Big East Conference Expansion Ideas and Discussion

[DumpsterFireA10]

I think this is another exercise in futility.

The Big East is not expanding anytime soon, and it's pointless to speculate if it will ever happen.

[Bill Marsh]

Here is the reason 10 is too small - The Big East on TV looks like Div II

With the present composition you have SH, SJ, Providence, Villanova all playing in small gyms and with really low attendance and in most cases and adding DePaul with very low attendance relatively speaking. What national audience wants to watch DePaul play Villanova in a gym filled with maybe 3000 patrons. By expanding, especially with SLU, UD, VCU etc you raise the profile of the league by allowing FOX not to nationally televise from the band box venues as often.

Let's put some facts on the table:

1. Seton Hall does not play in a small gym with low attendance. They play in the Prudential Center (capacity: 18,711), former home of the NBA NJ Nets. Their home attendance last year averaged 7,035, which was 72nd among the 350 division I schools. Their attendance was better than a number of schools from power conferences, I.e. Mississippi State, Baylor, Northwestern, Texas A&M, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Georgia, Arizona State, Ole Miss, Gonzaga, Miami, Boston College, Rutgers, Oregon State, South Florida, USC, Stanford, TCU, Washington State. And last year was a down year for Seton Hall. We just have to go back to 2011 to find them averaging 7,937, 62nd in the country.

2. St. John's does not play in a small gym with low attendance. They split their games between Madison Square Garden (capacity: 19,812) and their on campus facility, Carnesecca arena ( capacity: 5,602), which is not terribly small as secondary on campus arenas go. Their home attendance last year averaged 7,330, 70th in the country. St. John's high water mark just within the past 5 years was 8,431 in 2011, 57th in the country. In 2012, they averaged 8,428, 54th in the country.

3. Providence does not play in a small gym with low attendance. They play in the Dunkin' Donuts Center (capacity: 12,400). Their home attendance last year averaged 7,772, 60th in the country. In addition to the list of schools from power conferences that Seron Hall's attendance exceeded, PC's attendance surpassed Clemson, Penn State, LSU, Oregon, Florida State, Georgia Tech. PC's best home attendance just within the past 5 years was 8,310 in 2009.

4. DePaul does not have very low attendance. Last year they averaged 7,681, 63rd in the country. Their best within just the past 5 years was 8,451, 59th in the country, in 2010. The one thing that DePaul does reliably bring to the conference is good attendance even when they have bad teams.

No one in this conference is playing Villanova in a small gym with 3,000 in attendance. Your point about Dayton is well taken. attendance is a definite plus for their candidacy. Last year, for example, they averaged 12,438. Only 25 schools averaged more. However, St Louis (7,673 last year) and VCU (7,693) are both in the same range as the schools you're disparaging.

[Moliva]

Georgetown High Point has an incredible atmosphere too.

SLU, Dayton and Richmond really don't belong in the 'big time' like this doubleheader. :Rolls eyes:

[Bulldog_Muskie]

Georgetown High Point has an incredible atmosphere too.

SLU, Dayton and Richmond really don't belong in the 'big time' like this doubleheader. :Rolls eyes:

Nope but VCU sure does!

[GumbyDamnit!]

Georgetown High Point has an incredible atmosphere too.

SLU, Dayton and Richmond really don't belong in the 'big time' like this doubleheader. :Rolls eyes:

And yet if any of those schools were asked they would leave the A10 tomorrow. And all the SLU, Richmond and Dayton fans would be dancing in the streets. How's that A10 TV contract working out for ya? Yeah, that's what I thought.

[Moliva]

Georgetown High Point has an incredible atmosphere too.

SLU, Dayton and Richmond really don't belong in the 'big time' like this doubleheader. :Rolls eyes:

And yet if any of those schools were asked they would leave the A10 tomorrow. And all the SLU, Richmond and Dayton fans would be dancing in the streets.

You're absolutely right. The judgements of these programs, given the warts on so many of the BE programs is where I see the hypocrisy.

[BillikensWin]

Most SLU fans don't really come by anymore.

[GumbyDamnit!]

You're absolutely right. The judgements of these programs, given the warts on so many of the BE programs is where I see the hypocrisy.

You're kidding right? So since Gtwn doesn't have 15k in attendance in a game vs Highpoint, then their fans shouldn't judge possible expansion candidates? SHU is down. I get it. Take a peek at their recruiting class next year. Do you think they have a chance to take a step forward? They are also an original BE member. Their membership is not in question--we stand by our members. I feel the same about every other member school. What we don't want are programs that compare their accomplishments to the teams near the bottom rung of our conference, and say: look how much better we are than SHU and DePaul. You want in? Commit to your program. Hire a big name coach. Do some damage in the tourney. But please don't sit there and be self-righteous, while asking for inclusion into what we all believe to be a special conference and then act like you are better than everyone else. If you guys had your act together over the past decade you would have been asked last year and you would have been psyched to be a part of this. You didn't so you are not comfortable being scrutinized. Put on your big boy pants and put some pressure on your administration to use some of that big endowment on being a great basketball school.

[Moliva]

You want in? Commit to your program. Hire a big name coach. Do some damage in the tourney. ...... Put on your big boy pants and put some pressure on your administration to use some of that big endowment on being a great basketball school.

If by making a $20M investment in our facility to make it one of the premiere on campus facilities in the A10 or BE, investing roughly $12M over 10 years in Mooney (with the paltry $400k per year from the A10 tv deal, as you note) it shows non commitment, perhaps you are right.

The only thing we haven't done is lower the floor on the Admissions office like you guys do. With an apparent unwillingness to do that, I question whether the move is right or not for us too.

[Hall2012]

Expanding would be a huge mistake for the BIG EAST. It already has the perfect number of teams for a basketball conference at 10, creating a balanced round robin schedule. In addition, the BIG EAST brand has a legacy to live up to. Year in and year out, the Big East is one of if not the strongest basketball conference in the nation. The way to live up to the BIG EAST name is to focus on the 10 member schools and developing them all into 1 of the top basketball schools in the country- to make these schools and this conference the place where the top basketball players want to play their college ball. It is NOT to water down the conference by adding every mid major that pulls an upset in the tourney or strings together a couple good seasons.