(10-26-2023 01:55 PM)HP-TBDPITL Wrote:  VCU has eyes on the Big East. It was reported this summer based on the coach's contract...

https://richmond.com/sports/college/vcu-...54014.html

The Big East has said they are not interested in expanding, however, they are also up for their tv contract renewal, which is set to expire in 2025 (so two more seasons). The Fox contract gets every game on national tv so that is the kind of exposure they want. I would suggest that the Big East will re-up with Fox. The current deal pays $4.6 mill per program.

Its likely that Aresco has to wait for the Big East to secure their new deal.

The A-10 is currently out to bid because its deal expires after this season. ESPN has part of its deal (28 games) CBS has some (56), NBC Sports has some and the rest are on ESPN+.

Of some note, the A-10 is moving its headquarters from Newport News VA to Washington DC this year.

That article seems like 90% writer speculation about "perfect fit". VCU isn't a perfect fit. In fact they're almost nothing like the Big East schools.

(10-26-2023 01:59 PM)Lord2FLI Wrote:  

(10-26-2023 01:41 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(10-26-2023 01:37 PM)Lord2FLI Wrote:  

(10-26-2023 05:54 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(10-25-2023 02:07 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  Apparently a Memphis fan and founder of Tiger Blueprint website. Maybe a Memphis fan can tell us how well connected they are.

https://tigerblueprint.com/

Hitmen Hoops is associated with Bluff City Media, which is a legit site started up maybe a year ago. It was started by a big Memphis donor who did it to give all the profits to Memphis NIL. I personally know the founder.

BCM is absolutely 1000% legit. That doesn't ensure that the Hitmen Hoops dude is right about this, but BCM has broken a lot of Memphis news in the recent past. They are sourced to the max inside the Memphis program.

If AAA says they are good, then that's all the endorsement I need. With that in mind, I don't see any reason for our admin to lie about it, nor the AAC making **** up behind closed doors. Between this and VCU's unprompted denial, I'm convinced the two sides have at least talked numbers.

When did VCU issue a denial?

Tweet from yesterday

The one that called it clickbait? That was from a fan page, I thought you meant the school itself. I've seen other tweets from VCU insiders, with media credentials and sources that also say there's nothing to it. Maybe VCU is playing it completely close to their vest where Memphis is letting it fly. But you'd be more likely to see VCU sources just remain quiet if something was happening that the admin wanted to keep under wraps as opposed to come out and say it's baloney.

(10-26-2023 05:54 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(10-25-2023 02:07 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(10-25-2023 02:02 PM)b2b Wrote:  ....and what is "hitman hoops media"? Is this a credible realignment source?

Apparently a Memphis fan and founder of Tiger Blueprint website. Maybe a Memphis fan can tell us how well connected they are.

https://tigerblueprint.com/

Hitmen Hoops is associated with Bluff City Media, which is a legit site started up maybe a year ago. It was started by a big Memphis donor who did it to give all the profits to Memphis NIL. I personally know the founder.

BCM is absolutely 1000% legit. That doesn't ensure that the Hitmen Hoops dude is right about this, but BCM has broken a lot of Memphis news in the recent past. They are sourced to the max inside the Memphis program.

"Legit" local fanboy reporting media.

Sure, maybe they heard something from a Memphis athletic department person, who heard a rumor. And let's be honest, if the AAC decided they needed to shore up Basketball, to add a school who helps them get another tournament bid, VCU is one of two schools, Dayton being the other, who make any sense at all, as they have good recent history of making the tournament, even as at-large, and have the necessary resources committed to MBB to compete in the AAC. And schools talk informally often, via back channels, with other conferences and schools in other conferences. But that doesn't mean there is anything there.

I strongly suspect the AAC schools will be paying attention to how MBB performs and is perceived this year before making any decision about whether to expand for basketball only.

Man the ODU fans are really going to come undone if VCU goes to the AAC.

(10-26-2023 02:16 PM)b2b Wrote:  Man the ODU fans are really going to come undone if VCU goes to the AAC.

It'd be good for the AAC so as Sun Belt members we don't want that.

On the other hand, within the next 10 years they'll basically be in the CUSA where we spent 10 years bitching about the conference tournament game being in TX. So that's nice.

(10-26-2023 01:55 PM)HP-TBDPITL Wrote:  Of some note, the A-10 is moving its headquarters from Newport News VA to Washington DC this year.

Why did the A-10 move from Philadelphia to Newport News (where no A-10 program resides in the first place)?

(10-26-2023 02:44 PM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  

(10-26-2023 01:55 PM)HP-TBDPITL Wrote:  Of some note, the A-10 is moving its headquarters from Newport News VA to Washington DC this year.

Why did the A-10 move from Philadelphia to Newport News (where no A-10 program resides in the first place)?

From what I read, it saw that its future required going South, so it moved the headquarters to make itself more attractive.

(10-26-2023 02:11 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  

(10-26-2023 05:54 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(10-25-2023 02:07 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(10-25-2023 02:02 PM)b2b Wrote:  ....and what is "hitman hoops media"? Is this a credible realignment source?

Apparently a Memphis fan and founder of Tiger Blueprint website. Maybe a Memphis fan can tell us how well connected they are.

https://tigerblueprint.com/

Hitmen Hoops is associated with Bluff City Media, which is a legit site started up maybe a year ago. It was started by a big Memphis donor who did it to give all the profits to Memphis NIL. I personally know the founder.

BCM is absolutely 1000% legit. That doesn't ensure that the Hitmen Hoops dude is right about this, but BCM has broken a lot of Memphis news in the recent past. They are sourced to the max inside the Memphis program.

"Legit" local fanboy reporting media.

Sure, maybe they heard something from a Memphis athletic department person, who heard a rumor. And let's be honest, if the AAC decided they needed to shore up Basketball, to add a school who helps them get another tournament bid, VCU is one of two schools, Dayton being the other, who make any sense at all, as they have good recent history of making the tournament, even as at-large, and have the necessary resources committed to MBB to compete in the AAC. And schools talk informally often, via back channels, with other conferences and schools in other conferences. But that doesn't mean there is anything there.

I strongly suspect the AAC schools will be paying attention to how MBB performs and is perceived this year before making any decision about whether to expand for basketball only.

AAA doesn't stick his neck out for fanbois, if he says they are legit then they are legit.

(10-25-2023 02:19 PM)solohawks Wrote:  The ram nation response is interesting too. The only other logical conference they would be in discussions with is the Big East

Which has already signaled that they aren't interested. That's the thing that made my ears perk up with this rumor.

(10-25-2023 12:22 PM)Garden_KC Wrote:  

(10-25-2023 12:15 PM)PeteTheChop Wrote:  Wow!

Gotta think SLU and Dayton are offering Val Ackerman a BOGO deal or a similar discount in exchange for Big East invites.

Sadly, it seems like there would be little to no hope of the A-10 keeping it's unofficial (if declining) "mid-major plus" designation minus those three programs:

Davidson
Duquesne
Fordham
George Mason
GW
La Salle
Loyola (IL)
UMass (gone to the MAC with UDel?)
URI
Richmond
St. Bonaventure
St. Joe's

The Big East might be looking at getting BC, Syracuse, Pittsburgh back from the ACC in the even they implode.

Loyola would probably see if they could return to the MVC. No sense in being there without SLU/Dayton.

I think 2030 give or take a year is next seismic event
I think bigger chance UConn is in the ACC than Cuse and company joining the Huger Big East

(10-26-2023 04:03 PM)Lord2FLI Wrote:  

(10-26-2023 02:11 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  

(10-26-2023 05:54 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(10-25-2023 02:07 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(10-25-2023 02:02 PM)b2b Wrote:  ....and what is "hitman hoops media"? Is this a credible realignment source?

Apparently a Memphis fan and founder of Tiger Blueprint website. Maybe a Memphis fan can tell us how well connected they are.

https://tigerblueprint.com/

Hitmen Hoops is associated with Bluff City Media, which is a legit site started up maybe a year ago. It was started by a big Memphis donor who did it to give all the profits to Memphis NIL. I personally know the founder.

BCM is absolutely 1000% legit. That doesn't ensure that the Hitmen Hoops dude is right about this, but BCM has broken a lot of Memphis news in the recent past. They are sourced to the max inside the Memphis program.

"Legit" local fanboy reporting media.

Sure, maybe they heard something from a Memphis athletic department person, who heard a rumor. And let's be honest, if the AAC decided they needed to shore up Basketball, to add a school who helps them get another tournament bid, VCU is one of two schools, Dayton being the other, who make any sense at all, as they have good recent history of making the tournament, even as at-large, and have the necessary resources committed to MBB to compete in the AAC. And schools talk informally often, via back channels, with other conferences and schools in other conferences. But that doesn't mean there is anything there.

I strongly suspect the AAC schools will be paying attention to how MBB performs and is perceived this year before making any decision about whether to expand for basketball only.

AAA doesn't stick his neck out for fanbois, if he says they are legit then they are legit.

True.

(10-26-2023 02:16 PM)b2b Wrote:  Man the ODU fans are really going to come undone if VCU goes to the AAC.

I won't rule ODU out of the AAC. Their football is on the rise, and their basketball have been winning. If the AAC lose anymore schools? ODU, MTSU, Georgia State, Marshall, UTEP, Arkansas State, Toledo, Dayton, Missouri State, Delaware, Saint Louis, South Alabama, and Kenesaw State may fit in with the AAC for markets. Maybe La.-Lafayette as well? There are more big tv markets from the FCS that are also good or without football yet.

North Florida
Lamar
Abilene Christian
McNeese State
Central Arkansas
Missouri State
Delaware
Illinois State
Indiana State
Lindenwood
North Alabama
Stony Brook
Albany
Towson
NC A&T
Jackson State
etc.

Some D2 in large tv markets could be brought up like West Texas A&M, Central Oklahoma, West Florida, Valdosta State, Angelo State, Midwestern State, UT-Tyler if they add football, Central Missouri, UIndy, Wayne State Mich, etc.

(10-26-2023 01:32 PM)b2b Wrote:  

(10-26-2023 05:54 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(10-25-2023 02:07 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(10-25-2023 02:02 PM)b2b Wrote:  ....and what is "hitman hoops media"? Is this a credible realignment source?

Apparently a Memphis fan and founder of Tiger Blueprint website. Maybe a Memphis fan can tell us how well connected they are.

https://tigerblueprint.com/

Hitmen Hoops is associated with Bluff City Media, which is a legit site started up maybe a year ago. It was started by a big Memphis donor who did it to give all the profits to Memphis NIL. I personally know the founder.

BCM is absolutely 1000% legit. That doesn't ensure that the Hitmen Hoops dude is right about this, but BCM has broken a lot of Memphis news in the recent past. They are sourced to the max inside the Memphis program.

I'm sure they were saying Memphis was Big 12 bound, right?

Nope. They weren't in business then, lol.

(10-26-2023 02:11 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  

(10-26-2023 05:54 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(10-25-2023 02:07 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(10-25-2023 02:02 PM)b2b Wrote:  ....and what is "hitman hoops media"? Is this a credible realignment source?

Apparently a Memphis fan and founder of Tiger Blueprint website. Maybe a Memphis fan can tell us how well connected they are.

https://tigerblueprint.com/

Hitmen Hoops is associated with Bluff City Media, which is a legit site started up maybe a year ago. It was started by a big Memphis donor who did it to give all the profits to Memphis NIL. I personally know the founder.

BCM is absolutely 1000% legit. That doesn't ensure that the Hitmen Hoops dude is right about this, but BCM has broken a lot of Memphis news in the recent past. They are sourced to the max inside the Memphis program.

"Legit" local fanboy reporting media.

Sure, maybe they heard something from a Memphis athletic department person, who heard a rumor. And let's be honest, if the AAC decided they needed to shore up Basketball, to add a school who helps them get another tournament bid, VCU is one of two schools, Dayton being the other, who make any sense at all, as they have good recent history of making the tournament, even as at-large, and have the necessary resources committed to MBB to compete in the AAC. And schools talk informally often, via back channels, with other conferences and schools in other conferences. But that doesn't mean there is anything there.

I strongly suspect the AAC schools will be paying attention to how MBB performs and is perceived this year before making any decision about whether to expand for basketball only.

That's ridiculous. Bluff City Media is not that, at all. It is a full fledged media organization with dozens of employees, covering every sport in the city of Memphis, and more.

HitMen Hoops is simply a dude they signed to cover a small segment, one guy in a handful covering only Memphis basketball, but by letting him print that, they are implicitly saying it's legit. And they vet everything, with connections at the top of Memphis sports. University president, mayor, etc.

As I said earlier, maybe it's not accurate and their source was somehow fed inaccurate info, we'll see, but the organization itself is as well run as any daily paper.

Look up Bluff City Media yourself, not Hitmen Hoops as a standalone. If it were just the one dude, I would not vouch for him.

VCU AD denies there have been any talks.

Oops. So much for me vouching for them, lol. But BCM is dead on legit. This has to be the first miss I can recall.

https://richmond.com/sports/college/bask...ium=social

(10-27-2023 01:52 AM)TripleA Wrote:  VCU AD denies there have been any talks.

Oops. So much for me vouching for them, lol. But BCM is dead on legit. This has to be the first miss I can recall.

https://richmond.com/sports/college/bask...ium=social

ADs deny lots of things, Triple A. There might be some smoke to this fire after all, reading VCU's AD's response.

Northern Kentucky denied moving to D1, and a few months later, they made an announcement they are moving to D1.

The serious discussion part is what is quoted as having no merit. That's a pretty narrow wording

Aresco needs to land VCU at all costs or it will be as big a debacle as the failure to land CSU/AFA at least on the BBall side of things.

“The reports that we have engaged in ‘serious discussions’ with the American Athletic Conference have no merit," VCU athletic director Ed McLaughlin told the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Thursday.

Translation: "Yes, we've talked with Mike Aresco and his folks in the AAC. But the deal isn't done yet. We're still hoping something might happen with the Big East."