UCONN, The Big East and realignment

[hoops22]

Dump UConn Now! Forego the exit fees and shitcan them dogs now. This way there's no expected/unexpected departures
up ahead. Val needs to be proactive and not wait for the Huskies inevitable departure.

Back at 10... add 4 now (3 WC-Zags, USF, USD and promote one historic EC school -HC/Bonnies/LaSalle/Temple OR Carlton in Ontario.

OR

Stay at 10 and wait for the ACC implosion and pick up scraps (ND/Duke/S'cuse/Pitt).

**NOTE: I'm in favor of LaSalle. Excellent history and tradition. Last NCAA 2013. AND every one would get the blessed opportunity to
play in the MECCA of College Basketball - The Palestra. (Go pound sand Hinkle...)

If not LaSalle, then go international with Carlton University in Ontario,CAN.

I don't know what it is you're smoking, but that is one mighty potent hallucinogen. Where to start? First of all, we're all tired of UCONN's too good for the BE routine. The football is an absolute dumpster fire, and the basketball team was trending badly in the wrong direction, until they got the BE lifeboat. That they want to bail again this quickly is unquestionably irritating. But the fact remains they have enormous value to the league. Just look who the networks are highlighting in the major marquee games this season. That's why we all root against UCONN in football, in the hopes they'll continue to be so dreadful that no other conference wants any part of them. But like it or not, they add a ton to our prestige. We're far better off if they stay.

Next your constant references to Duke and Syracuse coming back is crazy talk. Let me explain something to you. You have a better chance of winning that billion dollar lottery, than there is of Duke ever applying for Big East membership. Just as UCONN wants a home for their garbage football team, so do all those other schools you mentioned. They won't get that in the BE. Of vital importance to us, is when the ACC implodes that Duke also gets a P2 invite. Otherwise the remaining schools, with Duke, will be doing the poaching, not the other way around.

If Gonzaga was a realistic possibility, they'd already be in. For whatever reason, it doesn't work for all parties. But guess what, they don't really need us. They've been to every NCAA tournament since 1999, and have been ranked for 115 consecutive weeks heading into this season. It's a big risk for them to deal with all the travel, not to mention the expense of non revenue sports traveling all over. They've proven they don't need us, or anyone else for that matter. I don't see them coming without major financial incentives.

Finally, I'm not sure in what universe La Salle, St. Bonaventure, and Carlton, are better basketball options than Dayton, St. Louis and VCU. I actually like La Salle, as they're the ultimate underdog to pull for. But their main challenge these days, is simply keeping the lights on. There's no money for basketball, NIL or anything else that leads to a successful program. Plus they play their games at an on campus gym in front of 800 people, not at the Palestra. Regarding the Bonnies and Carlton, we don't need any outposts where the players need to travel by dog sled to get from the airport to the basketball arena. We already have UCONN for that.

So to sum it up, we're far better with UCONN than without, and if we need to expand, Dayton, St Louis and VCU remain the best that's available to us.

[Omahanian]

a mighty potent hallucinogen indeed. haha

[jfan]

Looks like the Big 12 (17?) is looking to add Gonzaga. Just my opinion and I know others disagree, but I think we are missing the boat here. Thay are the only program (Looking for a new home) that would raise the profile of the Conference at this time! We could figure out the travel problems and with the money from a new TV contract, we could possibly come out ahead.

[adoraz]

Looks like the Big 12 (17?) is looking to add Gonzaga. Just my opinion and I know others disagree, but I think we are missing the boat here. Thay are the only program (Looking for a new home) that would raise the profile of the Conference at this time! We could figure out the travel problems and with the money from a new TV contract, we could possibly come out ahead.

I want them in the Big East too, but the Big 12 has teams all over the West Coast and Middle America. We have Creighton, that's it. The Big 17 also doesn't have a round robin so they wouldn't need to play the furthest away teams 2X. They'd save a ton across all sports, I doubt the Big East could match financially.

[redmen9194]

No need to add Gonzaga and the league should not do so. First, what happens when Few leaves? Can the next guy sustain the success? More importantly, what is Gonzaga if they play a Big East or Big XII conference schedule? Anyone think they are going to remain on top without getting to beat up upon a mid-major conference slate? We don’t need them. Stay at eleven. It works - we see it works. We have multiple national championships, national TV exposure, developing and historic rivalries, the best conference tournament in the sport at the most high profile location. Thee is no problem needing to be fixed.

[Django]

Looks like the Zags will be okay with getting 2 mil for all their sports in the B12 (more than they get now). With 17 the B12 will surely revisit UCONN for possibly the same amount but with football as well to get to 18.

Question: Would the Huskies go the SMU route and basically pay their own way into a dying Football 4 conference?

Reading the Bonehead Yard I think they do it.

[DeltaV]

Looks like the Big 12 (17?) is looking to add Gonzaga. Just my opinion and I know others disagree, but I think we are missing the boat here. Thay are the only program (Looking for a new home) that would raise the profile of the Conference at this time! We could figure out the travel problems and with the money from a new TV contract, we could possibly come out ahead.

I want them in the Big East too, but the Big 12 has teams all over the West Coast and Middle America. We have Creighton, that's it. The Big 17 also doesn't have a round robin so they wouldn't need to play the furthest away teams 2X. They'd save a ton across all sports, I doubt the Big East could match financially.

If Gonzaga made sense for the Big East, it would have happened years ago, at the latest when UConn returned. It didn't happen.

2 million a year? That's embarrassing. Gonzaga should reject it just out of principle.

[adoraz]

$2 million?! That's absurdly low. I was thinking closer to $10 million.

[Django]

Well 2 mil is a step up from zero. I believe their only revenue is from NCAA tournament credits over the past 20 years. They have no media deal in the WCC. It’s a no brainer now that Arizona is in the B12. UCONN will be interesting to see if they go into a financial purgatory ala SMU just to get into a Football 4 conference.

[Xudash]

Quoted from the Gonzaga board:

Matt Norlander
@MattNorlander
Made some calls on Gonzaga/Big 12. The biggest reason this is now A Thing again: Brett Yormark—who is 100% driving this—is seeking the most loaded basketball league imaginable so he can take the Big 12 to market at the end of the decade and have separate media deals for football and basketball.

Yormark still has pushback and caution from some Big 12 presidents and ADs. (There are also some who are all-in on the move and support it.) Yormark is trying to get this done ASAP but the feeling amongst some is: Gonzaga probably isn't going anywhere, why not wait a few years?
​
Huge financial questions—the stuff that matters most to people running athletic departments and universities—are still not answered re: adding the Four Corner schools that will officially join next year. The ESPN and Fox deals for the 16-team Big 12 are still being ironed out.

From what I've been told, Big 12 leaders had a laundry list of Qs for Yormark last week and tasked him to bring back those to Gonzaga. With that, I think there's still some terms/negotiating points that Gonzaga might not be thrilled with that could cause it to pause and evaluate.

Big 12 needs 75% yes vote to clear Gonzaga. That doesn't exist right now. If a vote happened before June 30, 2024, nine out of 12 would have to be yeas. (No votes for OU, UT.) Four Corner schools have a voice but don't have a vote until 7.1.24 — then it has to be 12 out of 16.

This has to be vetted again at AD level before it gets to the presidents. My read: It seems a long shot to get a vote in favor of GU in near-future. One source said it would be “a grievous error to push this through right now.” Another: "It makes no sense to do this right now."

Smoke, but no fire yet, perhaps.

One aspect of this is the same as the Big East's attitude towards expansion as it relates to existing bball-only schools: they have nowhere else to go right now, so leave them be.