(11-27-2015 09:07 PM)HuskyU Wrote:  

(11-27-2015 06:46 PM)shizzle787 Wrote:  I wish UConn had Syracuse, St. John's, Providence, Pitt, Seton Hall, and Georgetown plus preseason tourney (3 games) + 4 cupcakes in OOC every year.

The only schools that UCONN fans and admins miss playing on a regular basis are Villanova, Georgetown, and Cuse. Pitt was a habitual underachiever, while St Johns, Providence, and Seton Hall all became more and more irrelevant with every passing year.

There's a reason why UCONN has Georgetown on their upcoming OOC schedules, with Nova and Cuse being "in the works." Those programs were the heart of the old Big East along with UCONN (and Louisville in the later years). They made that conference arguably the best that ever existed.

Yep, on our end, we miss playing UCONN regularly as well. Lots of great passion and history there.

(11-28-2015 02:08 AM)nzmorange Wrote:  It's sad that the Big East will turn into an asterisks in sports history books. The conference was undeniably the greatest basketball conference ever assembled. Not only was it insanely competitive and balanced/deep, but the rivalries were a seemingly endless web of bitterness with all too much grudging respect, and the personalities were larger than life. And, at the end, the entire tour de force was played out on the greatest stage in collegiate sports, MSG, in front of countless alumni, fans, and coworkers, with office bragging rights on the line. There is perfection, and that was it.

It's hard to say "undeniably the greatest" when, e.g., among the four Carolina teams and Maryland/UVA the ACC has (had) those same kind of really deep intricate rivalries as well, but the Big East was truly special and right up there with the best ever. Georgetown certainly misses it, the current configuration of the Big East is an attempt to recapture that magic, but without Syracuse and UConn it can never be close to being the same.

(11-27-2015 07:03 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(11-27-2015 11:11 AM)XLance Wrote:  In the long term, 10-20 years down the road, the northeast needs their own conference.
By taking the eastern most schools of the B1G and the northern most teams of the ACC with a few others thrown in a great conference could be formed where the schools involved could share passion.
There are 6 spots available in access bowls, there should be 6 conferences.

If the Big 10 and ACC ever had their rights agreements synched up to expire in the same year, it could happen. All it would take is Penn State deciding they wanted to do it.

If Penn State said they're all for it, I guarantee that Pitt, Syracuse, West Virginia, Rutgers, BC, and of course UConn would join in a heartbeat. That's enough of a core to give them a shot at other complementary teams teams (Miami? Maryland?) and if those fell though UC and Temple would both jump to be included.

My ideal, semi-realistic eastern conference is below. Obviously ND and VT would be nearly impossible to convince but maybe if in 20 years or so teams want to go back to regional conferences this would be great.



North
Pitt
Penn State
Syracuse
Connecticut
Notre Dame
Boston College
Cincinnati

South
West Virginia
Rutgers
Temple
Virginia Tech
Maryland
Navy
Louisville

Permanent Rivals:
Pitt-West Virginia
Penn State-Maryland
Syracuse-Rutgers
Connecticut-Temple
Notre Dame-Navy
Boston College-Virginia Tech
Cincinnati-Louisville

(11-28-2015 07:21 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(11-28-2015 02:08 AM)nzmorange Wrote:  It's sad that the Big East will turn into an asterisks in sports history books. The conference was undeniably the greatest basketball conference ever assembled. Not only was it insanely competitive and balanced/deep, but the rivalries were a seemingly endless web of bitterness with all too much grudging respect, and the personalities were larger than life. And, at the end, the entire tour de force was played out on the greatest stage in collegiate sports, MSG, in front of countless alumni, fans, and coworkers, with office bragging rights on the line. There is perfection, and that was it.

It's hard to say "undeniably the greatest" when, e.g., among the four Carolina teams and Maryland/UVA the ACC has (had) those same kind of really deep intricate rivalries as well, but the Big East was truly special and right up there with the best ever. Georgetown certainly misses it, the current configuration of the Big East is an attempt to recapture that magic, but without Syracuse and UConn it can never be close to being the same.

The Carolina teams + UMD + UVA weren't united/divided by religion, were'n't as centered on one location (NYC), and weren't anywhere close to being as good. The ACC was a two team league. The Big East was not. SU, VU, Marq, UL, Pitt, UConn, GU, ND, and, depending on the era, STJ could have all won it in any given year. Those rivalries were a LOT deeper (my team has played in both leagues and the Big East had WAY more passion), and those games were a lot more meaningful.

(11-28-2015 11:17 AM)nzmorange Wrote:  

(11-28-2015 07:21 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(11-28-2015 02:08 AM)nzmorange Wrote:  It's sad that the Big East will turn into an asterisks in sports history books. The conference was undeniably the greatest basketball conference ever assembled. Not only was it insanely competitive and balanced/deep, but the rivalries were a seemingly endless web of bitterness with all too much grudging respect, and the personalities were larger than life. And, at the end, the entire tour de force was played out on the greatest stage in collegiate sports, MSG, in front of countless alumni, fans, and coworkers, with office bragging rights on the line. There is perfection, and that was it.

It's hard to say "undeniably the greatest" when, e.g., among the four Carolina teams and Maryland/UVA the ACC has (had) those same kind of really deep intricate rivalries as well, but the Big East was truly special and right up there with the best ever. Georgetown certainly misses it, the current configuration of the Big East is an attempt to recapture that magic, but without Syracuse and UConn it can never be close to being the same.

The Carolina teams + UMD + UVA weren't united/divided by religion, were'n't as centered on one location (NYC), and weren't anywhere close to being as good. The ACC was a two team league. The Big East was not. SU, VU, Marq, UL, Pitt, UConn, GU, ND, and, depending on the era, STJ could have all won it in any given year. Those rivalries were a LOT deeper (my team has played in both leagues and the Big East had WAY more passion), and those games were a lot more meaningful.

Don't forget West Virginia and Cincy. They were good basketball additions as well in the later Big East.

One thing the Big East did that probably can never be duplicated was that it brought together a basketball community that was there but whose potential wasn't realized. The DC - Philly - NY corridor has always been a hotbed of basketball talent and interest, but before the Big East the colleges in that zone were fragmented and dispersed. In the 1970s I remember my dad telling me stories about how excited the DC area was when Lew Alcindor's high school team came down to play DC area powerhouse DeMatha, but Maryland always seemed disconnected from that in the ACC. Philly had a local version of it with their Big 5 rivalries but the Big East really brought all of that to fruition.

Alright, point taken.

(11-28-2015 11:17 AM)nzmorange Wrote:  

(11-28-2015 07:21 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(11-28-2015 02:08 AM)nzmorange Wrote:  It's sad that the Big East will turn into an asterisks in sports history books. The conference was undeniably the greatest basketball conference ever assembled. Not only was it insanely competitive and balanced/deep, but the rivalries were a seemingly endless web of bitterness with all too much grudging respect, and the personalities were larger than life. And, at the end, the entire tour de force was played out on the greatest stage in collegiate sports, MSG, in front of countless alumni, fans, and coworkers, with office bragging rights on the line. There is perfection, and that was it.

It's hard to say "undeniably the greatest" when, e.g., among the four Carolina teams and Maryland/UVA the ACC has (had) those same kind of really deep intricate rivalries as well, but the Big East was truly special and right up there with the best ever. Georgetown certainly misses it, the current configuration of the Big East is an attempt to recapture that magic, but without Syracuse and UConn it can never be close to being the same.

The Carolina teams + UMD + UVA weren't united/divided by religion, were'n't as centered on one location (NYC), and weren't anywhere close to being as good. The ACC was a two team league. The Big East was not. SU, VU, Marq, UL, Pitt, UConn, GU, ND, and, depending on the era, STJ could have all won it in any given year. Those rivalries were a LOT deeper (my team has played in both leagues and the Big East had WAY more passion), and those games were a lot more meaningful.

(11-28-2015 11:56 AM)XLance Wrote:  

(11-28-2015 11:17 AM)nzmorange Wrote:  

(11-28-2015 07:21 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(11-28-2015 02:08 AM)nzmorange Wrote:  It's sad that the Big East will turn into an asterisks in sports history books. The conference was undeniably the greatest basketball conference ever assembled. Not only was it insanely competitive and balanced/deep, but the rivalries were a seemingly endless web of bitterness with all too much grudging respect, and the personalities were larger than life. And, at the end, the entire tour de force was played out on the greatest stage in collegiate sports, MSG, in front of countless alumni, fans, and coworkers, with office bragging rights on the line. There is perfection, and that was it.

It's hard to say "undeniably the greatest" when, e.g., among the four Carolina teams and Maryland/UVA the ACC has (had) those same kind of really deep intricate rivalries as well, but the Big East was truly special and right up there with the best ever. Georgetown certainly misses it, the current configuration of the Big East is an attempt to recapture that magic, but without Syracuse and UConn it can never be close to being the same.

The Carolina teams + UMD + UVA weren't united/divided by religion, were'n't as centered on one location (NYC), and weren't anywhere close to being as good. The ACC was a two team league. The Big East was not. SU, VU, Marq, UL, Pitt, UConn, GU, ND, and, depending on the era, STJ could have all won it in any given year. Those rivalries were a LOT deeper (my team has played in both leagues and the Big East had WAY more passion), and those games were a lot more meaningful.

The ACC (prior to their expansion) was incredibly top heavy. UNC and Duke were almost guaranteed to play for the regular season and ACC tourney titles every year.

In contrast, there were anywhere from 6 to 10 old Big East schools in contention every year.

If you don't agree then you are the one...

(11-28-2015 11:40 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(11-28-2015 11:17 AM)nzmorange Wrote:  

(11-28-2015 07:21 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(11-28-2015 02:08 AM)nzmorange Wrote:  It's sad that the Big East will turn into an asterisks in sports history books. The conference was undeniably the greatest basketball conference ever assembled. Not only was it insanely competitive and balanced/deep, but the rivalries were a seemingly endless web of bitterness with all too much grudging respect, and the personalities were larger than life. And, at the end, the entire tour de force was played out on the greatest stage in collegiate sports, MSG, in front of countless alumni, fans, and coworkers, with office bragging rights on the line. There is perfection, and that was it.

It's hard to say "undeniably the greatest" when, e.g., among the four Carolina teams and Maryland/UVA the ACC has (had) those same kind of really deep intricate rivalries as well, but the Big East was truly special and right up there with the best ever. Georgetown certainly misses it, the current configuration of the Big East is an attempt to recapture that magic, but without Syracuse and UConn it can never be close to being the same.

The Carolina teams + UMD + UVA weren't united/divided by religion, were'n't as centered on one location (NYC), and weren't anywhere close to being as good. The ACC was a two team league. The Big East was not. SU, VU, Marq, UL, Pitt, UConn, GU, ND, and, depending on the era, STJ could have all won it in any given year. Those rivalries were a LOT deeper (my team has played in both leagues and the Big East had WAY more passion), and those games were a lot more meaningful.

Don't forget West Virginia and Cincy. They were good basketball additions as well in the later Big East.

One thing the Big East did that probably can never be duplicated was that it brought together a basketball community that was there but whose potential wasn't realized. The DC - Philly - NY corridor has always been a hotbed of basketball talent and interest, but before the Big East the colleges in that zone were fragmented and dispersed. In the 1970s I remember my dad telling me stories about how excited the DC area was when Lew Alcindor's high school team came down to play DC area powerhouse DeMatha, but Maryland always seemed disconnected from that in the ACC. Philly had a local version of it with their Big 5 rivalries but the Big East really brought all of that to fruition.

Alright, point taken.

Oh, good catch! I can't believe I left them out. Man, that was a fun league!

(11-28-2015 12:31 PM)nzmorange Wrote:  

(11-28-2015 11:40 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(11-28-2015 11:17 AM)nzmorange Wrote:  

(11-28-2015 07:21 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(11-28-2015 02:08 AM)nzmorange Wrote:  It's sad that the Big East will turn into an asterisks in sports history books. The conference was undeniably the greatest basketball conference ever assembled. Not only was it insanely competitive and balanced/deep, but the rivalries were a seemingly endless web of bitterness with all too much grudging respect, and the personalities were larger than life. And, at the end, the entire tour de force was played out on the greatest stage in collegiate sports, MSG, in front of countless alumni, fans, and coworkers, with office bragging rights on the line. There is perfection, and that was it.

It's hard to say "undeniably the greatest" when, e.g., among the four Carolina teams and Maryland/UVA the ACC has (had) those same kind of really deep intricate rivalries as well, but the Big East was truly special and right up there with the best ever. Georgetown certainly misses it, the current configuration of the Big East is an attempt to recapture that magic, but without Syracuse and UConn it can never be close to being the same.

The Carolina teams + UMD + UVA weren't united/divided by religion, were'n't as centered on one location (NYC), and weren't anywhere close to being as good. The ACC was a two team league. The Big East was not. SU, VU, Marq, UL, Pitt, UConn, GU, ND, and, depending on the era, STJ could have all won it in any given year. Those rivalries were a LOT deeper (my team has played in both leagues and the Big East had WAY more passion), and those games were a lot more meaningful.

Don't forget West Virginia and Cincy. They were good basketball additions as well in the later Big East.

One thing the Big East did that probably can never be duplicated was that it brought together a basketball community that was there but whose potential wasn't realized. The DC - Philly - NY corridor has always been a hotbed of basketball talent and interest, but before the Big East the colleges in that zone were fragmented and dispersed. In the 1970s I remember my dad telling me stories about how excited the DC area was when Lew Alcindor's high school team came down to play DC area powerhouse DeMatha, but Maryland always seemed disconnected from that in the ACC. Philly had a local version of it with their Big 5 rivalries but the Big East really brought all of that to fruition.

Alright, point taken.

Oh, good catch! I can't believe I left them out. Man, that was a fun league!

There has never been (or probably will ever be) a conference with so much depth. Also, that old Big East "let them play" kind of grit/mentality/officiating.

(11-28-2015 12:34 PM)HuskyU Wrote:  There has never been (or probably will ever be) a conference with so much depth. Also, that old Big East "let them play" kind of grit/mentality/officiating.

That's too true. Yeaah, those games were great. I think that's part of why the games were so intense. The teams were almost fighting, so, as a fan, it was hard to not join in. I know this wouldn't be allowed under NCAA rules, but there really, really needs to be a Big East (1979-2013) alumni tourney. I honestly don't care if it's purely exhibition and if all the profits are thrown into the NCAAT pot (after the teams cover expenses). Bragging rights alone would make that a "must see."

(11-28-2015 12:49 PM)nzmorange Wrote:  

(11-28-2015 12:34 PM)HuskyU Wrote:  There has never been (or probably will ever be) a conference with so much depth. Also, that old Big East "let them play" kind of grit/mentality/officiating.

That's too true. Yeaah, those games were great. I think that's part of why the games were so intense. The teams were almost fighting, so, as a fan, it was hard to not join in. I know this wouldn't be allowed under NCAA rules, but there really, really needs to be a Big East (1979-2013) alumni tourney. I honestly don't care if it's purely exhibition and if all the profits are thrown into the NCAAT pot (after the teams cover expenses). Bragging rights alone would make that a "must see."

I was thinking about that too. Since conference mates cant play in the same preseason tourneys, I suppose they could do two 4-team tourneys and just rotate the teams involved every year. It would be difficult though because so many of the old Big East are in the new Big East....

Big East: Georgetown, Nova, Seton Hall, Marquette, Depaul, St Johns, Providence
Big Ten: Rutgers
ACC: Syracuse, Louisville, Pitt, Notre Dame
Big 12: West Virginia
AAC: UCONN, UC, USF

(11-28-2015 08:41 AM)MKPitt Wrote:  

(11-27-2015 07:03 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(11-27-2015 11:11 AM)XLance Wrote:  In the long term, 10-20 years down the road, the northeast needs their own conference.
By taking the eastern most schools of the B1G and the northern most teams of the ACC with a few others thrown in a great conference could be formed where the schools involved could share passion.
There are 6 spots available in access bowls, there should be 6 conferences.

If the Big 10 and ACC ever had their rights agreements synched up to expire in the same year, it could happen. All it would take is Penn State deciding they wanted to do it.

If Penn State said they're all for it, I guarantee that Pitt, Syracuse, West Virginia, Rutgers, BC, and of course UConn would join in a heartbeat. That's enough of a core to give them a shot at other complementary teams teams (Miami? Maryland?) and if those fell though UC and Temple would both jump to be included.

My ideal, semi-realistic eastern conference is below. Obviously ND and VT would be nearly impossible to convince but maybe if in 20 years or so teams want to go back to regional conferences this would be great.



North
Pitt
Penn State
Syracuse
Connecticut
Notre Dame
Boston College
Cincinnati

South
West Virginia
Rutgers
Temple
Virginia Tech
Maryland
Navy
Louisville

Permanent Rivals:
Pitt-West Virginia
Penn State-Maryland
Syracuse-Rutgers
Connecticut-Temple
Notre Dame-Navy
Boston College-Virginia Tech
Cincinnati-Louisville

If Penn St ever wanted to put something like that together, and they would have to be the organizer, I think you could get Pitt, Syracuse, BC, West Virginia, Temple, Rutgers, Uconn and Navy (football only) on board pretty quick. Add in some combo of Maryland, Miami, Louisville, UC, Army etc and you would have something great for all the fans

Jackson

There really needs to be a northeastern conference with everyone on board. We've never had that, and it would be special if we ever did.

Playing in midwestern, southwestern, and southeastern conferences is crazy. Don't get me wrong, I love the ACC, but BC, SU, PSU, Pitt, ND, WVU, RU, and UMD would be insane. Almost every game would have a rivalry game feel to it after a couple of years.

Throw in UConn, Georgetown, Nova, and STJ in basketball and the basketball tourney would rival the old BET.

For a northeastern conference:
Boston College
UConn
Syracuse
Rutgers
Penn St.
Pittsburgh
Temple
West Virginia
Maryland
and basketball-only
St. John's
Seton Hall
Villanova
Providence
Georgetown

It actually amazes me that PC isn't a rivalry game for every school that ever was in the BE.