Why is St. John's playing Kentucky in the BE/SEC Challenge on Thursday?

[HuskyHawk]

So if UK goes down, the BE looks fantastic. If SJU loses, nobody cares because they are expected to. This is the ideal scenario. Ashley Judd is probably filming something in NY and requested the game.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Better as then they are now because they don't have a full team

How? They had like 9 players use up their eligibility last year. Everyone knew way ahead of time that SJU would be in a rebuilding year. Granted they lost 3 freshmen to academics that they thought they would have, but let's be honest none of them were elite recruits who anyone thought would make an immediate huge impact in college.
Everyone knew SJU wouldn't be good this year and everyone expected UK to be really good. Pairing those 2 just makes no sense.

in

 

[Yonick]

Yonick, it's hard to have everyone participate when one league has 12 members and the other 16. USF also not participating, btw.

Yeah, my bad on that. Remember when the BE coaches killed the ACC-BE challenge.

 

[HooperScooper]

I guess here's a plausible reason why they played.

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn...ig-eastsec-challenge-20111202,0,2577121.story