BE7 fans - tell us who YOU want!

[Edrick]

George Mason isn't an option because they are a pretty mediocre basketball program.

Its pretty clear that Xavier and Butler are locks and the last 3 spots will be made up of 3 if Creighton, Dayton, Saint Louis, and VCU.

[yorost]

I agree, but the question was who we want. I chose Butler, Creighton, Dayton, St. Louis, and Xavier. VCU and George Mason were just about why I didn't choose them. I would rather gamble on George Mason than VCU, though. Something about the prospect of VCU joining just makes me uneasy.

[jimijon]

Xavier.....Butler.......Gonzaga......U Conn.......Creighton......VCU.......Memphis......St Lu
Pick any 3
Pick any 5
My choices read from left to right.
Is it true, as someone posted that Gonzaga would accept an invite?

[nathanhm]

Not sure why people keep mentioning George Mason. Zero chance Georgetown is inviting another DC metro team to the league. Plus if we are thinking 2 schools from the same metro, St. Joe's would be a better add than George Mason.

[yorost]

Not sure why people keep mentioning George Mason. Zero chance Georgetown is inviting another DC metro team to the league. Plus if we are thinking 2 schools from the same metro, St. Joe's would be a better add than George Mason.

I mentioned them under the condition Georgetown would accept them. What we mention is just wants, though, not who we think will or should be taken. If someone here wants Duquense, Davidson, and Detroit they're more than welcome to it. For me, I just kind of like their school and basketball program, whereas I knew nothing of VCU until a few years ago so lack some confort. I still mentioned VCU ahead of them in my post, though. No matter if I would rather gamble on GM than VCU, I'd go VCU between the two. I just wanted to give George Mason some props.

[Barley]

I'd like to see 4 four team divisions. One out west (gonzaga, etc), one in the midwest (creighton, etc) and two on the east. Play round robin against two divisions each season and 1 game each against the third.

[SixTwentySix]

As a Nova fan I'd like to see Xavier, Butler, St Louis, Creighton, and Richmond. This makes 6 in the east and 6 in the midwest. If Dayton is a must for the C7, drop Creighton. There's all this talk about VCU, but I'm just not seeing it.

One thing people need to consider is basketball may be at the forefront of all of this, but it's not 100% of it. The AD's and Presidents at each school have a lot to weigh and a lot to consider. For example lacrosse. It may not be big across the country, but it's relevant in the Big East. The C7 currently have 5 lacrosse schools. They need 6 to retain an automatic qualifier. Xavier, Butler, SLU, Creighton, and VCU don't have lacrosse, but you know who does? Richmond.

Richmond fits as a like-minded institution. A small, historic, private school with strong academics. And they still offer up a solid basketball program. VCU is an excellent, and better, basketball program... But if the C7 call on the Richmond market, it will be University of Richmond, not VCU.

It's 95% basketball, but it's that last 5% that may end up swaying some of the decisions. Just something to consider.

Midwest: Butler, Creighton, DePaul, Marquette, St Louis, Xavier
East: Georgetown, Providence, Richmond, Seton Hall, St Johns, Villanova

[JohnT]

I'll take Gonzaga, Xavier, Butler, Creighton, and VCU in that order. Make that happen and this is immediately a Top 3-4 conference.

[Confessor]

X, Butler and Dayton for me.

[falcon]

As a St. John's alum and a Big East fan since 1980, I welcome the evolving new conference, and I hope we learn from all the errors from the past. Schools should be considered on a number of factors, and in no particular order: geography, new TV market, campus arena, sports resume (particularly basketball), academic profile, private school identity, and having no big time football ambitions.
Based on the above, Butler and Xavier should be invited first, and choose from SLU, Dayton, Creighton and Richmond next. For me, these six schools offer the best chance that the new conference will be successful and have stability, and I believe all members should have all their sports teams within the one conference, if the sport is available.