Bill Russell

Of course, I disagree. DU is in the Pittsburgh market, but does it deliver the Pittsburgh market? It's similar to Detroit-Mercy. That market is owned by MSU and UM. Pitt, Penn State, and even WVU own the Pittsburgh market. If DU hasn't delivered NCAA units, etc. while in the A-10 and it doesn't sufficiently deliver its own market, why is its position anything other than lukewarm?

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www.bonaalumni.com

uz2b-len

If the BE basketball schools can take the BE brand name, then the a10 as we know it is done. They will do it and poach the best teams in the league. UMass and VCU as large public universities will take off in a different direction. Doesn't leave much to work with for the a10. But to my mind, it does depend on the BE brand name, because those BE basketball schools would have a hard time starting a new league from scratch, getting the scratch from the networks, and establishing a new brand that fans want to see. I wouldn't be surprised if they met with the BE boss to negotiate the terms of the departure, not because they wanted anything else.

Gormin71

If the Big East did dissolve, and they created a new conference with the leftover BE7 and some A10 schools, how much effort/money would this new conference throw at the NCAA to give them an automatic bid the first year. Isn't there a 3-year delay before getting your automatic bid?

DukesDan

I am not saying st Bonaventure is in a worse position. Just not a better one. Duquesne is at least in a big market full of its own alumni. St. Bonaventure does not get anywhere near the full share of buffalo( a much smaller market than Pittsburgh)

Also st.bona does not have an asset even close to consol energy center.

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Duquesne Dukes: 2012 A10 tournament qualifier!!

2012-2013 Locks of the Day TBA
2011-2012 Locks of the Day NIT participant 29-26-0...... .527
2010-2011 Locks of the Day Regular Season Champion 31-20-4 ..... .600

#15 Cooper #11 Green #10 Nixon #12 Ricketts #24 Somerset

duq81

Penn State is garbage, and they get almost no coverage in Pittsburgh. WVU is miles ahead of them here. Obviously, Pitt owns the market, the question is, would the fans come out to see Duquesne play against many of the teams Pitt has played for the last 30 years. Duquesne vs Nova, and PC used to draw big crowds here, but of course, Duquesne was still playing at a high level then. The crowds Duquesne draws for VCU, and Xavier at the Consol will be instructive. If they can get solid crowds for those games during what is clearly a transition year for the Dukes, then that would indicate that Duquesne would have the ability to draw well against the better teams in the league. This of course, would be dependent on Jim Ferry delivering a competitive team in a couple of years.

duq81

They won't need an auto bid. The auto bid is only important to crap conferences.

Title_BU

I think that rule is set to not add autobids. If the net effect to autobids was neutral, I don't think it would apply (ie some conference melds into another, like Horizon + Summit or something)

butlerguy03

Isn't there a rule that if a new conference is formed that the waiting period for an automatic bid is waived if 6 of the institutions come from the same conference?

If that was the case, the BE7 have that to build on. I like NBC's point of multi millions coming in from exit fees. What do they do about that money, take it and run? Split it divorce style?

I'm wary of Butler's position in all of this. I love my Bulldogs and don't want to get stuck as the western fringe of a weaker A-10, but think the idea of an A-20 is a scheduling and name development nightmare (not as much media focus spread too thin among 20 schools).

I don't think a BE12 is on the horizon (see what I did there?), but I've thought since the beginning when Butler left for the A-10 that it was the beginning of a major shift in the middle-conferences (CUSA, A-10, MVC). We could be on the path of seeing a shift to a sort of 90's style MCC.

1991 MCC:
Evansville
Xavier
Butler
Detroit
Loyola
St. Louis
Notre Dame
Dayton
Marquette

Duquesne & LaSalle were added in 1992.

It all fell apart quickly after that and eventually led to the Horizon League. However, that league looks quite good now, eh.

BmoreX

I'm sure that the new conference could get a waiver from the NCAA to receive an auto-bid.

A10BBall

It is 1 year and you can not buy it from the NCAA.

They just won't recognize it

A10BBall

Unfortunately or fortunately depending on what you wish you,

The BE7 will not have the Big East label with the ESPN confirmation of Temple having full voting rights, the basketball schools can only leave and leave with paying whatever the exit fee is. If they want too. $10 million I believe it is.. For those schools, good luck paying that with lesser TV revenue and overall income... Maybe they can settle for $5 million but still to pay that for less overall income.. Goodness Boards are going to hate that and frankly from a business sense will probably say no.

duq81

Why is there concern for an auto bid? Do you think that none of those teams would be good enough to get an at large bid? The auto bid is only a concern for crappy leagues that don't have anyone good enough to earn a bid.

DukesDan

The auto bid makes the conference tourney more important. Might not be able to get the tourney at MSG? That is the only reason I can think of.

__________________
Duquesne Dukes: 2012 A10 tournament qualifier!!

2012-2013 Locks of the Day TBA
2011-2012 Locks of the Day NIT participant 29-26-0...... .527
2010-2011 Locks of the Day Regular Season Champion 31-20-4 ..... .600

#15 Cooper #11 Green #10 Nixon #12 Ricketts #24 Somerset

A10BBall

Yeah not really. MSG probably won't keep the Big East and won't sign the proposed basketball league just because the schools are too small and attendance/alumni base is low for those other 7 schools compared to the big name BE schools like UCONN, Cincy, Syracuse, etc

I mean Georgetown had maybe 2,000 people at their Longwood and Towson home games (seen on local TV).. We all know the reported data is always over blown.. But it just looked bad in a professional arena

Bogg

I actually could see a watered-down Big East tourney having to move to the Izod or Prudential center in New Jersey. The bidding war between MSG and Barclays for the ACC tourney will be ridiculous.