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6 minutes ago, courtside said:

I think I read somewhere that their deal with Fox is set up so they can add up to two more teams and Fox would increase the money they pay so the payout per team remains the same.

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41 minutes ago, brianstl said:

I think I read somewhere that their deal with Fox is set up so they can add up to two more teams and Fox would increase the money they pay so the payout per team remains the same.

12 year $500 million goes to $600 million if 12 teams. The deal is about half way through right now. The Big East also does a sub licensing agreement with CBS for a limited number of games in addition to Fox. Madison Square Garden deal goes to 2028. 

http://www.bigeast.com/news/2019/5/9/mens-basketball-big-east-cbs-continue-broadcast-agreement.aspx

 

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The Beast has a lot of cache. Especially since Nova won the title in 2018. East coast fans love their hoops. College FB is not a big thing in NY, Philly, or New England. Hoops rules those markets. It's a totally different market than the S East, Mid West, and West. Why do u think MSG was happy to hold onto the watered down version of the Beast? They like college hoops. This is why UConn wanted back in. It's why we should have pulled out all the stops to get in. Fox knows it. CBS knows it. SLU failed to know it. 

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1 hour ago, slu72 said:

We were 2-0 against Beast teams last season. 

Adding to your point SLU competed in the great Midwest and Conference USA.

I enjoyed SLU playing Memphis, Louisville, Cincy Marquette every season and the run Coach Romar’s team made winning the conference USA tournament, SLU was not a blood donor in those conferences.

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17 hours ago, slu72 said:

Butler because of the two final 4's. Creighton not so sure.  We were coming off our first NCAA trip under Rick. It was clear he had the program headed for success. Creighton got it over us because of their President's close relationship w/Marquette. 

Creighton was a more obvious choice than Butler, in my opinion. They have some of the finest facilities in the country. Their programs across the board are well funded. They are a fairly decent sized metro area of probably close to a million people. Their basketball program had sustained success for many years across two coaches. They pack the house every game and have great fundraising abilities. 

The only thing that SLU compared to and/or beat was the metro area being much larger. The basketball program has been the definition of mediocre for 20 years minus the 3 or 4 years of Majerus. It continues to be mediocre currently, an April weekend hot streak lifting it to that mediocre mark. It is the constant 1 step forward, 2 steps back with everything. The Big East dream was cute for awhile, but May and Biondi (and previous ADs) blew it not just in 2012-2013, but many years before that. The lack of commitment to any program, including basketball, for many years from a financial or capital standpoint. The lack of any sustained success in any sport. There isn't a crown jewel program in the athletic department - basketball is it by default of being a D1 program in a decent conference in the 2nd most popular NCAA sport.

If SLU was ever serious about athletics, they could be a powerhouse. The potential is there by the barrel. Their actions speak otherwise - they desire an athletic department that is just good enough to not be embarrassing. From an outsider perspective, they go through the motions saying "well this is how we've always done it" and not really trying to be ahead of any curve.

Maybe the ennui has set in for me a little too much. It has been hard getting excited about the basketball program when it seems the rug just keeps getting pulled from under it every few years. But if I feel this way as a SLU fan and alum, why would the Big East feel better about things? 

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SLU has proven it can compete in tough conferences when the admin gets on board and gives full support to the program. Full support usually comes in the form of hiring a top flight coach. Spoon, 3 NCAA's; Romar 1 NCAA, Rick (his boys) 3 NCAA's in a row, Travis 1 NCAA after inheriting a big nothing burger. Where we've suffered is when we take the low cost approach when hiring a replacement coach. Brad nothing after 6 years and Crews (Dead) less than nothing after 2 years. Granted Crews didn't come cheap, but he had done nothing to reap that kind of salary other than baby sit Rick's team for two years. Talk about being the wrong guy in the right place at the right time. Both Sodie and Crews previous gigs did nothing to warrant them being a good HC. Sodie was fired by UW after getting them to the dance, they knew something was not right so should we. Crews was a total disaster at Army, granted not an easy place to coach, but he really didn't do much at Evansville either. Again, we should have known he would not lead us to greatness. Here's hoping we've learned our lessons when it comes to hiring coaches.

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13 hours ago, slu72 said:

Spoon, 3 NCAA's; Romar 1 NCAA, Rick (his boys) 3 NCAA's in a row, Travis 1 NCAA after inheriting a big nothing burger.

Kinda crazy that in the 18 season coached by that group we never won a regular season title. 

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14 hours ago, JMM28 said:

Creighton was a more obvious choice than Butler, in my opinion. They have some of the finest facilities in the country. Their programs across the board are well funded. They are a fairly decent sized metro area of probably close to a million people. Their basketball program had sustained success for many years across two coaches. They pack the house every game and have great fundraising abilities. 

The only thing that SLU compared to and/or beat was the metro area being much larger. The basketball program has been the definition of mediocre for 20 years minus the 3 or 4 years of Majerus. It continues to be mediocre currently, an April weekend hot streak lifting it to that mediocre mark. It is the constant 1 step forward, 2 steps back with everything. The Big East dream was cute for awhile, but May and Biondi (and previous ADs) blew it not just in 2012-2013, but many years before that. The lack of commitment to any program, including basketball, for many years from a financial or capital standpoint. The lack of any sustained success in any sport. There isn't a crown jewel program in the athletic department - basketball is it by default of being a D1 program in a decent conference in the 2nd most popular NCAA sport.

If SLU was ever serious about athletics, they could be a powerhouse. The potential is there by the barrel. Their actions speak otherwise - they desire an athletic department that is just good enough to not be embarrassing. From an outsider perspective, they go through the motions saying "well this is how we've always done it" and not really trying to be ahead of any curve.

Maybe the ennui has set in for me a little too much. It has been hard getting excited about the basketball program when it seems the rug just keeps getting pulled from under it every few years. But if I feel this way as a SLU fan and alum, why would the Big East feel better about things? 

So well said. I like Ford, but if Xavier, Creighton, Villanova or say Gonzaga head coach position opened up would he be in any of those schools top 5 choices. No. That’s a big red flag imo. We’ve been so use mediocre across the board with the hope of turning the corner or that one magic bullet. Over and over and over. I know we went to ncaa, great, but Fords history has repeated itself at UMass and at OK State, we shall see here. Honestly Crew’s was soooo bad I would’ve taken the cheerleader coach over him and the program would’ve improved. Again, I like Ford. The fact SLU doesn’t have D1 hockey and Illinois and rumor has it Maryville will very soon says it all. Maryville. Maryville. Lindenwood partnering with the Blues at their new ice complex. We saw 500k went to blues parade. Think about all that. I have been very vocal about AD and current leadership. It’s not their fault. They are all just the results of mismanagement, incompetence and greed from all that came before them, they are just the results and carrying on the tradition. When the Chairman of the Board of T openly says we don’t want to be like a Creighton....believe him! 

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7 hours ago, Billy Ken said:

So well said. I like Ford, but if Xavier, Creighton, Villanova or say Gonzaga head coach position opened up would he be in any of those schools top 5 choices. No. That’s a big red flag imo. We’ve been so use mediocre across the board with the hope of turning the corner or that one magic bullet. Over and over and over. I know we went to ncaa, great, but Fords history has repeated itself at UMass and at OK State, we shall see here. Honestly Crew’s was soooo bad I would’ve taken the cheerleader coach over him and the program would’ve improved. Again, I like Ford. The fact SLU doesn’t have D1 hockey and Illinois and rumor has it Maryville will very soon says it all. Maryville. Maryville. Lindenwood partnering with the Blues at their new ice complex. We saw 500k went to blues parade. Think about all that. I have been very vocal about AD and current leadership. It’s not their fault. They are all just the results of mismanagement, incompetence and greed from all that came before them, they are just the results and carrying on the tradition. When the Chairman of the Board of T openly says we don’t want to be like a Creighton....believe him! 

In my opinion how SLU handles coach Ford’s contract extension and how they handle players amenities will show me how serious they are.

So far SLU has allowed Ford to spend money on the players lounge and that is a good start.

If coach Ford can consistently produce winning records and secure local talent SLU better reward him enough to never want to leave for money.

I believe SLU has changed their attitude about the program when they hired Rick Majarus probably not enough but hiring a legend is a step forward.

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Spoon and Majerus were two dominant personalities who both wanted total control over the program. They wanted no oversight by the Admin. Obviously that attitude was no gonna work with Biondi, and the reasons we lost Spoon and were probably going to lose Rick after he fulfilled his contract. It remains to be seen if Ford will be permitted to have complete control over Hoops. If he starts turning out consistent winners and NCAA bids, will the admin allow him to rise to that level. Think of the top college coaches like Saban, Coach K, Calipari you can bet no one at their respective schools ever questions anything they do re their programs. Ford doesn't have their resume today, but if he ever does, it will be interesting to see how much freedom SLU will give him. 

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First of all, participating in the NCAA tournament makes money for SLU, I am not sure if participation (or specifically winning) the  A10 tournament is also rewarded financially. At any rate, as long as the program is able to make money for the school, as well a provide the school with a better image, the administration is likely to be increasingly supportive of the program. Indeed to get to this happy state we need to win more games and develop our players to work together. I think Ford is doing a wonderful job and cannot see anything but increased support by the administration for the program in time.

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10 hours ago, Compton said:

Kinda crazy that in the 18 season coached by that group we never won a regular season title. 

If we are giving Rick credit for 3 NCAA tourney appearances (as we should), then that group won 2 regular season titles.

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It is my opinion that the sports train left the SLU station many years ago.  They never recovered and likely won't.  Not to the extent that other, similar schools embraced it and ran with it.  At one point in time, Villanova, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Providence, Marquette, and St. John's all had similar situations to ours.  Played in pro facilities in their big towns.  Had rinky-dink college gyms to fall back on.  Were the big dogs on campus when it came to revenue sports.  Something clicked there and they ran with it.  Other schools came late to the party but figured it out.  Xavier, Creighton, Butler, and Gonzaga. But there is a large group still struggling to reach those gold standards -- us, DePaul, St. Joe's, La Salle, Duquesne --- of high level D1 basketball.  Why?  I don't profess to have an answer.  Maybe it rests in a religious philosophy that doesn't embrace athletics.  Maybe it rests in the BoT unwillingness to spend money.  Maybe its the fact that our alumni don't bother to pack 10000 seat arenas where they seem to love to do it in Omaha, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and, ughh, Dayton. 

I disagree with some of CB's stuff above ---- I don't think Ford was allowed any money to spend on the players' lounge -- he had to go out and fund raise that, right?  Fountains, museums and clock towers are what we seem to want.  If Ford does produce winning records someone will come calling.  Challenge seems to trump money most times and Ford will likely be no different.  But no SLU coach has ever gone on to bigger and better things because of his record here.  Why?  Maybe some of the above, I don't know. (Romar went home).  So losing Ford on his track record will take an extended time on that track if you ask me.  And Ford hasn't done much other than last year's miracle run.  I know, I know, S2 and S3 hamstrings.  Fine.  But the Ford era really starts now.  He needs time now and I'm all for giving it to him. 

I don't think SLU has changed any attitude, not the top level that is needed.  Chaifetz went to Biondi to hire Majerus; SLU had nothing to do with it but got gifted.  Biondi was staying with Brad.  Biondi then promised the sky and reneged on just about everything.  We finally bid adieu to Larry and ol' Freddie has moved in with very few accolades given due to S2, S3 and the Clock Tower Accords.  What I see in Pestello is a guy who will be in Brooklyn as long as we are winning.  I don't see May being strong enough to break any molds there either.  Chris is okay, but he can't be any more given the atmosphere he works in.  SLU's hiring of Majerus was a pure stroke of luck.  Once in a lifetime thing.  Given our track record, it won't happen again.  Not trying to rain on the CB parade and keep your optimism.  I just don't see it as rosy as you do.

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Not to put Majerus down, he was a genius and it was a great stroke of luck for us to get him. On the negative side, he was a sick man at the time he joined us and had limited time to achieve a lasting change at SLU. I think Ford may have a better chance to bring change to our program than Majerus did. For some reason I cannot explain, just a feeling, I do not think Ford is likely to jump at the first better offer he gets.

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30 minutes ago, Pistol said:

Have we heard from Chris May on this yet?

Here's some perspective from Dayton's AD.

 

 

The the two quoted sections below are what makes me question if the A10 can really be the answer going forward.

Quote

 

With many of the power conferences moving to 20-game schedules, the opportunities for strong non-conference wins are dwindling.

“Some of the very best teams on the schedule have to come from our league,” Sullivan said. “That’s where things are headed. The NCAA selection committee deeply values games against other NCAA at-large contending teams, and we need more of them from the A-10. You either have a great win or a tough loss against a really highly-rated team. That’s the goal of the league, and that’s what we talk about.”

 

Quote

There’s no secret the league needs to be stronger from top to bottom, and we’re part of that league and we’ve got to do our part as well. 

 

The bottom part of the conference is killing the A10.  Those programs aren't going to leave the conference and the the track record tells you they won't ever be consistently decent.  So how do you avoid having 4 to 8 games against them every year? 

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1 hour ago, Taj79 said:

It is my opinion that the sports train left the SLU station many years ago.  They never recovered and likely won't.  Not to the extent that other, similar schools embraced it and ran with it.  At one point in time, Villanova, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Providence, Marquette, and St. John's all had similar situations to ours.  Played in pro facilities in their big towns.  Had rinky-dink college gyms to fall back on.  Were the big dogs on campus when it came to revenue sports.  Something clicked there and they ran with it.  Other schools came late to the party but figured it out.  Xavier, Creighton, Butler, and Gonzaga. But there is a large group still struggling to reach those gold standards -- us, DePaul, St. Joe's, La Salle, Duquesne --- of high level D1 basketball.  Why?  I don't profess to have an answer.  Maybe it rests in a religious philosophy that doesn't embrace athletics.  Maybe it rests in the BoT unwillingness to spend money.  Maybe its the fact that our alumni don't bother to pack 10000 seat arenas where they seem to love to do it in Omaha, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and, ughh, Dayton. 

I disagree with some of CB's stuff above ---- I don't think Ford was allowed any money to spend on the players' lounge -- he had to go out and fund raise that, right?  Fountains, museums and clock towers are what we seem to want.  If Ford does produce winning records someone will come calling.  Challenge seems to trump money most times and Ford will likely be no different.  But no SLU coach has ever gone on to bigger and better things because of his record here.  Why?  Maybe some of the above, I don't know. (Romar went home).  So losing Ford on his track record will take an extended time on that track if you ask me.  And Ford hasn't done much other than last year's miracle run.  I know, I know, S2 and S3 hamstrings.  Fine.  But the Ford era really starts now.  He needs time now and I'm all for giving it to him. 

I don't think SLU has changed any attitude, not the top level that is needed.  Chaifetz went to Biondi to hire Majerus; SLU had nothing to do with it but got gifted.  Biondi was staying with Brad.  Biondi then promised the sky and reneged on just about everything.  We finally bid adieu to Larry and ol' Freddie has moved in with very few accolades given due to S2, S3 and the Clock Tower Accords.  What I see in Pestello is a guy who will be in Brooklyn as long as we are winning.  I don't see May being strong enough to break any molds there either.  Chris is okay, but he can't be any more given the atmosphere he works in.  SLU's hiring of Majerus was a pure stroke of luck.  Once in a lifetime thing.  Given our track record, it won't happen again.  Not trying to rain on the CB parade and keep your optimism.  I just don't see it as rosy as you do.

The Athletic Department raised the money for the locker room upgrade not Ford. 

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@Taj79 I do not feel your raining on my parade you know more about what is going on at SLU so I respect your opinion.

I am still blown away that Rick Majarus was our coach something I never saw happening so in my happy world anything is possible.

When I read Roy’s and the poster I responded to posts about the Bot I can see there are big issues.

Coach Ford’s upbeat personality has me believing anything is possible in the future.  I believe he will win and keep local players home but will SLU allow money to mess it up?  Chances are based on knowledgeable posters like yourself SLU will mess it up.

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Brian, I'm not sure which teams/schools you are referring to other than Fordham and Lasalle.. Asking them to leave probably ain't gonna happen but another approach would be for the Conference to pass a binding resolution about arena size and home attendance minimums.  The NCAA did the same thing a few years back with some of the lower FBS leagues and it forced some action on the part of those teams and conferences  For example, you must play most of your games in a 5000+ seat arena and / or draw a minimum of 4000 average to your Conference games.  Give everyone 2 seasons to get there or leave. 

I don't think our current Conf Commisioner has the power or will to take the tough steps needed to improve the image of the A-10.  What has she done since she took over?

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