Prov. Journal: Basketball schools plan to break away if UConn or Louisville leave

[Rumrunner]

"There has been some, but very little, discussion of growing the league to 20 members by adding schools that do not play football. The basketball faction has instead chosen to remain aligned with what it hopes will still be a BCS-level football conference. If, however, there are additional defections from the Big East that include either Connecticut or Louisville, the basketball schools are expected to pull away from their football partners."

http://www.projo.com/pc/content/big_east_expansion_10-16-11_A8QVDNJ_v2.67af0.html

This changes things. UofL is the #1 target of the Big 12.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Louisville is not the #1 target of the Big 12. It is the #3 target. Otherwise, stellar post.

 

[IMind]

I think this position makes sense for the basketball schools and also why they seem to be at least working with the football schools to add the new members.

 

[FDNY99]

You have to wonder if this was the issue between the basketball schools and ND that Lenn Robbins from the NY Post reported on the other day.

 

[noeynox]

So if WVU or RU leave they will stay aligned? I guess that makes sense from the standpoint that UConn and UL are national brand basketball programs, but all signs continually point to the BBall schools getting fed up with the football side eventually and taking their ball and going home.

 

[junglehusky]

So if WVU or RU leave they will stay aligned? I guess that makes sense from the standpoint that UConn and UL are national brand basketball programs, but all signs continually point to the BBall schools getting fed up with the football side eventually and taking their ball and going home.

If WVU or RU leave, they probably wouldn't be the first ones to leave (unless the Eers' dreams come true and they are at the top of the SEC's list). So the bball schools want to pressure UConn and UL's commitment first since those two are sort of the lynchpin of future BE stability.

 

[RS9999X]

SMU, Houston, Cincy, Rutgers, USF, and UCF add nothing to BE Basketkball when taken as a whole.

UConn, Louisville, and WVU--that's what's happening.

I still have problems with the last team in this SEC/B12 football drama. So does the B12

If the SE adds one it's WVU and that's it? Maybe. Or the B12 replaces Misery with WVU? OK. With BYU out it seems Lousiville is in Limbo.

The best (and only) scenario for UConn is FSU to the SEC and Missouri stays put. Cincy and Southern Miss and Tulane are such a stretch for the B12. The ACC then has a hole to fill and Flipper can dig deeper

 

[TheRogers]

A new basketball conference where Providence and Seton Hall will still add NO value....wooohooo!

 

[metsfan2323]

They can't break away, if they do they lose the Big East name. Imagine the catholic schools trying to kick UCONN out just because Louisville left. Hogwash.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Fans of a couple of the basketball onlies have stated for nearly a week now that if UConn leaves they want nothing to do with the remainder of the football members. Likely the schools themselves (not the fan bases) have Louisville as part of this mix.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

They can't break away, if they do they lose the Big East name. Imagine the catholic schools trying to kick UCONN out just because Louisville left. Hogwash.

Either side can walk away in unison at any time (the question is will all catholic members be unified if it is UL that goes). If the football members leave, the name is not an issue and will go to the catholics. If the catholics leave, it may require arbitration but I imagine the catholics would eventually win that one (as they will still have four original members while football will have one). I doubt that there would be this argument anyway and as far as UConn is concerned, I imagine under your scenario, we would be offered a spot in their conference (which does not play football), which we obviously would have to decline.

 

[junglehusky]

Wonder what Nova does in this scenario, assuming some skeleton crew of football schools stays together. A faction in the Nova administration still wants to upgrade but if it's like, USF, Cinci and a bunch of new faces, they probably can't do it. They would need to stop the bleeding at one one of UConn/UL leaving somehow.

 

[RS9999X]

It's difficult to walk away from a conference when the Men's and Women's team is predicted as Final Four material once again and UConn is one of if not THE country's premier basketball programs period when both men and women are looked at.

If you take UConn and Louisiville and Pitt and SU out of the preseason Top 25 for the men and women you get Cincy and Catholic Schools and then maybe the WVU men as bubbling under.

 

[Rumrunner]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/story/2011-10-05/big-12-missouri-expansion/50673292/1



"The Big 12, meanwhile, is actively pursuing expansion to fill at least the hole left by A&M. An official in the league with knowledge of the deliberations, who asked to remain anonymous because of their sensitivity, said the candidates include TCU, Brigham Young and Louisville. TCU's inclusion is an indication that the league has altered its initial intention to look outside its current geographic boundaries."

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/story/2011-10-05/big-12-missouri-expansion/50673292/1

I would do the math for you, but its time for you to put on the big boy pants. On second thought, maybe you're not ready:

TCU has already been invited.
BYU declined or couldn't come to terms.

That leaves..I dunno...hey, is it Louisville?

Never mind if they go to 12 teams.

But again, you know more than the stakeholders.

Louisville is not the #1 target of the Big 12. It is the #3 target. Otherwise, stellar post.

 

[tzznandrew]

Well, if Louisville accepts, and this precipitates the bb-onlies to split, perhaps that forces ND's hand. Let's just get this circus over.

 

[SubbaBub]

They must think:
that ND will stay with them (30%).
that the FB's care about BB's other than ND (100%), GTown (70%), Nova(70%), or St. John's (40%).
I do like that it puts a split out there into the ether as it might get ND to tip its hand.

 

[RS9999X]

Lousville would be invited if they had a clear consensus.

My best guess is they wait on Misery to include them in the 10 or 12 discussion as a courtesy.

Then the SEC invites WVU, Texas steamrolls Misery, and they stay at 10 and Misery goes home pouting.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I'm guessing that if the B-12 was able to land BYU, TCU would still be on a waiting list. That conference won't do anything else until a final decision on/by Missouri is made.

Last reports (nearly a month ago) were that all but Missouri (didn't get involved), Texas (adamant against expanding beyong ten) and Oklahoma (wouldn't make a statement for or against) wanted to expand to twelve members. As UT conceded on both the HS football highlights and the no expansion within Texas, it is possible that the size of the conference concession will be in favor of UT but there is little reason to feel safe until everything shakes out as there is always the possibility that even if they remain at ten (for the time being), a year or two down the road they can decide twelve works better.

One thing that we (football members of the BE) need to accept is that until we are members of another conference we will never fully be safe.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

I read this more as the basketball schools seeing UConn and UL as the most likely to defect. Whether they have reason to believe that or are just guessing, I don't know. From their perspective, of the remaining FB schools, those two are also the most valuable. RU is worthless basketball-wise, and WVU, while growing, is not at the level of the other two.

 

[Danzz]

They can't break away, if they do they lose the Big East name. Imagine the catholic schools trying to kick UCONN out just because Louisville left. Hogwash.

The point is that the basketball schools have to be getting a bit tired of the instability created by football and it is hard to blame them. They all know that Uconn is chopping at the bit to get invited to the ACC and like Cuse and Pitt, Uconn would leave in a heartbeat. Then there is Louisville, WVA and Rutgers who would also like to leave.It would take a lot of guts and some cash for a premtive move by the basketball schools but may make sense to get away from the mess football greed has created. It would bail out ND who without question would join them.
Remember, the BE was formed as a basketball conference. The mission has changed and pretty much leaves them out. The football schools are only committed to the BE unless they find something better; kind of like asking a girl to the prom and having her tell you that she'll go with you unless somebody cuter asks her.
Worse case scenerio for Uconn: the basketball schools leave and form a new conference. Rutgers and ND to the ACC and Louisville to the Big 2. Nobody would want to join what is left.

 

[FDNY99]

Excellent post Ffldcntyfan!

 

[arnie3]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/story/2011-10-05/big-12-missouri-expansion/50673292/1

"The Big 12, meanwhile, is actively pursuing expansion to fill at least the hole left by A&M. An official in the league with knowledge of the deliberations, who asked to remain anonymous because of their sensitivity, said the candidates include TCU, Brigham Young and Louisville. TCU's inclusion is an indication that the league has altered its initial intention to look outside its current geographic boundaries."

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/story/2011-10-05/big-12-missouri-expansion/50673292/1

I would do the math for you, but its time for you to put on the big boy pants. On second thought, maybe you're not ready:

TCU has already been invited.
BYU declined or couldn't come to terms.

That leaves..I dunno...hey, is it Louisville?

Never mind if they go to 12 teams.

But again, you know more than the stakeholders.

I don't know where you got that BYU is not in the mix with the Big 12. Their AD said that they had not been offered, hence they did not decline, and that with the addition of TCU maybe it was time to have further conversations with the Big 12. The article is posted on this board.

 

[IMind]

They must think:
that ND will stay with them (30%).
that the FB's care about BB's other than ND (100%), GTown (70%), Nova(70%), or St. John's (40%).
I do like that it puts a split out there into the ether as it might get ND to tip its hand.

The one thing that I'm 100% sure of is that if the Big East dissolves Notre Dame is NOT staying with the basketball schools. They're just too weak in basically every other sport but basketball..

 

[SubbaBub]

I agree ND would eventually leave the BB schools, but I am almost certain that they would initially side with them on any spilt. It would give them time and leverage to cut a better deal with whatever conference they join. Maybe even a hybrid deal with the ACC. ND is weaselingly selfish in that way.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

 

[Lock City Husky]

http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/10/14/3446100/television-drove-tcu-over-byu.html

If Mizzou bolts for the SEC, Louisville may very well be the next in line for the Big 12. It seems that the Big 12 TV partners are not as high on BYU due to their "no play on Sunday" rule. This is one reason why TCU leapfrogged BYU. Also BYU made some TV demands, such as a guaranteed number of nationally televised games & some games televised on their BYUtv. Louisville may be next in line if Mizzou goes or if the Big 12 goes to 12.