BE at MSG through 2028

[Oldgym]

The butlers n SLUs will always be second fiddle type programs. 

I trust you didn't seriously mean to say "Butler" here.

[Galway Eagle]

I trust you didn't seriously mean to say "Butler" here.

To be fair we make such a point about how UW is just in their stretch of glory years and won't maintain it, the same could be said about Butler, almost all of their basketball history has come since 97, even if you include NITs because they were in a mid major there's still not much to brag about.

[🏀]

Can we get a filter for "Dayton" that autocorrects to "Anyone but Dayton" or "ABD"?

There's a significant bribe of Beef N' Cheddars in it for you.

[Aughnanure]

More discussion on this from today's Eye on College Basketball podcast with Parrish and Norlander.

They mention St. Louis and seem to doubt UCONN coming back, though they say UCONN fans would love it.

Also they both now are predicting Marquette as Big East champs after Nova's recent loss.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cbs-sports-eye-on-college-basketball-podcast/id268800565?mt=2#episodeGuid=e16a9d82-fe2d-11e8-a478-f76745552a6b

[Marcus92]

Since we're fantasizing about who to add, can we also talk about dropping DePaul?

Every school in the C7 stepped up their game (either literally or metaphorically speaking) since the Big East renovation.  Seton Hall and Providence are perennially competitive.  St. John's is going through a rebirth.  Georgetown has trended in the wrong direction lately, but has at least shown glimpses of righting the ship (or being able to) soon.  MU already spends more on hoops than everyone else in the NCAA 'cept Duke and has a brand new arena (so not much more to improve off the court) and Nova... well, the last three years says everything.

Then there's DePaul.  Last place, last place, last place, last place.... well they did go to the Final Four last year, oh wait, never mind, that was the better Catholic team from Chicago.  Think about that... LUC has more NCAA Tourney appearances than DePaul since the Reagan Administration.  If you wanted an indicator that DePaul is serious about basketball, look no further than the finest indicator in the NCAA known to human kind regarding one's commitment to basketball (or lack thereof): JLP.

IMO, if we're going to talk about changes to conference membership, the debate shouldn't be about SLU, Gonzaga, Dayton, Denver, Fordham, Duke or UCONN.  It should be about DePaul, period.  Then we can figure everything else out.

There isn't much positive to say about DePaul's program.

Except that they're currently rated higher by KenPom (102nd) than the two worst teams in the Big 10 (Illinois and Rutgers at 105th and 110th, respectively), the two worst teams in the ACC (Pitt and Wake Forest at 114th and 141st), the two worst teams in the SEC (South Carolina and Georgia at 103rd and 124th), and the three worst teams in the Pac-10 (Utah, Stanford and Washington St. at 129th, 170th and 175th).

Loyola Chicago isn't doing much better this season at 93rd. St. Louis and Dayton are ranked 72nd and 75th, behind 8 Big East teams.

[Marcus92]

For comparison, KenPom ranked UConn 96th and 179th the past two seasons. They're currently at 79th. Far cry from the program that won 4 NCAA titles between 1999 and 2014.

[4everwarriors]

If SLU has a bil endowment, wee need viagra, hey?

[Mr. Sand-Knit]

I trust you didn't seriously mean to say "Butler" here.

Absolutely did.  The Big East programs have been good for 60-70 years or more.  Butler was barely D1 20 years ago.  Did they have great 2 year run yes, beyond that they have the least most impressive resume in the conference.

[Mr. Sand-Knit]

They were a Horizon league team this decade.

[jsglow]

Absolutely did.  The Big East programs have been good for 60-70 years or more.  Butler was barely D1 20 years ago.  Did they have great 2 year run yes, beyond that they have the least most impressive resume in the conference.

Yeah?  Somehow they manage to kick our arse every year.   

[VegasWarrior77]

DePaul is to the BEast what Rutgers is to the Big14: Sucky team residing in a large TV market.

[Oldgym]

Absolutely did.  The Big East programs have been good for 60-70 years or more.  Butler was barely D1 20 years ago.  Did they have great 2 year run yes, beyond that they have the least most impressive resume in the conference.

A great two year run?  Try again.

Your definition of second rate teams and unimpressive resumes is curious.  Butler has something like 15 tournament appearances since 2000, five sweet 16s, and back-to-back NC appearances.  Put that resume to any basketball-only school east of Omaha and north of the the Mason-Dixon and that team would already BE in the Big East, or on Val's speed dial at worst. By your criteria, who belongs in the conf?  Georgetown....Nova....maybe St Johns.  Anybody else?  We sure wouldn't qualify. 

No "storied" program ever started out storied.

[MU82]

If SLU has a bil endowment, wee need viagra, hey?

Huh?

[Cheeks]

Why can't Gonzaga join the BE as a basketball only member and keep their olympic sports in the WCC?

They could even subsidize the WCC with a percentage of their found money in joining the Big East.

Like it or not, every candidate outside of Gonzaga, UConn and maybe Cinci would be less of a member than current members.  Not sure that's a recipe for success.

Why would the WCC go for this?

If I was the WCC I would tell Gonzaga to pound sand, no upside for the WCC as it effectivelynwould destroy their conference.

[The Lens]

Whet power does the WCC have?  Everything they have they owe to Gonzaga. 

Tho it's probably moot, apparently your main conf needs to be your hoops conf.

[Osiris]

Norte Dame or Gonzaga are the only two that have some juice and check every box save for their respective fatal flaws (Gonzaga's being geography and Notre Dame's being that they're Notre Dame).  Everybody else being mentioned/rumored?  Meh.

[Galway Eagle]

A great two year run?  Try again.

Your definition of second rate teams and unimpressive resumes is curious.  Butler has something like 15 tournament appearances since 2000, five sweet 16s, and back-to-back NC appearances.  Put that resume to any basketball-only school east of Omaha and north of the the Mason-Dixon and that team would already BE in the Big East, or on Val's speed dial at worst. By your criteria, who belongs in the conf?  Georgetown....Nova....maybe St Johns.  Anybody else?  We sure wouldn't qualify. 

No "storied" program ever started out storied.

Why wouldn't we qualify? If we accept that Marquette basketball started in 1955 or 64yrs ago which is right in that 60-70yr range then we have a resume that holds up better than St. John's and almost to Gtowns.

[Oldgym]

Don't mistake me. I regard MU as a top-shelf program, notwithstanding the fact that the program as we know it nearly went away in the 80s after an extended run of futility.  We belong where we are.

Sand Knit dismisses Butler as second rate, having been a Horizon school not long ago.  We were C-USA 13 years ago, and Midwest-something-or-other before that.  Creighton was MVC.  X was A-10.  If previous conference matters, the Big East, which routinely puts 50-70% of its members in the NCAAs, is half-composed of these "lesser" programs.  I find that notion ridiculous.

[The Sultan]

Whet power does the WCC have?  Everything they have they owe to Gonzaga. 

Tho it's probably moot, apparently your main conf needs to be your hoops conf.

Everything they have they owe to Gonzaga basketball.  So if they could move their basketball program elsewhere, why would the WCC agree to keep them around?

[jsglow]

Back to the Gonzaga thing for a minute.  Do you guys know how unbelievably far away Spokane is?  I do.  I just drove through it on a cross country trip from Chicago to Seattle.  Trust me.  Far.  Like really, really far.  It makes going to Omaha like a night out for beers in the neighborhood.   

[Benny B]

It makes going to Omaha like a night out for beers in the neighborhood.   

How many head of cattle are roaming the streets in your neighborhood?

[The Lens]

Back to the Gonzaga thing for a minute.  Do you guys know how unbelievably far away Spokane is?  I do.  I just drove through it on a cross country trip from Chicago to Seattle.  Trust me.  Far.  Like really, really far.  It makes going to Omaha like a night out for beers in the neighborhood.   

Every team makes the trip once.  The hardship falls on Gonzaga who is making no small trips to San Fran, LA and San Diego.  But some creative scheduling can help

MU / DePaul road trip
Hall / SJU road trip
PC / Nova / Gtown (do it before 2nd semester starts)
Omaha / X road trip

Everything they have they owe to Gonzaga basketball.  So if they could move their basketball program elsewhere, why would the WCC agree to keep them around?

Everything is negotiable. 

The Zags could use some of their new found wealth to offset damages to the WCC contract.  They could schedule 2-4 WCC teams per year with ESPN to help maintain the value (they won't be playing A&M, Illinois, Arizona, Duke, UNC & Tenn if they join the Big East). 

If you can be in one conference for hoops and one for everything else, it is doable. 

Just depends on how valuable FS1 thinks Gonzaga is. 

[jsglow]

I suppose we could revive the last 5 threads where the Zags have been argued for.  I sit it out.  Enjoy.

[Bad_Reporter]

Back to the Gonzaga thing for a minute.  Do you guys know how unbelievably far away Spokane is?  I do.  I just drove through it on a cross country trip from Chicago to Seattle.  Trust me.  Far.  Like really, really far.  It makes going to Omaha like a night out for beers in the neighborhood.   

Fly to Spokane often, and It's really not bad.  I can imagine driving would be horrible

[We R Final Four]

Back to the Gonzaga thing for a minute.  Do you guys know how unbelievably far away Spokane is?  I do.  I just drove through it on a cross country trip from Chicago to Seattle.  Trust me.  Far.  Like really, really far.  It makes going to Omaha like a night out for beers in the neighborhood.   

Maybe the teams would fly there...seems much faster than driving. However, you would miss the stops to Mt Rushmore.