A10fan2

Obviously there are lots of people that think it will be very different than the current A10 or MVC. If you think they are making these decisions without any thought you are sorely mistaken.

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Muddy's from 2009

He has since made the same "prediction" this year. CLASSIC

AdamtheFlyer

There won't be any Fordhams in the new league.

It'll never be the ACC, Big Ten, or Big 12, but it will be a quality league. There will be no easy games. Once it goes to 12 or 14 teams it could be the 4th best league on a yearly basis.

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Sure, I've been called a xenophobe, but the truth is, I'm not. I honestly just feel that America is the best country and the other countries aren't as good. That used to be called patriotism.

Bill Russell

I know what you mean to a degree, but it's likely one of these schools will turn into their version of Fordham.

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=320422230

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AdamtheFlyer

Pete Thamel posted an update on the whole situation. The gist: heading toward a 12 team league, adding Xavier, Butler, Creighton, Dayton and SLU. VCU a possibility over SLU, but unlikely.

Buzzword is "inventory". A 10 team league gives you 180 conference games vs 216 for a 12 team league. 36 more conference games for TV, plus up to 28 extra non-conference games.

He tosses in a $3 million per school figure on the TV deal. That would be astronomical. Nearly 10 times more than the current A10 deal. Fox and NBC seem to be most interested in being the main rights holder.

http://m.si.com/627787/whats-next-fo...ic-7-big-east/ (scroll down a bit for basketball info)

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Sure, I've been called a xenophobe, but the truth is, I'm not. I honestly just feel that America is the best country and the other countries aren't as good. That used to be called patriotism.

paulxu

The most interesting thing in that article is that the current BE basketball contract is up this year. That might make things move a lot quicker.

If they added the 5 he notes, somebody would have to play in the East from the midwest.

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...he went up late, and I was already up there.

AdamtheFlyer

I almost wonder if it wouldn't be Marquette. Their AD doesn't seem too keen on playing the A10 schools twice per year. Keep them with Georgetown and Nova, and keep the A10 teams together. DePaul...no one cares about DePaul, so they stay west.

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Sure, I've been called a xenophobe, but the truth is, I'm not. I honestly just feel that America is the best country and the other countries aren't as good. That used to be called patriotism.

Title_BU

/thread

xudash

If it becomes $3mm per school, then it's game, set and match on the "allure" question.

paulxu

I never can figure Thamel out. Sometimes he seems to have a lot of info. Other times he seems out of the loop. Here was his tweet the day before the split when all the rumors were going around:

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I think it was noted that all the C7 can bring their NCAA credits with them since the "league" dissolved. Wonder if the A10 schools can bring anything with them. Probably not. X will leave a lot of $ behind if they were getting 50% of what they earned; but still worth it if the TV deal is that large.

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...he went up late, and I was already up there.

BmoreX

Just for selfish reasons, I hope it would be Xavier in the East (better competition, better recruiting grounds, closer to me), but like ATF said, it would probably be Marquette so that they could maintain their BE rivalries.

Bill Russell

I don't buy $3mm. Maybe it will happen, but that would be outrageous.

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www.bonaalumni.com

Title_BU

Glockner made a good point on that.

It's likely that they knew about the contract they command, prior to leaving.

By extension, the television partners are who is ultimately putting the league together.

3mm? Who knows but if someone is willing to go on record with that, you can be sure that'll be directionally correct

AdamtheFlyer

Thamel is as connected as anyone, but can be a little off when he editorializes. Not much editorial content is this one, perhaps just the comments on SLU/market size. But even that may be something he's gathering from sources.

No one should take this as fact, obviously, but it should be taken as a pretty solid update on where things stand today.

As far as the units, I'm sure Xavier would leave those units behind if it meant upwards of $3mm per year in TV money.

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Sure, I've been called a xenophobe, but the truth is, I'm not. I honestly just feel that America is the best country and the other countries aren't as good. That used to be called patriotism.

Title_BU

Butler left more units than Xavier will.

AdamtheFlyer

This new league will be in a position of power, with at least two outlets bidding against each other. As FOX transitions Speed into a broad sports network, they will need content. And they have regional affiliates in many markets that are starved for content in the winter. NBC, too. CBS seems to have their sights set on the Mountain West as their flagship, so they probably won't be bidding for first tier rights.

And it's not like ESPN will be silent. They won't pay for the main rights, but they will want to show some games. NBC and CBS College could pay for some games, too. YES, NESN, and MASN will be there buying up regional games, as well.

Put all of that together and $36 million per year doesn't seem so ridiculous. I mean, it does for us A10 fans used to pennies for TV cash, but it doesn't in reality.

__________________
Sure, I've been called a xenophobe, but the truth is, I'm not. I honestly just feel that America is the best country and the other countries aren't as good. That used to be called patriotism.