With the 7 Big East non-football programs looking at their options, and with recent news that Gonzaga would be interested in a national basketball conference of catholic schools (http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketba ... g-big-east), perhaps it's a good time to create a dedicated thread.

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Next up would be candidates for this Dream-to-potential-reality conference.

We've got the 7 Big East schools:

Providence (Providence/Northeast market)
St. Johns (NYC market)
Seton Hall (NJ market)
Villanova (Philly market)
Georgetown (DC market)
Depaul (Chicago market)
Marquette (Milwaukee market)

You have A10 candidates:
Xavier (Cincinnati market)
Dayton (Dayton/Cincinnati market)
St. Louis (St. Louis market)
Butler (Indianapolis market)
Richmond (richmond market)
VCU (Richmond market)
George Washington (DC market)
UMass (MA/Boston market)


Further West:
Creighton (Omaha market)
Gonzaga (Spokane market)
St. Mary's (Bay area market)
Loyola Marymount (LA market)
BYU (SLC market)


Other bridge schools:
Denver (Denver market)



If something came to be, I think there is a benefit of having some of the western markets included.

7: Take the 7 BE schools.
4: Add Gonzaga, BYU, LMU and St. Mary's for the Bay area)
5: Take 5 A10 schools (Xavier, Dayton, Butler, St. Louis, Richmond)
2: Add Creighton and Denver as bridge schools to connect east to the west.

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I wonder how the WCC feels about half its members playing their only money making sport in a different conference...

Fun idea for sure, but if those 4 or 5 are gonna screw over the WCC in basketball I don't see why the WCC would be very accommodating to their other sports.

Other options are:

Witchita State - pretty good "western filler" and Kansas is a bball crazy state which can't hurt
Murray State - helps move conference more into the South, gets another bball crazy state invovled in Kentucky and is center between 4 major markets Nashville/Memphis/STL/Lville that it can grab a bit of each.
Davidson - add another Southern school, the Carolina's market, and another bball crazy state in NC
Duquesne - good school, Pitt area

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NCAA doesn't allow a basketball only conference. It would have to be for all sports.

It's not a basketball only conference, it's a conference (Big East) having five (four from the WCC) western associate members that play basketball (presumably men's and women's) only in that conference.

Point is if you're the WCC and you make all your money on Men's basketball and your four best schools leave, would you allow them to stay in other sports? I know I wouldn't be very accommodating. Perhaps you expect a cut of the money they make.

Pretty universal: if a conference sponsors a sport, your school is required to participate in the conference in that sport and not any other conference. Exception is when a school opts to participate as an independent, like we've seen in football for ND, BYU, etc.

These are interesting times, that we know. So if there were ever a time when things changed and basketball only conferences came to be (say 8 all-sports members with 2-10 "affiliate" members), this would be the time something would come to be.

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Required as in the NCAA requires it or as in the conference usually mandates it? If the latter then that's what I'm getting at. If it's the first then you're saying Gonzaga would have to be invited full time which makes this a dream conference.

From the article: "The theory is that if Boise State and San Diego State can be in the Big East for football, then why couldn’t Gonzaga in a basketball version?"

Seeing as how Boise and SDSU are football only members, I read that as they want to find a way to be basketball only members which I guess you guys are saying isn't possible. But like you said these are interesting times and things could change, but this could lead down a slippery slope in which you play in several different conferences instead of one, all for the sake of money.

I don't really see the benefit of reaching out and bringing Gonzaga and St Mary's into a cross-country Catholic League. I think the BE Catholic 7 just grab 5 A-10 schools. Now a Catholic-12 vs WCC Challenge in Basketball---I'd be a huge fan of that.

Found it, you should put it w/ the real conf in this section, that's why I didn't see it until now.

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My votes for inclusion:

1. Xavier
2. St Louis
3. Richmond
4. Butler
5. Dayton

6 Midwestern schools and 6 East Coast schools makes for a perfect balance. Dayton is better than Creighton and Duquesne (I'm from Ohio so I'm inclined to favor schools in the buckeye state.)

I could see Richmond in the PL and think Creighton, Duquesne, and then VCU are the options for #5. I know VCU doesn't fit the profile, but it is a power basketball school that won't start football and most likely wouldn't leave the conference.

I don't see Richmond just volunteering to become a Patriot League member. They are going to make a strong effort to get into this new league with the Catholic 7 and if they don't get in my bet is that they stay with whoever is still in the A-10 and lobby for more southern members like George Mason and UNC-Wilmington. Richmond fb might move to the Patriot if William & Mary but I don't think they will ever be a full member.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/goldenea ... 39151.html

Xavier and Butler to the Catholic League?

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Is this the thread for the new BE7+ new conference discussion, or for a hypothetical conglomerate of non-FBS schools (and BYU)?

For example
Realistic New conference thread: they should take Dayton for 11, maybe a 12th.

Hypothetical SUPER conference thread: 24 teams, 12 in the East/MW, and 12 in the West, start their own TV network.

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