(02-09-2018 12:17 PM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  

(02-09-2018 09:27 AM)stever20 Wrote:  

(02-08-2018 11:16 PM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  

(02-08-2018 09:27 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  For as much as everyone looks down on Dayton as a duplication of markets I find it to be a potential strength. You have two nearby Catholic schools with solid programs and who put butts in seats. Proximity breeds rivalries and while they may never be as big as UNC-Duke with the proper grooming Dayton-Xavier could take on greater interest for fans. A conference is the sum of its parts and if your conference has good brands and good rivalries people watch and networks write bigger checks.

St Louis is a project that I think the Big East should take it on. The offer shouldn't be without its strings. Their needs to be a clear plan in place for how the Bilikens are going to use Big East revenue to build up their brand and program and become the main basketball attraction in their market.

Both Dayton and Saint Louis have their advantageous strengths for membership in the Big East. For student enrollment, Saint Louis would be third overall (16,500) and Dayton would be sixth overall (10,900) in the conference. For endowment, Dayton would be sixth overall ($525 million) and Saint Louis would be second overall ($1.2 billion). Both universities are top-125 nationally in academics for US News and World Reports. Both St. Louis (13th overall) and Dayton (64th overall) bring new and enticing media markets that would enrich a television contract.

However, both men's basketball programs have a combined 16 NCAA Tournament appearances in the past 30 years (Dayton - 9, Saint Louis - 7). Only Dayton has made a Sweet 16 in the past 50 years (2014, 1984, 1974). For a conference that clearly prioritizes men's basketball, and one that values historical postseason programs, it is in this regard where the two programs come up drastically short.

Personally, I think the Big East reorganizing with ten members - and not twelve - was a calculated and strategic move. It allowed the league, especially after years of turmoil and shift, to build and solidify itself with three new members (Butler, Creighton and Xavier). Those new members have become the backbone of the conference, consistently making the NCAA tournament and competing for top-25 rankings - especially important while programs like St. Johns, Georgetown and Marquette rebuild. When it comes time to renegotiate with Fox, and with all of the success the Big East has gone through, I have no doubt that Dayton and Saint Louis will once again be mentioned as possible #11 and #12 members. However, whether they get admitted depends fully on where their men's basketball programs go in these next few years. If they elevate them, capable of consistently being near the top of the A-10, then they instantly become perfect fits. It will be interesting to see how Travis Ford and Anthony Grant do in that timeframe.

I think the problem for SLU and Dayton though is if they have the success that would be needed to get into the Big East, odds are really strong that Ford and Grant are plucked away, putting SLU and Dayton back down.

Then they can get new coaches to keep the ball moving. Butler does it. VCU does it. Marquette has done it. Xavier has done it. Great programs are defined by not by one coach, but multiple coaches that continually add to it.

Any new hire is a risk. See what's happening at VCU this year as a good example, and what did happen at SLU after Majerus passed away. There's no guarantee in the least.