(03-09-2018 07:55 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(03-09-2018 04:56 PM)orangefan Wrote:  

(03-09-2018 02:19 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  If the Big East was reduced to just UConn and the Catholic 5 my guess is they either find replacements in the A-10 or look to Midwestern Catholics to fill their ranks.

In hindsight, that seems like it would have been the obvious move for the Big East if Syracuse, BC and Pitt had left, either in 1990, in 1980 when Penn State was trying to form an all sports conference, or again in 1995 when CBS offered the Big East Football Conference a major television deal. However, I don't recall that move ever being suggested.

So which move do you think would have been the wiser move? stick to the East Coast identity or strike up an alliance with the Midwestern Catholics: Xavier, Dayton, Notre Dame, DePaul, Marquette, and St Louis?

Midwestern Catholics. There were simply no great candidates in the East, particularly any capable of replacing Syracuse. In addition to great basketball tradition, several of the Midwestern Catholics had large arenas and were located in or near large TV markets. That was and is a key element of the Big East business plan.