Bloggin' Rick weighs in on expansion news
by Mike Rutherford on Sep 19, 2011 8:55 AM EDT
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PrintI'll never forgive Pitt and Syracuse for putting a damper on beat Kentucky weekend...or for being complete whores and ruining the best college basketball conference that's ever been.
Probably even more pissed: Rick Pitino.
Who could imagine Syracuse, a charter member leaving the BIG EAST? Didn’t they check Boston College’s championship totals since leaving the BIG EAST -- one, in soccer in 2005. Why would they do it along with Pittsburgh?
So much tradition and success. The words of the Pitt chancellor ring out at the Newport, RI league meetings: we must stick together. There is a scene from the godfather where one of the capo’s of the Corleone family approached Michael at his dad’s funeral. He told Michael he could arrange a meeting to stop the bloodshed. The Godfather told Michael that the one who comes to set up the meeting will be the one who betrays the family. Robert Duval, as Tom Hagen the consigliere, thought it would be Clemenza who would be the one. Instead, it was good old Abe Pagoda as Salvatore Tessio. Michael Corleone’s response to Tom was the answer to why Pittsburgh and Syracuse would make the move. His response: it was the smart move.
Well, there you have it. The smart play was made by two schools that helped the BIG EAST explode in basketball popularity. Now, in a mere 72 hours, they are BIG EAST history.
Pitino then turns to the issue of what the Big East's next move will/should be, and gives his thoughts on potentially adding new members.
The BIG EAST will have a conference call and the football members will all say they will stick together – that is, until an offer they can’t refuse comes along. I love these movie analogies.
I believe West Virginia, Cincinnati, South Florida and Louisville will stick together. But where? Which Big will that be? The Big 12, or as I hope, the BIG EAST?
Who lands and who moves first?
The Big 12 has to wait and see what Oklahoma does. The BIG EAST must move quickly and secure four football schools to enter ASAP and be ready for two more possible defections.
Central Florida? Is Baylor or Iowa State next? What about Kansas and Kansas State? Personally, I like Memphis being tossed into the mix. Great basketball tradition (much needed with Syracuse and Pitt leaving), but they must guarantee an upgrade of their football program, which is definitely possible.
Tom Jurich is arguably one of the top athletic directors in the business. He is also a great football administrator. The BIG EAST would be wise to let him head up the search, and I mean this week.
Our athletic department now has a 74 million dollar budget with maybe the best facilities in college athletics. Our football program will be led back into prominence with Charlie Strong at the helm.
This was a 72 hour decision by Syracuse and Pittsburgh. The next 72 hours will be crucial to the
BIG EAST.
Goodbye Syracuse and Pittsburgh, you have helped us become a great league.
Not the happiest news Pitino could have received on his birthday.
Ugh.
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Haha of course he mentions the Godfather
by CtotheAtotheRtotheDtotheS on Sep 19, 2011 9:00 AM EDT reply actions
loved it….he’s apart of some mafia organization for sure
by IrishMIZery on Sep 19, 2011 10:31 AM EDT up reply actions
respect the suit..
I literally ran into the man at WalMart one evening and I was scared and I dont scare easily
by rockchickpeg on Sep 19, 2011 4:59 PM EDT up reply actions
I wasnt payin attention to where I was going
walked right into him. It was some thing the ball team did with taking kids shopping for Christmas (I remember Garcia being there) but after almost running him over he let me get a basketball so he could sign it for me :) but he still scares me
by rockchickpeg on Sep 20, 2011 12:06 AM EDT up reply actions
Oh yessssss they still do that now that you mention.
Wow. WowIEEEEEEE
by GOCARDSATTITUDE on Sep 20, 2011 12:11 AM EDT up reply actions
Crossing my fingers..
that we end up in the SEC. I think that would be the best thing for us at this point.
Best things for us (IMO)
1.) Be the 15th or 16th ACC team. Football we could compete with but would still have great programs coming into PJCS. The new best BB conference. Conference now appears stable with new members and increased buyout clause. A few weeks ago many were saying the BE was in better shape than the ACC.
2. SEC. Football we wouldn’t have a chance most years, but damn it would be fun trying. And if it happened now we’d maybe keep Charlie for life and who knows what he could accomplish. Florida, Tennesee, LSU, etc coming into PJCS every year is a dream come true PJCS expanded to 80,000 and sold out every week. Basketball schedule would take a dip, but we led the nation in attendance when we were playing St. Louis, ECU, etc in C-USA, plus you can play big teams much more easily OOC in basketball (pre-season tournaments, more OOC games, NCAA tournament). We’d get Kentucky twice (some say it would water down the rivalry- hogwash. We’d be competing in the standings every week, conference tournament, etc. It would go to a whole new level. Other rivalries don’t GROW when they split conferences, they die)
3. OU and Texas stay in B12, add us and others. Conference would be shaky but would be fun while it lasted
4. OU, Texas, TTU, OKST go to PAC-12, the Big Tweast is formed. The ugly step child of BCS football, and it would be very shaky…there would be maybe 4-6 “super conference” spots left and these would be the programs hoping to get them. Also, FB would suck and would maybe be in danger of being kicked out of the BCS table. It would be like George Costanza trying to sneak back into the Monday meeting after quitting on Friday. Someone would notice we were still there and would ask us to leave forever
The wishlost differs from the likelihood list, which is basically in reverse order
by uoflcard on Sep 19, 2011 10:58 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
The best part of the post
The usage of the word “hogwash.” When that word is used, that person means business.
Is Abe Pagoda
any relation to Abe Vigoda?
"...and the present, for us, is something that we really look forward to."
- Rick Pitino
Villanova's going too.
The Villanova blog just confirmed that Villanova also has “applied” to the ACC.
That’s ironic, since the rumor is that the problems within the Big East resulted from Villanova’s attempt to get its football program in…
This is all so sad. There never was a basketball conference like the Big East of the last few years, and there probably never will be again.
Relying on their football prowess?
by Carolina Cardinal on Sep 19, 2011 11:38 AM EDT up reply actions
Actually there will be, the new ACC
North Carolina, Duke, Pitt, Syracuse at the top, maybe UConn and hopefully us. Those are 6 powerhouses at the top. Then a few respectable programs before a heap of programs that have been overrated by Dick Vitale. It would be great, and ESPN would possibly move it to MSG, maybe every other year from North Carolina.
by uoflcard on Sep 19, 2011 11:44 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
It's the no-holds barred ferocity I'll miss,
even if U of L gets into the ACC. All the Big East refugees had better take a crash course at Duke’s School of Flop. I look for Pitt’s entire team to foul out in the first half every time they play UNC or Duke.
Man
How pissed are Duke and UNC? “What the fuck? We owned this shit!”
ALL HAIL
by Cardinal_Pride on Sep 19, 2011 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions
So now its uconn and nova
instead of uconn/rutgers?
Interesting.
btw, we've done very well against current ACC teams in FB over the last decade
We have beat Miami, Florida State, Wake Forest, NCST, North Carolina and Duke. Only losses were games we should have won against VT and Miami, and a blowout @ FSU. I think we’d compete just fine in that league
by uoflcard on Sep 19, 2011 11:47 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
This happened. Our lives have been ruined. There is only ONE THING WE CAN DO.
Win the last BE Championship ever with an absolute SMACK DOWN and see whoever dares to meet us in the Final 4. That’s where I’ll be. With the CARDS.
by GOCARDSATTITUDE on Sep 19, 2011 11:59 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
This is an absolute mess.
Honestly, I bet we end up staying in a watered down Big East. If other quality programs stay (WVU, USF, addition of TCU, UC) I think the league can survive the loss of 3 teams that 5 years ago, when we were making our run were pretty horrible. We had an outside shot at a Championship when Pitt and Syracuse were shit teams, and the power is shifting solidly back to WVU, and U of L. I think we add a few comparable schools and in two years the competition will resemble ’06 Big East. Honestly who the fuck knows.
by James Sutherland on Sep 19, 2011 12:23 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
It takes 27 months to actually leave the BIG EAST from notification date, right?
If that’s accurate, then the BIG EAST can only grow before it shrinks with TCU coming in and the potential of any other additions that can happen faster than the BIG EAST allows defections.
Think of all the things that can change in that time. Maybe we should focus on supporting today’s team in today’s conference and let Jurich and Ramsey figure out the rest.
Stout Out!
by tdstout on Sep 19, 2011 12:28 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Also, since Pitt and Syracuse were accepted into the ACC on 9/18/11. 27 months later would be 12/18/13 right in the middle of a basketball season. How would that work?
by Carolina Cardinal on Sep 19, 2011 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Good question, but conference play would not have started yet.
Football conference play would have ended. That’s why I think this happened so abrupty. Timing.
Stout Out!
That's a point for exit negotiations
Schools can “buy” an earlier exit. It’s merely a question of whether those two teams are willing to pony up enough cash to part ways sooner.
I understood it was 27 months PLUS $5MM (ish).
So. you’re saying they could pony up more than the $5MM (ish) to leave sooner? How much?
Stout Out!
conference realignment talk is making me want to drink until i can’t feel feelings anymore…
by SummerofGeorge on Sep 19, 2011 11:46 PM EDT reply actions
Mmmm.
Understood, but it’s going to be OK. We have 3 whole seasons to be the Big East and whoop up on EVERYONE.
So hard that everyone in the BE will actually want to leave because we beat them so bad.
Then, it will just be us. Sittin up there in MSG, bouncin down here in Y U M! Reigning as THE KINGS AND THE CARDS OF ALL BASKETBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by GOCARDSATTITUDE on Sep 20, 2011 12:13 AM EDT up reply actions
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