Big East Conference Expansion Ideas and Discussion

[milwaukeejedi1]

Some have questioned drawing power, I'll present the statistics for VCU (as obviously they are my team).

Of the 6 away Conference games VCU has played, 5 were sell outs. The only non-sellout was @Dayton, but Dayton still had 12,512 fans in the stands. The VCU @SLU game, was the only sellout for SLU all season (but I do think their GW game is sold out as well).

When #10 SLU played @George Mason this past week, the arena was about 60% full. That's more a knock on GMU fans, rather than SLU. SLU plays great team ball- and better than VCU, but the program is "unsexy". They are not a great "name" program as of yet (hopefully they go deep in the tournament and rectify that).

VCU had the largest contingent of fans at the A-10 tournament in Brooklyn, it helps that basketball is the main sport at a university with 30,000 students.

A good VCU team (as a member of the Big East) helps The Conference a couple of ways. VCU becomes the Galatic Empire, the team all of our Jesuit-Jedi teams and allies want to defeat, and it provides The Conference with a fan base willing to buy tickets for the Big East tournament.

My dream is VCU vs Marquette, Creighton, Georgetown or Saint Louis offers compelling matchups (made for TV) and the fans treat VCU like they treated G'Town during the Hoya Paranoia era. Personally speaking, without Syracuse and UConn, the Big East does not have a team I love to hate; thus, VCU would fill the void for me.

Last year, 1,500 VCU fans traveled to Brooklyn (http://www.timesdispatch.com/sports/col ... baa8b.html). With a student body of 30,000, the number of fans traveling to NY definitely has potential to grow; they would help fill the seats Syracuse fans used to.

[redmen9194]

Stay at ten. The round robin has been great for the conference and the seeds of new rivalries have already begun to sprout. Just look at this board and you can see it.

[Bill Marsh]

Some have questioned drawing power, I'll present the statistics for VCU (as obviously they are my team).

Of the 6 away Conference games VCU has played, 5 were sell outs. The only non-sellout was @Dayton, but Dayton still had 12,512 fans in the stands. The VCU @SLU game, was the only sellout for SLU all season (but I do think their GW game is sold out as well).

When #10 SLU played @George Mason this past week, the arena was about 60% full. That's more a knock on GMU fans, rather than SLU. SLU plays great team ball- and better than VCU, but the program is "unsexy". They are not a great "name" program as of yet (hopefully they go deep in the tournament and rectify that).

VCU had the largest contingent of fans at the A-10 tournament in Brooklyn, it helps that basketball is the main sport at a university with 30,000 students.

VCU just played to another sell out on the road tonight @ UMass where they packed the Mullin Center with 9300 fans.

[HoosierPal]

Stay at ten. The round robin has been great for the conference and the seeds of new rivalries have already begun to sprout. Just look at this board and you can see it.

Who is our (Butler) new rival? St. John's?

[Bay Area Billiken]

Final Score from Chaifetz Arena: SLU 66 George Washington 59. Attendance: 10,623, the second consecutive sellout and the 2nd largest crowd in Chaifetz Arena history.

SLU is 25-2, 12-0 in the A10, with an RPI of 12, with a school record 19 game winning streak.

Quite frankly, SLU should be in the Big East right now. But if there is any lingering doubt out there, SLU has more than answered all questions.

[Jet915]

Final Score from Chaifetz Arena: SLU 66 George Washington 59. Attendance: 10,623, the second consecutive sellout and the 2nd largest crowd in Chaifetz Arena history.

SLU is 25-2, 12-0 in the A10, with an RPI of 12, with a school record 19 game winning streak.

Quite frankly, SLU should be in the Big East right now. But if there is any doubt out there, SLU has more than answered all questions.

I think most of the doubt is about next year and the future without Majerus recruits.

[Bay Area Billiken]

Even Jerry Palm says if SLU wins out, SLU could get a 2 Seed in the NCAA Tournament.

[Bay Area Billiken]

A simple study reveals that the incoming Crews recruits are rated just as high as the outgoing Majerus recruits. Crews has recruited some real good ones, especially the incoming guards, plus 2 bigs.

One could say this about any school. This is college basketball. Players are eligible only 4 years.

In SLU's case, this is beginning to sound like Roseanne Roseannadanna stuff, as in "It's always something. If it's not one thing, it's another. It's always something."'

Jim Crews is 53-9 as SLU Head Coach, a winning percentage of .855. It can be safely said that the man and his staff, which includes Calbert Chaney, know what they are doing. SLU has done this playing in the rugged Atlantic 10 Conference, the nation's 6th best per the RPI, and a conference that is in line to get as many as 6 teams into the NCAA Tournament per the RPI.

Look at Creighton. Does anyone with an objective lense think Creighton is going to be better next year without Doug McDermott?

[DudeAnon]

Keep it simple, go with the "feel" test. For me, SLU is only school that passes that test.

[Jet915]

A simple study reveals that the incoming Crews recruits are rated just as high as the outgoing Majerus recruits. Crews has recruited some real good ones, especially the incoming guards, plus 2 bigs.

One could say this about any school. This is college basketball. Players are eligible only 4 years.

In SLU's case, this is beginning to sound like Roseanne Roseannadanna stuff, as in "It's always something. If it's not one thing, it's another. It's always something."'

Jim Crews is 53-9 as SLU Head Coach, a winning percentage of .855. It can be safely said that the man and his staff, which includes Calbert Chaney, know what they are doing. SLU has done this playing in the rugged Atlantic 10 Conference, the nation's 6th best per the RPI, and a conference that is in line to get as many as 6 teams into the NCAA Tournament per the RPI.

Look at Creighton. Does anyone with an objective lense think Creighton is going to be better next year without Doug McDermott?

Of course Creighton will not be as good without McDermott, problem for u is we are already in the Big East . As an aside, I'm all for adding SLU if we expand although I think we should wait.