UCONN POLL

[BballFan]

Posted this before...apologize if it's a repeat.

Those bylaws are not from the new Big East circa 2013. They are from the football/basketball BE of 2011.

Although if I had to guess it probably is an 8 out if 10 vote to add a school. Anyone have the new bylaws?

[billyjack]

...this whole "Newbies vs. C7" thing was invented by stever on this very thread just to stir up trouble...

This is correct. There is no difference in opinion on UConn between the C-7 and New-3, except the differences cooked up in Stever's head. Actually the "C-7 + 3" terminology is outdated.

[gosports1]

has anyone here seen what the requirements for membership are in the bylaws? I am curious to read

[marquette]

If UConn wants to come, it's going to be very difficult if not impossible for the C7 schools to say no. And I'd venture a guess that if all 7 C7 schools wanted them in, there's nothing the other 3 could do about it.

You guessed wrong.

The Big East Conference Amended and Restated Bylaws as of October 17, 2011

Article 4.02 - New Members

“An institution which meets the requirements for membership set forth in these Bylaws may be admitted into the Conference as a new Member by a vote of at least three-fourths of all of the Directors of the Board ...” [i.e., at least 8 out of 10 votes from the Big East Presidents].

That means that the combined votes of the Presidents of Butler, Creighton, and Xavier can block any any school from joining the Big East Conference.

As has already been pointed out, the Big East is technically a new conference and these rules may or may not be in place. That said, and certainly no offense intended to Xavier or Butler as I do not believe in this "split" between the C7 and others, the unsubstantiated word around town is that Marquette and Creighton vote together.

[whiteandblue77]

the unsubstantiated word around town is that Marquette and Creighton vote together.

That was more so when Fr. Lannon was Prez but if you wuz a true Marquette High/Creighton Prep and MU/CU old timer you'd know the undeniable Jebbie connections betwixt the two (which ignites my incessant Billiken REPPIN').

[Jet915]

the unsubstantiated word around town is that Marquette and Creighton vote together.

That was more so when Fr. Lannon was Prez but if you wuz a true Marquette High/Creighton Prep and MU/CU old timer you'd know the undeniable Jebbie connections betwixt the two (which ignites my incessant Billiken REPPIN').

Also, our current President (Hendrickson) came from Marquette.

[gtmoBlue]

Steverrrr... Nice try. Gotta give u due props for pot-stirring...a good shot.

However, the 2011 Big East IS predominantly the current Big East. The footballers left for the ACC and we left the "new" big easters to form their "new" conference - the Almost American Conference (AAC).

I seriously doubt that most of the by-laws were totally redrafted. In fact most were at best, merely tweaked to excise football clauses - a simple pen & ink line drawn thru clauses to be deleted later. After all, the BE Conference never disbanded...we merely removed the remaining footballers after the mass exodus of the more prominent footballers had already abandoned ship.

There is no rift, no split, no new vs old dichotomy ( with possible exception of the elitist pricks in Foggy Bottom - but they have Always been better than everybody else - in their own minds. ). There is only the rising star of the Big East - reclaiming its' rightful place amongst the elite of collegiate basketball.

G'nite Steverrrr. Sleep tight.

[Bill Marsh]

Pride always comes before the fall. These fans (the young ones) think they have always been on top and thats just the way it's going to be. They have no idea that they didn't even make the NCAA's as a member of the Big East until 1990. They are a johnny come lately and they are about to be left behind on the ash heap of sports history like USF (San Fran), Houston and CUNY.

I'm confused by your comment.

1. You knock UConn for not making the NCAA's as a member of the Big East until 1990. Why is that significant? Wouldn't Seton Hall fit a similar description? Should we not take them seriously? How about Butler? Or Xavier? Duke didn't win a NC before 1991 and they won them all under the same coach. Hmm.

2. You call UConn a Johnny come lately, but then trash the pedigree of schools like USF, Houston, and CCNY who do have pedigrees before 1990. Which is it? Recent success or success from long ago? And CCNY is just a crazy comparison since they never accomplished anything of significance other than 1950, and their program was killed by the betting scandals along with most of NYC basketball. In contrast, UConn in 1990 went to the first of 10 Elite 8's, 5 Final Fours, and 4 NC's over a quarter century. Houston isn't much better. Although they have 5 Final Fours to their credit, they never won a NC and never reached even the Elite 8 in any season other than those 5. USF is a better comparison, but their ruin came from boosters paying players and the president suspending the program after the practice had become BOTH chronic and resistant to intervention. There is no sign of any of that happening at UConn.

3. You predict that their program is about to be left on the ash heap of sports history. Why? Is there any sign that the program is in decline? They're bringing in a top ten recruiting class this year. That sure doesn't sound like a program in decline. Bad facilities or academics? Nope. Their coach is considered to be one of the hottest young coaches in the business. If he resigned tomorrow, both college and NBA programs would be lining up for his services. What other programs have you targeted for the ash heap of sports history? Florida? Michigan State? Both have also had big runs in the same quarter century during which UConn has excelled. Does an old pedigree assure future success? Is Indiana returning to championship form any time soon? UCLA?

Really simple Bill, they have finished 5th or 6th each year in the AAC. Thats the conference with the 8th best RPI each of the last 3 years. So yeah, they are declining. They are a Johnny come lately. They think they are like UK, KU and UNC. They are not.

The significance of them not making the NCAA's until 1990 is that the younger fans think they have always been great and will always be great. They say we leeched off of THEIR success when in fact they leeched off our success.

You want to defend them and their fans thats fine, but my point stands. If they don't do something drastic soon they will in fact end up on the scrap heap of college sports history. That P5 invite isn't coming and more and more schools in the AAC are leaving.

I'm not interested in defending UConn or their fans. I'm interested in getting the facts right in the discussions here. And wow! Talk about distorting the facts. UConn's demise is predicted by a 5th or 6th place finish each year in the AAC? Only if you ignore everything else.

Here are the actual facts:

2014 - 3rd place reg season, conference tournament RU, national champions
2015 - 6th place reg season, conference tournament RU
2016 - 6th place reg season, conference tournament champions

So, their demise is indicated by going to the conference finals all 3 years of its existence and being either national champs or conference champs 2 of the 3 years? That's a program in decline? A program still attracting top talent as evidenced by its current top ten recruiting class. Talk about distorted logic . . .

There is no question that UConn leeched off the success of the Big East in the league's first decade. So what? I assume that younger fans are as capable as anyone else of learning history. The fact is that what's happened in the past 27 years is far more relevant to the current stature of a program than what happened in the previous 50+ years of championship competition. The 1980's are at this point ancient history. And the reason younger fans think the way they do is because UConn has been so consistently competitive nationally since 1990. It's been so long that some of those "younger" fans are now middle aged men in this 40's.

Personally I don't really care what fans who lack perspective about UConn's history think. But I think you're way out in left field when you complain about UConn leeching off the BE in the 1980's and ignore the fact that recently St. John's spent more than a decade of their own (post 2003) being mostly awful and leeching off UConn and the BE's other power teams. Which is more relevant today - UConn's ancient leeching or St. John's leeching in the modern era?

[_lh]

I am a Xavier fan.

I love the 10 team BE and would never want to expand for any team currently playing in the A10, MVC, etc.

I would expand for three teams; UCONN, ND and Kansas. All three are probably pipe dreams but I see no downside to adding any of them even if it means being a league of 11 teams. If any of them came, they would do so from a position of weakness and the BE could make sure they cover their butts with exit fees and the like if they decide to leave for football.

The B10, SEC, PAC, B12 and ACC are not going to expand to solve for basketball. That hurts UCONN and possibly Kansas if the B12 falls apart. UCONN is a long shot for a P5 league. If and when they are left out of the B12 when the B12 has 12 or more teams, UCONN will have some tough decisions to make. If those decisions bring them begging to join the BE, I say we offer them a spot under strict conditions that favor every current member.

[stever20]

Steverrrr... Nice try. Gotta give u due props for pot-stirring...a good shot.

However, the 2011 Big East IS predominantly the current Big East. The footballers left for the ACC and we left the "new" big easters to form their "new" conference - the Almost American Conference (AAC).

I seriously doubt that most of the by-laws were totally redrafted. In fact most were at best, merely tweaked to excise football clauses - a simple pen & ink line drawn thru clauses to be deleted later. After all, the BE Conference never disbanded...we merely removed the remaining footballers after the mass exodus of the more prominent footballers had already abandoned ship.

There is no rift, no split, no new vs old dichotomy ( with possible exception of the elitist pricks in Foggy Bottom - but they have Always been better than everybody else - in their own minds. ). There is only the rising star of the Big East - reclaiming its' rightful place amongst the elite of collegiate basketball.

G'nite Steverrrr. Sleep tight.

The bylaws that we saw last night are from the conference now known as the AAC. The conference known now as the "Big East" is a new conference from a legal perspective. So no, the 2011 Big East is NOT the current Big East.