Big East/Big Ten Press Conference Monday

[Bill Marsh]

This agreement reflects well on the overall strength of the Big East. There is no way that the Big Ten would center into an agreement like this with a conference without the depth of quality teams that the Big East has. This is what people miss when they make the claim that conferences are judged by what the teams at the top do. In situations like this, that's simply not the case.

Good point.

Overall, it's wonderful validation. It's a Big Five conference saying, "yes, we acknowledge you and we'll do business with you." There is no other way to look at it than that. It certainly isn't about the B1G 'using' the Big East for a little New York exposure; they would not do this with anything less than a well perceived conference.

Yes, you simply can't imagine the Big Ten entering contracts like this with conferences like The A10 or the AAC, the two conferences with whom the Big East is most often negatively compared. They simply don't have the depth and the Big Ten would have absolutely no interest in playing the half to two thirds of those leagues regardless of how good they are at the top.

[stever20]

This agreement reflects well on the overall strength of the Big East. There is no way that the Big Ten would center into an agreement like this with a conference without the depth of quality teams that the Big East has. This is what people miss when they make the claim that conferences are judged by what the teams at the top do. In situations like this, that's simply not the case.

Good point.

Overall, it's wonderful validation. It's a Big Five conference saying, "yes, we acknowledge you and we'll do business with you." There is no other way to look at it than that. It certainly isn't about the B1G 'using' the Big East for a little New York exposure; they would not do this with anything less than a well perceived conference.

Yes, you simply can't imagine the Big Ten entering contracts like this with conferences like The A10 or the AAC, the two conferences with whom the Big East is most often negatively compared. They simply don't have the depth and the Big Ten would have absolutely no interest in playing the half to two thirds of those leagues regardless of how good they are at the top.

It's also for expecially the AAC geography. AAC is more SE and the Big East is more east.

now comes the tough part for us..... actually winning these games. Big East has to perform on the floor. AAC and A10 have done that so far. Big East really hasn't.

[Michael in Raleigh]

This agreement reflects well on the overall strength of the Big East. There is no way that the Big Ten would center into an agreement like this with a conference without the depth of quality teams that the Big East has. This is what people miss when they make the claim that conferences are judged by what the teams at the top do. In situations like this, that's simply not the case.

Good point.

Overall, it's wonderful validation. It's a Big Five conference saying, "yes, we acknowledge you and we'll do business with you." There is no other way to look at it than that. It certainly isn't about the B1G 'using' the Big East for a little New York exposure; they would not do this with anything less than a well perceived conference.

Yes, you simply can't imagine the Big Ten entering contracts like this with conferences like The A10 or the AAC, the two conferences with whom the Big East is most often negatively compared. They simply don't have the depth and the Big Ten would have absolutely no interest in playing the half to two thirds of those leagues regardless of how good they are at the top.

I wholeheartedly agree.

Furtmermore, it speaks to the wisdom of the Catholic 7 presidents' determination to retain the name "Big East." I suppose it still would have been possible for the Big Ten to have agreed to a series with this conference if it had been called "Classic East" or "Metro" or whatever. After all, the league does have a depth of good names in the history of college basketball. But it probably wouldn't have been called "Gavitt Tipoff Games," and the chances of something like this wouldn't have been as strong. The name "Big East," in spite of the perceived damage many in the public say it has had, thanks in no small part to ESPN, still carries a ton of cache in the minds of college hoops fans. This event underscores that fact and flies in the face of the notion that "the Big East is dead" or "this isn't the real Big East."

[admin]

Let's do the math: 8 Big East vs B1G games per year for 8 years = 64 games. 10 BE teams and all teams must play 6 times...

My guess is that St. John's and Georgetown will play all 8 years (16 games) leaving 48 games for the other 8 Big East teams = 6 games per team.

Anyone wanna bet?

[stever20]

Let's do the math: 8 Big East vs B1G games per year for 8 years = 64 games. 10 BE teams and all teams must play 6 times...

My guess is that St. John's and Georgetown will play all 8 years (16 games) leaving 48 games for the other 8 Big East teams = 6 games per team.

Anyone wanna bet?

my hunch is you are wrong. I think for instance there will be a year near the end where Marquette or Villanova is sitting on 6 and they're a good top 20 team.

If you give all 10 teams their 6 appearances- that is 60 there. 4 teams get a 7th game. I'd guess it'd be Georgetown, Villanova, St John's, and probably Marquette.

[hoops22]

Stever, exactly what is it that you think the AAC has truly accomplished? Yes UCONN won the national championship, and did it with a roster that was completely recruited to play in the Big East. Not one player on that team signed up thinking they were playing in something called the AAC. The B1G would never have agreed to play the AAC in a challenge, not because of geography, but because they stink. Half of next years league has an RPI that averages over 200. No major league wants a challenge with someone that will kill your SOS like that. Louisville is gone. UCONN and Cincy are good, and Memphis does okay when they don't get caught cheating, but that's about it. No one on SMU's roster was born the last time they made the NCAA's, and the rest of the conference is total drek, and boring drek at that, who gives a rats ass or even notices what any of the rest of them do? Your comments on the other board questioning whether the BE/B1G challenge is that big of a deal are off base. First you say most B1G schools arent participating. You're good enough at math to know 8/14 is most. Plus if the BE adds more schools, the number in the challenge will likely increase too. You can try to put your spin on it however you want, but the fact is this, the BE can get games, home and home games at that, with all the power conferences, while the AAC and others are limited to just a couple of their schools like UCONN and Cinci, being able to do the same.

[admin]

Let's do the math: 8 Big East vs B1G games per year for 8 years = 64 games. 10 BE teams and all teams must play 6 times...

My guess is that St. John's and Georgetown will play all 8 years (16 games) leaving 48 games for the other 8 Big East teams = 6 games per team.

Anyone wanna bet?

my hunch is you are wrong. I think for instance there will be a year near the end where Marquette or Villanova is sitting on 6 and they're a good top 20 team.

If you give all 10 teams their 6 appearances- that is 60 there. 4 teams get a 7th game. I'd guess it'd be Georgetown, Villanova, St John's, and probably Marquette.

Possibly, but the B1G agreed to this to get into NYC. Since games are being played at home venues only, it's not far fetched to assume there is an understanding that St. John's will host games a majority of the 8 seasons. As far as Georgetown goes, this is a made for TV event so I think the Hoyas will play more than 6 times.

[stever20]

Let's do the math: 8 Big East vs B1G games per year for 8 years = 64 games. 10 BE teams and all teams must play 6 times...

My guess is that St. John's and Georgetown will play all 8 years (16 games) leaving 48 games for the other 8 Big East teams = 6 games per team.

Anyone wanna bet?

my hunch is you are wrong. I think for instance there will be a year near the end where Marquette or Villanova is sitting on 6 and they're a good top 20 team.

If you give all 10 teams their 6 appearances- that is 60 there. 4 teams get a 7th game. I'd guess it'd be Georgetown, Villanova, St John's, and probably Marquette.

Possibly, but the B1G agreed to this to get into NYC. Since games are being played at home venues only, it's not far fetched to assume there is an understanding that St. John's will host games a majority of the 8 seasons. As far as Georgetown goes, this is a made for TV event so I think the Hoyas will play more than 6 times.

I think frankly for the 10 teams 6 appearances it's 3 home and 3 away. That's how challenges normally work. Home one year, away the next.

Also, it's to get into NYC both phsically but also on TV. Having a St John's @ Big Ten team game on the Big Ten Network is just as good as a Big Ten @ St John's game on FS1. In fact, I would argue that it's probably better for the Big Ten....

[stever20]

Stever, exactly what is it that you think the AAC has truly accomplished? Yes UCONN won the national championship, and did it with a roster that was completely recruited to play in the Big East. Not one player on that team signed up thinking they were playing in something called the AAC. The B1G would never have agreed to play the AAC in a challenge, not because of geography, but because they stink. Half of next years league has an RPI that averages over 200. No major league wants a challenge with someone that will kill your SOS like that. Louisville is gone. UCONN and Cincy are good, and Memphis does okay when they don't get caught cheating, but that's about it. No one on SMU's roster was born the last time they made the NCAA's, and the rest of the conference is total drek, and boring drek at that, who gives a rats ass or even notices what any of the rest of them do? Your comments on the other board questioning whether the BE/B1G challenge is that big of a deal are off base. First you say most B1G schools arent participating. You're good enough at math to know 8/14 is most. Plus if the BE adds more schools, the number in the challenge will likely increase too. You can try to put your spin on it however you want, but the fact is this, the BE can get games, home and home games at that, with all the power conferences, while the AAC and others are limited to just a couple of their schools like UCONN and Cinci, being able to do the same.

It's semantics. While 8/14 teams is most, it's not what it could have been. 10 would have been so much bigger....

We will see what the AAC looks like next year. For the millionth time you can not take Tulane and ECU's RPI this year for gospel because they had all the CUSA drek on it. Houston this year had a worse record than the year before, but their RPI was much better because they didn't play RPI bombs like Rice.

I think the deal is a VERY good deal for the Big East. I don't think it's a great deal because only 8 teams are locked in and we're going to see the top teams 4 times and that's likely it.

Look at the games:
a normal year would look something like.....
Georgetown @ Ohio St
Michigan @ Villanova
Creighton @ Iowa
Illinois @ Marquette
Providence @ Maryland
Minnesota @ Xavier
Butler @ Northwestern
Penn St @ Seton Hall
with St John's and DePaul out.

year 2 something like
Wisconsin @ Georgetown
Villanova @ Michigan St
Indiana @ Creighton
Marquette @ Minnesota
Nebraska @ DePaul
Maryland @ St John's
Xavier @ Purdue
Seton Hall @ Illinois
with Providence and Butler out

Now if it was 10 teams and you could get in year 1 either Wisconsin or Michigan St playing and year 2 either Michigan or Ohio St playing- that becomes great. If it was a 5 star rating, I'd give this move 4 stars. It's a huge differential with the Big East and the AAC/A10. It is. It could have been even better.

[flyerlax06]

http://painttouches.com/2014/05/05/gavitt-tipoff-games-are-a-boon-for-big-east-big-ten-and-fs1/