More conference realignment talk

[shoothoops]

I'm sorry...what is your point exactly?

Butler and Xavier were obvious choices due to sustained performance over a decade plus. Creighton got the last invite because not only were they doing well on the basketball court, but were a top 10 program in terms of attendance, was a new market, and wasn't run by a moron like SLU was.

On another note, I personally don't understand the "personal demon" you fight as an apparent self-loathing Marquette alumnus who runs to the defense of a university you didn't attend anytime it is mentioned here.

Lol nah.

I don't think you understand what self loathing means. I actually have enjoyed MU enough to have been a student athlete there, and a long time season ticket holder who has traveled to and from many states to attend games. (I often wonder why so many locals are so active in the game day thread home games instead of being at the games)

I have made zero posts whining and complaining about MU's program. I hold zero ill will towards past coaches or players who have left the program. Inactively support and attend games of many MU athletic programs not just the Men's basketball team, as well as of recruits in a variety of sports including MUBB hoops.

I wish Marquette had won a game in 40 of 40 NCAA tourneys instead of 8 of 40. It isn't going to take away my enjoyment. In order to be an MUBB fan, I don't have to have personal angst against insert team here, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, or whomever. I don't need to put down other players, coaches, or teams to lift myself up. My self esteem is higher than that. I'm good.

Saying that MUBB has won an NCAA tourney game in 8 of the last 40 NCAA tourneys isn't self loathing. The obvious overall point is that the misplaced defensive insecure arrogance is silly season.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Lol nah.

I don't think you understand what self loathing means. I actually have enjoyed MU enough to have been a student athlete there, and a long time season ticket holder who has traveled to and from many states to attend games. (I often wonder why so many locals are so active in the game day thread home games instead of being at the games)

I have made zero posts whining and complaining about MU's program. I hold zero ill will towards past coaches or players who have left the program. Inactively support and attend games of many MU athletic programs not just the Men's basketball team, as well as of recruits in a variety of sports including MUBB hoops.

I wish Marquette had won a game in 40 of 40 NCAA tourneys instead of 8 of 40. It isn't going to take away my enjoyment. In order to be an MUBB fan, I don't have to have personal angst against insert team here, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, or whomever. I don't need to put down other players, coaches, or teams to lift myself up. My self esteem is higher than that. I'm good.

Saying that MUBB has won an NCAA tourney game in 8 of the last 40 NCAA tourneys isn't self loathing. The obvious overall point is that the misplaced defensive insecure arrogance is silly season.

Lotta words. No idea what they mean.

[Uncle Rico]

Say it Zig

[Scoop Snoop]

Look, St. Thomas College is a small college with big ambition. My brother has a degree from there and its served him well in life.

But the Tommies have a long way to go before they reach the cache of most Big East teams. Marquette, DePaul, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Providence, Villanova, UConn and Butler all have Final Four or NCAA championships in their history. Granted, some of that history is ancient --very ancient in some cases -- but these are traditional basketball schools whose notoriety ebbs and flows over time.

St. Thomas always will be a cupcake that teams like Marquette play in early November.

Call me when they recruit a team of three stars and four stars. Or when the Minneapolis-St. Paul ADI does not include the University of Minnesota. Adding the Tommies to the Big East for the Twin Cities is like adding the Gary Railcats minor league baseball team to a league to "gain access" to the Chicago market.

Yeah. St. Thomas to the BE? I'm doubting that.

[WhiteTrash]

Lotta words. No idea what they mean.

Sultan, I agree with you. I have no idea what this person is talking about.

We'd all be questioning Loyal Chicago to the Big East, and they are 100x more qualified than St. Thomas.

[Hards Alumni]

There are some objective folks in this thread who are forward thinking.

There are a few folks in this thread clinging awfully tight to MUBB winning an NCAA Tourney game in 8 seasons of the past 40 or so years. And that's with the MUBB advantage of being in the Big East for almost 20 of those years.

And there are some folks fighting personal demons.
........................

Creighton won an NCAA Tourney game  3 seasons since the 1970's prior to joining the Big East. Of course they have done it 3 times since, (MUBB zero) I don't see much whining about Creighton in the Big East. This is really the best example here.

Thank goodness for former long time Midwest Collegiate Conference Xavier.

Providence has won a game in the NCAA Tourney in 4 seasons in the past 35 plus years.

Seton Hall has won an NCAA Tourney game in 3 seasons in the past 30 or so years.

St. John's has won an NCAA Tourney game about 5 times in the past 35 years.

DePaul has made 2 or so NCAA tourney appearances in almost 30 years.

Georgetown has won an NCAA Tourney game in about 4 of the past 25 seasons.

.............

Perhaps a proposed MUBB conference can be:

MUBB
UNC
Duke
Kentucky
UCLA
Kansas

The conference can be called the Marquette Six.

They'd tease you a lot less if you'd stop defending St. Louis like it was your only child on its first day of 4k.

[shoothoops]

They'd tease you a lot less if you'd stop defending St. Louis like it was your only child on its first day of 4k.

I didn't even mention St. Louis the place, or Saint Louis the school. The recent sub topic was St. Thomas.

I think the people who did mention those schools or geographies are the ones telling on themselves. I talk about a lot of places, schools topics etc on the board. Funny how just one place and school stirs up the same tiny percentage of frequent posters. That's on them not me. I'm not going to change the way I post. I don't need to put down Milwaukee or Chicago or other universities to lift myself up.

Those small percentage of people that do most of the posting want two things:

1) To be part of the tribe.
2) Have a scapegoated target.

I'm not really into that. Provincial parochialism isn't my thing.

Objectivity is objectivity. Facts are facts.

As for the post, I do think its wishful thinking for the Twin Cities columnist for such a short turnaround time. I'd never say never down the road a bit. Each example is looked at objectively with an open mind without tribalism and scapegoating for other reasons.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Yes, you definitely never engage in tribalism. 

[79Warrior]

Georgetown would jump at an ACC invite IMO.

Of course they would. They would not be the worst team in the league then. 

[Hards Alumni]

I didn't even mention St. Louis the place, or Saint Louis the school. The recent sub topic was St. Thomas.

I think the people who did mention those schools or geographies are the ones telling on themselves. I talk about a lot of places, schools topics etc on the board. Funny how just one place and school stirs up the same tiny percentage of frequent posters. That's on them not me. I'm not going to change the way I post. I don't need to put down Milwaukee or Chicago or other universities to lift myself up.

Those small percentage of people that do most of the posting want two things:

1) To be part of the tribe.
2) Have a scapegoated target.

I'm not really into that. Provincial parochialism isn't my thing.

Objectivity is objectivity. Facts are facts.

As for the post, I do think its wishful thinking for the Twin Cities columnist for such a short turnaround time. I'd never say never down the road a bit. Each example is looked at objectively with an open mind without tribalism and scapegoating for other reasons.

Okay?  They're pushing your buttons, and you're letting them. 

Also, St. Louis sucks.  BBQ, pizza, Cardinals, Greatest Show on Turf was overrated, etc.   

[WhiteTrash]

Of course they would. They would not be the worst team in the league then. 

LOL.

I think it would be 50/50 Georgetown would go to the ACC at this point. Really an amount of dollars question.

I think the ACC asking G-town is as likely as MU to the Big10.

[shoothoops]

Okay?  They're pushing your buttons, and you're letting them. 

Also, St. Louis sucks.  BBQ, pizza, Cardinals, Greatest Show on Turf was overrated, etc.   

That's thing. You have it backwards. They are the ones that hate St. Louis because their team didn't have as much success. They are often the ones that hate Notre Dame, Wisconsin, etc....or insert something else here too.

I'm happy to discuss those things because those things don't bother me. Often times commentary is mixed. But casual observers don't pay close enough attention. Take your pizza example. I prefer NYC pizza first, New Haven pizza 2nd. I would happily eat St. Louis style pizza which is roughly similar to Chicago tavern style pizza. And of course every city I've lived amd visited has a wide variety of types of pizza, including NYC. Anything short of posting I hate this or that sends people into a frenzy. On the contrary those things bother the trolls etc...

Some couldn't even get through the 20 ywar 2003 celebration without being triggered by Crean. Silly season.

As for this topic, St. Thomas has a ways to go. There's no need for me to make jokes about them or be dismissive.  Just as I wouldn't be about some others too.

The people who troll are the ones who have the angst, not the people they are trolling.

[Uncle Rico]

Anyway you cut it, St. Louis won't be in the Big East.  Doesn't matter what you think of Notre Dame, Wisconsin or whoever.  They bring nothing to the table when it comes to any possible Big East expansion.

[Galway Eagle]

If St Thomas can get to Belmont levels of success maybe they deserve a very brief glance as a possible candidate. Id say they don't warrant any more of a glance than Loyola Chicago, SLU, Dayton, Gonzaga, St Mary's, Murray St, Belmont, VCU... just like all those theres major holes for St Thomas, market share relative to the major or current BE school in the market, distance, history (which makes the cache of the name despite what shoothoops thinks).

It's more likely the major football schools break away from the NCAA and we end up in our own league against similar schools than St Thomas joins the big east in the next few years.

[Tyler COLEk]

Loving the rancor created by an idea as silly as St. Thomas joining the Big East 😂

"Adding a key market" is maybe the most overrated idea in conference expansion. I'm sorry, but nobody cares about St. Thomas in the twin cities. You'd be capturing a miniscule part of that market.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Loving the rancor created by an idea as silly as St. Thomas joining the Big East 😂

"Adding a key market" is maybe the most overrated idea in conference expansion. I'm sorry, but nobody cares about St. Thomas in the twin cities. You'd be capturing a miniscule part of that market.

Dodds used to talk about adding Boston University to capture the Boston market. That should tell you something...multiple things actually.

[Tyler COLEk]

Dodds used to talk about adding Boston University to capture the Boston market. That should tell you something...multiple things actually.

Right...that Emerson College would be the far better expansion option. Their athletics programs have been ready to make the jump from D3 for years!

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Say it Zig

Nah nah nah nah nah nah NAH ArchMan!

*Biff*
*bam*
*SLU*

[Dickthedribbler]

So let me get this straight. St. Thomas has just jumped in the past year from D-3 to D-1 competition. And their Administration, their Athletic Department, their promotions  people and their fans and donors, or all of them, believe that in 4 years ( 2026-27 season) the Tommies are going to storm NYC the second week of March and play one of the Big East old bulls ( Villanova, St. Johns, UCONN, etc) in the BET at Madison Square Garden in front of 19,000 people and a national television audience. Because-----they've somehow earned that?? WTF.

Confidence and ambition are great things in life. But these guys ought to be expelled by the NCAA for extreme naivete or extreme chutzpah alone.

[shoothoops]

Nah nah nah nah nah nah NAH ArchMan!

*Biff*
*bam*
*SLU*

Some gifts are timeless.

[Galway Eagle]

Loving the rancor created by an idea as silly as St. Thomas joining the Big East 😂

"Adding a key market" is maybe the most overrated idea in conference expansion. I'm sorry, but nobody cares about St. Thomas in the twin cities. You'd be capturing a miniscule part of that market.

I completely agree but just to play devils advocate, couldn't one theorize that if big teams came in locals will tune in and root for the local team? Sort of a "if you build it they will come" mindset?

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I completely agree but just to play devils advocate, couldn't one theorize that if big teams came in locals will tune in and root for the local team? Sort of a "if you build it they will come" mindset?

That's the kind of thinking that got Fordham invited to the A10, which has largely been bad.

[Uncle Rico]

Nah nah nah nah nah nah NAH ArchMan!

*Biff*
*bam*
*SLU*

Thank you!

[Galway Eagle]

That's the kind of thinking that got Fordham invited to the A10, which has largely been bad.

When they joined originally was there any momentum behind them? And outside of a couple years did the A10 really have enough good teams to achieve that goal of getting local eyes on the program? 

Again just playing a bit of devils advocate.

[shoothoops]

I completely agree but just to play devils advocate, couldn't one theorize that if big teams came in locals will tune in and root for the local team? Sort of a "if you build it they will come" mindset?

Locals will tune in and go to games if you win consistently over time. You will get an initial uptick in interest based on opponents. But you still have to win, be competitive and do the things that successful programs do.

There are places that have had uptick in attendance and interest. Dennis Gates for example has had 4 or 5 straight sell outs becasue he is winning games and selling. But it's more because he's winning games.

If St.Thomas or anyone else wins games, people will develop interest over time. It's also how rivalries are built, compeitive play over time regardless of geography.

I think by all accounts the jump from D-3 to D-1 is a big jump. It takes time and several other things to fall into place.

The columnist said that to get attention and it certainly worked.