Poll - If Gonzaga Should Join Us In Big East...?

[Bulldog_Muskie]

basketball wise - no brainer

logistics wise - it'd be insane

do a quick search from providence to spokane

it involves at least 2 and maybe three PLANE CHANGES - and that's one way

it'd be a terrible situation for student athletes - even worse for fans that might want to travel to a game.

Yeah, I don't see how a conference that seems to pride itself on academics could justify sending student athletes to Spokane. It'd probably be feasible for basketball but not the other sports. Too much time out of class and too expensive.

[Bill Marsh]

basketball wise - no brainer

logistics wise - it'd be insane

do a quick search from providence to spokane

it involves at least 2 and maybe three PLANE CHANGES - and that's one way

it'd be a terrible situation for student athletes - even worse for fans that might want to travel to a game.

Then let the league exempt Providence for playing at Gonzaga. With divisional play, there's no requirement that everyone play everyone else.

But I have to ask you, how did West Virginia, coming out of a much smaller airport than Providence manage to make it out to Spokane last year? How many flight changes is Providence going to have to make to get to Omaha, Nebraska? How many flight changes did PC have to make to play their NIT game in Waco, TX last year? Or for their Thanksgiving tournament games in South Padre Island on the Mexican border 2 years ago?

Come on. It's a trip PC would only have to make once every 2 years. The one with the travel problems is Gonzaga. If they're up for it, I can't see why anyone else in the BE would complain about the travel problems.

As for fans traveling, how many PC fans are going to travel to Omaha? How many traveled in the past to Louisville or Milwaukee? A few years ago PC made a road trip to Tuscaloosa, AL. Why not make a trip every couple of years to Spokane, WA?

It's a terrible situation? Really? The Newtown shootings were a terrible situation for students. A road trip for a basketball game with all expenses paid? That's a privilege.

[Bill Marsh]

basketball wise - no brainer

logistics wise - it'd be insane

do a quick search from providence to spokane

it involves at least 2 and maybe three PLANE CHANGES - and that's one way

it'd be a terrible situation for student athletes - even worse for fans that might want to travel to a game.

Yeah, I don't see how a conference that seems to pride itself on academics could justify sending student athletes to Spokane. It'd probably be feasible for basketball but not the other sports. Too much time out of class and too expensive.

Whose to say that East Coast schools would have to send their other sports to Spokane? Let the conference work it out.

But time away is hardly an issue. If you can go to Omaha, you're already geared up for a long trip. It's only a couple more hours in the air to Spokane. The new revenue from Fox will enable conference members to afford trips they couldn't pay for in the past. It's the cost of staying big time.

Consider the alternative. Bring in lesser programs with mediocre basketball for convenience sake. The comference will become watered down and will befin to resemble the A10. Watch the ratings slip. Then watch Fox walk away for the next TV contract when it's time to renegotiate.

I'd rather see the conference stay at 10 members, but if they are intent on expanding to 12, they must do so with big time programs that can maintain the caliber of play in the conference or improve it. Fox isn't taking on a charity case. They expect a return on their investment. Te Big east has to give them a product that is worth what they're paying or they'll walk away from it and spend their money elsewhere.

[Jet915]

Add Gonzaga, BYU, SLU and Richmond. Play a 16 game schedule, that way, Gonzaga would only have to go to the east coast once a year (one 3 game swing). Play everyone once and then 3 "rivals" for a round robin. Do the same for olympic sports. East coast teams would only have to go to Spokane/Provo once every other year. It can be done. If Fox was behind this and sweetened the pot a little (6 million per team?) then the president's would do it I would think.

[cujaysfan]

you guys think like hoops fans

not university presidents and ADs

(not that there is anything wrong with that)

not too mention - who says GU would be interested? I think they have a pretty good situation right now. a league they own, high enough profile to garner decent opponents to come their way for non-con, and annual tourney bids. they might not wanna mess with a good thing.

[Jet915]

you guys think like hoops fans

not university presidents and ADs

(not that there is anything wrong with that)

not too mention - who says GU would be interested? I think they have a pretty good situation right now. a league they own, high enough profile to garner decent opponents to come their way for non-con, and annual tourney bids. they might not wanna mess with a good thing.

Well, I remember reading a few articles once the C7 split saying Gonzaga was interested.

[Dave]

Zags are way too far away for every existing program in the conference. It's not just one team traveling to Spokane, it's every team from every program. Track, soccer, etc.

Any benefit in hoops is outweighed by the logistics of all sports. And it is not like the Zags are the holy grail of target programs. They are a good mid major.

No Final Fours. One Elite Eight 15 years ago. I like the Zags. It just doesn't make sense. Do a basketball only schedule arrangement with them, but not a conference add.

There is, however, an obvious target... Add UConn.

[Bill Marsh]

Zags are way too far away for every existing program in the conference. It's not just one team traveling to Spokane, it's every team from every program. Track, soccer, etc.

Any benefit in hoops is outweighed by the logistics of all sports. And it is not like the Zags are the holy grail of target programs. They are a good mid major.

No Final Fours. One Elite Eight 15 years ago. I like the Zags. It just doesn't make sense. Do a basketball only schedule arrangement with them, but not a conference add.

There is, however, an obvious target... Add UConn.

Dave, it is not necessary to send every team from every school out to Spokane. There are other ways of dealing with the Olympic sports in a 2 division league. But even if it were necessary, it's an issue of cost, not tIme. And the Fox money makes it doable.

If time were the issue, none LF the power conferences would have been able to function 50 or 100 years ago when the primary mode of travel was bus and before that train. Think of a bus trip from Philly back in the days before interstate highways to Hanover, NH. Thin, of trips out on the prairie through the Iowa corn fields to Ann Arbor, MI. Trips like those could take 6-10 hours through awful weather on back roads. Imagine tRaveling from Moscow, ID when theUniversity of Idaho was in what is now the PAC 12. Drive a bus from there down to LA across mountains and deserts. But they did it?

Modern airliners travel at 600 mph. A 2000 mile trip from NYC to Spokane can be accomplished in less than 5 hours and in relative comfort. Teams have been taking trips like that forever and in every sport. This is the 21at century, not horse and buggy days.

I agree that Gonzaga is a good mid major whose accomplishments fall short of their reputation. But for whatever reason they have that reputation and are a household name. They get to the tournament every year even when they don't win their conference tournament. They sell out every game at home and have a waiting list 1000 names long for tickets. And institutionally they are a perfect fit.

UConn is a non-starter. They simply are not interested it. They didn't invest hundreds of millions of dollars in their football program only to abandon it at the first sign of trouble. They need a conference that sponsors football, which is no longer the Big East.

[redmen9194]

Dave, you love UConn. But it's time to let go. They are not available and are not needed nor wanted. They want to keep all sports in one conference and the Big East does not want an FBS school. So there is no interest on either side of the equation. We will do fine without the Huskies.

[hoyahooligan]

1) Once you have to get on a plane it doesn't matter logistics wise how far you have to fly the difference of flying to Creighton or flying to Spokane is negligible.

2) I do not believe it would be a good move for Gonzaga, but it would be a good move for the BE. It would suck for Gonzaga fans but it would be great for the BE. I doubt it happens, but it they're willing sign them up.