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This divorce is getting ugly, hopefully these hot-$hit lawyers are going to earn their pay and get the name and the garden... In fact, IMHO, they shoulden't get paid at all if SMU and Tulsa are playing in the Big East tournament in the Garden...

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/ ... MmA5Ph1NzN

......Would like to have the NAME but the GARDEN is more important........

"GO FRIARS".

Multiple sources told The Post that is not so. The Group of Seven want the name, which belongs to the Big East. Those sources also said teams remaining in the Big East see great value in the name recognition of the league. Louisville, Cincinnati, Memphis, et al didn’t leave Conference USA for a startup league. They want the name.

When the Big East source was asked flat out if this rhetoric is a negotiating ploy, the answer was, “No.” Several attempts to reach Harrington were not successful.

A source in the Big East said though the league prefers not to litigate, it will fight to retain the name. The Post recently reported the Big East probably would win such a case, but it’s not a slam dunk.

Interesting.

Let them have their name. This is what they're going to call the Big East:

UConn, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, SMU, USF, UCF, Temple, Tulane

Come on now. They try and call THAT the Big East they will be complete laughingstocks. Every time someone mentions the league there will be a joke attached. And just wait until UConn and Cincy inevitably leave. That league has no chance of being taken seriously as the Big East. More importantly that league has no chance of retaining MSG for their conference tournament.

Since it looks like the Aresco League will be paid peanuts, they might fight harder for the "Big East" name just to claim a victory. Might not be worth it to fight for it.

I hope we get to start the new league in July 2014 and keep Madison Square Garden. The Garden prefers the C7 to the New Big East. Unfortunately, it would prefer the ACC over the C7.

Who cares about the stupid name? Its damaged goods anyway! Let 'em have it.

Also, if MSG wants to rotate the ACC with the new conference, fine. We can than rotate the tourney between NY and Chicago. Can't be anything wrong with establish a solid presence in two of the top three markets, right?

My gut is starting to tell me that a rotating MSG/United Center tournment may be our best case scenario. I can't imagine MSG turning down the ACC if their only other option is the C7 or the remnants of the Big East. The C7 will be a solid league, but the ACC will be higher profile, at least for now. If the ACC ends up at MSG and the Big Ten at Barclays it will make me want to puke.

Barclay's would not be a bad place to land for the C7 but certainly a downgrade in prestige from the Garden (I have heard Barclays is a beautiful arena). I hope the C7 decision makers are already talking to the United Center as a back-up if this Big Ten in the Barclays nonsense actually comes to fruition.

The Prudential Center in Newark is an option, another beautiful arena, and only a 10 minute train ride from Penn Station, but a lot of people have an aversion to going to Newark so it's probably not that viable.

Bottom line, do whatever you can to keep the tourney at MSG!

The ACC doesn't want NYC full time, the BE7 do. BE7 through St. John's should be able to leverage that into a full time relationship.

For the Big East name, I say fight them to the death, we have nothing to lose. If it goes to arbitration, thats done in Providence, RI. Works for me.

I wish the ACC would just get plucked already like we know they are going to and take UCONN and Cincy. Once that happens, the Aresco Big East will have no ground to stand on for keeping the name.

It's important to understand that just like a divorce, both parties are going to say they desperately want each and every asset. The name is one of the bigger assets so it's no different really than two people squabbling over the rights to the house or the family dog. Even if one of the leagues really doesn't want the name, why say it? Use it as leverage for something else.