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Message: [QUOTE="freescooter, post: 4885831, member: 1023"] The world is vastly different than when Dave Gavitt put together the original Big East. Not only for conferences but for the schools. They largely drew their fan bases from nearby communities. 1979 was the first year Rhode Island residents did not make up the majority of the student body. St John’s didn’t have dorms until 1999. Georgetown drew mostly from Philadelphia to Richmond. Point is that most of these schools no longer draw their students from the local community. And the decline in Catholic life impacts them too. They drew fans from local Catholic parishes, who were often home to alums. So now they need to compete with national programs for fans. Fans in Providence or Queens are as likely to follow Purdue or North Carolina as they are the Friars now a days. There is no natural attraction unless they are good. [/QUOTE]