ESPN again trying to tear down the Big East

[whiteandblue77]

It's sad that college basketball analysts mostly from ESPN are trying to tear down a league that finally puts "basketball first." You would think they would celebrate the creation of a league where basketball trumps football.

Exactly Jet, spot on, makes him look like a complete shill and a hack. Nice callout.

[billyjack]

Here's the point: Goodman's column ranked us #1 on his list. For that, he's either being a c*ckh**d or else he's an effin idiot. Why? Because 5 of our 10 teams have made the Elite-8 since 2007, while those psychopaths running the overrated ACC have only 2 of 12 schools from their overrated conference make an Elite-8 since 2004... and only 4 of their 12 schools have made an Elite-8 since 1997, while 7 of our 10 have made an Elite-8 since '97.

And UNC's 2010 title should be vacated because of cooked books, fake classes, forged signatures... Duke should be vacated because of the $75k Bling Shopping Spree by a Blue Devil player... both of these violations were swept under the rug... and I can't imagine the stuff Miami (Fla) is doing...

And the ACC can't take credit for Big East national champions. Neither Syracuse nor Louisville came out of the ACC to win their titles. Another thing for Goodman and Espn ---> Marquette and Georgetown finished in a three-way tie at the top of the Big East. And Marquette literally kicked the living snot out of double-ACC champs Miami (Fla) in the NCAAs...

Something to think about, which Bill Marsh touched on---> how is Pitt going to avoid the fate of Boston College? Will Pitt match BC (or West Virginia already) where when their Big East recruits graduated and their Big East aura wore away, they've been awful? How will Pitt possibly recruit in New York anymore? These are the key points that are overlooked when people praise the overrated ACC.

[JOPO]

The ACC had turned into a 2-team conference.

Only 2 of 12 schools have made an Elite-8 out of the ACC since 2004. Duke. UNC. That's it.
But 5 of 10 Big East schools have made the Elite-8 from 2007 to today. Half our conference.

Someone tweet this to Goodman.

Love this!

[billyjack]

One other thing... have any of you watched any ACC games recently? Outside of UNC and Duke at least? Well to me it's a soft league of uncontested layups and uncontested 16-foot jumpshots. In the Big East, every possession is valued and contested... we have a wide open floor with fast breaks, but it's mixed with grinding tough possessions.

ACC ball (the bottom 10) is a quick-whistle league of half-hearted defense and wide open jumpers. Basically, it's the nightmare of Keno-Davis-ball of no defense, wrapped up in a 12 team conference. We did that 3 years under Keno and got destroyed in conference play.

Ok, end of my rant. (for now)...

[Noonzy]

There is another situation to factor in especially for the future of the ACC. Many of the top coaches are nearing retirement. Pitino, Jim B, Coach K, Williams and Larranaga-did I miss anyone? Those coaches represent the top of the conference. How much of a drop off will there be when some new coach has to replace one of those legends?

[GumbyDamnit!]

There is another situation to factor in especially for the future of the ACC. Many of the top coaches are nearing retirement. Pitino, Jim B, Coach K, Williams and Larranaga-did I miss anyone? Those coaches represent the top of the conference. How much of a drop off will there be when some new coach has to replace one of those legends?

Good points around. I agree with the above especially. It's sometimes very hard to replace legendary coaches.

But I do disagree with those that seem to think the BE is better off without Syracuse and Loiusvlle especially. The ACC BB league, on paper today, is better than it was. It's the best league right now and is so by a wide margin. And with COMPLETE respect to our 3 new members, they cannot replace those at the top that we lost. However, we also lost some dead weight. I'll take Xavier over Cinn every day of the week. And get rid of Rutgers and USF and replace with Creighton and Butler? Yes, please. We don't have to try to be the ACC or the Big 10 or anyone else. Let's just carve out our niche as the 3 or 4th best hoops league for now and perhaps we'll catch college hoops lightening in a bottle like the original BE did, pre-football messing things up.

[aughnanure]

I'll give the ACC credit. In the last 15 years they have national champs in 2001 (duke), 2003 (cuse), 2005 (unc), 2009 (unc), 2010 (Duke), 2013 (Louisville). Sorry but that is impressive and they'll have more championships and #1 rankings in the future. If your school was invited to join the ACC, dont tell me you wouldn't jump at the chance!

The Big East: No nat champions since......1985?!?!? We're small time compared to the Big Boys. I do hope we do something in the tourney, but I'll honestly say I'm not expecting much. I agree with ESPN.

Umm no. The ACC doesn't get to take credit for championships it never had.

I personally wouldn't want to be in the ACC. Talk about too many programs and not enough oxygen. UNC and Duke suffocated that conference and did nothing to help the NC States, Wake Forests and Marylands of the world. Cuse and Louisville should fare better, but still - that's a lot of giants and only soo many wins to feed their appetite. Some great programs are going to get lost and damaged in the shuffle and fight (looking at you Pitt).

[yorost]

The ACC might not take be able to take credit, but it does carry the cachet those national championship give its member programs. No different with the Big East. Marquette's championship wasn't a Big East one, but it does give a boost Marquette, which in turn gives a boost to the Big East. It's not like the current Big East gets to run around claiming it has a national championship last year because of Louisville.

[NJRedman]

Well I think Cuse is going to falter and falter badly when Beohiem retires. The ACC is going to eat them up. They will be a middle of the pack team and that makes me smile. Their fan base of annoying long island kids is going to be so great to heckle at the Garden every other year.

[redmen9194]

Calling the Big East a loser in realignment is ridiculous. Here's what we have accomplished during the process:

1.) Created a conference of our own in complete control of our own destiny - we did not join someone else's league.
2.) Kept the Big East name.
3.) Kept Madison Square Garden
4.) Went from making $1.5 million from Big East TV contract (would have been $2.5 with Cuse and Pitt) to $4 million.
5.) Contract with Fox will put our games in 90 million homes nationally.
6.) We added three very good basketball schools (they do not replace Cuse and Pitt but when you factor in the dead weight left behind its not to shabby at all).
7.) We have a league with similar schools that are somewhat geographically contained on the east coast and mid-west.

Now, the old Big East was the best conference probably in the history of the college game. But our individual schools are going to get more, money, more exposure, and more control of their destiny. So while we are no longer in the best conference out there, did we actually lose anything in this?