Big East love

[MuMark]

https://johngasaway.com/2018/01/09/the-big-east-could-turn-out-to-be-the-most-entertaining-conference-ever/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

[GoldenWarrior11]

I love this incarnation of the Big East.  Every school has a similar drive towards top-level college basketball (even DePaul), is located in a big city and is a like-minded institution.  Thank heavens we ended up where we did (and are getting paid what we are).  Losing Syracuse, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and Louisville really hurt.  Being in a conference with historically weak programs like Tulane, ECU, UCF, USF, Houston and SMU would have been even worse. 

Butler, Creighton and Xavier were grand slam adds, IMO. 

[KampusFoods]

I love this incarnation of the Big East.  Every school has a similar drive towards top-level college basketball (even DePaul), is located in a big city and is a like-minded institution.  Thank heavens we ended up where we did (and are getting paid what we are).  Losing Syracuse, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and Louisville really hurt.  Being in a conference with historically weak programs like Tulane, ECU, UCF, USF, Houston and SMU would have been even worse. 

Butler, Creighton and Xavier were grand slam adds, IMO.

+1,000,000

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

I love this incarnation of the Big East.  Every school has a similar drive towards top-level college basketball (even DePaul), is located in a big city and is a like-minded institution.  Thank heavens we ended up where we did (and are getting paid what we are).  Losing Syracuse, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and Louisville really hurt.  Being in a conference with historically weak programs like Tulane, ECU, UCF, USF, Houston and SMU would have been even worse. 

Butler, Creighton and Xavier were grand slam adds, IMO.

Truth.  It was executed perfectly.  Butler has already shown that they are immune to coaching changes dragging their program, and all of those programs are so committed to being a top tier program, I don't see any of them falling off a cliff. 

[TSmith34, Inc.]

LOL at the B1tenleven.  Slowest, dullest conference.

[Dawson Rental]

LOL at the B1tenleven.  Slowest, dullest conference.

The perfect place for Wisconsin.

[skianth16]

I love this incarnation of the Big East.  Every school has a similar drive towards top-level college basketball (even DePaul), is located in a big city and is a like-minded institution.  Thank heavens we ended up where we did (and are getting paid what we are).  Losing Syracuse, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and Louisville really hurt.  Being in a conference with historically weak programs like Tulane, ECU, UCF, USF, Houston and SMU would have been even worse. 

Butler, Creighton and Xavier were grand slam adds, IMO.

It's great for basketball, but it definitely hurt the Big East brand to lose schools like Syracuse, UConn, Louisville, and Notre Dame. Those schools were powerhouses and brought in major national audiences. Creighton, Butler, and Xavier have been great additions to fill the void left by the football schools, but for the whole conference to lose football was a big blow.

The realignment has worked well in our favor, especially the FS1 contract, but being considered on a different level than the Power 5 hurts and won't be remedied without football. We're miles ahead of where we were in the C-USA, but the power of the 2005-2012 era Big East won't be matched again with the current member schools. Football rules all sports; that's just how it is.

[Oldgym]

Coincidentally....

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/butler/2018/01/08/big-east-made-right-call-adding-butler-creighton-xavier/1011724001/

Kind of wild to remember that Butler was in the Horizon League as recently as 2013.

[GoldenWarrior11]

It's great for basketball, but it definitely hurt the Big East brand to lose schools like Syracuse, UConn, Louisville, and Notre Dame. Those schools were powerhouses and brought in major national audiences. Creighton, Butler, and Xavier have been great additions to fill the void left by the football schools, but for the whole conference to lose football was a big blow.

The realignment has worked well in our favor, especially the FS1 contract, but being considered on a different level than the Power 5 hurts and won't be remedied without football. We're miles ahead of where we were in the C-USA, but the power of the 2005-2012 era Big East won't be matched again with the current member schools. Football rules all sports; that's just how it is.

The football/non-football split was always going to be temporary and a short-term fix for the basketball schools.  It worked for so long because it was the best financial decision for all involved.  However, when Syracuse and Pittsburgh got snatched by the ACC, it was the beginning of the end for such an arrangement.  Fact was that schools like Memphis, UCF, Houston and SMU were never going to command the same amount of money that Syracuse/Pitt/WVU/UL did.  Us separating was the absolute best decision we could have made given the landscape. 

We (Big East) are very much involved with the P5.  We follow whatever autonomous decisions they, collectively, make, and they view us as very much a peer (as do many national pundits now).  The Big East is the very top non-football conference in the whole country.  We could take any program from any non-football conference and make them a peer.  For the first time in history, the Big East can view expansion as an active force, and not a reactive one.  We get paid more for basketball alone that a school like UConn for all of its sports.  Let that sink in.  Between our Gavitt Games with the B1G, our near PAC deal with Fox (only because Arizona and UCLA didn't want it), or the continual strength of other P5 programs wanting to schedule us in basketball, we are in an excellent position. 

No, we don't play football - but that doesn't mean we are not a major conference.  If anything, by not chasing the dream of big-time power football (which many programs even within the P5 do), we are very much playing to our strengths and are very successful in doing so.

[GB Warrior]

I love this incarnation of the Big East.  Every school has a similar drive towards top-level college basketball (even DePaul), is located in a big city and is a like-minded institution.  Thank heavens we ended up where we did (and are getting paid what we are).  Losing Syracuse, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and Louisville really hurt.  Being in a conference with historically weak programs like Tulane, ECU, UCF, USF, Houston and SMU would have been even worse. 

Butler, Creighton and Xavier were grand slam adds, IMO.

I do think it'll be fun when Nova plays UConn. While I am happy with this conference, I definitely don't have the same love or hate for these teams as I did for Cuse, Louisville, etc. That loathing was independent of players; for teams like Xavier, that rivalry is based purely on having aggravating figures like Macura around.

[fjm]

I do think it'll be fun when Nova plays UConn. While I am happy with this conference, I definitely don't have the same love or hate for these teams as I did for Cuse, Louisville, etc. That loathing was independent of players; for teams like Xavier, that rivalry is based purely on having aggravating figures like Macura around.

I get the rivalry talk and feeling like we don't have one settled in like we used to.

But I'll give you my 2 cents (even though you didn't ask for it)

X and SH are quickly building a rep as teams and fan bases I just can't stand.
The Xgame at home this season... JP drives me nuts, and for anyone sitting in the upper section by the student section during the X game saw quite a show when an X fan started cussing out and flipping off the student section. Which lead to the "As$hole" chant from the students which then brought out the Bradley center security and ushers to line the stairs between the students and this fan.

X, congrats, you've made my official rival list for the big east. (I respect them... but they are on my shite list)

[Its DJOver]

I think its coaches, more so than players that cause hostility towards teams.  Boeheim, Pitino, Huggy Bear, even Cronin, are much more hateable than Mack, McDermott, Holtman, and Jordan (so far).
There's always going to be players to hate, even if some are good people, (Herb Pope, by all accounts was a good person despite his robbery) even though I hated him as a player. Coaches stick longer than players.

[brewcity77]

It's great for basketball, but it definitely hurt the Big East brand to lose schools like Syracuse, UConn, Louisville, and Notre Dame. Those schools were powerhouses and brought in major national audiences. Creighton, Butler, and Xavier have been great additions to fill the void left by the football schools, but for the whole conference to lose football was a big blow.

The realignment has worked well in our favor, especially the FS1 contract, but being considered on a different level than the Power 5 hurts and won't be remedied without football. We're miles ahead of where we were in the C-USA, but the power of the 2005-2012 era Big East won't be matched again with the current member schools. Football rules all sports; that's just how it is.

I disagree with much of this. The Q rating might not be there now, but Syracuse and UConn have both pretty much fallen off a cliff. Interesting that you don't mention Pitt, which was truly one of the biggest beasts of the old Big East with Jamie Dixon. They were a veritable lock to be a top-10 every year. Those other schools programs have largely fared worse by leaving than any of our schools did by staying (with us and Georgetown the possible exceptions). Louisville looks to be taking a step back, albeit due to Pitino's actions, while Notre Dame is really the only OBE school to retain their prestige.

The reality is this league is more entertaining now on a nightly basis. No, you don't have Syracuse or Louisville, but you also don't have South Florida or Rutgers. Providence, Seton Hall, and St. John's are no longer the easy outs they once were. And you definitely don't have anything along the lines of the Tulsa/Tulane/ECU garbage that proliferates the bottom of the AAC.

It worked out for the best for our members, but the double-round-robin coupled with the intense commitment to basketball has made for the most entertaining league in the country, and one whose members aren't waiting to tune in to until after bowl season is done. If you're a college basketball fan, it truly does not get better than this league, and the addition of football schools would only diminish that, no matter the level of program.

[GGGG]

The realignment has worked well in our favor, especially the FS1 contract, but being considered on a different level than the Power 5 hurts and won't be remedied without football.

How does it "hurt?"  What exactly is being harmed?  Is basketball recruiting or performance suffering?  Or are you thinking of more of a long-term harm with resources?

If anything, I think the BE has developed a distinctive brand that separates itself from the other conferences.  It may not be the best basketball conference, but no one seriously doubts its quality any longer.  I guess the real question is if it can be sustained. 

The entire break-up has gone much better for the basketball schools IMO than the football ones.

[GB Warrior]

I get the rivalry talk and feeling like we don't have one settled in like we used to.

But I'll give you my 2 cents (even though you didn't ask for it)

X and SH are quickly building a rep as teams and fan bases I just can't stand.
The Xgame at home this season... JP drives me nuts, and for anyone sitting in the upper section by the student section during the X game saw quite a show when an X fan started cussing out and flipping off the student section. Which lead to the "As$hole" chant from the students which then brought out the Bradley center security and ushers to line the stairs between the students and this fan.

X, congrats, you've made my official rival list for the big east. (I respect them... but they are on my crape list)

I would agree that X is on that list, but another poster made my point better than I did - which is that our rivalries in the oBE were about coaches more than players, and coaches are around a lot longer (except for guys like Scottie Reynolds, Peyton Siva and Jerry Smith that seemed to be around for 8 years)

[chapman]

I think its coaches, more so than players that cause hostility towards teams.  Boeheim, Pitino, Huggy Bear, even Cronin, are much more hateable than Mack, McDermott, Holtman, and Jordan (so far).
There's always going to be players to hate, even if some are good people, (Herb Pope, by all accounts was a good person despite his robbery) even though I hated him as a player. Coaches stick longer than players.

Agree.  Coaches are still the face of their programs.  While Willard and Mack are kind of turds, they just can't come close to the level of despise I had for whinin' Boeheim or Slick Rick.  They aren't even close to Bobby Gonzalez or Mike Rice levels of douchery.  And after that, I can't find any negative sentiment towards McDermott, Cooley, or even muster any "because he wins" hate for Jay Wright.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

I have literally no hate towards Chris Mack.  Dude is a g. 

[Galway Eagle]

I would agree that X is on that list, but another poster made my point better than I did - which is that our rivalries in the oBE were about coaches more than players, and coaches are around a lot longer (except for guys like Scottie Reynolds, Peyton Siva and Jerry Smith that seemed to be around for 8 years)

Better example of most hateable player is Harangody, who wasn?t content just staying forever but then needed to make a reincarnation in Jack Cooley.

[brewcity77]

Better example of most hateable player is Harangody, who wasn?t content just staying forever but then needed to make a reincarnation in Jack Cooley.

That's still baffling. Freaking Harangody was this massive pain the ass for years, he leaves, and the next freaking year they have a guy the same size, even more efficient, still beastly inside. It really felt like Harangody just changed jersey numbers and stuck around a few more years.

[BrewCity83]

Better example of most hateable player is Harangody, who wasn?t content just staying forever but then needed to make a reincarnation in Jack Cooley.

Great example.  I forgot about that doofus.

How about that trailer trash Eric Devendorf?

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

That's still baffling. Freaking Harangody was this massive pain the ass for years, he leaves, and the next freaking year they have a guy the same size, even more efficient, still beastly inside. It really felt like Harangody just changed jersey numbers and stuck around a few more years.

Effing Cooley, he was a pain in high school and college. His mom was a piece of work at games as well.

[muwarrior69]

Better example of most hateable player is Harangody, who wasn?t content just staying forever but then needed to make a reincarnation in Jack Cooley.

If he played for MU we all would love the guy.

[brewcity77]

If he played for MU we all would love the guy.

But he didn't, he played for Notre Dame, so screw him, he sucks and so does his little clone too.

[Galway Eagle]

If he played for MU we all would love the guy.

He?d still look like shreck and like shreck he was around wayyy too many years

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

The hate is coming. Before this season, I have been very "peace, love, and kumbaya" towards our Big East brethren. We were all in this together, basketball pioneers in a football watching world. We also needed the conference to do well, to legitimize itself. I was more excited than I thought possible when Jenkins' last second trey found the bottom of the net.

Something changed this season though. I was watching St. John's play and they were losing and I caught myself thinking "good, I hate those guys." The rational part of my brain quickly took over and scolded myself, reminding me that cheering for the Big East in non-conference was best for Marquette.....still....the hate is there. It won't be long.