- Joined
- Jun 26, 2019
- Messages
- 13
- Reaction Score
- 352
Welcome back Huskies! I've been following the discussion on here and there is a lot of misinformation regarding the conference you will be joining next year. So here is a little guide for you...
WHAT'S THE SAME -
1.) The Big East Tournament is still the best conference tournament in the country. We have the numbers to actually back it up. This last season, The Big East Tournament had the best average attendance out of every tournament in the country. In fact, every session was sold out except for one which got pretty close. Same was true for the year before when we were also number one in average attendance and beat out the Big Ten who played at the Garden the week prior and the ACC who was in Brooklyn. Even St. John's was selling out the Garden multiple times during the season and had huge attendance numbers there. In fact, despite attempts by the ACC and the Big Ten to get the Garden to host there tournaments in the future, the Garden extended the Big East Tournament contract and is in discussions with St. John's to schedule all Big East Conference games at MSG.
2.) The Love / Hate Relationship has survived. Like the old version, Big East fans root hard for their conference mates in the non-conference slate and in the NCAA tournament. But once conference play tips, the hatred is tough to top. It's still a street brawl every night, which brings me to number three....
3.) Big East refs still suck. Won't even get into it but look at a few games from last season. If Hurley likes getting ejected, he'll find a few reasons to do so.
4.) The basketball is excellent. The Big East has been in the top five of all conferences consistently since 2013. Two national championships, several players of the year, two number 1 seeds in the NCAA tourny in 2018, and a round robin schedule that has fostered real rivalries. We have never had a losing season against the schools playing in the Football Five conferences as a group and have generally put half our teams in the tourney on average.
WHAT'S CHANGED
1.) The obvious - membership. No more Cuse and Pitt. Now you will see Creighton, Xavier and Butler. They have been excellent additions and road wins in their arenas are hard to come by. Cintas is a mad house, Hinkle has some type of magic game in and out, and say hello to 18k Blue Jay fans in Omaha that fill stands each night. I know you guys think you are going to waltz in and start winning championships right away with that UConn ego (hate part is creeping in here), but it will be very tough. You'll see.
2.) FOX. The Fox coverage of the Big East is phenomenal. Now, the rub is that the ratings are not as strong as ESPN. But who cares? The real question is can I see my team on national TV whether I'm in Storrs or in Los Angeles. St. John's had just about every single game on TV last season - conference and non-conference. The Fox channels are available across the country. No more ESPN3 or ESPN+. So when you tell a kid his family can watch every game from the comfort of home if they want, that's a good thing. And FOX markets the Big East in a big way. I'm sure the commercials featuring UConn will be over the top. So don't worry about TV - you're in a better spot than you were for sure.
3.) The Commish - Val Ackerman is the best commissioner in the sport. Not even close. She is quiet, but tough as they come and really advocates for the league. She secured the Garden extension while the Big Ten and ACC were at the doorstep, she was able to negotiate expansion of the league to take in a major program of national stature (there's that love I was mentioning), and you will see her at your games walking around talking to the fans. She does a great job.
That's basically it. The Big East is glad you are coming home. It's going to be a lot of fun for everyone.
WHAT'S THE SAME -
1.) The Big East Tournament is still the best conference tournament in the country. We have the numbers to actually back it up. This last season, The Big East Tournament had the best average attendance out of every tournament in the country. In fact, every session was sold out except for one which got pretty close. Same was true for the year before when we were also number one in average attendance and beat out the Big Ten who played at the Garden the week prior and the ACC who was in Brooklyn. Even St. John's was selling out the Garden multiple times during the season and had huge attendance numbers there. In fact, despite attempts by the ACC and the Big Ten to get the Garden to host there tournaments in the future, the Garden extended the Big East Tournament contract and is in discussions with St. John's to schedule all Big East Conference games at MSG.
2.) The Love / Hate Relationship has survived. Like the old version, Big East fans root hard for their conference mates in the non-conference slate and in the NCAA tournament. But once conference play tips, the hatred is tough to top. It's still a street brawl every night, which brings me to number three....
3.) Big East refs still suck. Won't even get into it but look at a few games from last season. If Hurley likes getting ejected, he'll find a few reasons to do so.
4.) The basketball is excellent. The Big East has been in the top five of all conferences consistently since 2013. Two national championships, several players of the year, two number 1 seeds in the NCAA tourny in 2018, and a round robin schedule that has fostered real rivalries. We have never had a losing season against the schools playing in the Football Five conferences as a group and have generally put half our teams in the tourney on average.
WHAT'S CHANGED
1.) The obvious - membership. No more Cuse and Pitt. Now you will see Creighton, Xavier and Butler. They have been excellent additions and road wins in their arenas are hard to come by. Cintas is a mad house, Hinkle has some type of magic game in and out, and say hello to 18k Blue Jay fans in Omaha that fill stands each night. I know you guys think you are going to waltz in and start winning championships right away with that UConn ego (hate part is creeping in here), but it will be very tough. You'll see.
2.) FOX. The Fox coverage of the Big East is phenomenal. Now, the rub is that the ratings are not as strong as ESPN. But who cares? The real question is can I see my team on national TV whether I'm in Storrs or in Los Angeles. St. John's had just about every single game on TV last season - conference and non-conference. The Fox channels are available across the country. No more ESPN3 or ESPN+. So when you tell a kid his family can watch every game from the comfort of home if they want, that's a good thing. And FOX markets the Big East in a big way. I'm sure the commercials featuring UConn will be over the top. So don't worry about TV - you're in a better spot than you were for sure.
3.) The Commish - Val Ackerman is the best commissioner in the sport. Not even close. She is quiet, but tough as they come and really advocates for the league. She secured the Garden extension while the Big Ten and ACC were at the doorstep, she was able to negotiate expansion of the league to take in a major program of national stature (there's that love I was mentioning), and you will see her at your games walking around talking to the fans. She does a great job.
That's basically it. The Big East is glad you are coming home. It's going to be a lot of fun for everyone.