(08-16-2015 06:24 PM)Carolina_Low_Country Wrote:  

(08-16-2015 06:14 PM)pablowow Wrote:  

(08-16-2015 12:16 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(08-15-2015 11:15 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  Don't remember ECU being football only

They were originally given a football only invite at the same meeting where Tulane was offered a full invite. ECU's invite was later upgraded to an all sports invite after the C7 left. It was the C7 that had blocked an ECU all sports invite.

Correct!

For some reason ECU basketball was hated by the Catholic schools. I understand we are not good but Tulane was no better then us in basketball neither is UCF and they got full invites. Also our baseball is pretty good but I do not think the northern catholic schools care for baseball nor football.

Every so often I feel like I have to sing the same song...over, and over, and over again...

Different conferences have different requirements. If you want to know "why" ECU was not invited to join the BE...and let's face it, that's what the "Catholic 7" were... it was because THEY DIDN'T FIT.
---They were not in the NE.
---They were a "football first" school who paid very little attention to BB.
---They were a large, public school.
---They are in a largely rural setting (ie. not urban).

Tulane is a private school in an urban environment...they were simply a better fit than ECU.
Tulsa is a private, religious school in an urban environment...they too were a better fit.
Cincinnati and Louisville were "BB primary" schools when they were invited and in an urban environments.

When the BE started to fall apart...and then morphed into the AAC...the primary strategy was to go after urban schools that might bring instant TV markets. (There was even a discussion of whether the emerging conference should use the name "Metro"...) When other options were exhausted, ECU was determined to be the best fit for a full membership and the "urban" strategy was abandoned.