Add XU, Butler and Creighton and stop for now?

[Burrito]

I think I would prefer that approach. Add 3 schools now and hold off on adding additional members for a few years. No need to rush into things.

[augkash]

Fox wants 12 so stl and Dayton will be in next year

[bostonfriar]

For all you geography buffs, Ohio is not in the mid west. That would be Michigan, Illinois etc.

The map goes Jersey, PA, then Ohio or NY then Ohio.

[pki1998]

For all you geography buffs, Ohio is not in the mid west. That would be Michigan, Illinois etc.

The map goes Jersey, PA, then Ohio or NY then Ohio.

NY does not border Ohio. Also I have lived in Cincinnati my whole life, trust me Ohio is the Midwest.

[sandw04]

This also serves as a window to put DuhPaul on the clock. Give them two seasons to show an indication that they have a pulse and if they swing and miss flush them.

Oliver Purnell is a good coach. He did a great job with bring back Dayton from the abysis. And did a good job with ODU, and Clemson. I think DePaul will get things turned around soon. I think I read something a while ago about them possibly building a new arena or using the united center. That would be a big upgrade for DePaul and have to help with recruiting. But lets be honest they C7 will not kick anyone out of the conference. If they would could they justify kicking out the Chicago school? TV markets mean something. Its one of the reasons why I wouldn't be completely shocked if a BU or a Northeastern was added just to get into the Boston market. Don't get me wrong I would give that less than 1% chance of happening right now, but I would see the reasoning. If you say there is no chance, explain Rutgers being added to the Big Ten

Dangle the carrot of Big East membership in front of U of I-Chicago (UIC) and I predict they will resurrecte their program before DuhPaul. The reason is the ability to recruit in Chicago with Coach Howard Moore. Granted they are a state school and thus do not pass the private school test but they have no football and an on campus arena. Enrollment is similar to DuhPaul.

As a DePaul fan I have to respond to realchiliwarrior, but I will try to do it in a classy way without the name-calling. I became a DePaul fan, indeed, a college basketball fan in the 1960s. DePaul with HC Ray Meyer and Marquette with HC Al McGuire were great games, frequently televised. Over the years a rivalry developed between the two, but an odd rivalry. When DePaul was sporting great teams, Marquette was in the gutter. When Marquette began its rise, DePaul began its miserable run. So this rivalry has never been fully developed.

Through those decades I remember a few constants: games against Marquette, Dayton, and ND were always looked forward to. I recall a long series of games with Georgetown, St. Johns, Providence, Creighton and St. Louis. With the Big East Villanova and Seton Hall were added. I don't recall any matchups with Xavier or Butler, but this conference will be a good one that attracts viewers to it heritage.

Although the Blue Demons are currently a real mess, their history should overcome this. The campus has been added on and rebuilt over the past decades. Facilities for many schools and colleges have been built. Those additions are just about completed, and hopefully Athletics and especially Men's Basketball in next on the University agenda.
The Athletic Department has also run a clean program. No drug busts, very little controversy (except for all of the losing.) While its Men's Basketball record is an embarrassment, there have been no connections to sexual assault made against that team, unlike one of its rivals to the North.

But I digress. Comments like the chiliwarrior's just show that not everyone understands the value of history in a conference. Fortunately, the intelligent people at Fox understand the capital that the Big East name brings and the long-term investment they are making. They can very easily recognize that no TV market (with the possible exception of the 35th ranked Milwaukee market) would have any interest in a conference matchup between the Golden Warriors and UIC. UIC is doing a good job in improving its program, and that can only help college basketball in the Chicago area.

What Fox does realize is that there are no guarantees that a particular programs will have the same success in 10 years. Will Butler retain the Cinderella success it has enjoyed in 10 years? Will DePaul still be suffering with a miserable record in 10 years? These are questions no one can answer. However, Fox does realize that no matter what, in 10 years DePaul will still be in Chicago. Long live the Big East.

[classof29]

I love the idea of 10 for next year
(particularly if it is X, But, and the Jays) I think Fox will have a different package ready for a 10 and 12 scenario, so no skin off their backs.

Any talk of "flushing" DePaul is nonsense. The C7 are more valuable than the sum of their parts. This league is being built on the idea of stability and, dear I say, trust. No need to stoop to adolescent name calling for one of our founding members.

Until play starts I am rooting for all the teams from The Holy Land.

[lukecu]

Uhhhh ohio is definitely in the Midwest.

[Flyer11]

Just to add my two cents... I grew up in Pittsburgh, went to Dayton, and now live in Cleveland. They are ALL Midwest. I think Pitt is the furthest major East city that should be considered Midwest. Not a whole lot of difference between Cleveland and Pitt.

Oh, and back on topic - don't stop at 10 when 12 feels so good!

Go Flyers!

Flyer11

[yorost]

Any talk of "flushing" DePaul is nonsense. The C7 are more valuable than the sum of their parts. This league is being built on the idea of stability and, dear I say, trust. No need to stoop to adolescent name calling for one of our founding members.

Yeah, I hate the talk of dumping DePaul or Seton Hall. Any of our programs could end up in the dumpsters for a period of time, and most of ours will. DePaul is going through its worst stretch in probably the last 50 years, we can lay off of them. Coming in to the Big East, they were looking stronger than Marquette, with a conference championship while Marquette had not returned tot he NCAA's since the Final Four.

We are always going to have bottom teams, it's just the way that it is. When your bottom teams come into conference play with winning records you have no room for complaint, as the power conferences usually have one or two teams that don't even manage that. Nobody in the Big East is ultra bad right now.

[SixTwentySix]

Any talk of "flushing" DePaul is nonsense. The C7 are more valuable than the sum of their parts. This league is being built on the idea of stability and, dear I say, trust. No need to stoop to adolescent name calling for one of our founding members.

Yeah, I hate the talk of dumping DePaul or Seton Hall. Any of our programs could end up in the dumpsters for a period of time, and most of ours will. DePaul is going through its worst stretch in probably the last 50 years, we can lay off of them. Coming in to the Big East, they were looking stronger than Marquette, with a conference championship while Marquette had not returned tot he NCAA's since the Final Four.

We are always going to have bottom teams, it's just the way that it is. When your bottom teams come into conference play with winning records you have no room for complaint, as the power conferences usually have one or two teams that don't even manage that. Nobody in the Big East is ultra bad right now.

All this is, is passionate midwest basketball fans that aren't familiar with what the Big East is all about. It's easy to suggest dumping teams like DePaul when you don't understand their history and only see what their basketball program has been doing. Anyone that says "We should get rid of DePaul and Seton Hall and add a better program" is obviously not a Big East fan. 10 years down the road, these midwest fans will get it.

There's a lot more to it than just basketball. The Big East is about tradition. It's about history and culture. Respect and loyalty. Academics and reputation. They hate each other on the floor and love each other off it. They're looking for schools with not only strong programs and potential, but schools that will fit this mold in the future. Integrity is number one, basketball comes second. Welcome to Big East basketball.