- Joined
- Aug 29, 2011
- Messages
- 751
- Reaction Score
- 926
The Big East Conference, the only to send three teams to a Final Four, will announce Thursday that its non-FBS programs are splitting from their brethren, sources told The Post.
The presidents of the seven schools that don’t play big time football - DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence Seton Hall, St. John’s and Villanova - are holding a teleconference with Big East Commissioner Mike Aresco Thursday and expected to issue a statement this afternoon saying that are parting ways.
The teleconference was taking place this morning, and Aresco was hoping to hold the league together. But multiple sources said the seven basketball-centric schools had had enough of the defections that had wreaked havoc on the league in the last couple of years.
It is the penultimate chapter in a story that began in 1979 when the Big East was founded, rose to prominence in the 80’s behind its basketball programs (Georgetown, St. John’s and Villanova) got the Final Four in 1985 but then saw members with FBS programs leave for richer TV deals.
Boston College began the exodus in 2003. Rutgers and Louisville left last month with the Scarlet Knights going to the Big Ten and the Cardinals going to the ACC.
It was unknown if the seven schools, which together hold a majority vote, were going to dissolve the league. That would allow them to keep the name and its contract with The Garden, where it has held its postseason tournament since 1981.
Sources said those basketball-centric schools will look to link up with teams from the Atlantic 10 - such as Butler Dayton, St. Louis and Xavier. Whether that comes in the form of a super conference with 21 teams - the seven Big East schools and the 14 A-10 schools, is unclear.
A source said the Big East was leaning towards a second option - adding schools. It wants to return to its days as a 10-12 school conference with a homogenous membership headlined by elite basketball programs in urban markets.
What is certain is that programs such as Temple, which is set to join the Big East in basketball next season, Cincinnati, Connecticut and South Florida, are in terrible limbo.
The Big East recently added a group of schools such as Boise State, Central Florida, East Carolina, Houston, San Diego State and SMU to bolster its football roster. Those schools might return to their respective conferences.
The future of St. John’s and Seton Hall is uncertain. St. John’s has a much stronger brand name and it is one of just six schools to have developed its own HDTV network than can broadcast games on television, computer and hand held devices.
With the Big East taking this step, the move to five super conferences is all but complete. There still could be some realignment - Connecticut is desperate for an invitation to the ACC. But the new map of college athletics has been drawn.
The presidents of the seven schools that don’t play big time football - DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence Seton Hall, St. John’s and Villanova - are holding a teleconference with Big East Commissioner Mike Aresco Thursday and expected to issue a statement this afternoon saying that are parting ways.
The teleconference was taking place this morning, and Aresco was hoping to hold the league together. But multiple sources said the seven basketball-centric schools had had enough of the defections that had wreaked havoc on the league in the last couple of years.
It is the penultimate chapter in a story that began in 1979 when the Big East was founded, rose to prominence in the 80’s behind its basketball programs (Georgetown, St. John’s and Villanova) got the Final Four in 1985 but then saw members with FBS programs leave for richer TV deals.
Boston College began the exodus in 2003. Rutgers and Louisville left last month with the Scarlet Knights going to the Big Ten and the Cardinals going to the ACC.
It was unknown if the seven schools, which together hold a majority vote, were going to dissolve the league. That would allow them to keep the name and its contract with The Garden, where it has held its postseason tournament since 1981.
Sources said those basketball-centric schools will look to link up with teams from the Atlantic 10 - such as Butler Dayton, St. Louis and Xavier. Whether that comes in the form of a super conference with 21 teams - the seven Big East schools and the 14 A-10 schools, is unclear.
A source said the Big East was leaning towards a second option - adding schools. It wants to return to its days as a 10-12 school conference with a homogenous membership headlined by elite basketball programs in urban markets.
What is certain is that programs such as Temple, which is set to join the Big East in basketball next season, Cincinnati, Connecticut and South Florida, are in terrible limbo.
The Big East recently added a group of schools such as Boise State, Central Florida, East Carolina, Houston, San Diego State and SMU to bolster its football roster. Those schools might return to their respective conferences.
The future of St. John’s and Seton Hall is uncertain. St. John’s has a much stronger brand name and it is one of just six schools to have developed its own HDTV network than can broadcast games on television, computer and hand held devices.
With the Big East taking this step, the move to five super conferences is all but complete. There still could be some realignment - Connecticut is desperate for an invitation to the ACC. But the new map of college athletics has been drawn.
