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At one point in time, both TCU and UCF were scheduled to be full-members in the Big East. These were purely football-related decisions, as both basketball programs were considered inferior, and extremely likely to bring down the value of the basketball league. Last night, both teams faced each other in the NIT Semifinals at Madison Square Garden, ironically enough. Not ironically enough was that there were a plethora of empty seats there last night, because who wants to watch a team from Dallas and Orlando at the Garden? I seem to recall fans of those schools guaranteeing they'd travel to NYC for opportunity to play at the Garden. Not true at all.

The C7 breaking away is up there with Nebraska and Texas A&M as the biggest realignment winners from 2010-2013. If the Catholic schools got stuck in a league with TCU (who went to the Big 12 thankfully), UCF, Tulane, East Carolina, Houston, and SMU, we would have been slowly rotting away today. Memphis/Temple would have been good opponents, but - with Temple - not at the expense of possibly hurting Villanova. Memphis has also fallen extremely hard after Calipari left. Thankfully, the C7 schools bet on themselves and found an excellent TV partner that pays us more as non-football schools than an entire conference which sponsors football. Grand Slam move, and one that we will continue to enjoy well into the future.

GoldenWarrior11 wrote:At one point in time, both TCU and UCF were scheduled to be full-members in the Big East. These were purely football-related decisions, as both basketball programs were considered inferior, and extremely likely to bring down the value of the basketball league. Last night, both teams faced each other in the NIT Semifinals at Madison Square Garden, ironically enough. Not ironically enough was that there were a plethora of empty seats there last night, because who wants to watch a team from Dallas and Orlando at the Garden? I seem to recall fans of those schools guaranteeing they'd travel to NYC for opportunity to play at the Garden. Not true at all.

The C7 breaking away is up there with Nebraska and Texas A&M as the biggest realignment winners from 2010-2013. If the Catholic schools got stuck in a league with TCU (who went to the Big 12 thankfully), UCF, Tulane, East Carolina, Houston, and SMU, we would have been slowly rotting away today. Memphis/Temple would have been good opponents, but - with Temple - not at the expense of possibly hurting Villanova. Memphis has also fallen extremely hard after Calipari left. Thankfully, the C7 schools bet on themselves and found an excellent TV partner that pays us more as non-football schools than an entire conference which sponsors football. Grand Slam move, and one that we will continue to enjoy well into the future.

Are we so sure that Marquette would have sold out the Garden last night in a NIT semifinal match?

Or that the Garden wouldn't have sold out last night if TCU and UCF played an NCAA tournament game instead of an NIT game?

I think we're reaching. Georgia Tech didn't bring any more fans for the game previous.

Problem with this argument is if TCU was in the Big East still, Tulane and East Carolina would not have been. And West Virginia would still be in the Big East- as if TCU were still around, WVU would have as well...

The league would have been-
C7, West Virginia, TCU, Memphis, Temple, SMU, Houston, UCF, USF, Cincy, and UConn. That's a pretty darn good conference. Just this year Nova, Seton Hall, PC, Marquette, West Virginia, SMU, and Cincy would have made the tourney. Odds are at least 1 of TCU, Houston, or UCF with the increased SOS would have made the tourney. Hardly a rotting conference.

stever20 wrote:Problem with this argument is if TCU was in the Big East still, Tulane and East Carolina would not have been.

And West Virginia would still be in the Big East- as if TCU were still around, WVU would have as well...

The league would have been-
C7, West Virginia, TCU, Memphis, Temple, SMU, Houston, UCF, USF, Cincy, and UConn. That's a pretty darn good conference. Just this year Nova, Seton Hall, PC, Marquette, West Virginia, SMU, and Cincy would have made the tourney. Odds are at least 1 of TCU, Houston, or UCF with the increased SOS would have made the tourney. Hardly a rotting conference.

How do we know that? Is there a source?

Hoya Hoya Hoya wrote:

stever20 wrote:Problem with this argument is if TCU was in the Big East still, Tulane and East Carolina would not have been.

And West Virginia would still be in the Big East- as if TCU were still around, WVU would have as well...

The league would have been-
C7, West Virginia, TCU, Memphis, Temple, SMU, Houston, UCF, USF, Cincy, and UConn. That's a pretty darn good conference. Just this year Nova, Seton Hall, PC, Marquette, West Virginia, SMU, and Cincy would have made the tourney. Odds are at least 1 of TCU, Houston, or UCF with the increased SOS would have made the tourney. Hardly a rotting conference.

How do we know that? Is there a source?

If you remember, TCU went before WVU did. So you can't just assume that TCU would have been in, and WVU wouldn't. And You can't just assume that Tulane and East Carolina would have been in either.

Attendance at the Garden was the same as it's been for years for the NIT, around 5,000.