Big Ten, Big East announce early-season duel with Gavitt Tipoff Games

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college...z30xDrIOUa


Big East founder and basketball Hall of Famer Dave Gavitt long lamented that college basketball season enjoyed a celebratory conclusion, the Final Four, but lacked an emphatic beginning.

"He looked at Opening Day in baseball as special," Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said of Gavitt, who passed away in 2011. "He thought we could do much better."

On Monday, the Big East and Big Ten will announce the formation of the Dave Gavitt Tipoff Games, a four-day, eight-game season-opening challenge between the conferences beginning in 2015-16. The event will take place each November from Tuesday through Friday of the first full week of the season.

The parties will announce an eight-year deal at a news conference in New York. ESPN and the Big Ten Network and Fox Sports 1, the Big East's partner, will televise games at the respective league's home venues. Each will host four games.

"We wanted to do something to pay tribute to Dave. The geographic affinity between our two conferences made it a natural to synch up," said Big East commissioner Val Ackerman. "These [conference] challenges are not uncommon. We want to do something unique, by launching the season with a challenge."

The new Big East, which launched last fall with seven defectors from the existing league (now the American Athletic Conference) plus newcomers Xavier, Creighton and Butler, overlapped significantly with the Big Ten even before that conference's pending addition of Rutgers and Maryland. Seven of the 10 schools reside in the same state as a Big Ten member, and Georgetown and Maryland are virtual neighbors. Some, like Wisconsin-Marquette and Creighton-Nebraska, already play each other annually.

The Gavitt Tipoff Games could include more potential in-state matchups like Ohio State-Xavier or Indiana-Butler, but much like the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, games will be determined primarily by the strength of the teams.

"Many schools choose to kind of ease into the season with their choice of opponents," said Ackerman. "This one will really force our schools and coaches to get ready really quickly because there will be some tough matchups."

For the Big Ten, a challenge with the Big East fits with its increasing push for visibility in the Northeast. With Rutgers and Maryland joining July 1, the Chicago-based conference is opening a second office in New York City. It begins a partnership this football season with the Pinstripe Bowl, played at Yankee Stadium, and has added John Hopkins as an affiliate member in men's lacrosse.

Both Delany and Ackerman had longstanding relationships with Gavitt, who served as a mentor to Delany during his time as commissioner of the Ohio Valley Conference in the '80s. He said their families vacationed together in Cape Cod. Gavitt was heavily involved in USA Basketball, including a stint as president from 1988 to '92 in which he helped initiate the first Dream Team. Ackerman, president of the WNBA from 1996 to 2005, became president of USA Basketball from '05-08, with Delany serving as vice president from 2000-08.

Both Delany and Ackerman believe he would have appreciated their new concept.

"His spirit of creativity and collaboration was always pretty powerful," said Delany. "I really think this is an idea that was very much in line with his vision and he would approve."



Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college...z30xDkDaCl

After years and years of UC trying to get ohio state on the schedule now they accept to play a cincinnati team? this baffles me. The big east gets worse and then the big 10 jumps to them. Actually now that I typed that out. It makes more sense than ever. thats the big 10 for ya...i mean big 12

Sounds like Ohio State hasn't agreed to anything, yet...

This agreement between the two conferences does rub me the wrong way. I don't expect Ohio State to play Xavier any time soon, but XU will have the opportunity to play a ton of schools that I would love to see on the UC schedule (ie. Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Michigan State). Moreover, don't kid yourself in thinking there will not be a lot of buzz for this for an XU/B10 locally in the media and around town.

Edit: OT but in the same vein, Louisville will be playing Ohio State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge next year. Again it all just rubs me the wrong way.

Sometimes it does really seem like somebody in some position of power has it out for UC.

The Big 10 is continuing their expansion eastward. They want the eastern TV sets. This fits in with their plan.

(05-06-2014 12:32 PM)bearcatfan Wrote:  The Big 10 is continuing their expansion eastward. They want the eastern TV sets. This fits in with their plan.

This. If they can "use" the BE to enhance those efforts then they'll do so. Just about every conference has used and abused the BE to their own benefit.

Notice, if you will, the negative tone towards the Big East:
"The new Big East, which launched last fall with seven defectors from the existing league (now the American Athletic Conference) plus newcomers Xavier, Creighton and Butler..."

The Big East has steadfastly maintained that they are not a "new" conference and that they departed peacefully and amicably as was their right, from a conference that had betrayed them.

Interesting. Ackerman can't be happy about that.

So what - B1G and BE agree to play hoops on national TV.

We got a President that runs a marathon and our AD is hiring a new Swim coach.

Ohio State likely won't be playing XU. They will continue to duck Ohio teams that may have a chance to beat them. But they will get a nice OOC game most seasons.

(05-06-2014 12:30 PM)CliftonAve Wrote:  This agreement between the two conferences does rub me the wrong way. I don't expect Ohio State to play Xavier any time soon, but XU will have the opportunity to play a ton of schools that I would love to see on the UC schedule (ie. Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Michigan State). Moreover, don't kid yourself in thinking there will not be a lot of buzz for this for an XU/B10 locally in the media and around town.

Sometimes it does really seem like somebody in some position of power has it out for UC.

This.

But I also tend to look at the other side of the coin. Like somebody in position of power is not looking out for UC or the conference. Seems like UC has been stuck in these conferences (Old BE and AAC) where the leadership has no vision or plan, while other conferences are proactive and make agreements with other conferences. The AAC thinks they can just build by having success on the field. Last 2 B-ball National Champions, and where has that got them? The leadership of the AAC is just happy as can be with the scraps that ESPN gives them.

The Big ten is smart - they get to play the "BE" but without all the power teams that would have given all but their best an embarrassing as$ kicking.

With the mediocre "new BE" they can work with a conference that is on a no-viewership island with Fox Sports. The BE is absolutely desperate for national audience marquee TV games.

I am sure the Big ten will have total say in who plays who and when - they can engineer this to have a near certain win in most all games.

This has more to do with Fox and their bid for the Big Ten.

(05-06-2014 12:30 PM)CliftonAve Wrote:  This agreement between the two conferences does rub me the wrong way. I don't expect Ohio State to play Xavier any time soon, but XU will have the opportunity to play a ton of schools that I would love to see on the UC schedule (ie. Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Michigan State). Moreover, don't kid yourself in thinking there will not be a lot of buzz for this for an XU/B10 locally in the media and around town.

Sometimes it does really seem like somebody in some position of power has it out for UC.

Personally, I think it's more that UC does not have anyone in a powerful position.

Also, there is no freaking chance that OSU plays X unless it's in the Tourney. Won't happen.

The article says that scheduling will be done on the basis of power and ranking... So I'm guessing the ONLY way OSU plays X is if X is coming off a really, really terrible season and has just fired their coach. OSU would play Xavier...up in C'bus of course...if they thought it was a roadkill situation: a "name" program that has been hit by someone else's truck that is reckoned as an easy feast.

But if X looks to have any sort of a pulse, OSU will opt instead for a St. John's or a DePaul (since either game would give them a recruiting buy into NYC or Chicagoland).

(05-06-2014 02:32 PM)Eastside_J Wrote:  The Big ten is smart - they get to play the "BE" but without all the power teams that would have given all but their best an embarrassing as$ kicking.

With the mediocre "new BE" they can work with a conference that is on a no-viewership island with Fox Sports. The BE is absolutely desperate for national audience marquee TV games.

I am sure the Big ten will have total say in who plays who and when - they can engineer this to have a near certain win in most all games.

Well said. I suspect the B10 will call all the shots on who plays when, where and on what cable outlet. Many of us bemoan the fact that the NCAA Tourney is now the "be all and end all" of college basketball and has devalued regular season games and success. By that standard, the new Big East was a complete failure in their inaugural season with no teams advancing to the Sweet 16. This move is an attempt at repairing their image. And I'm guessing Ohio State will likely have an intriguing matchup with DePaul in Columbus.

This is one of many pieces to get the B1G to rear its ugly head on the east coast along with the tourney in DC as well as the additions of Rutgers and Maryland.