So it looks like the Big East Conference can now vote to disolve football...lol. It looks like the loophole has been found. Wonder what schools will be invited to form that Catholic Basketball Conference? Xavier? Dayton? Creighton? http://zagsblog.com/temple/temple-can-stop-catholic-dissolution-of-big-east/ Even though it is a full voting member of the Big East, Temple cannot stop the Catholic dissolution of the conference, a source with direct knowledge told SNY.tv. “They could not stop it,” the source said. “There’s language within the bylaws or the contracts that basically they or the football group could not stop that from happening. There’s some kind of clause pertaining to the dissolution of the league where it doesn’t apply. There’s a loophole there somewhere.” We previously been reported that the seven Catholic schools – DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John’s and Villanova — had the necessary two-thirds vote to dissolve the conference over the three remaining all-sports schools — Cincinnati, UConn and South Florida. The five schools that announced they are leaving the Big East — Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Notre Dame and Rutgers — no longer have voting privileges within the league. As has been widely reported, the Presidents and AD’s from the seven Catholic schools met Sunday in New York with Commissioner Mike Aresco to discuss the league’s future. “Everybody is trying to gather information in a very cooperative, group-like setting,” Marquette AD Larry Williams told ESPNWisconsin. “But there have been no decisions made yet. There’s just been a lot of discussion about why people think the way they do and what would be their driving points.” Williams dismissed the idea of the Catholic schools joining with teams from the A-10, although ESPN.com reported that the A-10 would be interested in adding some of the Big East’s basketball-only schools. “When you think about the A-10, I don’t even really view the remnants of the Big East in the same light as I do the A-10,” he said. “There’s no Georgetown in the A-10. Georgetown has won a national championship. There’s no Marquette in the A-10. They’ve not won a national championship in their history. They have a couple of good schools and they have some nice quality across the board, but I certainly, and I know I’m being sort of a homer here, but I certainly think the Big East basketball schools present a profile that is superior to what the depth of the A-10 is.”
Did you happen to catch this? Gonzaga looking to join the Catholic Schools for a basketball conference. http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/69795/3-point-shot-gonzaga-eying-big-east
More on the potential split... http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/big_east_slow_burn_1zmR2BbfJn0xC9ZBxLuk1J There have been reports in the last 24 hours the Big East is leaning toward a split, that the Atlantic 10 is very interested in absorbing most of the Big East schools and creating a 21-school super hoops conference, and that programs such as Boise State, Houston and SMU are exploring exit strategies. There is validity to all of this, but right now the climate is too volatile for any decision to be made. And no decision needs to be made. The seven basketball schools — voting in unison — would have the power to dissolve the league, keep the Big East name and the right to play its postseason tournament at the Garden. They have that power until July 1, when the terms of the next TV deal will be known and a rational decision can be made.
And one for good measure... BIg East hoops schools expected to release statement on future plans in coming days. Source told @espn would be an "upset" if they remained
Looks like the Big East as we know it is dead... http://espn.go.com/college-sports/s...-schools-leaning-leaving-big-east-sources-say Sources: 7 leaning to leave Big EastUpdated: December 13, 2012, 12:14 AM ETBy Brett McMurphy, Andy Katz, Dana O'Neil | ESPN.com Recommend0Tweet0Comments0EmailPrint The presidents of the Big East's seven Catholic, non-Football Bowl Subdivision schools are expected to decide on their future in the Big East in the coming days and it "would be an upset" if they remained in the league, sources told ESPN. The seven schools -- DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall and Villanova -- are "close to a consensus on what they want to do next," a source said Wednesday. The presidents of the seven schools are scheduled to conduct a teleconference with Big East commissioner Mike Aresco on Thursday and are expected to issue a statement on their schools' future in the next 24 to 48 hours. On Sunday, the seven presidents met with Aresco in New York to discuss a number of options and "better understand the best course of action for the future," ESPN reported. Sources told ESPN the seven schools discussed a number of options but most importantly wanted to have "lots of dialogue to better understand the best course of action for the future." Sources said Wednesday it's becoming "more likely" the basketball schools will break away from the league's football members. It's unknown if they would attempt to dissolve the league or leave the league as a group. The league can be dissolved by vote of the league members by a two-thirds majority, according to Big East by-laws. With all of the Big East's recent defections, there are only 10 members (the seven non-FBS schools plus Cincinnati, UConn and South Florida) that can vote on the league dissolving. A source told ESPN Wednesday, Temple, as a football-only member, has voting rights, but can't vote on dissolution of the league. With Temple unable to vote, that gives the seven basketball schools enough votes to dissolve the league. Sources said there are multiple legal entanglements that make the voting situation "complex." UConn president Susan Herbst has contacted officials from the non-FBS Big East members, pleading with them to stay in the league, sources told ESPN. Ironically, Herbst, along with UConn and South Florida officials, heavily lobbied to get out of the Big East and join the ACC, when the league had to replace Maryland. "I know this may seem like a tough moment for our fans, but we need to focus on the fundamentals of academic success across the university and in our athletic program as well," Herbst said in a statement when Louisville, and not UConn, was selected by the ACC last month. If the seven basketball schools leave the Big East, it would be a crippling blow to the Big East's current media rights negotiations. Last week CBSSports.com projected the value of the Big East's media rights revenue between $60 million and $80 million. An industry source thought the figure would be closer to $50 million, he told ESPN Tuesday. The estimates reported by CBSSports.com and ESPN both included the basketball schools as part of the package. If the Big East lost the seven Catholic basketball schools, it would decrease the value of the league's media rights by "15-20 percent," an industry source said. All of these factors also could impact decisions by Boise State and San Diego State ultimately to join the league in 2013 as football-only members. Both schools have reiterated in the past they are committed to the Big East, but if the seven basketball schools leave it could erase any potential financial gains Boise and SDSU would get from leaving the Mountain West for the Big East. On Tuesday night, Marquette athletic director Larry Williams was critical of the future membership of the Big East. "The Big East that Marquette joined in 2005, boy, that's a different looking animal going forward over the next couple of years," Williams told 540 ESPN Milwaukee. "It's prompted some deeper discussion what futures are for schools such as Marquette, Georgetown and Villanova." In the last couple of years, seven Big East schools have announced they were leaving: West Virginia, Pittsburgh, TCU, Syracuse, Louisville, Notre Dame and Rutgers. In their place, the Big East added Temple as a football-only member this year -- the Owls will be full members next year -- and will add Houston, SMU, Memphis, UCF, Boise State and San Diego State in 2013, Tulane and East Carolina in 2014 and Navy in 2015. Houston, SMU, Memphis, UCF and Tulane will be full Big East members; Boise State, San Diego State, East Carolina and Navy will be football-only members. A Big East source from a football-playing school, told ESPN Sunday, "the basketball schools are not thrilled with Tulane" and "would have fallen off the ledge if we would have added East Carolina as a full member." Williams acknowledged he was "not pleased" specifically about adding Tulane. "I was not pleased that we issued an invitation to Tulane without any diligence to what effect that would have on our basketball product, the draw on our RPI and other such things," Williams told 540 ESPN Milwaukee. "I was disappointed that I wasn't able to participate as a member of the conference in the deliberation that went into adding that." Williams added that the Big East's other non-football schools felt the same way. "Part of this is just everybody's uneasy with all these questions that everybody's got in their own minds," Williams told 540 ESPN Milwaukee. "There was something really cool about the Big East. You could rely on it to get six or eight or nine bids in a year. "It was home. Now that home has been sort of changed, and somebody came and put new furniture in, and boy, do we still fit here is what everyone is sort of thinking about."
As a Villanova alum I'm torn. I was continuing to have faith in my pipe dream of 'Nova, Gtown, SJU & Providence joining the ACC as non-football members but in reality that probably never was an option. This seems like the only route they have left. They could put together enough teams nationwide that would maybe classify them as kind of a high mid-major but still it's a long way down from being a marquee team.
They should join the Atlantic 10. It's a great fit. An up and coming basketball driven conference - the best outside of the BCS conferences (although the MWC is good too, they are still football driven)... Were they to join, it would become a top flight basketball conference. Marquette's AD is severely misguided by talking down the A 10. They could do far worse then joining the A 10, and I think they would be in a rude awakening should they try to start their own "new" conference and pirate others. They would be disjointed and tough to keep together.
Um, how could they do far worse than joining the A-10? Going from a major conference to one with URI, Fordham, UMass, Charlotte, St. Bonnie's, etc? Don't need that drek. Pick and choose the best teams from the A-10, and get the elite non-football schools and make a new conference. Just joining the A-10 and forming a 21-team league is a disaster.
You chose some of the lower tier A 10 teams to make your point. Should I talk about DePaul, Seton Hall, and Providence when discussing those 7? Also, Charlotte's leaving the A 10 anyway for football. UMass probably leaving as well for football in the coming years. St Bonaventure is on an upswing, having just produced an NBA 1st Rounder.. URI just hired Dan Hurley, and have a lot of resources they will be a solid program in no time but Fordham does suck but I could see them leaving. The 7 Catholic Big East schools are in no position to claim a major superiority over the Atlantic 10 - they have history but lets look at recent years 2012 Atlantic 10 Teams in the NCAA Tournament: Temple, Saint Louis, St. Bonaventure, Xavier and VCU Overall Record: 4-5 Big East Teams in the NCAA Tournament: Georgetown, Marquette Overall Record: 3-2 2011 Atlantic 10 Teams in the NCAA Tournament: VCU, Butler, Xavier, Temple, Richmond Overall Record: 12-5 Big East Teams in the NCAA Tournament: Georgetown, Marquette, Villanova and St. John's Overall Record: 2-4 2010 Atlantic 10 Teams in the NCAA Tournament: Butler, Temple, Xavier, Richmond Overall Record: 7-4 Big East Teams in the NCAA Tournament: Georgetown, Villanova and Marquette Overall Record: 1-3 Obviously the A 10 in this scenario has more teams, but it's still not like those 7 Big East schools are at a vastly different level. I didn't go back further than 2010, but even if I did there's not much difference. Claiming superiority because of the "Big East" name is not something they can/should do anymore because the Big East as we know it is dead. Not to mention the A 10 just upped their Television deal and signed a contract to play their tourney at the Barclays. Both should be very attractive to these schools. I said they can do much worse, because they can. It's going to be very tough for the seven of them to stick together - negotiate everything from TV contracts, money and voting rights, additions, etc. Say they're trying to work this out and Georgetown gets an invite to an ACC or something- they will immediately bail and the "new" conference falls apart. Going to be a tough sell to snag good teams about making a new conference with basically Marquette and an underwealming and declining Villanova as headliners. They could be S.O.L. and get dispersed amongst various conferences...
From what I understand by disolving the league they keep the name, tourny credits and MSG. So basically they'll be doing the poaching. Xavier, Butler and Dayton.....step on up.
And that's why you don't join the A-10. You can pick the best ones, and if a Georgetown or another school left, you can just take the best of what's left.
Villanova Georgetown St. John's Providence Seton Hall Marquette Xavier Butler DePaul Creighton That's a nice starting point with 10. If you decide to expand you've got Gonzaga, St. Louis, St. Mary's, maybe Dayton. If they could somehow keep MSG? Not a bad deal.
Quite the opposite, they feel they a a national brand. They are looking at ways to get in this thing.
Maybe Dayton? imho, definitely add Dayton. History, UD Arena and they have a 'track record' having played at the Garden many, many times back in the day. Their last visit at MSG was when they beat North Carolina in the 2010 NIT finals. Xavier, Butler, Creighton and Dayton would be a nice addition. Big East Conference Championship: winner goes to heaven.
They are a fraud, created by ESPN and other forms of media. They would be badly exposed in a conference with that much talent.
Good point. Villanova Georgetown St. John's Providence Seton Hall Marquette Xavier Butler DePaul Creighton Dayton St. Louis 12 teams, all about the same size, geographically makes some sense. It's not 3 teams in the top 5, but that's a pretty strong group.
