Seven Catholic schools looking to bolt Big East to form new basketball-first conference

The New York Daily News ^ | Thursday, December 13, 2012 | Dick Weiss AND Roger Rubin

[MinorityRepublican]

St. John's and the other Catholic schools are looking to dump the Big East and go out on their own.

The last remnants of the Big East are on the verge of disappearing.

The seven non-Football Bowl Subdivision Catholic universities in the conference, tired of waiting for a new TV contract and worn out by the fact they keep watching other all sports members bolt to other conferences in realignment, held a teleconference with commissioner Mike Aresco Thursday, presumably to tell him they are leaning toward leaving to form their own league in basketball and other non-revenue sports.

High ranking sources at St. John's say university president Rev. Donald Harrington has signed off on the move, which would set the wheels in motion for the seven Catholic schools — Marquette, Georgetown, DePaul, Villanova, Providence, Seton Hall and St. John's — to withdraw from the Big East and form their own league once a negotiated settlement with the league can be achieved.

The seven Catholic schools are likely to invite other like-minded schools to join them in a new conference. Already, Xavier, Dayton, Creighton, Butler and Saint Louis have been discussed informally in the group. One source said that Gonzaga has reached out through back channels about the idea of joining up with the seven.

“No one is really sure how practical that would be because of the travel involved for all teams in all sports,” the source said. “But Gonzaga would make the new conference much more attractive to television. Think about Gonzaga playing Georgetown every year or Gonzaga playing in the Garden.”

[PittsburghAfterDark]

There was no way the Big East was going to survive Syracuse, West Virginia and Pittsburgh leaving.

Their convoluted attempt at survival bringing in in schools in Idaho and California is going to be a recipe for disaster. I told someone at UCF that their decision to join the Big East would prove to be a 10 year setback for their athletic programs.

[wrcase]

Unfortunately Gonzaga would be a traveling nightmare. This would work out pretty well if they can find two more Eastern teams. Xavier, St Louis, Marquette, DePaul, Dayton, Creighton and Butler could make up the Midwest Division and Georgetown, Villanova, Providence, St John’s, Seton Hall and two other eastern schools could make up the East Division. Good conference.

[SeminoleCounty]

As a UCF alum and booster who was happy with joining the Big East...well, this pretty much kills that

I felt the Big East would always be relevant as long as the hoops-only schools stayed, as their presence would have helped the conference secure a decent TV deal (”No BEast Football TV...you will not get any of our basketball”...good bargaining chip). Even if BEast football died....the hoops schools would have helped UCF recruit for hoops w BEast membership

The hoops schools leave...and no amount of spin will help the BEast....they are now irrelevant as a conference

Doubt that the CUSA schools coming in will go back to CUSA...but Boise State and San Diego St will probably return to MWC.

This is not turning out well at all