Creighton/Gonzaga Home and Home - BE Trial?

[wadesworld]

Creighton played at Gonzaga on Friday night (and got beat pretty good, though had the lead at the half) and Gonzaga will make the return trip to Creighton next season.  Would seem like simply a nice home and home non-conference matchup, but Norlander and Parrish are saying they have both heard Gonzaga would like to be in the BE and may have been told if you want to get into the BE start playing some of the BE schools as a "trial run" to see if the travel is as big of an issue as it seems, etc.

Their argument is that if you're already getting on a plane and flying 2 hours for conference matchups as it is what's the extra hour and a half added on?  They think the bigger issue is that they already have high major teams wanting to play non-conference matchups against them unlike other better high-majors (St. Mary's, Wichita State, etc.) and if they were in the BE they would then be matching up with programs that can recruit at the same level that they do as opposed to dominating the talent level within their conference like the currently do.  They also don't have the votes to get into the BE.

Interesting stuff.  Maybe in a couple years even if they're not in the BE they'll want to play a home-and-home with Marquette.

[Mr. Sand-Knit]

6-7 hrs to 75% of the BE locations actually

[wadesworld]

6-7 hrs to 75% of the BE locations actually

I'm seeing direct from Seattle to NYC is anywhere from 4 hours 40 minutes to 5 hours 15 minutes.  How much can changing it to Spokane add, especially when you're flying charter?

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

I'm seeing direct from Seattle to NYC is anywhere from 4 hours 40 minutes to 5 hours 15 minutes.  How much can changing it to Spokane add, especially when you're flying charter?

I am watching Villlanova vs. Gonzaga tomorrow night....in NYC.

[oldwarrior81]

there was talk a few years ago of a Gonzaga-Marquette home-and-home.

However Gonzaga wanted our home game to be in Chicago.  Which would possibly help their recruiting in that area.
They offered Seattle as a neutral site for their home game.

[Goose]

Need to find a way to schedule those type of games. No offense, GA and Purdue does not wow me.

[Billy Hoyle]

Creighton played at Gonzaga on Friday night (and got beat pretty good, though had the lead at the half) and Gonzaga will make the return trip to Creighton next season.  Would seem like simply a nice home and home non-conference matchup, but Norlander and Parrish are saying they have both heard Gonzaga would like to be in the BE and may have been told if you want to get into the BE start playing some of the BE schools as a "trial run" to see if the travel is as big of an issue as it seems, etc.

Their argument is that if you're already getting on a plane and flying 2 hours for conference matchups as it is what's the extra hour and a half added on?  They think the bigger issue is that they already have high major teams wanting to play non-conference matchups against them unlike other better high-majors (St. Mary's, Wichita State, etc.) and if they were in the BE they would then be matching up with programs that can recruit at the same level that they do as opposed to dominating the talent level within their conference like the currently do.  They also don't have the votes to get into the BE.

Interesting stuff.  Maybe in a couple years even if they're not in the BE they'll want to play a home-and-home with Marquette.

Yeah, St. John's is going to send their baseball team to Spokane and Gonzaga is going to fly theirs to Seton Hall annually. And let's not forget women's hoops, volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis and other teams that do not charter who would be flying all the way across the country every year. I'm sure Providence is dying for that back to back Men's soccer weekend in Spokane and Omaha. SMH.

the only person talking about GU getting into the Big East is Mark Few.

[GooooMarquette]

I'd love for it to happen...but even if it worked for hoops, it would not make sense for non-revenue sports.

[wadesworld]

Yeah, St. John's is going to send their baseball team to Spokane and Gonzaga is going to fly theirs to Seton Hall annually. And let's not forget women's hoops, volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis and other teams that do not charter who would be flying all the way across the country every year. I'm sure Providence is dying for that back to back Men's soccer weekend in Spokane and Omaha. SMH.

the only person talking about GU getting into the Big East is Mark Few.

Guess you know more than Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander. Looking forward to your podcast on the matter and all things college basketball.

[chapman]

So we can milk 'em for awhile with the non-conference games until they take a hint and realize they're not getting in?  Sounds good.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Need to find a way to schedule those type of games. No offense, GA and Purdue does not wow me.

Purdue was/is projected to be better than Gonzaga this season.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

Purdue was/is projected to be better than Gonzaga this season.

Zags would also be a 'bad matchup' for us

[MUBigDance]

Guess you know more than Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander. Looking forward to your podcast on the matter and all things college basketball.

He's got you there Wadesworld. His post totally makes sense...women's soccer, etc. etc. He does know more then them if they didn't even breech those sports in whatever heaven ordained podcast they had.

Feel free to address his point...

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Zags would also be a 'bad matchup' for us

Honestly don't know, haven't watched them for more than a few seconds this season

[wadesworld]

He's got you there Wadesworld. His post totally makes sense...women's soccer, etc. etc. He does know more then them if they didn't even breech those sports in whatever heaven ordained podcast they had.

Feel free to address his point...

He has me on nothing.  I was reporting what was said by two guys who are certainly much more "in the know" on college basketball than anybody on this board is.  They spent a good 10-15 minutes of their podcast discussing the subject.  If the only person talking about it is Mark Few (who I would actually think would be someone who would be AGAINST it, given that he has it pretty dang good as it is and he knows it, hence why he hasn't left Gonzaga for the hundreds of jobs he's been offered) I highly doubt they waste their time entertaining the subject.

I don't think it will ever happen.  But apparently there's more to it than "Mark Few is the only person who is talking about it."  Word is that they may have been told that if they want it to happen the first step would be to start scheduling some home and homes with teams pretty far east and see what the travel schedule would be like.  Seems pretty simple to me.

[Dr. Blackheart]

SUPERBAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MU82]

Nova took 'em behind the woodshed tonight.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Gonzaga to the Big East makes sense for a lot of reasons. I hope they find a way to make it work.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Gonzaga to the Big East makes sense for a lot of reasons. I hope they find a way to make it work.

It also doesn't make sense for a lot of reasons.  Sure the Zags are great now but what happens if they slip to mediocrity?  If their program slips to SLU levels they bring nothing to the conference.

Their recruiting could easily mimic Pitt moving to the ACC.  Pitt recruited the northeast heavily but has struggled in a mostly southern conference.  Now imagine the same about Gonzaga trying to recruit the west in an eastern & midwest conference.  The downside is significant.

[StillAWarrior]

Gonzaga to the Big East makes sense for a lot of reasons. I hope they find a way to make it work.

Unfortunately (or, fortunately, depending on your perspective) it doesn't make sense for a lot more reasons.  I can't imagine it will ever happen.

In my opinion, the only way it is even remotely viable is as a men's basketball-only member of the conference.  In that scenario they'd have to find someplace to park all their other sports, and I'm not sure who would want Gonzaga's sports without the crown jewel.  Maybe the WCC would let them stay...maybe not.

[TheGym]

Unfortunately (or, fortunately, depending on your perspective) it doesn't make sense for a lot more reasons.  I can't imagine it will ever happen.

In my opinion, the only way it is even remotely viable is as a men's basketball-only member of the conference.  In that scenario they'd have to find someplace to park all their other sports, and I'm not sure who would want Gonzaga's sports without the crown jewel.  Maybe the WCC would let them stay...maybe not.

Exactly, the problem is not men's basketball.  It is all the other non-revenue sports.  Those sports tend to hit several road match ups in one trip.  Not sure what the total increased cost would be for a athletic dept, but it would not be cheap.

[Galway Eagle]

Unfortunately (or, fortunately, depending on your perspective) it doesn't make sense for a lot more reasons.  I can't imagine it will ever happen.

In my opinion, the only way it is even remotely viable is as a men's basketball-only member of the conference.  In that scenario they'd have to find someplace to park all their other sports, and I'm not sure who would want Gonzaga's sports without the crown jewel.  Maybe the WCC would let them stay...maybe not.

Is there any precedent for this? I know schools become associate members of other conferences for non revenue sports. Could be don't if Gonzaga guaranteed one or two WCC games a year like Notre Dame does the ACC in football?

[StillAWarrior]

Is there any precedent for this? I know schools become associate members of other conferences for non revenue sports. Could be don't if Gonzaga guaranteed one or two WCC games a year like Notre Dame does the ACC in football?

Yeah, that is probably the closest comparison.  The key difference is that, as much as many here hate them, the ND "brand" holds a lot more value even without its most valuable asset.  You take away football and ND still has high level MBB, WBB and is competitive in a lot of other sports.  And they have a lot of resources and a demonstrated commitment to their athletics.  When negotiating various contracts, I suspect that ND's presence is a "plus" for the ACC -- even without football.  I'm guessing the ACC pursued ND and was eager to bring them into the fold.

I just can't imagine the situation would look the same for Gonzaga.  Once MBB is out of the equation, do they offer much of anything to the WCC?  What happens to the ESPN deal?  Why would all those California schools want to travel 1000 miles to Spokane?  Note:  all this is said with no knowledge whatsoever about whether the WCC even could exclude Gonzaga if it tried to pull out MBB.

[brewcity77]

Is there any precedent for this? I know schools become associate members of other conferences for non revenue sports. Could be don't if Gonzaga guaranteed one or two WCC games a year like Notre Dame does the ACC in football?

That's what I find tough to reconcile. Will the WCC let them keep other sports there after taking the league's cash cow away? Would the Mountain West, Big Sky, or any other western conference have interest in Gonzaga without basketball?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

It also doesn't make sense for a lot of reasons.  Sure the Zags are great now but what happens if they slip to mediocrity?  If their program slips to SLU levels they bring nothing to the conference.

Their recruiting could easily mimic Pitt moving to the ACC.  Pitt recruited the northeast heavily but has struggled in a mostly southern conference.  Now imagine the same about Gonzaga trying to recruit the west in an eastern & midwest conference.  The downside is significant.

Maybe, but so far programs coming into the Big East have only elevated. Moving from a mid-major to a high-major has a better chance of elevating a program than moving from a high-major to a slightly lower high-major. A lot of Pitt's downfall is also from a terrible coaching hire.