Big East Talk

[Quality Is Job 1]

re: Big East

They're waiting to see how the program does without the Majerus core - as any of us would, if we were in their position. Assuming this season goes well, we'll be at the top of the list when they decide to expand to 12.

I'm sure that conference membership decisions are not based on short-term criteria. If they're wanting SLU to sustain something, then why didn't they make Butler do it? Why is DePaul in? I don't think SLU's membership in the Big East depends on making the NCAA Tournament this year, but the commitment to the program must show. All but a few programs occasionally have a down year or need to rebuild, and some of them have down decades and/or become the other conference members' perennial whipping boy.

[Duff Man]

I'm sure that conference membership decisions are not based on short-term criteria. If they're wanting SLU to sustain something, then why didn't they make Butler do it? Why is DePaul in? I don't think SLU's membership in the Big East depends on making the NCAA Tournament this year, but the commitment to the program must show. All but a few programs occasionally have a down year or need to rebuild, and some of them have down decades and/or become the other conference members' perennial whipping boy.

At the time Butler was invited (spring 2013), they had made 4 Sweet 16s, 2 Final Fours, and won 16 NCAA tournament games over the previous 10 seasons - and in the 17 seasons from 1997-2013 made the dance 11 times with 4 different coaches. Things came unraveled when Stevens bolted in the middle of the summer, their top returning scorer and rebounder Roosevelt Jones missed the entire 2013-14 season due to injury, and Stevens replacement has taken a mysterious leave of absence.

DePaul got invited (in Fall 2003) mainly because Chicago is the 3rd largest media market and a hotbed for basketball talent, but also because the decision makers were old enough to vividly remember when program was a national power in the late 70s/early 80s.

Neither of those are short-term criteria.

SLU has positioned itself well, but they still need to prove that they can sustain the success that started under Majerus. Of the leaders who get to decide how/when the Big East expands next, I suspect on one extreme you have some that are already sold on SLU while others will not be on board until they make the dance with post-Majerus players.

[Bills_06]

Anybody else read the Q&A with Chris May in the post? The second question was about conference realignment and it sounded like he knows there may be talk of it coming up again soon. Also mentioned how they would want to be with schools that are "like-minded institutions" and a few items that would be attractive to the Big East (Top 20 media market, good corporate support). Curious if anybody has heard anything or if anybody else who read it seemed to think he may know of an opportunity coming soon as I sensed he was hinting at.

Could just be me being optimistic.

[MB73]

Anybody else read the Q&A with Chris May in the post? The second question was about conference realignment and it sounded like he knows there may be talk of it coming up again soon. Also mentioned how they would want to be with schools that are "like-minded institutions" and a few items that would be attractive to the Big East (Top 20 media market, good corporate support). Curious if anybody has heard anything or if anybody else who read it seemed to think he may know of an opportunity coming soon as I sensed he was hinting at.

Could just be me being optimistic.

we need this badly.

[Old guy]

We are currently pretty much at the bottom of A10, do you really think this makes us an attractive candidate for inclusion in the Big East next year?

[SLU_Nick]

Talked to him at the Wichita St Alumni Event...he didnt come out and say it, but....we aren't going anywhere.

[Bills_06]

We are currently pretty much at the bottom of A10, do you really think this makes us an attractive candidate for inclusion in the Big East next year?

I wouldn't think they would make a decision on who to invite based on 1 year performance of the basketball team. I would think there are a lot of factors they take into account like market size, arena, how competitive are the other athletics, and the commitment they show to improving their athletics. SLU has shown commitment to it's basketball program recently so having a down year after graduating 5 starting seniors I can't believe would be a deciding factor.

They have also built the track stadium and baseball and softball hitting facility as Chris May mentioned in the Q&A.

[Bills_06]

Talked to him at the Wichita St Alumni Event...he didnt come out and say it, but....we aren't going anywhere.

Wonder if anything has changed since then. His answer of "There will most likely be another wave of conversation about that" and "No one knows where conference realignment is going, but I feel strong about our position today and opportunities in the future" leads me to believe he thinks there could be something up. But I could just be optimistic and reading into it too much.

[kshoe]

I saw this today about how the big east is not getting good ratings on tv.

http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/big-east-basketball-scoring-foxfox-sports-1.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=big-east-basketball-scoring-foxfox-sports-1

If you believe the old rumors that the big east had an option to expand the league and size of the tv deal proportionally, this seems like bad news. Fox certainly realizes this was not money well spent and won't be pushing the big east to expand anytime soon if the have to pay more for an underperforming product.

If you want to stay positive, maybe fox goes back to the big east and tells them this isn't working out great right now and they need to shake things up. Not sure SLU is much of a shakeup but any movement might be a good thing.

[BigMouthBilliken]

we need this badly.

We need it more than they need us, and i don't see us going anywhere anytime soon. This was a critical year in terms of sustaining success and we dropped the ball

[slu72]

Today, I'd say from the A10, UD's the only sure bet for Beast. Big arena, unreal fan support, dollar commitment to BB, and they have that UD mystique, ie they're perceived to be better than they usually play. X isn't going to block them. SLU, after this crap year, is going to have to do a heck of a sales job to convince them we're not gonna be another DePaul. Like, we will do everything necessary to be a competitive program that's not a drag on the league.

[Bills_06]

I saw this today about how the big east is not getting good ratings on tv.

http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/big-east-basketball-scoring-foxfox-sports-1.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=big-east-basketball-scoring-foxfox-sports-1

If you believe the old rumors that the big east had an option to expand the league and size of the tv deal proportionally, this seems like bad news. Fox certainly realizes this was not money well spent and won't be pushing the big east to expand anytime soon if the have to pay more for an underperforming product.

If you want to stay positive, maybe fox goes back to the big east and tells them this isn't working out great right now and they need to shake things up. Not sure SLU is much of a shakeup but any movement might be a good thing.

To go along with this, I read last month that Dayton is seventh-best in the country in college basketball ratings during the first two months of the season. Perhaps it's the Dayton market they are looking at to shake it up and then it will be SLU trying to get the extra spot as they expand to 12.

[DeSmetBilliken]

Today, I'd say from the A10, UD's the only sure bet for Beast. Big arena, unreal fan support, dollar commitment to BB, and they have that UD mystique, ie they're perceived to be better than they usually play. X isn't going to block them. SLU, after this crap year, is going to have to do a heck of a sales job to convince them we're not gonna be another DePaul. Like, we will do everything necessary to be a competitive program that's not a drag on the league.

I wouldn't be so sure about this. This is just one opinion, but a Xavier alum friend of mine seems to think that Xavier actually would try to keep Dayton out of the Big East. The way he sees it, Xavier has an advantage over Dayton due to being in the Big East. Letting UD in would level the playing field.

[kshoe]

I wouldn't be so sure about this. This is just one opinion, but a Xavier alum friend of mine seems to think that Xavier actually would try to keep Dayton out of the Big East. The way he sees it, Xavier has an advantage over Dayton due to being in the Big East. Letting UD in would level the playing field.

Agreed. Dayton is hardly a lock when it comes to the Big East. There are no locks.

[slufan13]

We just need to win. To be honest, if I were in charge of expanding the Big East, I'd be having my doubts about SLU right now and whether they were just a product of Majerus. It's too early to make any definite opinions on SLU, but hopefully we're winning 20 games again next season.

[HoosierPal]

I saw this today about how the big east is not getting good ratings on tv.

http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/big-east-basketball-scoring-foxfox-sports-1.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=big-east-basketball-scoring-foxfox-sports-1

If you believe the old rumors that the big east had an option to expand the league and size of the tv deal proportionally, this seems like bad news. Fox certainly realizes this was not money well spent and won't be pushing the big east to expand anytime soon if the have to pay more for an underperforming product.

If you want to stay positive, maybe fox goes back to the big east and tells them this isn't working out great right now and they need to shake things up. Not sure SLU is much of a shakeup but any movement might be a good thing.

I would hope that Fox executives are shrewd enough to look at what a market brings in a down year, rather than when the market's team is on top. Look at Butler. They were riding high after the two Final Fours, and now according to this article had the lowest number of viewers ever for a game on Fox. Butler has the problem of being located in Indiana. IU, Purdue and Notre Dame to a lesser extent, control the TV market. Butler's cinderella's ride is over.

So what does Fox do? Do they redo their projections and make the best of the situation or do they extend to more markets with more viewers? The Big East lost it's brand when they split. Sure they kept the name, but it isn't the same. When you trade Louisville, Sryacuse, and Notre Dame for Butler, Creighton and Xavier, you aren't gaining market share. I watch a few Butler games, but if Providence is playing Seton Hall, or Creighton is at St. John's, I have better things to do. No one in Chicago cares when DePaul is playing, so why should i?

Is St. Louis one of those markets that performs well in a bad year. I would like to see how TV viewership rates for this year compared to last year. If we are pulling in only 20,000 viewers for Billiken games, why would Fox want us?

The problem with the Big East is that it is comprised of small schools with accordingly fewer alumni's. They don't pull in the rest of the viewers in the state as the typical state school does. Fox knew this when they put the deal together.

[ARon]

The notion that one year of the on the court performance (or worse yet one-game as expoused by some) would be the determining factor for the BE making a BUSINESS decision to invite SLU is moronic beyond measure.

[Old guy]

The notion that one year of the on the court performance (or worse yet one-game as expoused by some) would be the determining factor for the BE making a BUSINESS decision to invite SLU is moronic beyond measure.

So, do you have inside information as to how Fox or the BE makes those business decisions or are you just guessing what the rational way of making these decisions should be?

[brianstl]

The notion that one year of the on the court performance (or worse yet one-game as expoused by some) would be the determining factor for the BE making a BUSINESS decision to invite SLU is moronic beyond measure.

One year isn't a deciding factor, but this season certainly does nothing to enhance our resume. A resume that was determined not to be good enough last time.

Long term viability of the program plays a huge part in this. Our performance this year gives ammo to those who believe SLU is not a long term tourney contender.

[brianstl]

I would hope that Fox executives are shrewd enough to look at what a market brings in a down year, rather than when the market's team is on top. Look at Butler. They were riding high after the two Final Fours, and now according to this article had the lowest number of viewers ever for a game on Fox. Butler has the problem of being located in Indiana. IU, Purdue and Notre Dame to a lesser extent, control the TV market. Butler's cinderella's ride is over.

So what does Fox do? Do they redo their projections and make the best of the situation or do they extend to more markets with more viewers? The Big East lost it's brand when they split. Sure they kept the name, but it isn't the same. When you trade Louisville, Sryacuse, and Notre Dame for Butler, Creighton and Xavier, you aren't gaining market share. I watch a few Butler games, but if Providence is playing Seton Hall, or Creighton is at St. John's, I have better things to do. No one in Chicago cares when DePaul is playing, so why should i?

Is St. Louis one of those markets that performs well in a bad year. I would like to see how TV viewership rates for this year compared to last year. If we are pulling in only 20,000 viewers for Billiken games, why would Fox want us?

The problem with the Big East is that it is comprised of small schools with accordingly fewer alumni's. They don't pull in the rest of the viewers in the state as the typical state school does. Fox knew this when they put the deal together.

I actually enjoy watching the Big East games this year. It is a pretty good product.

[waldo027]

The notion that one year of the on the court performance (or worse yet one-game as expoused by some) would be the determining factor for the BE making a BUSINESS decision to invite SLU is moronic beyond measure.

Bang, he got it. Seton Hall, St. Johns, Providence, and DePaul were invited despite 2 NCAA tournament appearances between the 4 programs from 2006 to 2013 (from the old CUSA breakup to the old BE breakup). It is a business decision.

[brianstl]

Bang, he got it. Seton Hall, St. Johns, Providence, and DePaul were invited despite 2 NCAA tournament appearances between the 4 programs from 2006 to 2013 (from the old CUSA breakup to the old BE breakup). It is a business decision.

They weren't invited. They were founding members of the NBE and with the exception of DePaul founding members of the original Big East.

[Cowboy]

-I have not seen the interview with Chris May but will look for that

-as to how attractive SLU is or not, I think the U would have to explain why most of the commercials on our televised games are spots promoting the U, could they not sell advertising to fill those spots? thank God for Royal Banks, Bud Light and whoever else is buying some of those spots

[Bizziken]

I actually enjoy watching the Big East games this year. It is a pretty good product.

I do too. It's a pretty good league. And fun to watch. I would love for SLU to be a part of it.

[kshoe]

I would hope that Fox executives are shrewd enough to look at what a market brings in a down year, rather than when the market's team is on top. Look at Butler. They were riding high after the two Final Fours, and now according to this article had the lowest number of viewers ever for a game on Fox. Butler has the problem of being located in Indiana. IU, Purdue and Notre Dame to a lesser extent, control the TV market. Butler's cinderella's ride is over.

So what does Fox do? Do they redo their projections and make the best of the situation or do they extend to more markets with more viewers? The Big East lost it's brand when they split. Sure they kept the name, but it isn't the same. When you trade Louisville, Sryacuse, and Notre Dame for Butler, Creighton and Xavier, you aren't gaining market share. I watch a few Butler games, but if Providence is playing Seton Hall, or Creighton is at St. John's, I have better things to do. No one in Chicago cares when DePaul is playing, so why should i?

Is St. Louis one of those markets that performs well in a bad year. I would like to see how TV viewership rates for this year compared to last year. If we are pulling in only 20,000 viewers for Billiken games, why would Fox want us?

The problem with the Big East is that it is comprised of small schools with accordingly fewer alumni's. They don't pull in the rest of the viewers in the state as the typical state school does. Fox knew this when they put the deal together.

Maybe they knew this, but maybe Fox over-estimated how many games they needed or how much of a following teams like Georgetown would have when they weren't playing teams like Syracuse. The BE is arguably the 2nd best conference after the Big 12 yet nationally most people aren't really watching it.

I do think its possible that Fox tells the Big East they aren't happy with how things have been progressing. Could be that the BE tells Fox that's tough because they have a contract, which won't sit well when its time to negotiate an extension. Other alternatives include expansion into new markets (at only a nominal increase in fees).