Expansion: UAB to reunite with Marquette and DePaul in NBE?

[lolhoya]

I'm pretty sure that Dayton and VCU would indeed increase ratings. They have much larger fan bases than the average Big East school.

[gtmoBlue]

Wilbeleast... You're hilarious. Quite the funny guy.
Where are you from, Cleveland, Trenton, Wichita?
Funny as hell and don't have a clue as to when to quit.

If you had a job, I'd recommend a vacation.

[Bill Marsh]

They won't. Expansion won't improve ratings. How would adding Dayton, or VCU make our ratings better? Are they pulling in big numbers? So if ratings for Villanova / Seton Hall are not that great, following it with Dayton / St. Louis will make the numbers go up? All it will do is increase inventory but Fox does not need inventory at this point. We have our contract with Fox and it has 10 more years on it. Everyone wants "now". Fox has to be better than ESPN now. We have to make it to the final four now. If not, we have to add teams to our league that will not make it even marginally better. It has been two years. There is no need to expand at all. Not one good reason to do it.

I agree that expansion by itself won't improve TV ratings. If a league expands with programs like ECU and the rest of the cannon fodder that were added to the AAC, it can actually hurt TV ratings.

However, strategic additions can help TV ratings. Not because a conference is expanding, but because it's improving it's product. That's the only time that expansion can help. To my way of thinking, Gonzaga is just that kind of addition. It's not Gonzaga by themselves, but the dynamic that is created by matchups pairing Them with nationally ranked BE schools. It's just the opposite of what has happened in the AAC where ratings decline when UConn or Cincinnati is paired with ECU, Tulane, or Houston. OTOH, schedule a matchup of 2 top 10 teams in Villanova and Gonzaga, and watch the ratings go through the roof. Same would happen with Gonzaga and other ranked BE teams.

I don't think that we can look at a school's existing ratings to judge their value as an addition because things will change when they come to the BE as I've just explained. But it does help when a school already draws well in its own market. Such is the case with VCU which has been drawing well despite going head-to-head with the ACC in Virginia. They are a school of 30,000 that has a big built-in audience. Here are a couple of examples in recent years demonstrating their ability to draw in the Richmond market.

http://www.richmond.com/sports/college/ ... 21d55.html

http://www.wtvr.com/2012/03/16/tv-ratin ... v-ratings/

[gogopuff]

http://www.si.com/more-sports/2015/03/2 ... pe=default

CBS and Turner Sports said the NCAA tournament through Monday had averaged a 6.7 overnight rating, the highest-ever rating for the event through the first Sunday since the tournament expanded to four telecast windows for the entire day in 1991. The games on Saturday averaged a 7.4 overnight rating, up 14 percent compared to 2014 and the best-ever Saturday.

The top 10 Highest Rated Markets through Sunday :
1. Louisville
2. Dayton
3. Cincinnati
4. Columbus, OH
5. Indianapolis
6. Raleigh-Durham
7. Greensboro
8. Kansas City
9. Richmond-Petersburg
10. Memphis

[Hoyas]

The thought of UAB to the NBE. Really? There would be about 20 at least schools that would get in before UAB. And that may be conservative!

[pki1998]

http://www.si.com/more-sports/2015/03/22/michael-cole-wwe-wrestlemain-march-madness-tv-ratings-jaymee-sire-espn?page=3&devicetype=default

CBS and Turner Sports said the NCAA tournament through Monday had averaged a 6.7 overnight rating, the highest-ever rating for the event through the first Sunday since the tournament expanded to four telecast windows for the entire day in 1991. The games on Saturday averaged a 7.4 overnight rating, up 14 percent compared to 2014 and the best-ever Saturday.

The top 10 Highest Rated Markets through Sunday :
1. Louisville
2. Dayton
3. Cincinnati
4. Columbus, OH
5. Indianapolis
6. Raleigh-Durham
7. Greensboro
8. Kansas City
9. Richmond-Petersburg
10. Memphis

I know Louisville, and Dayton are always some of the top markets for watching college basketball so those are probably legit. Cincy getting the third spot probably had something to do with Xavier & UC playing, as well as "local" teams with strong Cincy interest OSU, Kentucky, Louisville, Indiana, and to a lessor extent ND, Dayton and Butler.

[BEwannabe]

In this case the ratings really don't say anything other ( and I'm a firm believer in) everything in college hoops is local (alums +fan base) . Indiana & Ohio had a combined 9 teams in the field and Kentucky has a huge following in SW Ohio and likewise for Ville in Indiana.

[bmorex]

http://www.si.com/more-sports/2015/03/22/michael-cole-wwe-wrestlemain-march-madness-tv-ratings-jaymee-sire-espn?page=3&devicetype=default

CBS and Turner Sports said the NCAA tournament through Monday had averaged a 6.7 overnight rating, the highest-ever rating for the event through the first Sunday since the tournament expanded to four telecast windows for the entire day in 1991. The games on Saturday averaged a 7.4 overnight rating, up 14 percent compared to 2014 and the best-ever Saturday.

The top 10 Highest Rated Markets through Sunday :
1. Louisville
2. Dayton
3. Cincinnati
4. Columbus, OH
5. Indianapolis
6. Raleigh-Durham
7. Greensboro
8. Kansas City
9. Richmond-Petersburg
10. Memphis

I know Louisville, and Dayton are always some of the top markets for watching college basketball so those are probably legit. Cincy getting the third spot probably had something to do with Xavier & UC playing, as well as "local" teams with strong Cincy interest OSU, Kentucky, Louisville, Indiana, and to a lessor extent ND, Dayton and Butler.

Cincinnati is actually pretty consistently in this top 10 list IIRC.

[HoosierPal]

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/03/jerod_haase_needs_to_know_what.html

Article says there is mutual interest with the Valley for landing UAB.

[gogopuff]

In this case the ratings really don't say anything other ( and I'm a firm believer in) everything in college hoops is local (alums +fan base) . Indiana & Ohio had a combined 9 teams in the field and Kentucky has a huge following in SW Ohio and likewise for Ville in Indiana.

Evidence suggests otherwise. This is 2014 ratings and just for ESPN, but you will notice a lot of the same cities on this list as on this year's NCAA Tournament ratings:

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sp ... s/6565429/

ESPN's top college basketball markets
Average ratings for games broadcast this season on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.
1. Louisville (4.5)
2. Greensboro (2.8)
2. Kansas City (2.8)
2. Raleigh-Durham (2.8)
5. Memphis (2.6)
6. Columbus (2.0)
7. Cincinnati (1.9)
8. Knoxville (1.9)
8. Dayton (1.9)
10. Indianapolis (1.8)