin' Donuts Center capacity of 12,400, average attendance 7,883 (#63). 15 NCAA tournament bids, 2 Final Fours (last in 1987).

Seton Hall
Found in 1856. Diocesan. Undergraduate enrollment of 5,245. $203 million endowment. South Orange/NYC media market (#1). Prudential Center capacity of 18,711, average attendance 6,941 (#76). 9 NCAA tournament bids, 1 Final Four (1989).

DePaul
Found in 1898. Vincentian. Undergraduate enrollment of 16,384. $414 million endowment. Chicago media market (#3). AllState Arena capacity of 17,500, average attendance 7,740 (#67). 18 NCAA tournament bids, 2 Final Fours (last in 1979).


If I were to add three teams to make it a 10-team league, here would be my first three choices:

Xavier
Found in 1831. Jesuit. Undergraduate enrollment of 4,540. $117 million endowment. Cincinnati media market (#35). Cintas Center capacity of 10,250, average attendance 10,155 (#39). 23 NCAA tournament bids, no Final Fours.

Butler
Found in 1855. Private. Undergraduate enrollment of 4,034. $155 million endowment. Indianapolis media market (#26). Hinkle Fieldhouse capacity of 10,000, average attendance 6,599 (#78). 11 NCAA tournament bids, 2 Final Fours (last in 2011).

Creighton
Found in 1878. Jesuit. Undergraduate enrollment of 4,153. $375 million endowment. Omaha media market (#75). CenturyLink Center capacity of 17,260, average attendance 16,665 (#6). 17 NCAA tournament bids, no Final Fours.


Going to a 12-team league, I'd invite the next two schools:

St. Louis
Found in 1818. Jesuit. Undergraduate enrollment of 8,406. $880 million endowment. St. Louis media market (#21). Chaifetz Arena capacity of 10,600, average attendance 7,757 (#66). 7 NCAA tournament bids, no Final Fours.

Dayton
Found in 1850. Marianist. Undergraduate enrollment of 6,925. $598 million endowment. Dayton media market (#63). Dayton Arena capacity of 13,435, average attendance 12,154 (#28). 14 NCAA tournament bids, 1 Final Four (1967).


Going up to a 14-team league (or beyond), I'd choose from these schools to capture media markets and help with good recruiting states:

Detroit
Found in 1877. Jesuit. Undergraduate enrollment of 2,971. $26 million endowment. Detroit media market (#11). Calihan Hall capacity of 8,295, average attendance 2,722 (not ranked). 6 NCAA tournament bids, no Final Fours.

Duquesne
Found in 1878. Spitrtan Fathers. Undergraduate enrollment of 5,858. $171 million endowment. Pittsburgh media market (#23). AJ Plaumbo Center capacity of 4,406, average attendance 3,204 (not ranked). 5 NCAA tournament bids, 1 Final Four (1940).

VCU
Found in 1838. Public. Undergraduate enrollment of 23,754. $350 million endowment. Richmond media market #57. Stuart C. Siegel Center capacity of 7,617, average attendance 7,622 (#70). 11 NCAA tournament bids, 1 Final Four (2011).

Richmond
Found in 1830. Private. Undergraduate enrollment of 2,767. $1.9 billion endowment. Richmond media market (#57). Robins Center capacity of 9,171, average attendance 5,660 (#93). 9 NCAA tournament bids, no Final Fours.

[🏀]

I want nothing to do with the last 4 teams you listed, Norm.

[TJ]

I want nothing to do with the last 4 teams you listed, Norm.

Agreed

[Pakuni]

I want nothing to do with the last 4 teams you listed, Norm.

I could live with VCU and Richmond.
I'd run far, far, far away from Duquesne and Detroit.

And still would much rather have Gonzaga over Dayton or St. Louis.

[MUWarrior4Life]

Picked Butler, Xavier, St. Louis, Gonzaga and Creighton.
Actually like VCU over St. Louis, but the latter provides a bit more of a geographical balance and puts the conference in another large market.

From there, I'd set two divisions, with home-and-home games against division rivals and one game against each member of the other division, for 16 conference games in all. Or could create a rotating system with home-and-homes with other division opponents once every three years for an 18-game schedule.

East
Georgetown
Villanova
St. John's
Providence
Seton Hall
Xavier

West
Marquette
DePaul
Butler
St. Louis
Creighton
Gonzaga

Yeah, Big East East and Big East West sound silly (and could be improved upon), but at least it's not Legends and Leaders.

I like this PTM

[Galway Eagle]

St Mary's should only be invited if they are seriously considering Gonzaga.  Also why is nobody considering Belmont? They're traditionally really good and fit in the geography plus I'm sure they be desperate to get into this league

[Norm]

I want nothing to do with the last 4 teams you listed, Norm.

Well, those were just teams I threw out there if they wanted to go to 14 teams. I only included Detroit and Duquesne because of the cities they are in and the media markets that might help in any tv package. Michigan and Pennsylvania also have large numbers of talented prepsters to recruit from as well.

[AirPunches]

I like this PTM

I would switch MU and Xavier if at all possible. MU should lobby hard to be a part of the East.

[brewcity77]

St Mary's should only be invited if they are seriously considering Gonzaga.  Also why is nobody considering Belmont? They're traditionally really good and fit in the geography plus I'm sure they be desperate to get into this league

Belmont has been decent of late, but they have 5 total NCAA appearances, all in the past 7 years. There isn't much tradition there. They have never won a NCAA game. Their arena is only 11 years old and seats 5,000. Not exactly making a "ready for big-time" statement. They simply aren't trying to compete on this level.

One more reason to invite UConn, Cincy, and USF. If we keep them around, it seems they'd be less likely to sue. If they're still part of this new puzzle, it makes more sense to take what money they can still salvage while parking football than tying us up with messy litigation.

[TJ]

I would switch MU and Xavier if at all possible. MU should lobby hard to be a part of the East.

Why not just create a "good teams division" and a "bad teams division"?

[lurch91]

Wait, is ND possibly interested?  Why would they leave the acc for this. If they are leaving the acc they would go to the big 10

ACC is quickly becoming a bastard of the ACC/Big East.  If the SEC grabs FSU and B1G grabs UNC, Notre Dame is stuck playing 5 games a year against teams that it just tried to avoid in Pitt, Cuse, Louisville.  Add in Duke, BC and Wake Forest - those teams wont do ANYTHING for ND football RPI.  So, by going C-7, their football would be truly independent and they would have the stability of the C-7 in making the other sports successful.

[Hards Alumni]

Why not just create a "good teams division" and a "bad teams division"?

http://instantrimshot.com/

[Aughnanure]

They might fit in a 14-16 team model, but I don't think the 10-12 we're hearing about.  I'd think if the conference goes to the VA market, and if they decide they must have VCU over Richmond, then Wichita State comes into play as another public school in another market and a travel partner for SLU.

I meant just part of the poll. If we stretch this league to Gonzaga, I think Wichita St and Creighton (who both sell-out their arenas and rank in the top 25 for attendance every yr) must be a part of it. I'd like Gonzaga if we go to 16.

[Aughnanure]

Not sold on WSU. They wouldn't be a bad call necessarily, but 2 NCAA appearances in the past 24 years doesn't fill me with much confidence. They already lost one coach not too long ago and Marshall is rumored with big jobs every year, seems like a matter of time before he's gone. I'd sooner have St. Mary's, who has 6 NCAA appearances in that same span and Randy Bennett seems to have a stronger commitment there, having been at SMC for 10 years. They'd probably need to upgrade from McKeon Pavilion, but they are closer and have more of a natural connection with Gonzaga while also getting into a much bigger market of San Fran.

What school would we be adding that you couldn't say that about?

I don't like St. Mary's at all. Super small, never heard a good thing about their campus and rely heavily on Australian players. I'd take San Fran though, good school, much larger, great overall athletic department, jesuit and much better history.

[Aughnanure]

Like this order that you came up with except replace St. Louis with St. Mary's which would allow two west coast trips and get teams into Caly for recruiting.

No.

[TJ]

ACC is quickly becoming a bastard of the ACC/Big East.  If the SEC grabs FSU and B1G grabs UNC, Notre Dame is stuck playing 5 games a year against teams that it just tried to avoid in Pitt, Cuse, Louisville.  Add in Duke, BC and Wake Forest - those teams wont do ANYTHING for ND football RPI.  So, by going C-7, their football would be truly independent and they would have the stability of the C-7 in making the other sports successful.

ND LOVES playing Boston College.  They get their jollies off of it.  And don't be so sure they don't want to play Pitt either.

ND went to the ACC because they wanted to remain a part of the increasingly prearranged bowl situation.  They will be slotted into the ACC standings and granted the Bowl invitation normally given to whichever place they fall into.  They could see that the Bowls were increasingly being closed off to them by contracts with the various contracts and didn't want to be left out.

[JD]

Ummm, why not just join the A-10 with that list Norm??  No way do you go to those last 4 teams. I'd switch VCU and Dayton around though.  Not sure what the hard on for Dayton is anyway?

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Notre Dame is not leaving the ACC.

But...

They should/will have a standing invitation if something goes haywire over the next handful of years.

1 phone call, and the C7 conference would take them.