Expansion: UAB to reunite with Marquette and DePaul in NBE?

[Wildabeast]

The word on the street is that UAB may be forced to drop football and subsequently their CUSA membership card.
For the former CUSA programs in the NBE, it's unsettling. Especially that it may happen to a proud basketball program like UAB, who has better recent basketball excellence than some programs we gave shelter to in the NBE. The Dragons deserve better.
If it were up to me, I'd add onto our CUSA wing and bring in St Louis and UAB, and call it a day at an optimal 12 teams.
That gives the NBE great markets in St. Louis and Birmingham.
I have great respect for what Bartow did down there. Mike Anderson was Shaka Smart before Shaka Smart was Shaka Smart. For the college basketball purists out there, this move would be a good coming home for a program that is fighting the same war the NBE is with football. Since we can't get Memphis (or UCONN), I think our old CUSA brothers at UAB are a good realistic option.

[Jet915]

UAB would be worse than VCU.

[R Jay]

More expansion rumors. Ugh. Can we please avoid this topic until the season ends? We've gone over this again and again and again.
The 10 schools aren't going to add UAB even if they drop football. There isn't anything the conference gets out of it. UAB doesn't get nearly the attention as Alabama and Auburn and doesn't bring any fertile recruiting grounds.

[adoraz]

I'd be pretty upset if UAB was added over VCU, SLU, Gonzaga, Dayton, UMass, Richmond, etc. There's a reason they haven't been mentioned, and it isn't just football.

[Hoopfan]

Breaking news, Academy of Art University Urban Knights from San Francisco (D-II school) will drop their art classes and will accept an invite from the BE.


Might as well add every team that brings eye balls and excitement to the BE

[FriarJ]

For the millionth and last time the East Coast schools will insist on one school from the East. There is no way on God's green earth they will allow themselves to be outnumbered. Never ever going to happen.

[Barley]

Welcome to the board. No chance in hell does this happen. None. Not even a snowball's chance.

[handdownmandown]

Agree with Barlow.

Plus I am curious which of the three teams that were given 'shelter' in the Big East has an unfavorable recent resume compared to UAB's, which to me is a clear 4th.

[marquette]

UAB has 1 sweet 16 in the last 40 years. 4 NCAA appearances since 2000. They are way outside our footprint and don't add much.

Schools more likely to join the BE (progressively more outlandish)
Every A10 team
Every AAC team
Gonzaga
BYU
Every MAAC team
Northwestern
The Ivy League
Cambridge
Oxford
London School of Economics

[FlyByNight101]

UAB has 1 sweet 16 in the last 40 years. 4 NCAA appearances since 2000. They are way outside our footprint and don't add much.

Schools more likely to join the BE (progressively more outlandish)
Every A10 team
Every AAC team
Gonzaga
BYU
Every MAAC team
Northwestern
The Ivy League
Cambridge
Oxford
London School of Economics

No chance that Northwestern gets in ahead of L.S. of E., zero.