Sporting News about BEast expansion....and Crean praise

[tower912]

http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2013-10-31/big-east-expansion-candidates-tom-crean-indiana-basketball-marshall-henderson?eadid=EL/SICOM

Something to tick off everybody, I guess.      In DeCourcy's opinion, 1. St. Louis   2.   Richmond   3.   Dayton    4.  VCU   5. Gonzaga...if they move their campus to Cleveland.

Thinks Crean deserves huzzah's for IU's rapid re-rise.  

[Brewtown Andy]

For the record, this is DeCourcy's first sentence:

If the Big East wants to be a great basketball league, and not just a big one, it probably has just the right number of teams involved at the moment. 


[boyonthedock]

I wouldn't be opposed to adding SLU for 11 teams and a 20 game schedule, but I'm sure there are reasons why that probably won't happen.

[Litehouse]

I wouldn't be opposed to adding SLU for 11 teams and a 20 game schedule, but I'm sure there are reasons why that probably won't happen.

The effect of that would basically be trading a non-conference home-and-home series, like our current one with tOSU, for a home-and-home with SLU.

[WarriorDoc]

The effect of that would basically be trading a non-conference home-and-home series, like our current one with tOSU, for a home-and-home with SLU.

Good point.  In that case--wouldn't FOX be more inclined to keep us at 10 teams to they can host solid OOC matchups like MU vs tOSU, Providence v BC, etc?  Each team having one solid home and home would provide at least 5 better draws per year than SLU would.

[Coleman]

Good point.  In that case--wouldn't FOX be more inclined to keep us at 10 teams to they can host solid OOC matchups like MU vs tOSU, Providence v BC, etc?  Each team having one solid home and home would provide at least 5 better draws per year than SLU would.

I think Fox still wants more markets, and more overall eyeballs. You get that by adding more teams. We will go to 12 for sure. SLU and Richmond are my top 2 choices.

What will happen is they will push the DePaul vs. Seton Hall-type games down to FS2. The premier out of conference games like MU-tOSU will go on the FOX network mothership, and most of the higher profile conference games will stay on FS1.

[GooooMarquette]

I think Fox still wants more markets, and more overall eyeballs. You get that by adding more teams. We will go to 12 for sure. SLU and Richmond are my top 2 choices.

What will happen is they will push the DePaul vs. Seton Hall-type games down to FS2. The premier out of conference games like MU-tOSU will go on the FOX network mothership, and most of the higher profile conference games will stay on FS1.

So more eyeballs would watch MU-SLU than MU-tOSU?  Not so sure....

[GGGG]

Good point.  In that case--wouldn't FOX be more inclined to keep us at 10 teams to they can host solid OOC matchups like MU vs tOSU, Providence v BC, etc?  Each team having one solid home and home would provide at least 5 better draws per year than SLU would.

But if you add more teams, you get the rights to not only additional conference games, but to the non-conference home games of those teams as well.

Plus conference games happen after college football winds down.

[tower912]

I think Fox still wants more markets, and more overall eyeballs. You get that by adding more teams.

Yes, Fox wants more eyeballs, but do any of these schools really do that?    Yes, SLU adds Missouri.    yay.    VCU, Dayton, and Richmond all are in markets the BEast is currently in.   (Yes, I acknowledge that the Dayton market is different than the Cinci market.   I was born there, I have family there, I get it)     The challenge is to find a school that fits the BEast template that actually brings in a significant market.    SLU does the best.   After that, it is less clear. 

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Looking at the 1st AP poll of the season had me thinking VCU & Wichita St.

[The Sultan of Silly]

Clearly let's push VCU down on the pecking order. After all they annually get two top 100 recruits, have a young star coach that has been loyal to the program and have a recent final 4.

Dogs like St. Louis and Richmond are far more attractive.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/playerrankings

[tower912]

The problem with VCU is that they are a state school.   32k enrollment.   In a small arena.   I agree with anybody who says that from a basketball standpoint, they would be better.   Just like I agree with anybody that from a basketball-only perspective (with no regards to geography and all the other teams and costs associated with transporting the girl's tennis team to Philadelphia to face Villanova) Gonzaga makes sense.    But geography IS an issue and being a state school IS an issue. 

[bilsu]

St. Louis makes a lot of sense to me because Missouri is a connecting state between Illinois and Nebraska. However, at this point I have become very happy with 10 teams. That will change, if the Big East starts getting only 3 bids to NCAA. I would think adding two teams would get you one more NCAA bid on average. In the Old Big East you were probably in if you finished 8th in the conference. In the new Big East you are sweating bullets, if you finish 4th and are probably NIT bound if you finish 5th. There is less margin for error in new Big East.

[Tums Festival]

How much does SLU actually "deliver" the Missouri market? Is it roughly like how Rutgers will "deliver" the NYC market for the B1G? Too bad Shaka Smart isn't the SLU coach, because that would solve everything.

[77ncaachamps]

The problem with VCU is that they are a state school.   32k enrollment.   In a small arena.   I agree with anybody who says that from a basketball standpoint, they would be better.   Just like I agree with anybody that from a basketball-only perspective (with no regards to geography and all the other teams and costs associated with transporting the girl's tennis team to Philadelphia to face Villanova) Gonzaga makes sense.    But geography IS an issue and being a state school IS an issue. 

And if Shaka leaves, what's the left of the value of that program?

ZILCH.

[ChicosBailBonds]

5 year plan....you don't say.      Where have I heard that

http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=8386.msg478947#msg478947

[Coleman]

Yes, Fox wants more eyeballs, but do any of these schools really do that?    Yes, SLU adds Missouri.    yay.    VCU, Dayton, and Richmond all are in markets the BEast is currently in.   (Yes, I acknowledge that the Dayton market is different than the Cinci market.   I was born there, I have family there, I get it)     The challenge is to find a school that fits the BEast template that actually brings in a significant market.    SLU does the best.   After that, it is less clear. 

The big east is already in the Richmond market? Am I missing something? DC and Richmond are not the same market

[Coleman]

So more eyeballs would watch MU-SLU than MU-tOSU?  Not so sure....

No.

2 more teams means the potential for  more premier out of of conference games. It means you can televise when SLU plays a top ten team AND when MU does. The MU-tOSU game doesn't go anywhere

[Brewtown Andy]

No.

2 more teams means the potential for  more premier out of of conference games. It means you can televise when SLU plays a top ten team AND when MU does. The MU-tOSU game doesn't go anywhere

Other than off the schedule because MU has to play two games against SLU.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Dayton is trending slightly up. SLU shot up but will be trending down once Crews is unable to feed off Majerus' work. Richmond is trending down. VCU...trending way up. For this reason alone, we should grab VCU.

[Litehouse]

No.

2 more teams means the potential for  more premier out of of conference games. It means you can televise when SLU plays a top ten team AND when MU does. The MU-tOSU game doesn't go anywhere

The issue was that someone mentioned just taking SLU and going to 11 teams with a 20 game schedule. That would likely mean losing a non-con home and home series because we need to play a certain number of home games to support our athletic department budget.

If we go to 12 and have an unbalanced 18 game schedule, then the out of conference schedule stays the same. Then we potentially lose a game with Georgetown, Villanova, or St. Johns, Xavier, Creighton, etc. and replace it with SLU or the other team.

Personally, I'd rather stay at 10.

[GooooMarquette]

Other than off the schedule because MU has to play two games against SLU.

Bingo.

[Coleman]

Other than off the schedule because MU has to play two games against SLU.

No.

MU would likely play 18 Big East games like they did when there were 16 teams in the conference, and 10 in the conference. It just would no longer be a true round robin.

MU would have exactly the same non-conference schedule as before, unless MU wanted to weaken it for other reasons

[Coleman]

The issue was that someone mentioned just taking SLU and going to 11 teams with a 20 game schedule. That would likely mean losing a non-con home and home series because we need to play a certain number of home games to support our athletic department budget.

If we go to 12 and have an unbalanced 18 game schedule, then the out of conference schedule stays the same. Then we potentially lose a game with Georgetown, Villanova, or St. Johns, Xavier, Creighton, etc. and replace it with SLU or the other team.

Personally, I'd rather stay at 10.

I sincerely doubt the BE would move to a 20 game schedule, but if they would, then I agree with everyone here that adding 2 teams would be a bad move.

But I just don't see it happening. It would disrupt everyone's nonconference schedule too much.

Add 2 teams and stay at 18 games.

[shoothoops]

SLU has some things going for them.

-Current and recent on the court success. Crews has done well, and has been recruiting well too. Calbert Cheaney hired. Mike Lepore, formerly analytics at Butler and Wake Forest hired, etc..
-New $80 million on campus arena and practice facility
-That arena was the 2nd busiest on campus arena in the World in 2012 in terms of tickets sold to non university events. It's also one of busiest 10-15k arenas in the world.
-Almost all of their games will be televised nationally, or on Fox Sports Midwest. This is significantly better than during their down year times. When they win, more people go, more people watch, more people willing to televise their games.
-Top 20 market nationally.
-SLU's school President is retiring after 25 years and the search is on for a new one. It has been documented that the previous one was often a detriment to SLU's basketball program.