OK OK - UConn can stay!

[Bogg]

1. What if the same team is left out of both b12 and b10 games? Would they then play twice? Would another team have room on schedule with 20 game season?

To me, it seems the obvious thing to do is to simply not have that happen. The conference is heavily involved in setting these matchups, so it seems like it'd be manageable enough to just make sure the single team not in the BE/B12 challenge has a Gavitt matchup. You're only dealing with one school a year.

2. Does it mutually benefit both sides? It doesn’t help the bottom of the barrel teams get smacked by Gonzaga 4 time zones away as much as it doesn’t really help Gonzaga as they’ve been successful in scheduling blue bloods lately. It would seem to only favor about the top 4-6 teams giving how strong the conference is that specific year

A) Yes, I do believe a matchup with Gonzaga helps anyone in the conference. There's nothing stopping anyone from drawing Kansas or Michigan State or who-have-you in the existing challenges, so I don't see a matchup with Gonzaga being any different than that. Big East programs don't get to duck schools because they're scared, and low-level programs with bad OOC slates turn into anchors come conference play. Conversely, banking a win against Gonzaga helps anyone and everyone.

B) Gonzaga's success in scheduling is overblown. Their home slate this year is pretty trash - they have one undeniably good home game (UNC) and it's a mid-week game over Christmas break (and I'd wager most of their students are getting on a plane to go home for the holidays, so it's not a quick drive back to campus for your average undergrad). Gonzaga's second-best home OOC opponent this year is....maybe UT-Arlington? That, coupled with the likely fact that they'd like to be a full member of the Big East, should make regular Big East matchups fairly attractive.

[scoscox]

Not a bad idea. Much better than actually adding the Zags to the league. There are just too many drawbacks to adding a team so far away. You're making the assumption that Gonzaga will remain the power they are now. DePaul, Georgetown, and St. John's say hello. Anyone can fall off, but at least those schools fit the footprint, and history nicely. Georgetown hasn't been awful, just okay. Do you want to travel out to Spokane for "just okay"? Imagine making that trip out there to play the equivalent to DePaul (until this year anyway). 30 years ago there was this monster program called UNLV. Not so scary anymore. The point is, only a handful of the bluest of blue bloods have such strong advantages, that they basically can't fall. Hell, even mighty Indiana isn't the powerhouse it used to be. I would hate to see Gonzaga fall off after Few, and us be stuck with them. No to Gonzaga!

I'm not keen on extending a lifetime invite to a program on the other end of the country, in bad recruiting area, not in any sort of metro area, that has basically only been good under one coach, with a few other decent seasons and a whole lot of awful otherwise. Not in the least bit interested.

A scheduling arrangement like Bogg is suggesting is much more palatable

[scoscox]

Who is the X fan Fran Fraschilla just roasted?

https://twitter.com/franfraschilla/stat ... 2808547329

used to help coach at a local high school, but that's a cheap shot by Fran and frankly doesn't make a lot of sense.

UConn is a former member of the yankee conference. being a former member of the A-10 is arguably a better pedigree. means nothing.

and it's inarguable that being in the Big East helps UConn otherwise they wouldn't be doing it. they sought out the big east, not the other way around and fran wants to act like they're doing us a favor i guess. it's mutually beneficial

[marquette]

Not a bad idea. Much better than actually adding the Zags to the league. There are just too many drawbacks to adding a team so far away. You're making the assumption that Gonzaga will remain the power they are now. DePaul, Georgetown, and St. John's say hello. Anyone can fall off, but at least those schools fit the footprint, and history nicely. Georgetown hasn't been awful, just okay. Do you want to travel out to Spokane for "just okay"? Imagine making that trip out there to play the equivalent to DePaul (until this year anyway). 30 years ago there was this monster program called UNLV. Not so scary anymore. The point is, only a handful of the bluest of blue bloods have such strong advantages, that they basically can't fall. Hell, even mighty Indiana isn't the powerhouse it used to be. I would hate to see Gonzaga fall off after Few, and us be stuck with them. No to Gonzaga!

I'm not keen on extending a lifetime invite to a program on the other end of the country, in bad recruiting area, not in any sort of metro area, that has basically only been good under one coach, with a few other decent seasons and a whole lot of awful otherwise. Not in the least bit interested.

A scheduling arrangement like Bogg is suggesting is much more palatable

Fun fact about those "few other decent seasons," Mark Few became a full-time assistant on the Gonzaga staff in 1990. 4 years later a coach (Dan Fitzgerald) and school that had never been to the post-season in Division 1 made NIT-NCAA-NIT appearances. With Few as his top assistant, Dan Monson then took Gonzaga to the Elite 8 two years into his tenure there. In his next 20 years of coaching at Minnesota and Long Beach State Monson managed only two NCAA tournament appearances, both first round flame outs. Meanwhile, Few has had Gonzaga humming for 20 years. I wonder what Few's influence on those early teams was and if, as much respect as he gets as a coach, he deserves even more.

Anyway, rant over. Sorry.

[redmen9194]

THe Big East did not need to expand or add UConn. While it is a good move to do so, we already have great teams, great rivalries, and our attendance numbers at MSG for the tourney were the best in the country. There is zero reason to move to 12. Losing the round robin scheduling would be huge. It's part of our identity and makes the most sense. There is no school out there - including Gonzgaga - that should be invited at this point. We should be done expanding.

[Xuperman]

I can’t believe Gonzaga is continually brought up. I mean the time zone scheduling would be a nightmare....all that time in the air and the inevitable jet lag alone would certainly effect the product on the floor, especially for the Zags.

Notre Dame on the other hand, is an entirely different story. Does anyone think that the BE would say no thanks to the Irish? I know that FSU/Clemson/Miami are pissed to some degree about them not scheduling a full ACC football slate, not to mention the bottom feeders and the whole BC thing. It’s very possible that a divorce is in the future citing “irreconcilable differences”.

[trephin]

I haven't really paid any attention to ND after they left but has there really been any ACC dissatisifaction? The ACC schools agreed upon the terms for ND joining. The football schedule isn't a surprise they didn't beforehand. And I'm sure ND has been beneficial in all other sports as their AD is generally strong overall.

Any conference would welcome ND and make it somehow work no matter the number of schools. That said, I can't see ND leaving the ACC since they are getting a top competitive house for non football sports and bowl access while maintaining their football independence. And I don't believe any full member school in good standing has been kicked out of a conference. (ND is basically 1 sport non conference vs Temple was 1 sport in conference)

ND is just as bad as Gonzaga being mentioned. The odds for Gonzaga joining are probably better even if far fetched. While I don't think Gonzaga makes sense as a member, Gonzaga proponents can at least point to quotes from Gonzaga expressing interest/desire in the BE and saying the travel isn't an obstacle for them. It's been an obstacle on the part of the BE. A schedule agreement makes more sense to me.

[Bogg]

Notre Dame just flat-out isn't happening, they're locked in to the ACC's grant of rights until the mid-30s and the ACC arrangement works well enough for them anyway. Aside from an unexpected opportunity arising out of Big 12-related instability in 2025ish I think this upcoming variant of the Big East will eventually go on to be the conference's longest run of unchanged membership (not counting affiliates, of course).