Key tweets, and it's all gone to Hell.

[JohnFSilver]

Look how much money basketball brings in vs. hockey and that will answer your question. Can’t go Big 12 or ACC, we’ll end up like Syracuse.

Our football team is not desirable for any conference, we’re on the best path forward right now until things change dramatically.

Respectfully, things have changed dramatically.

UConn is a valued hoops brand. Be thankful for that. But make no mistake, Georgetown and Nova would leave the big east for the big 12 if the deal was right.

Like with anything UConn related, it is so much more complicated than any other school out there.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Norlander’s whole thread on subject:

Thanks. Good stuff from Matt.

 

[How Sway?!]

Respectfully, things have changed dramatically.

UConn is a valued hoops brand. Be thankful for that. But make no mistake, Georgetown and Nova would leave the big east for the big 12 if the deal was right.

Like with anything UConn related, it is so much more complicated than any other school out there.

No they wouldn't. They had their taste of B12 with the big east and they decided they'd rather take their ball and go home.

 

[Waquoit]

 

[How Sway?!]

I wish our fan base would stop shooting ourselves in the foot and realize that we need to be in a real conference for all sports.

If the B12 gave us an all sports invite, we would have taken it, but they haven't and they have shown no willingness to do so. Taking a Gonzaga type deal would relegate us to second class citizens in the worst power conference.

 

[uconnyankee]

It is absolutely nuts to me how much people will twist themselves into a pretzel to justify UConn's exclusion, now they're not questioning an "all sports" inclusion of a school that doesn't even have football and brings $0.00 from the sport while UConn's "downside" is their football. At least we have it and can bring money at all from it it's so infuriating at this point

True. But they aren’t paying for it either with Gonzaga.
Your point works if UConn came in for FB and BB for same $’s as Gonzaga with BB only

 

[huskymedic]

Thanks. Good stuff from Matt.

Might also want to read the article from The Athletic for another perspective:

Behind the scenes of Brett Yormark’s yearlong push to get the Big 12 to 16

There were countless twists and turns, but Yormark was never shy about his objective: Boost the Big 12 by any means necessary.

theathletic.com

Assisted access <<

-> UConn was different. It was no secret Yormark was most interested in inviting the Huskies to the Big 12 if the Pac-12 schools stuck together.

How far did it get with UConn? Yormark traveled to Storrs for a campus visit after the Huskies’ men’s basketball national title and later had a second meeting with their leadership in New York. The commissioner saw something his peers did not: a proven brand in men’s and women’s basketball that gets the league into New York City and the East Coast. He believed Jim Mora has the football program (currently 0-4 this season) heading in the right direction. He trusted that, over time, UConn would add value.

“I’m all about scenario management and think that’s critically important,” Yormark said. “We vetted them all out time and time again and tried to go down parallel paths with respect to how to work them.”

Still, it was always going to be tough to build support for that addition. ESPN and Fox were willing to pay full price for Pac-12 additions. The Big 12 board wanted Power 5 schools. It meant more to them. <-

 

[uconnyankee]

No they wouldn't. They had their taste of B12 with the big east and they decided they'd rather take their ball and go home.

No big East school would sign up to be one of two or four bb only schools in a football league.
That was old big East. Which they left. They would have even less say.

Big East works for BB only.
Surprised Big East doesn’t grab some west coast schools.

 

[John]

No big East school would sign up to be one of two or four bb only schools in a football league.

I wouldn't be so sure of that.

 

[Exit 4]

I see no point for BY to push on UConn for BB only again until he has Zaga signed. And getting Zaga signed sounds like it requires some serious internal salesman ship with his conf members.

Should Zaga and the B12 announce a deal, then all bets are off who goes next as a BB only compliment to Zaga. Surely there will be at least one additional BB only addition.

 

[JohnFSilver]

No. That is not what happens.

No they wouldn't. They had their taste of B12 with the big east and they decided they'd rather take their ball and go home.

No. That literally has nothing to do with it.

Football isn’t going to be able to bail out the AD department anymore. The Big 12 this summer was the final chance.

Now? They gotta really maximize that hoops dollar and ensure future. I am looking at landscape. Big East isn’t it. It’s a shame really, but they are once again sitting on their hands. Big 12/ACC/Big 10 is gonna go after those properties. And it’s gonna be a race to the bottom thanks to smu/cal/Stan.

UConn can’t afford to do the SMU deal with the big 12 or acc or that would have offered it.

 

[CTBasketball]

Respectfully, things have changed dramatically.

UConn is a valued hoops brand. Be thankful for that. But make no mistake, Georgetown and Nova would leave the big east for the big 12 if the deal was right.

Like with anything UConn related, it is so much more complicated than any other school out there.

I don’t think any Big East school would leave for that, not even the ACC either. It doesn’t get you much these days, but the Big East has pride. The other conferences don’t.

 

[How Sway?!]

No. That is not what happens.

No. That literally has nothing to do with it.

Football isn’t going to be able to bail out the AD department anymore. The Big 12 this summer was the final chance.

Now? They gotta really maximize that hoops dollar and ensure future. I am looking at landscape. Big East isn’t it. It’s a shame really, but they are once again sitting on their hands. Big 12/ACC/Big 10 is gonna go after those properties. And it’s gonna be a race to the bottom thanks to smu/cal/Stan.

UConn can’t afford to do the SMU deal with the big 12 or acc or that would have offered it.

The big east schools, other than us, have no FBS football to worry about financing. They can finance their while AD with basketball. They are not going to trade their traditional peers for a southern football conference that won't even get them more money.

Gonzaga can take an Olympic sports invite for 3 million and be happy with it, we can't. We couldn't do an SMU deal because we didn't bring a new cable boxes, not because we couldn't afford it.

 

[Rufus]

I see no point for BY to push on UConn for BB only again until he has Zaga signed. And getting Zaga signed sounds like it requires some serious internal salesman ship with his conf members.

Should Zaga and the B12 announce a deal, then all bets are off who goes next as a BB only compliment to Zaga. Surely there will be at least one additional BB only addition.

If it's a basketball move, B12 could add a decent program and get into California at the same time by adding St. Mary's. Already established rivalry in place with Gonzaga and BYU. Doesn't get East Coast exposure, but would fit what BY is trying to do otherwise.

 

[Exit 4]

If it's a basketball move, B12 could add a decent program and get into California at the same time by adding St. Mary's. Already established rivalry in place with Gonzaga and BYU. Doesn't get East Coast exposure, but would fit what BY is trying to do otherwise.

Yep.

Seems to me though getting the second school will be far easier than selling the b12 that they need the first BB school. So if they manage to sign up Zaga, then after that the speculation will be wild.

 

[Sole]

I don’t think any Big East school would leave for that, not even the ACC either. It doesn’t get you much these days, but the Big East has pride. The other conferences don’t.

After the big 10 and acc grabbed schools from California..its just about money… seems they are trying to be like the nfl and nba having teams all across the country… i doubt and big east schools besides uconn would even think about joining that mess

 

[NowInStorrs]

If the B12 gave us an all sports invite, we would have taken it, but they haven't and they have shown no willingness to do so. Taking a Gonzaga type deal would relegate us to second class citizens in the worst power conference.

I agree with that, but even when we were being discussed as an all-sports invite, we had a bunch of people on Twitter (and media and in the capitol) asking if we'd even want to go to the B12 for all sports.

 

[KryHavok]

I see no point for BY to push on UConn for BB only again until he has Zaga signed. And getting Zaga signed sounds like it requires some serious internal salesman ship with his conf members.

Should Zaga and the B12 announce a deal, then all bets are off who goes next as a BB only compliment to Zaga. Surely there will be at least one additional BB only addition.

Creighton. They are a moderate success in BBall, are "local" to the Big12, and it would ease some of the travel burden for them. And it gets the conference back into Nebraska. Creighton might jump to spite us, and the Big12 might take them to say "we don't need UConn".

 

[John]

I don’t think any Big East school would leave for that, not even the ACC either. It doesn’t get you much these days, but the Big East has pride. The other conferences don’t.

you can't be serious.

 

[CTBasketball]

you can't be serious.

I’m serious!

 

[John]

I’m serious!

after which wave of defections did the Big East suddenly get pride?

 

[ScottVib]

UConn fans should've had their eyes opened when the school was once again bypassed from every viable (then P5) P4 option, basketball matters very little in the scheme of realignment and isn't going to "save" the school. I don't think that as the P4 seeks to maximize basketball and tournament revenues for themselves, that there will be any pause given to the thought of "what about the Big East?" Ultimately, UConn needs to find a home in any one of those leagues. While I don't think UConn would take a Gonzaga deal at $2M for the Big XII (that's actually a raise for Gonzaga), but if the money is equal, let alone if there is any kind of increase UConn needs to jump at any kind of opportunity.

I don't think the next Big East deal is going to be anywhere near the windfall some were predicting a couple of seasons ago, or even last year. The Big East is nice to have, not must have property for the networks, even more so if you go to a streaming first model. Other than UConn & Villanova there are no other schools in the conference that on their own makes a game worth-airing. Creighton, Marquette, St. John's all are brands worth airing only if they are having success or making the news (for example if Pitino can stir up enough controversy to make St. John's the Colorado football of NCAA hoops). In a streaming model, only UConn & Villanova have brands big enough to drive subscriptions and, other than UConn, all are small(ish) private universities which further limits the ability to monetize the Big East rights through subscriptions.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I thinks going to big 12, getting a share of their hoops and non football money is good. And maybe at next contract even admission works. Perhaps a bowl tie in and a scheduling arrangement.

Things like that.

What is non football money worth? The only league where this was necessary was the Old Big East and they were never happy. and currently WSU in the AAC is the only one I know .
they get $2million or just <30%of full members
$10,000,000 and guaranteed football games and I’m in.
I doubt the number. will be that high but UConn.just made $10,000:000 for the Big East plus there is potential for for some big ratings BB games.do we definitely pay for ourselves.

 

[JohnFSilver]

What is non football money worth? The only league where this was necessary was the Old Big East and they were never happy. and currently WSU in the AAC is the only one I know .
they get $2million or just <30%of full members
$10,000,000 and guaranteed football games and I’m in.
I doubt the number. will be that high but UConn.just made $10,000:000 for the Big East plus there is potential for for some big ratings BB games.do we definitely pay for ourselves.

Oh man. You are assuming no other institution wants to better themselves.

You have competitors, all over. The days of conferences coming to you are over. Now you have to go to conferences and it's a race to the bottom just to stay associated.

This is all conjecture and reading tea leaves, I just don't think the Big East can make it in the current environment. It doesn't have enough revenue options. It needs bigger schools and higher revenue sports.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

UConn fans should've had their eyes opened when the school was once again bypassed from every viable (then P5) P4 option, basketball matters very little in the scheme of realignment and isn't going to "save" the school. I don't think that as the P4 seeks to maximize basketball and tournament revenues for themselves, that there will be any pause given to the thought of "what about the Big East?" Ultimately, UConn needs to find a home in any one of those leagues. While I don't think UConn would take a Gonzaga deal at $2M for the Big XII (that's actually a raise for Gonzaga), but if the money is equal, let alone if there is any kind of increase UConn needs to jump at any kind of opportunity.

I don't think the next Big East deal is going to be anywhere near the windfall some were predicting a couple of seasons ago, or even last year. The Big East is nice to have, not must have property for the networks, even more so if you go to a streaming first model. Other than UConn & Villanova there are no other schools in the conference that on their own makes a game worth-airing. Creighton, Marquette, St. John's all are brands worth airing only if they are having success or making the news (for example if Pitino can stir up enough controversy to make St. John's the Colorado football of NCAA hoops). In a streaming model, only UConn & Villanova have brands big enough to drive subscriptions and, other than UConn, all are small(ish) private universities which further limits the ability to monetize the Big East rights through subscriptions.

I agree with everything except the potential of basketball to save UConn
The fact that the D1 schools get 17% of the money they earn from the second best tournament in the world .is crazy to me . Just increasing that number to 50% ( not the 80% football gets ) UConn would have
earned $30,000,000 for their conference this year . Spaced over 6 years . However a basketball team that averages 4 units a year is enriching its conference by $20,000,000 a year. Every P conference Would be a bidding war for top basketball schools with that simple adjustment . It’s not that BB isn’t valuable but the NCAA devalues it on purpose . That effects zero championships events or administration cost only the cash distribution to member schools by that body .
Why the P conferences
the Big East
A10
WCC
MW
AAC
MVC
CUSA
aren’t pushing the reform is baffling as there future is at stake