I am okay with a couple teams that are bring floated around is Xavier and Butler.

But creighton?

Am I missing something here?

From a TV set perspective to geography to name brand.

If you put creighton vs st. Louis or creighton vs Dayton or creighton vs VCU or creighton vs Richmond. Creighton just doesn't measure up.

Why creighton?

Is Nebraska really big east material?

I would have added St. Louis over Creighton. I have no idea how Creighton got in over St. Louis. Maybe they didnt want Dayton because its too close to Xavier but Creighton to me is too far west. I just hate the idea of teams from PA, NY, NJ, DC traveling all the way to Nebraska for conference games. Big Ten can do it because they are loaded with cash. St. Louis to me should have been the ending point geography wise of how far west they should go. 5 of the C7 schools are eastern based yet they seem fine with adding all these western based schools. Why I dont know. I guess the tv money is so good they dont care about the travel costs.

I thought St. Louis did get in. SLU, Creighton,Dayton,Xavier,Butler. Creighton averages something like 20,000 for their games, that's why they got in.

Creighton is Catholic and plays great basketball. End of story.

Using your logic. Butler is not catholic.

Creighton makes just as much sense as houston,SMU and Miami. All are further awybthan Omaha. The other Florida schools and Tulane aren't much closer.
I think the plan is to go to 12. Maybe not this year but probably next. Us so than st Louis is 11. The debateis over #12

Fan support.

Last season they averaged 16,665 fans per game playing in the MVC. Compare that to everyone else you've considered.

Butler fits the Basketball first and Championship caliber program the Big East mold always had. Butler is in Indianapolis , near Chicago, Milwaukee, Dayton, Cincinnati, St. Louis so Butler is a perfect fit. Even in the Old Big East.

Creighton also has a great Basketball pedigree thus the reason They are in. Plus not that far from the other Midwest Cities in the conference. I would still like VCU and Wichita ST. added to the BE.

dave, that's only if The BEast leadership has learned from its mistakes of the past. Remember, BEast football bypassed ECU football for decades, when they had the biggest football fanbase of any school available...

Does creighton really have a great pedigree?

Xavier and Bitler have been name brands but creighton?

Going along with everything already mentioned like fan support and a new media market, Creighton also only has a $50k exit fee from the MVC. By adding them now (and say SLU as #11 next year), you save the conference a lot of money. (For an A10 team to leave, the exit fee is only $1M with a year's notice and $2M for less than that.) If SLU was #10, it would be $2 million for their exit fee to play in 2013.

Creighton is a good school and it has a good athletic program. Their soccer team is very good; I think they made the Final Four last year by beating UConn 1-0 in the national quarterfinals.

Figured I'd chime in here. There is no arguing that Butler and Xavier were the top 2 choices to be added to the Big East. However, for the 3rd team, I obviously think Creighton was the best choice of the rest of the prospective schools. I've posted this before, but I figured I would do it again for people who have no idea what Creighton is about.

First and foremost, basketball has made 9 NCAAs in the last 16 years. So for those who think we are just about Doug McDermott, he has only been here 3 years. So not only do we make it to the NCAAs over 50% of the time over the last 16 years (not a bad sample size), we boast top 10 attendance. 15K over the last decade, 17K this year. 12,500+ season ticket holders, 4 million dollars earned a year just from the "Jaybackers" club. Basketball success is there, support is there. 18,111 fans during our annual "Pink Out" game last month.


As for academics? #1 by US News and World Report for midwest universities with Doctoral programs in Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Law, OT/PT, Philosophy and a Business School (equates to rich alumni).

Olympic Sports and facilities? How about...

1.  Soccer is our most successful sport.  I think we've made the NCAAs like 19 out of the last 20 years.  Only college team to have someone drafted by the MLS every year and we've made two straight College Cup's (final four).  We also play at one of the best venues for college soccer, Morrison Stadium. The Big East will be an excellent soccer league.


2.  Women's basketball is on an upswing as well.  We made the NCAAs last year and almost upset St John's.  This year, we are in the semifinals in our conference tournament and if we make the finals, we likely will get an at-large if we don't win it.

3.  Women's volleyball is also doing really well.  Made the NCAAs last year and made them again this year.  Both times winning a game.  Women's basketball and volleyball play at a brand new arena specifically for these sports (DJ Sokol Arena).


4.  Men's baseball has also made the last two NCAAs and have won games in the tournament.  We also play at the home of the College World Series (TD Ameritrade Park). It's early this year, but our RPI is currently 16 (9-3). I can definitely see the Big East hosting the baseball tournament at the home of the CWS which will only lift the conference profile in baseball.


5.  Lastly, it was announced that there will be a brand new Basketball Practice Facility built that will be completed in 2014.


Lastly, the issue of travel I think is just an excuse. Alot of these Big East teams were already going down to Florida for games. The distance is almost the same to Omaha. There are also direct flights to the majority of the new Big East as well. The campus is about 10 minutes from the airport. It is alot easier to get to Creighton than it is to get to the University of Nebraska which is in Lincoln.

That is why Creighton is a great fit for the Big East.

I think that Creighton will make a great addition to the Big East.

I was going to chime in with Creighton baseball and its home venue but you beat me to it.

1. Tons of fan support.
2. Historically competitive program. 18 tournament appearances, 9 in the last 15 years.
3. Omaha is a decent market, and they have it all to themselves for basketball.

Consider also that the Big East is likely to go to 12 teams. You can make arguments for SLU's bigger market or VCU's Final Four, but I suspect that Creighton was in everyone's top three after Xavier and Butler. So take them for #10 and then decide among SLU, Dayton, Richmond and VCU.

(03-17-2013 10:06 AM)johnbragg Wrote:  1. Tons of fan support.
2. Historically competitive program. 18 tournament appearances, 9 in the last 15 years.
3. Omaha is a decent market, and they have it all to themselves for basketball.

Consider also that the Big East is likely to go to 12 teams. You can make arguments for SLU's bigger market or VCU's Final Four, but I suspect that Creighton was in everyone's top three after Xavier and Butler. So take them for #10 and then decide among SLU, Dayton, Richmond and VCU.

I would even say at this point SLU is a definite #11 and the fight is actually over #12. Especially if they (SLU) win the A-10 tourny today. They are 6-1 against other teams considered.

I don't necessarily think Creighton is being chosen over St. Louis or other schools. I still think the plan is to go to 12. I think a bigger factor is how easy it will be for the schools to play in the Big East next season. Exiting the Missouri Valley may be easier than the A-10.

Although Creighton is no joke basketball wise. Hard core support and general tradition of success (9 tourney appearances since 1999). It's "urban" located in Omaha. I use quotes since Omaha is neither as big or as basketball crazy as many Big East locations (DC, NY, Chicago, Indianapolis). But it seems to fit everything about the conference with the possible exception of geography (it's not horribly out of whack, but is the farthest outlier)

MEMPHIS fan chiming in here on the BB only Big East.

For # 12, why not Gonzaga? Maybe divide the conference into East-West divisions:
East - Georgetown / Nova / St. Johns / Prov / Seton Hall / Marquette
West - Gonzaga / DePaul / Xavier / Butler / St. Louis / Creighton

Play all team H&H within your division and split the other division H&H (flip it every other year) for 16 conference games.

Yes, that is a helluva distance to travel but maybe some partner games can be done for everyone. Gonzaga always plays a 2 game road trip (St. John's - Seton Hall, Marquette - DePaul, St. Louis - Creighton, Villanova - Georgetown, Xavier - Butler, etc.).

On the reverse side, maybe try to always schedule the rest of the conference to double up with another western opponent added to Gonzaga for the 2 game trip.

The Zags would just seem to be a natural addition.

(03-17-2013 06:33 PM)boss man Wrote:  MEMPHIS fan chiming in here on the BB only Big East.

For # 12, why not Gonzaga? Maybe divide the conference into East-West divisions:
East - Georgetown / Nova / St. Johns / Prov / Seton Hall / Marquette
West - Gonzaga / DePaul / Xavier / Butler / St. Louis / Creighton

Play all team H&H within your division and split the other division H&H (flip it every other year) for 16 conference games.

Yes, that is a helluva distance to travel but maybe some partner games can be done for everyone. Gonzaga always plays a 2 game road trip (St. John's - Seton Hall, Marquette - DePaul, St. Louis - Creighton, Villanova - Georgetown, Xavier - Butler, etc.).

On the reverse side, maybe try to always schedule the rest of the conference to double up with another western opponent added to Gonzaga for the 2 game trip.

The Zags would just seem to be a natural addition.

The problem is that its not just basketball. Do you really want your volleyball and cross country teams flying to California? I think it's too great of a distance unless you were talking basketball only. And Gonzaga, while a good program, is not so dominant that you have to take them. Before this year, when was the last time they were even ranked? 2009? 2005? You can get 80% of that from a program much closer geographically.

the BE is going to be one heck of a hoops conference the additions of SLU, Creighton, Butler, Dayton & Xavier (and who knows VCU) are better programs than at least 4 of the 7 programs that left the Old Big East