(03-17-2013 09:38 AM)Tallgrass Wrote:  

(03-16-2013 10:11 PM)CincyBro Wrote:  

(03-16-2013 09:40 PM)Maize Wrote:  After 2nite...the "Real BIG EAST" is gone...right now Louisville & Syracuse are put'n on a show in the World's Most Famous Arena for the right to carry home the last "Real BIG EAST Championship"...

The announcers sure talked it up about how the real BE is dead and I certainly agree with them. New C7 league is no more than a glorified A-10, if that.

Let's think about this...

The C7 would probably have liked the old BE to stay with schools like Syracuse, Pitt, Louisville, and WVA. But that wasn't an option for C7; that option was taken off the table.

So, now, C7 has two options. (1) Stay in a bloated geographical mess of the proposed Nbe and play basketball games with stuggling basketball schools Tulane, SMU, Houston, UCF, and ECU and the others. (2) Or add strong basketball programs, mosthly Catholic schools, like Creighton, St. Louis, Xavier, and (non-Catholic) Butler. And still schedule their old BE buddies Syracuse, Pitt, etc in nonconference games.

There can be no doubt the C7/BE is mountain tops above Nbe/A12, both in the level of competition, national visibility, and conference tv monies earned.

My opinion is that C7/BE will capture the imagination and visbility of the old Big East.

It is a difficult situation for Cincy, have the double dose of not only losing the good BE basketball but having that handed over to cross town rival Xavier.

Alot will depend on who if anyone the A12/Old BE adds for hoops. Since you have Navy in as football only and possibly Army in as football only; the A12 would be wise to invite VCU & UMass(hoops only); you add those to UConn, Cincy, Temple & Memphis and you have a very solid hoops conference; not the equal of the Big 10 or the new ACC but competitive with the C7/BE.