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Message: [QUOTE="broooce, post: 5316118, member: 9941"] Agree. With revenue opportunities ramping up in other sports, and conferences seemingly falling by the wayside (is the demise of ACC imminent, after Pac12?), then conference bragging rights beyond football are coming to the fore. Which conference will be the best in basketball? SEC has been making a push - can't believe that Alabama is a top school in both M&W BB these days. SEC best in softball and baseball - big growth especially in softball (eyeballs on TV). Been watching a lot more ice hockey on TV over the years (at least that's a New England thing), and lacrosse is growing beyond traditional northeast/Atlantic coast footprint but still not quite fully rolled out in the country. I think the conference media deals of the future will value the extended programming opportunities that these other sports offer throughout the calendar year beyond fall football. First it was geography and top media markets. But with streaming, that's not terribly relevant these days. To wit: I might not live in Iowa or PA but I want to watch Iowa-Penn State wrestling matches. It's the best teams playing in games among different sports that attract eyeballs. Another example is UConn WBB vs. South Carolina, UConn MBB vs. Kansas or Florida, etc. That's why the SEC and BIG are best positioned to further enrich themselves and their member schools by thinking beyond football as fans love to watch many sports throughout the year, and colleges offer a great alternative to pro sports games. Adding UConn would arguably make BIG the best basketball conference over the SEC, as it's already considered the best in wrestling and women's volleyball. Maybe BIG can't overtake SEC in baseball and softball, but it can become the best in ice hockey, soccer, and lacrosse. They're both setting things up for future media rights negotiations. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach