gister Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 This is a quote from Andy Katz's article on ESPN: "Marquette already has denied a report that Charlotte, Saint Louis, Marquette and DePaul would stick together and move as a block to another conference if Conference USA was poached by the Big East. Atlantic 10 Conference officials discussed expansion at a meeting last week. But if Conference USA or the A-10 went after any Big East leftovers, those two conferences could become too big." So what's the real story? Here's the link: http://espn.go.com/ncb/columns/katz_andy/1557259.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 i wouldnt want to be the guy that double crosses father biondi. ask the pope what kind of businessman our leader is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Law Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Fact - Marquette would like to remain with DePaul and SLU. Fiction - Marquette will turn down overtures from another conference (namely the Big East) if SLU and DePaul are not included. Marquette is in a position of power right now because of their Final Four run and marketability. 3 years ago things were different but now Marquette is a whole lot more attractive nationally. They have traditionally had a strong presence on the East Coast which makes them attractive to the Big East. Right now SLU, DePaul and Charlotte need Marquette much more than Marquette needs them - harsh but true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLU8592 Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Hello, new to the Board although I've been a "lurker" for some time. You have a good group of posters. It will definitely be interesting to see where SLU ends up after any conference reorganizations take place. As to Billiken Roy's point, Fr. Biondi's rather uncomfortable position with the Vatican also cost him some supporters among SLU alumni. Oh well, the "Jesuit" mission doesn't always seem to be the "Catholic" mission. Nevertheless, Fr. Biondi certainly seems capable of pushing the limits to meet his objectives. The proposed Catholic Conference would be very beneficial to SLU, in terms of atheletic and academic recognition. Given Fr. Biondi's admiration of Georgetown, I believe he will be working especially hard behind the scenes lobbying his east coast bretheren. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidnark Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 I agree 100%. Do you think Marquette will be making a mistake in the long-run if they abandon their conference ties to SLU and DePaul--both of which appear to be programs on the rise--in favor of an almost exclusively east coast conference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Law Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 MU would prefer to remain with DePaul - they are one or our olders and most bitter rivals. Would it be a mistake for MU to abandon SLU and DePaul? Probably not, depending on what the conference looks like. The worry is that if they stick with DePaul and SLU and reject overtures from the Big East the conference that is formed is a glorified MVC which would be a major step backwards for MU. By the way, I believe MU was invited to join the Big East when it was first formed but turned them down - wanted to stay independent. Then when independents were made obsolete they were forced to join the MVC which set the program back a few years. If only the GMC hadn't merged with the Metro.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 i agree david. if marquette strikes out on their own, they better be prepared for midwest recoil. if what billiken law says is true, it is amazing how soon they forget where they were. with the way on court success can change so quickly with the coming and going of one or two players, and arguably the best player in marquette history about to go on to the nba after a successful two year run, i hope marquette isnt about to step on themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 still father biondi holding his ground versus the vatican on the sale of the hospital garnered tens of millions of dollars for the university plus maintained their ties to the facility teaching wise. imo, father biondi might be the biggest business shark in town. he seems to get what he wants one way or the other eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shempie Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 and the size of the Chicago and St. Louis TV markets is a big consideration. While Marquette had a great season this year, I think the TV market size is an equal consideartion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Law Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Roy, the thing to remember is that Marquette has always tied their success to the East Coast and that the formation of the Big East was one of the reasons MU fell from national power status in the 80's. It isn't that MU is saying "to hell with SLU, DePaul and Charlotte," instead they are taking stance that they are going to do what is best for the program and if that means going off on their own to the Big East or staying in a watered down CUSA with SLU, DePaul and Charlotte then obviously they have to take the first option. I know MU would prefer to remain in a conference with DePaul and SLU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tseugnekillib Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Are you saying that Marquette was forced to joined the MVC? I must of missed that. Did you mean the Great Midwest? I thought Marquette, Depaul and Dayton came in late to the Great Midwest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quality Is Job 1 Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 Marquette has never been a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. It was a member of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference in 1990 and 1991 (I don't remember that, but that's what my Inside Sports College Basketball (1998) says. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Law Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 My bad, the MCC (typo). However, the MCC then was much stronger than the MCC/Horizon is now with Dayton, SLU, Xavier, Evansville, et al. I remember when I was looking at Evansville as a HS senior to play tennis they made the move to the MVC and I wondered why - it seemed to be a step down at the time but obviously it wasn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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