(10-13-2021 02:57 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:48 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:44 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  Creighton is out on an island.

UConn/Providence
St. John's/Seton Hall
Georgetown/Villanova
Xavier/Butler
DePaul/Marquette
Creighton



Based on that, St. Louis or Wichita would be logical adds

I think Drake would be a good fit and pairs with Creighton.

Another good suggestion, but are they good enough? They were good last year, but is that enough?

They are supported well which is pretty important.

This is potentially exciting news. I have wanted the current Big East to go to at least 12 members and preferably 14 since it formed.

I have posted multiple times that my three choices would be Catholic universities Dayton, Duquesne and Saint Louis — to give the BE 14 members. Having noted that, I realize Duquesne's chances are slim.

The top choice, by many metrics, is Dayton, which offers a tremendous fan base and a strong history of quality teams and coaches. And the instant rivalry between UD and XU would make for must-watch TV.

UMass, VCU and Wichita are all solid candidates. However, WSU is not ideal in terms of geography. VCU is perfect for geography, while UMass would bring a nice "partner" for UConn (both play DI-A football and are large state flagships located in the Northeast).

An underrated choice is Saint Bonaventure.

This could be intriguing to watch.

Can't think of a valuable enough property. They already have 20 games, so a new school doesn't boost inventory (UConn upped inventory 22%, added a name brand, brought a new audience for only a 10% share).

Dayton draws well, but does it give you another market than Xavier? That seems to be the best property unless you double down on Chicago with Loyola.Saint Louis, if they ever could get the program winning might be worthwhile, but that's been the case for decades.

Gonzaga is an obvious value add, no question. But geography makes it unworkable, otherwise they'd have gone there already.

Ideally a school in North Carolina or Georgia with huge following a great basketball would be ideal. Or even in Miami. But I can't think of a school that fits who isn't in an established P5 conference (Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami). No A10 school is going to bring the audience necessary to justify it.

I'm kind of out of possible candidates. So I suspect it'll be nothing, the current package is good and importantly it's working.

(10-13-2021 03:13 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  Can't think of a valuable enough property. They already have 20 games, so a new school doesn't boost inventory (UConn upped inventory 22%, added a name brand, brought a new audience for only a 10% share).

Dayton draws well, but does it give you another market than Xavier? That seems to be the best property unless you double down on Chicago with Loyola.Saint Louis, if they ever could get the program winning might be worthwhile, but that's been the case for decades.

Gonzaga is an obvious value add, no question. But geography makes it unworkable, otherwise they'd have gone there already.

Ideally a school in North Carolina or Georgia with huge following a great basketball would be ideal. Or even in Miami. But I can't think of a school that fits who isn't in an established P5 conference (Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami). No A10 school is going to bring the audience necessary to justify it.

I'm kind of out of possible candidates. So I suspect it'll be nothing, the current package is good and importantly it's working.

Val's been pretty dynamite. If she's saying this out in the open to reporters then I'd bet money it means she's working on a potential extension with Fox and they've indicated one or more schools they'd like to see considered. Val hasn't seemed to be a "throw stuff against the wall" type to this point.

(10-13-2021 02:47 PM)esayem Wrote:  I don’t get the Wichita St. infatuation. What have they done before or after Marshall? Too risky for a member that doesn’t fit the institutional profile and isn’t located in the epicenter.

They made 1 NCAA Tournament in a 23-year stretch before Marshall broke through in 2012.

I don't see the Big East going outside *both* institutional fit and geographic fit for them.

(10-13-2021 03:07 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:57 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:48 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:44 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  Creighton is out on an island.

UConn/Providence
St. John's/Seton Hall
Georgetown/Villanova
Xavier/Butler
DePaul/Marquette
Creighton



Based on that, St. Louis or Wichita would be logical adds

I think Drake would be a good fit and pairs with Creighton.

Another good suggestion, but are they good enough? They were good last year, but is that enough?

They are supported well which is pretty important.

Not on the level of Saint Louis or Dayton. Even if Dayton's blocked, there's no world where Drake in Des Moines gets the nod over SLU in St Louis.

Probably already talked with Fox about who to add. Those trips to Gonzaga will suck though. Petition the NCAA to allow basketball only membership? Makes no sense to fly softball or soccer teams that far.

(10-13-2021 03:19 PM)Bogg Wrote:  Val's been pretty dynamite. If she's saying this out in the open to reporters then I'd bet money it means she's working on a potential extension with Fox and they've indicated one or more schools they'd like to see considered. Val hasn't seemed to be a "throw stuff against the wall" type to this point.

Loyola Chicago. Unless you think VCU adds value. Otherwise you are looking at Gonzaga, and that'd be an OMG moment.

(10-13-2021 03:31 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 03:19 PM)Bogg Wrote:  Val's been pretty dynamite. If she's saying this out in the open to reporters then I'd bet money it means she's working on a potential extension with Fox and they've indicated one or more schools they'd like to see considered. Val hasn't seemed to be a "throw stuff against the wall" type to this point.

Loyola Chicago. Unless you think VCU adds value. Otherwise you are looking at Gonzaga, and that'd be an OMG moment.

I think it's Gonzaga. If not, I'd be in favor of SLU. Loyola just lost Moser, let's see how they do without him before jumping on the latest fad.

(10-13-2021 03:19 PM)Bogg Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 03:13 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  Can't think of a valuable enough property. They already have 20 games, so a new school doesn't boost inventory (UConn upped inventory 22%, added a name brand, brought a new audience for only a 10% share).

Dayton draws well, but does it give you another market than Xavier? That seems to be the best property unless you double down on Chicago with Loyola.Saint Louis, if they ever could get the program winning might be worthwhile, but that's been the case for decades.

Gonzaga is an obvious value add, no question. But geography makes it unworkable, otherwise they'd have gone there already.

Ideally a school in North Carolina or Georgia with huge following a great basketball would be ideal. Or even in Miami. But I can't think of a school that fits who isn't in an established P5 conference (Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami). No A10 school is going to bring the audience necessary to justify it.

I'm kind of out of possible candidates. So I suspect it'll be nothing, the current package is good and importantly it's working.

Val's been pretty dynamite. If she's saying this out in the open to reporters then I'd bet money it means she's working on a potential extension with Fox and they've indicated one or more schools they'd like to see considered. Val hasn't seemed to be a "throw stuff against the wall" type to this point.

So who do we think FOX wants? Gonzaga for sure, but how do we think FOX ranks everyone in the ETZ/CTZ?

Saint Louis and VCU should be in the Big East. Drake is way to small, less than 3K undergrads in a small population state and if we were to go into Iowa i'd take UNI. I'm not totally against Wichita. I know they don't fit culturally but at the end of the day who cares, lets get the best conference we can get that maximizes revenue. They have a loyal fan base that will travel to MSG at the end of the year.

Gonzaga or none of them.

Can't see the Big East taking any public school that's not a former Big East member, and outside of Gonzaga I'm not sure I really see what private school moves the needle enough to bother adding.

(10-13-2021 03:47 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  Can't see the Big East taking any public school that's not a former Big East member, and outside of Gonzaga I'm not sure I really see what private school moves the needle enough to bother adding.

It's probably as simple as "Fox wants Gonzaga", but it's also at least plausible that maybe there's more money in selling half the package to Fox and the other half to CBS, and that maybe you need additional inventory to supply the number of games the two entities want. It's probably just Fox wanting Gonzaga though.

If it's Gonzaga ... that's a home-run addition.

Wichita offers a key component that many programs (in both football and basketball) lack: a large and passionate fan base. Still, I don't foresee WSU.

Drake (as a MWT Tex noted) ... I struggle to see that one.

Loyola is located in Chicago. And the BE would not want two Chicago programs (the other, of course, being the Mighty Blue Demons).

Dayton, Saint Louis and VCU seemingly would be the top three candidates.

(10-13-2021 04:44 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  If it's Gonzaga ... that's a home-run addition.

That's just what they said with Brad Stevens and Butler, NCAA finalists two years straight.

And then Stevens left. How did that turn out?

Fox might want Gonzaga, but does Gonzaga want the Big East? They already can get #1 seeds and recruit whoever they want. How much more money would they have to make in the Big East to make it worthwhile?

Maybe instead of offering full membership to Gonzaga, they set up a deal where Gonzaga uses 6 of their OOC slots to play Big East schools.

Would that be mutually beneficial?

Dayton!

(10-13-2021 05:00 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Maybe instead of offering full membership to Gonzaga, they set up a deal where Gonzaga uses 6 of their OOC slots to play Big East schools.

Would that be mutually beneficial?

That is certainly more plausible. Everyone freaked out at the idea of Colorado State flying the women's volleyball team to Philadelphia. Spokane to Providence is much worse.