I’d do it ONLY if it’s for minimum $20 mil/year for all Olympic sports, with a football schedule tie-in of 4/5 games a year rotating (WVU/UCF/Cincy/Hou one year, next year the 4 corners etc). I’d miss the hell out of the BE but a basketball schedule with Kansas, Gonzaga, Houston, Cincy, both AZ schools, etc. I can live with. “One foot in the door” as they say.
I agree, we would have to take it. I think we try to make it work if it is over $15m, but I would insist on a scheduling alliance and the ability to eventually become a full member if we meet certain criteria in football.
Don’t know if you have ever watched Greg Flugar’s show but he always had us right behind Colorado, Arizona, ASU and Utah, and insisted BY’s interest in us was legitimate (but that things had to break a certain way for us to make the cut as a full member). But at certain times he thought we would be a full addition and at other times he thought we would be a basketball only addition. He indicated, as late as three weeks ago, that Yormark approached both UCONN and St. John’s as basketball only additions. He also indicated that Gonzaga was sometimes in play, but the Zags were insisting on a full invite.
If it is truly BY’s vision to have the best basketball programs to ensure the future of the big 12 (which assumes the SEC and BIG try to break away), I would have to imagine that this is a real possibility. He also believes there is more money to be made in bball in the future if the conference takes the product to the networks separately. BY has been open about his desire to have a NY (east coast) presence. We also know that the Big 12 has already completed its due diligence with the Zags and UCONN (I do not believe they got that far with St. John’s), so this move could be made relatively quickly. What continues to concern me is whether the presidents of the Big 12 schools truly understand and embrace Yormark’s vision. I happen to agree with him, there is no way you can have a bball tourney that excludes names like KU, UCONN and Gonzaga. Securing those programs means you will always be a player and have a voice.