(02-18-2021 03:13 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 11:39 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  The one thing about the "New" Big East (the current conference, whatever you want to call it), is that--until they added UConn, and apart from UConn--is that it was a highly homogeneous conference. All the member schools were of similar size, mission, and governance: private, parochial schools. Athletically, all the "New" Big East members had Basketball as their highest priority sport...Villanova has FB at the FCS level, Butler and Georgetown have non-scholarship FB squads...so the Conference is able to focus promoting that mission.

How UConn fares in the Conference will be largely how well UConn, as a dis-similar institution (a large, State/Public) can find their footing. I think that clearly the Big East is a superior conference to the AAC, so UConn fans have to be happy that they moved back up in Conferences. But the fact is still there that UConn is an odd fit for the rest of the Big East Conference.

As a fan of "old" Big East hoops, I don't think the Big East views UConn as an odd fit. To the contrary they are an original Big East hoops team and have long histories with the core Big East members. They really fit like a glove because of that 30+ year shared history before the split.

UConn returning was like welcoming back a Prodigal Son. Still a full-fledged member of the family despite the sojourn. Syracuse would be too, but we know they aren't coming back.

That said, it is true that UConn has longer-term goals that do not involve the Big East. Unlike all other Big East schools, the Big East is not their "destination" conference. Surely, they have a long-run goal of building up football to get invited to a Power league like Syracuse and Pitt did. If that day comes we know they will leave, but we will enjoy them while they last with us.

The "Old" Big East worked so well because it did what no other conference could do: it dominated watercooler conversation in the largest & wealthiest city in the country.

With 3 schools in the metro area, plus Syracuse & UConn, the old Big East was the only conference that could accomplish that.

The only conference even close to that dominance with any megalopolis is the Big Ten's dominance of Chicago. The Big 10 has 3 giant schools within 2 hours, plus a school in the city itself. But Chicago is less than half the size of New York.

You could make an argument that the SEC has a lot of pull in Atlanta, or the Big 12 has a lot of pull in Dallas, or the PAC has a lot of pull in San Francisco. But New York is as big as Atlanta, DFW, and the whole Bay Area combined.

(02-18-2021 10:43 AM)Bogg Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 10:31 AM)panite Wrote:  Besides you still get to schedule old BE rivals BC, Pitt, VT, L'Ville, ND, and Miami.

Not to speak for Syracuse fans (I mean, like what you like, doesn't matter to me) but only Pitt would really count as a "Big East rival". VT and Louisville were both short-timers who were just passing through and BC/Miami/ND basketball never really did too much of note on a sustained basis. Pitt had their moments though.

Remains funny to me when people talk nostalgic about the "Old Big East" and then name schools that spent a single-digit number of years in the conference during it's third major era.

Maybe the conference membership when they had 3 teams in the Final Four in 1985 should be called "Big East Classic":

St. John's
Georgetown
Syracuse
Villanova
Pittsburgh
Boston College
Connecticut
Providence
Seton Hall

"New Big East", or Big East 4.0, or whatever, has 6 of those 9 schools, and today's ACC has the other 3 (the 3 who had I-A/FBS football in the 1980s).

(02-18-2021 01:29 PM)TexanMark Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 11:44 AM)Bogg Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 11:26 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  The scenario Quo put forth was not "Syracuse works something out with their football..." but that Syracuse moves their "Basketball" to the Big East and keeps "everything else" in the ACC. Which, I say, wouldn't work for either the ACC nor the Big East.

Yes, I could well see a "UConn type" agreement where Syracuse goes FB-Indy and and rejoins the Big East as a conference mate. Syracuse actually is a better "Institutional Fit" for the Big East than UConn is. That being said, I cannot really imagine Syracuse DOING that. So, while I'm sure the Big East would welcome Syracuse back, I don't think there's a realistic chance of Syracuse going down that road.

Basketball-only memberships aren't allowed, so I figured the reasonable interpretation of that was "Big East olympics/ACC football". Put all the other stuff aside (I really don't feel like doing the flag waving and chest thumping) and Syracuse isn't jeopardizing their access to the ACC money so it isn't happening. On the Big East side of things...I mean, they clearly don't need Cuse, but they'd be nice to have. If they were asking something would get worked out.

Yup...money is the huge mover. Sadly, even if we play UConn again in hoops it won't be the same...even if both schools are in the Top 10. The biggest loser in this whole thing is NYC Metro area Cuse fans. As a southern based Cuse fan I love the ACC for driveable games and the ability to run into more ACC fans in Florida. I do see an occasional UConn, Nova, Georgetown and rarely does a SJU, Xavier, etc... pop up but the league overall has a very small footprint fan wise. Most being city based schools have loyal followings in the metro they are located at. UConn and Nova, IMHO have the biggest fan base geographic diversity of all the schools. Georgetown obviously does too, but many of their fans have gone in hiding.

That said: I'd love to play Georgetown every year and rotate Nova, SJU and UConn through on a regular basis. I'm not the typical Cuse fan as I think we need to play UConn regularly in football too. Put them opposite BC with home n homes as much as possible. However, I like a 1-1-1 schedule. One at each home and one neutral game at Yankee Stadium in early November. If UConn wants a paycheck game, I'm not sure Cuse would want to pay the $$$.

In Nashville (and I may have previously posted this) and related to fans of Big East schools, I probably see more folks wearing Georgetown and Xavier clothing than the clothing of the other nine programs. I will see people wearing UConn and Villanova T-shirts and caps on occasion.

I need to get a new DePaul shirt or cap, as I would likely be the only Nashvillian wearing Blue Demons gear (though I know a DePaul grad who lives here and have a local friend whose daughter attends DU).

For fans of DI athletic programs not in the Big East or Power 5 — and not including TSU, Memphis, Middle Tennessee State and Western Kentucky (as I understandably see a decent number of fans of those four programs) — the clothing that might show up the most being worn by fans in Nashville is by fans of Ivy League schools.

I also see people on occasion wearing UAB hats and shirts.

I think the reason I wasn't as big a fan of the old Big East is because they for years refused to accept Temple while accepting Rutgers as a full member.

What I'd really want to see is a conference with the most successful men's basketball ACC and Big East members together.

Counting only ACC and Big East members from Atlantic states with the most NCAA Tournament wins between 2000-2019:
North Carolina (50)
Duke (49)
Connecticut (33)
Syracuse (30)
Villanova (28)
Pittsburgh (16) - lot of wins from the Jamie Dixon era
Virginia (14)
Georgetown (11)
NC State (9)
Florida State (9)

Now this is a basketball conference!

(02-18-2021 04:01 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 03:13 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 11:39 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  The one thing about the "New" Big East (the current conference, whatever you want to call it), is that--until they added UConn, and apart from UConn--is that it was a highly homogeneous conference. All the member schools were of similar size, mission, and governance: private, parochial schools. Athletically, all the "New" Big East members had Basketball as their highest priority sport...Villanova has FB at the FCS level, Butler and Georgetown have non-scholarship FB squads...so the Conference is able to focus promoting that mission.

How UConn fares in the Conference will be largely how well UConn, as a dis-similar institution (a large, State/Public) can find their footing. I think that clearly the Big East is a superior conference to the AAC, so UConn fans have to be happy that they moved back up in Conferences. But the fact is still there that UConn is an odd fit for the rest of the Big East Conference.

As a fan of "old" Big East hoops, I don't think the Big East views UConn as an odd fit. To the contrary they are an original Big East hoops team and have long histories with the core Big East members. They really fit like a glove because of that 30+ year shared history before the split.

UConn returning was like welcoming back a Prodigal Son. Still a full-fledged member of the family despite the sojourn. Syracuse would be too, but we know they aren't coming back.

That said, it is true that UConn has longer-term goals that do not involve the Big East. Unlike all other Big East schools, the Big East is not their "destination" conference. Surely, they have a long-run goal of building up football to get invited to a Power league like Syracuse and Pitt did. If that day comes we know they will leave, but we will enjoy them while they last with us.

The "Old" Big East worked so well because it did what no other conference could do: it dominated watercooler conversation in the largest & wealthiest city in the country.

With 3 schools in the metro area, plus Syracuse & UConn, the old Big East was the only conference that could accomplish that.

The only conference even close to that dominance with any megalopolis is the Big Ten's dominance of Chicago. The Big 10 has 3 giant schools within 2 hours, plus a school in the city itself. But Chicago is less than half the size of New York.

You could make an argument that the SEC has a lot of pull in Atlanta, or the Big 12 has a lot of pull in Dallas, or the PAC has a lot of pull in San Francisco. But New York is as big as Atlanta, DFW, and the whole Bay Area combined.

St. Johns owned NYC during their final four run season. I remember watching the St. Johns games that season with my dad. St Johns is the only college team to take over NYC. It is a shame they have languished for so long especially with the Knicks being putrid and nobody caring about the Nets. I bet St. Johns if they can start performing at a high level they could start selling out MSG again.

The Big East Feast was the Sports Illustrated cover when there were 3 Big East Final Four Teams.

(02-18-2021 04:22 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 01:29 PM)TexanMark Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 11:44 AM)Bogg Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 11:26 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  The scenario Quo put forth was not "Syracuse works something out with their football..." but that Syracuse moves their "Basketball" to the Big East and keeps "everything else" in the ACC. Which, I say, wouldn't work for either the ACC nor the Big East.

Yes, I could well see a "UConn type" agreement where Syracuse goes FB-Indy and and rejoins the Big East as a conference mate. Syracuse actually is a better "Institutional Fit" for the Big East than UConn is. That being said, I cannot really imagine Syracuse DOING that. So, while I'm sure the Big East would welcome Syracuse back, I don't think there's a realistic chance of Syracuse going down that road.

Basketball-only memberships aren't allowed, so I figured the reasonable interpretation of that was "Big East olympics/ACC football". Put all the other stuff aside (I really don't feel like doing the flag waving and chest thumping) and Syracuse isn't jeopardizing their access to the ACC money so it isn't happening. On the Big East side of things...I mean, they clearly don't need Cuse, but they'd be nice to have. If they were asking something would get worked out.

Yup...money is the huge mover. Sadly, even if we play UConn again in hoops it won't be the same...even if both schools are in the Top 10. The biggest loser in this whole thing is NYC Metro area Cuse fans. As a southern based Cuse fan I love the ACC for driveable games and the ability to run into more ACC fans in Florida. I do see an occasional UConn, Nova, Georgetown and rarely does a SJU, Xavier, etc... pop up but the league overall has a very small footprint fan wise. Most being city based schools have loyal followings in the metro they are located at. UConn and Nova, IMHO have the biggest fan base geographic diversity of all the schools. Georgetown obviously does too, but many of their fans have gone in hiding.

That said: I'd love to play Georgetown every year and rotate Nova, SJU and UConn through on a regular basis. I'm not the typical Cuse fan as I think we need to play UConn regularly in football too. Put them opposite BC with home n homes as much as possible. However, I like a 1-1-1 schedule. One at each home and one neutral game at Yankee Stadium in early November. If UConn wants a paycheck game, I'm not sure Cuse would want to pay the $$$.

In Nashville (and I may have previously posted this) and related to fans of Big East schools, I probably see more folks wearing Georgetown and Xavier clothing than the clothing of the other nine programs. I will see people wearing UConn and Villanova T-shirts and caps on occasion.

I need to get a new DePaul shirt or cap, as I would likely be the only Nashvillian wearing Blue Demons gear (though I know a DePaul grad who lives here and have a local friend whose daughter attends DU).

For fans of DI athletic programs not in the Big East or Power 5 — and not including TSU, Memphis, Middle Tennessee State and Western Kentucky (as I understandably see a decent number of fans of those four programs) — the clothing that might show up the most being worn by fans in Nashville is by fans of Ivy League schools.

I also see people on occasion wearing UAB hats and shirts.

Surely you know you can’t trust numbers in NashVegas with all the bachelor and bachelorette trips every single day.

(02-18-2021 10:00 PM)Arch Stanton Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 04:01 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 03:13 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 11:39 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  The one thing about the "New" Big East (the current conference, whatever you want to call it), is that--until they added UConn, and apart from UConn--is that it was a highly homogeneous conference. All the member schools were of similar size, mission, and governance: private, parochial schools. Athletically, all the "New" Big East members had Basketball as their highest priority sport...Villanova has FB at the FCS level, Butler and Georgetown have non-scholarship FB squads...so the Conference is able to focus promoting that mission.

How UConn fares in the Conference will be largely how well UConn, as a dis-similar institution (a large, State/Public) can find their footing. I think that clearly the Big East is a superior conference to the AAC, so UConn fans have to be happy that they moved back up in Conferences. But the fact is still there that UConn is an odd fit for the rest of the Big East Conference.

As a fan of "old" Big East hoops, I don't think the Big East views UConn as an odd fit. To the contrary they are an original Big East hoops team and have long histories with the core Big East members. They really fit like a glove because of that 30+ year shared history before the split.

UConn returning was like welcoming back a Prodigal Son. Still a full-fledged member of the family despite the sojourn. Syracuse would be too, but we know they aren't coming back.

That said, it is true that UConn has longer-term goals that do not involve the Big East. Unlike all other Big East schools, the Big East is not their "destination" conference. Surely, they have a long-run goal of building up football to get invited to a Power league like Syracuse and Pitt did. If that day comes we know they will leave, but we will enjoy them while they last with us.

The "Old" Big East worked so well because it did what no other conference could do: it dominated watercooler conversation in the largest & wealthiest city in the country.

With 3 schools in the metro area, plus Syracuse & UConn, the old Big East was the only conference that could accomplish that.

The only conference even close to that dominance with any megalopolis is the Big Ten's dominance of Chicago. The Big 10 has 3 giant schools within 2 hours, plus a school in the city itself. But Chicago is less than half the size of New York.

You could make an argument that the SEC has a lot of pull in Atlanta, or the Big 12 has a lot of pull in Dallas, or the PAC has a lot of pull in San Francisco. But New York is as big as Atlanta, DFW, and the whole Bay Area combined.

St. Johns owned NYC during their final four run season. I remember watching the St. Johns games that season with my dad. St Johns is the only college team to take over NYC. It is a shame they have languished for so long especially with the Knicks being putrid and nobody caring about the Nets. I bet St. Johns if they can start performing at a high level they could start selling out MSG again.

The Big East Feast was the Sports Illustrated cover when there were 3 Big East Final Four Teams.

And lest we forget, the Memphis State Tigers, then a clean program led by Dana Kirk, was the fourth team in that 1985 Final Four.

(02-18-2021 10:00 PM)Arch Stanton Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 04:01 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 03:13 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 11:39 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  The one thing about the "New" Big East (the current conference, whatever you want to call it), is that--until they added UConn, and apart from UConn--is that it was a highly homogeneous conference. All the member schools were of similar size, mission, and governance: private, parochial schools. Athletically, all the "New" Big East members had Basketball as their highest priority sport...Villanova has FB at the FCS level, Butler and Georgetown have non-scholarship FB squads...so the Conference is able to focus promoting that mission.

How UConn fares in the Conference will be largely how well UConn, as a dis-similar institution (a large, State/Public) can find their footing. I think that clearly the Big East is a superior conference to the AAC, so UConn fans have to be happy that they moved back up in Conferences. But the fact is still there that UConn is an odd fit for the rest of the Big East Conference.

As a fan of "old" Big East hoops, I don't think the Big East views UConn as an odd fit. To the contrary they are an original Big East hoops team and have long histories with the core Big East members. They really fit like a glove because of that 30+ year shared history before the split.

UConn returning was like welcoming back a Prodigal Son. Still a full-fledged member of the family despite the sojourn. Syracuse would be too, but we know they aren't coming back.

That said, it is true that UConn has longer-term goals that do not involve the Big East. Unlike all other Big East schools, the Big East is not their "destination" conference. Surely, they have a long-run goal of building up football to get invited to a Power league like Syracuse and Pitt did. If that day comes we know they will leave, but we will enjoy them while they last with us.

The "Old" Big East worked so well because it did what no other conference could do: it dominated watercooler conversation in the largest & wealthiest city in the country.

With 3 schools in the metro area, plus Syracuse & UConn, the old Big East was the only conference that could accomplish that.

The only conference even close to that dominance with any megalopolis is the Big Ten's dominance of Chicago. The Big 10 has 3 giant schools within 2 hours, plus a school in the city itself. But Chicago is less than half the size of New York.

You could make an argument that the SEC has a lot of pull in Atlanta, or the Big 12 has a lot of pull in Dallas, or the PAC has a lot of pull in San Francisco. But New York is as big as Atlanta, DFW, and the whole Bay Area combined.

St. Johns owned NYC during their final four run season. I remember watching the St. Johns games that season with my dad. St Johns is the only college team to take over NYC. It is a shame they have languished for so long especially with the Knicks being putrid and nobody caring about the Nets. I bet St. Johns if they can start performing at a high level they could start selling out MSG again.

The Big East Feast was the Sports Illustrated cover when there were 3 Big East Final Four Teams.

CCNY, Long Island, Fordham, NYU...NYC used to have some of the most powerful programs. I can only imagine watching hoops there prior to all the scandals.

(02-18-2021 10:15 PM)esayem Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 10:00 PM)Arch Stanton Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 04:01 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 03:13 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 11:39 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  The one thing about the "New" Big East (the current conference, whatever you want to call it), is that--until they added UConn, and apart from UConn--is that it was a highly homogeneous conference. All the member schools were of similar size, mission, and governance: private, parochial schools. Athletically, all the "New" Big East members had Basketball as their highest priority sport...Villanova has FB at the FCS level, Butler and Georgetown have non-scholarship FB squads...so the Conference is able to focus promoting that mission.

How UConn fares in the Conference will be largely how well UConn, as a dis-similar institution (a large, State/Public) can find their footing. I think that clearly the Big East is a superior conference to the AAC, so UConn fans have to be happy that they moved back up in Conferences. But the fact is still there that UConn is an odd fit for the rest of the Big East Conference.

As a fan of "old" Big East hoops, I don't think the Big East views UConn as an odd fit. To the contrary they are an original Big East hoops team and have long histories with the core Big East members. They really fit like a glove because of that 30+ year shared history before the split.

UConn returning was like welcoming back a Prodigal Son. Still a full-fledged member of the family despite the sojourn. Syracuse would be too, but we know they aren't coming back.

That said, it is true that UConn has longer-term goals that do not involve the Big East. Unlike all other Big East schools, the Big East is not their "destination" conference. Surely, they have a long-run goal of building up football to get invited to a Power league like Syracuse and Pitt did. If that day comes we know they will leave, but we will enjoy them while they last with us.

The "Old" Big East worked so well because it did what no other conference could do: it dominated watercooler conversation in the largest & wealthiest city in the country.

With 3 schools in the metro area, plus Syracuse & UConn, the old Big East was the only conference that could accomplish that.

The only conference even close to that dominance with any megalopolis is the Big Ten's dominance of Chicago. The Big 10 has 3 giant schools within 2 hours, plus a school in the city itself. But Chicago is less than half the size of New York.

You could make an argument that the SEC has a lot of pull in Atlanta, or the Big 12 has a lot of pull in Dallas, or the PAC has a lot of pull in San Francisco. But New York is as big as Atlanta, DFW, and the whole Bay Area combined.

St. Johns owned NYC during their final four run season. I remember watching the St. Johns games that season with my dad. St Johns is the only college team to take over NYC. It is a shame they have languished for so long especially with the Knicks being putrid and nobody caring about the Nets. I bet St. Johns if they can start performing at a high level they could start selling out MSG again.

The Big East Feast was the Sports Illustrated cover when there were 3 Big East Final Four Teams.

CCNY, Long Island, Fordham, NYU...NYC used to have some of the most powerful programs. I can only imagine watching hoops there prior to all the scandals.

That was before my time but it must have been exciting. St. Johns had some good buzz when Mike Jarvis was the coach and had some ranked teams

I forgot Memphis State was the 4th. They were clean? I always felt like they were in trouble. In actuality probably no more than any other school just more scrutinized/caught.

(02-18-2021 10:11 PM)esayem Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 04:22 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 01:29 PM)TexanMark Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 11:44 AM)Bogg Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 11:26 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  The scenario Quo put forth was not "Syracuse works something out with their football..." but that Syracuse moves their "Basketball" to the Big East and keeps "everything else" in the ACC. Which, I say, wouldn't work for either the ACC nor the Big East.

Yes, I could well see a "UConn type" agreement where Syracuse goes FB-Indy and and rejoins the Big East as a conference mate. Syracuse actually is a better "Institutional Fit" for the Big East than UConn is. That being said, I cannot really imagine Syracuse DOING that. So, while I'm sure the Big East would welcome Syracuse back, I don't think there's a realistic chance of Syracuse going down that road.

Basketball-only memberships aren't allowed, so I figured the reasonable interpretation of that was "Big East olympics/ACC football". Put all the other stuff aside (I really don't feel like doing the flag waving and chest thumping) and Syracuse isn't jeopardizing their access to the ACC money so it isn't happening. On the Big East side of things...I mean, they clearly don't need Cuse, but they'd be nice to have. If they were asking something would get worked out.

Yup...money is the huge mover. Sadly, even if we play UConn again in hoops it won't be the same...even if both schools are in the Top 10. The biggest loser in this whole thing is NYC Metro area Cuse fans. As a southern based Cuse fan I love the ACC for driveable games and the ability to run into more ACC fans in Florida. I do see an occasional UConn, Nova, Georgetown and rarely does a SJU, Xavier, etc... pop up but the league overall has a very small footprint fan wise. Most being city based schools have loyal followings in the metro they are located at. UConn and Nova, IMHO have the biggest fan base geographic diversity of all the schools. Georgetown obviously does too, but many of their fans have gone in hiding.

That said: I'd love to play Georgetown every year and rotate Nova, SJU and UConn through on a regular basis. I'm not the typical Cuse fan as I think we need to play UConn regularly in football too. Put them opposite BC with home n homes as much as possible. However, I like a 1-1-1 schedule. One at each home and one neutral game at Yankee Stadium in early November. If UConn wants a paycheck game, I'm not sure Cuse would want to pay the $$$.

In Nashville (and I may have previously posted this) and related to fans of Big East schools, I probably see more folks wearing Georgetown and Xavier clothing than the clothing of the other nine programs. I will see people wearing UConn and Villanova T-shirts and caps on occasion.

I need to get a new DePaul shirt or cap, as I would likely be the only Nashvillian wearing Blue Demons gear (though I know a DePaul grad who lives here and have a local friend whose daughter attends DU).

For fans of DI athletic programs not in the Big East or Power 5 — and not including TSU, Memphis, Middle Tennessee State and Western Kentucky (as I understandably see a decent number of fans of those four programs) — the clothing that might show up the most being worn by fans in Nashville is by fans of Ivy League schools.

I also see people on occasion wearing UAB hats and shirts.

Surely you know you can’t trust numbers in NashVegas with all the bachelor and bachelorette trips every single day.

Old Dazzy once dreamt a slew of vivacious ladies on a bachelorette bash in Nastyville visited his swanky condo high above the unwashed masses. We drank craft whiskey, smoked cigars and listed to the crooning of Sammy Davis Jr.

Then, and after the chinless wizard was hammered on booze, the ladies took me on a pedal tavern ride through the city before we stopped at 9 p.m. at the Florida-Georgia Line bar and got crazy. At about 11 p.m., Dazz asked/insulted one of the employees why the joint wasn't playing Dropkick Murphys music (instead of that "garbage" FGL drivel) and was promptly escorted from the premises. Stunningly, the ladies, in solidarity, walked out with me and we then visited House of Cards (across the street) for some close-up magic. Then back to Club Dazzlebury we strolled at midnight.

At this point the dream is about to get insane when ... boom. I awaken to the reality that I've fallen asleep in my bed solo, wearing my shoes, urine-soaked trousers and a pigeon-feces-stained Greek fisherman's cap and after a night on the town and hard boozing.

Welcome to NashVegas.

(02-18-2021 10:35 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 10:11 PM)esayem Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 04:22 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 01:29 PM)TexanMark Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 11:44 AM)Bogg Wrote:  Basketball-only memberships aren't allowed, so I figured the reasonable interpretation of that was "Big East olympics/ACC football". Put all the other stuff aside (I really don't feel like doing the flag waving and chest thumping) and Syracuse isn't jeopardizing their access to the ACC money so it isn't happening. On the Big East side of things...I mean, they clearly don't need Cuse, but they'd be nice to have. If they were asking something would get worked out.

Yup...money is the huge mover. Sadly, even if we play UConn again in hoops it won't be the same...even if both schools are in the Top 10. The biggest loser in this whole thing is NYC Metro area Cuse fans. As a southern based Cuse fan I love the ACC for driveable games and the ability to run into more ACC fans in Florida. I do see an occasional UConn, Nova, Georgetown and rarely does a SJU, Xavier, etc... pop up but the league overall has a very small footprint fan wise. Most being city based schools have loyal followings in the metro they are located at. UConn and Nova, IMHO have the biggest fan base geographic diversity of all the schools. Georgetown obviously does too, but many of their fans have gone in hiding.

That said: I'd love to play Georgetown every year and rotate Nova, SJU and UConn through on a regular basis. I'm not the typical Cuse fan as I think we need to play UConn regularly in football too. Put them opposite BC with home n homes as much as possible. However, I like a 1-1-1 schedule. One at each home and one neutral game at Yankee Stadium in early November. If UConn wants a paycheck game, I'm not sure Cuse would want to pay the $$$.

In Nashville (and I may have previously posted this) and related to fans of Big East schools, I probably see more folks wearing Georgetown and Xavier clothing than the clothing of the other nine programs. I will see people wearing UConn and Villanova T-shirts and caps on occasion.

I need to get a new DePaul shirt or cap, as I would likely be the only Nashvillian wearing Blue Demons gear (though I know a DePaul grad who lives here and have a local friend whose daughter attends DU).

For fans of DI athletic programs not in the Big East or Power 5 — and not including TSU, Memphis, Middle Tennessee State and Western Kentucky (as I understandably see a decent number of fans of those four programs) — the clothing that might show up the most being worn by fans in Nashville is by fans of Ivy League schools.

I also see people on occasion wearing UAB hats and shirts.

Surely you know you can’t trust numbers in NashVegas with all the bachelor and bachelorette trips every single day.

Old Dazzy once dreamt a slew of vivacious ladies on a bachelorette bash in Nastyville visited his swanky condo high above the unwashed masses. We drank craft whiskey, smoked cigars and listed to the crooning of Sammy Davis Jr.

Then, and after the chinless wizard was hammered on booze, the ladies took me on a pedal tavern ride through the city before we stopped at 9 p.m. at the Florida-Georgia Line bar and got crazy. At about 11 p.m., Dazz asked/insulted one of the employees why the joint wasn't playing Dropkick Murphys music (instead of that "garbage" FGL drivel) and was promptly escorted from the premises. Stunningly, the ladies, in solidarity, walked out with me and we then visited House of Cards (across the street) for some close-up magic. Then back to Club Dazzlebury we strolled at midnight.

At this point the dream is about to get insane when ... boom. I awaken to the reality that I've fallen asleep in my bed solo, wearing my shoes, urine-soaked trousers and a pigeon-feces-stained Greek fisherman's cap.

Welcome to NashVegas.

This makes me want to visit Club Dazzlebury!!!

(02-18-2021 10:15 PM)esayem Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 10:00 PM)Arch Stanton Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 04:01 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 03:13 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 11:39 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  The one thing about the "New" Big East (the current conference, whatever you want to call it), is that--until they added UConn, and apart from UConn--is that it was a highly homogeneous conference. All the member schools were of similar size, mission, and governance: private, parochial schools. Athletically, all the "New" Big East members had Basketball as their highest priority sport...Villanova has FB at the FCS level, Butler and Georgetown have non-scholarship FB squads...so the Conference is able to focus promoting that mission.

How UConn fares in the Conference will be largely how well UConn, as a dis-similar institution (a large, State/Public) can find their footing. I think that clearly the Big East is a superior conference to the AAC, so UConn fans have to be happy that they moved back up in Conferences. But the fact is still there that UConn is an odd fit for the rest of the Big East Conference.

As a fan of "old" Big East hoops, I don't think the Big East views UConn as an odd fit. To the contrary they are an original Big East hoops team and have long histories with the core Big East members. They really fit like a glove because of that 30+ year shared history before the split.

UConn returning was like welcoming back a Prodigal Son. Still a full-fledged member of the family despite the sojourn. Syracuse would be too, but we know they aren't coming back.

That said, it is true that UConn has longer-term goals that do not involve the Big East. Unlike all other Big East schools, the Big East is not their "destination" conference. Surely, they have a long-run goal of building up football to get invited to a Power league like Syracuse and Pitt did. If that day comes we know they will leave, but we will enjoy them while they last with us.

The "Old" Big East worked so well because it did what no other conference could do: it dominated watercooler conversation in the largest & wealthiest city in the country.

With 3 schools in the metro area, plus Syracuse & UConn, the old Big East was the only conference that could accomplish that.

The only conference even close to that dominance with any megalopolis is the Big Ten's dominance of Chicago. The Big 10 has 3 giant schools within 2 hours, plus a school in the city itself. But Chicago is less than half the size of New York.

You could make an argument that the SEC has a lot of pull in Atlanta, or the Big 12 has a lot of pull in Dallas, or the PAC has a lot of pull in San Francisco. But New York is as big as Atlanta, DFW, and the whole Bay Area combined.

St. Johns owned NYC during their final four run season. I remember watching the St. Johns games that season with my dad. St Johns is the only college team to take over NYC. It is a shame they have languished for so long especially with the Knicks being putrid and nobody caring about the Nets. I bet St. Johns if they can start performing at a high level they could start selling out MSG again.

The Big East Feast was the Sports Illustrated cover when there were 3 Big East Final Four Teams.

CCNY, Long Island, Fordham, NYU...NYC used to have some of the most powerful programs. I can only imagine watching hoops there prior to all the scandals.

Yeah, nobody beat these spread. Junior Soprano bought a black Fleetwood

(02-18-2021 10:51 PM)esayem Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 10:35 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 10:11 PM)esayem Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 04:22 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 01:29 PM)TexanMark Wrote:  Yup...money is the huge mover. Sadly, even if we play UConn again in hoops it won't be the same...even if both schools are in the Top 10. The biggest loser in this whole thing is NYC Metro area Cuse fans. As a southern based Cuse fan I love the ACC for driveable games and the ability to run into more ACC fans in Florida. I do see an occasional UConn, Nova, Georgetown and rarely does a SJU, Xavier, etc... pop up but the league overall has a very small footprint fan wise. Most being city based schools have loyal followings in the metro they are located at. UConn and Nova, IMHO have the biggest fan base geographic diversity of all the schools. Georgetown obviously does too, but many of their fans have gone in hiding.

That said: I'd love to play Georgetown every year and rotate Nova, SJU and UConn through on a regular basis. I'm not the typical Cuse fan as I think we need to play UConn regularly in football too. Put them opposite BC with home n homes as much as possible. However, I like a 1-1-1 schedule. One at each home and one neutral game at Yankee Stadium in early November. If UConn wants a paycheck game, I'm not sure Cuse would want to pay the $$$.

In Nashville (and I may have previously posted this) and related to fans of Big East schools, I probably see more folks wearing Georgetown and Xavier clothing than the clothing of the other nine programs. I will see people wearing UConn and Villanova T-shirts and caps on occasion.

I need to get a new DePaul shirt or cap, as I would likely be the only Nashvillian wearing Blue Demons gear (though I know a DePaul grad who lives here and have a local friend whose daughter attends DU).

For fans of DI athletic programs not in the Big East or Power 5 — and not including TSU, Memphis, Middle Tennessee State and Western Kentucky (as I understandably see a decent number of fans of those four programs) — the clothing that might show up the most being worn by fans in Nashville is by fans of Ivy League schools.

I also see people on occasion wearing UAB hats and shirts.

Surely you know you can’t trust numbers in NashVegas with all the bachelor and bachelorette trips every single day.

Old Dazzy once dreamt a slew of vivacious ladies on a bachelorette bash in Nastyville visited his swanky condo high above the unwashed masses. We drank craft whiskey, smoked cigars and listed to the crooning of Sammy Davis Jr.

Then, and after the chinless wizard was hammered on booze, the ladies took me on a pedal tavern ride through the city before we stopped at 9 p.m. at the Florida-Georgia Line bar and got crazy. At about 11 p.m., Dazz asked/insulted one of the employees why the joint wasn't playing Dropkick Murphys music (instead of that "garbage" FGL drivel) and was promptly escorted from the premises. Stunningly, the ladies, in solidarity, walked out with me and we then visited House of Cards (across the street) for some close-up magic. Then back to Club Dazzlebury we strolled at midnight.

At this point the dream is about to get insane when ... boom. I awaken to the reality that I've fallen asleep in my bed solo, wearing my shoes, urine-soaked trousers and a pigeon-feces-stained Greek fisherman's cap.

Welcome to NashVegas.

This makes me want to visit Club Dazzlebury!!!

And you would be welcomed. Over a tasty craft beer, we could discuss the topic "Brad Daugherty vs. Eric Montross: Who was better for the Heels?"

(02-18-2021 10:23 PM)Arch Stanton Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 10:15 PM)esayem Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 10:00 PM)Arch Stanton Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 04:01 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(02-18-2021 03:13 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  As a fan of "old" Big East hoops, I don't think the Big East views UConn as an odd fit. To the contrary they are an original Big East hoops team and have long histories with the core Big East members. They really fit like a glove because of that 30+ year shared history before the split.

UConn returning was like welcoming back a Prodigal Son. Still a full-fledged member of the family despite the sojourn. Syracuse would be too, but we know they aren't coming back.

That said, it is true that UConn has longer-term goals that do not involve the Big East. Unlike all other Big East schools, the Big East is not their "destination" conference. Surely, they have a long-run goal of building up football to get invited to a Power league like Syracuse and Pitt did. If that day comes we know they will leave, but we will enjoy them while they last with us.

The "Old" Big East worked so well because it did what no other conference could do: it dominated watercooler conversation in the largest & wealthiest city in the country.

With 3 schools in the metro area, plus Syracuse & UConn, the old Big East was the only conference that could accomplish that.

The only conference even close to that dominance with any megalopolis is the Big Ten's dominance of Chicago. The Big 10 has 3 giant schools within 2 hours, plus a school in the city itself. But Chicago is less than half the size of New York.

You could make an argument that the SEC has a lot of pull in Atlanta, or the Big 12 has a lot of pull in Dallas, or the PAC has a lot of pull in San Francisco. But New York is as big as Atlanta, DFW, and the whole Bay Area combined.

St. Johns owned NYC during their final four run season. I remember watching the St. Johns games that season with my dad. St Johns is the only college team to take over NYC. It is a shame they have languished for so long especially with the Knicks being putrid and nobody caring about the Nets. I bet St. Johns if they can start performing at a high level they could start selling out MSG again.

The Big East Feast was the Sports Illustrated cover when there were 3 Big East Final Four Teams.

CCNY, Long Island, Fordham, NYU...NYC used to have some of the most powerful programs. I can only imagine watching hoops there prior to all the scandals.

That was before my time but it must have been exciting. St. Johns had some good buzz when Mike Jarvis was the coach and had some ranked teams

I forgot Memphis State was the 4th. They were clean? I always felt like they were in trouble. In actuality probably no more than any other school just more scrutinized/caught.

The Tiger program was not clean under Kirk. I was being facetious. My father was a trainer, starting in the early 1950s, with the Memphis athletics program and he and I know about some of the shenanigans over the years.

Memphis hoops has a bad rep with lots of fans and media. Some of that is justified and some is unfair. And, yes, you are correct to note the program is likely more scrutinized than many other programs. I have various theories regarding that excessive scrutiny and many involve racial-social-political-economic factors, so I better keep those views to myself.

Mike Jarvis did a solid job with St. John's and I feel Mike Anderson is going to get the program in strong shape. He's a fine a coach.

Just think - UConn FB could still be in the AAC as a FB only if UConn had originally stayed with the C7 when they split. The AAC would have taken them as a FB only along with Navy for 12 FB teams to start their Conference Championship Game under the old NCAA rules.

(02-19-2021 10:19 AM)panite Wrote:  Just think - UConn FB could still be in the AAC as a FB only if UConn had originally stayed with the C7 when they split. The AAC would have taken them as a FB only along with Navy for 12 FB teams to start their Conference Championship Game under the old NCAA rules.

As I recall they tried to do that but the BE would not allow it- depends on who you believe but both UConn and Cincinnati discussed that with the Big East initially.

I posted this in the Big East forum, but the 2005-2012 Big East was an incredibly strong conference in not just men's basketball, but offered elite teams in football and women's basketball too. It was an imperfect marriage, but one that provided beauty and excellence from convenience. It was a mixture of both private and public schools, of urban/metropolitan and rural/state campuses, of football-first and basketball-first institutions, of old/established brands and up-and-coming/developing ones. There was, oddly, both individuality and cohesion. In basketball, you had elite hall-of-fame older head coaches in Calhoun, Boeheim, Pitino and Huggins, with young-up-and-coming coaches like JTIII, Dixon, Crean/Buzz, Wright and Cronin. In football, you top-10-level programs in West Virginia (Rich Rodriguez), Louisville (Bobby Petrino), USF (Jim Leavitt) and Cincinnati (Kelly), with top-25-level programs in Rutgers (Schiano), UConn (Edsall) and Pittsburgh (Wannstedt).

It was nothing short of miraculous that the league was high-level/power despite every single program continuing to have one foot out the door. It provided an edge annually where there was always rivalry and conflict, but there was also respect. It provided great competition and entertainment for not just fans and alumni of these schools, but to the casual viewer as well.

It is a shame that the powers-that-be determined that there was more value in these programs separated than together. When they were united, and I use this term lightly - since there was never really unity - it was historic and special. I will always have fond memories of the 2005-2012 Big East, and wish all programs (both in Big East and elsewhere) success in basketball and football.

(02-19-2021 11:26 AM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  I posted this in the Big East forum, but the 2005-2012 Big East was an incredibly strong conference in not just men's basketball, but offered elite teams in football and women's basketball too.

IMO, arguably the most astonishing conference-related performance of the past 40 years, surpassed maybe only by the SEC's 15-year run of football dominance, is that after getting raided in 2003, the 8-team Big East football league of 2005 - 2012 was able to perform as a solid "power" level conference on the field. In 2005, nobody in the world thought that was possible.

There’s a bit of tragic irony in that in 1990 Gavitt and Trangese convinced the basketball schools to admit Miami and let Big East football begin in effort to keep from losing BC, Syracuse, and Pitt to a football conference. Ultimately it just delayed their departures.

(02-19-2021 01:00 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(02-19-2021 11:26 AM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  I posted this in the Big East forum, but the 2005-2012 Big East was an incredibly strong conference in not just men's basketball, but offered elite teams in football and women's basketball too.

IMO, arguably the most astonishing conference-related performance of the past 40 years, surpassed maybe only by the SEC's 15-year run of football dominance, is that after getting raided in 2003, the 8-team Big East football league of 2005 - 2012 was able to perform as a solid "power" level conference on the field. In 2005, nobody in the world thought that was possible.

That's a strong choice, QV, and in my top three or four. But No. 1 would have to be the all-round dominance of the Pac-12 since 1981-82, when women's sports were fully NCAA sanctioned. The league almost every year wins a collective more team and individual sports than any other conference. Check the numbers at the link below. Impressive

https://www.espn.com/espnw/sports/story/...mpionships