2021-22 Basketball happenings around the American Athletic!

[Shockm]

I have to believe that the endgame of this hyper Machiavellian realignment that has been going on for years and continuing with the departures of Texas and OU will be fewer overall fans and less popularity. We already have 1 NFL. The lilly is long gone from the rose on amateurism. What use to be festive Saturdays all over the country is down to about 32 towns hogging all of the exposure on a given weekend. The basketball will quickly diminish as well. It is so arrogant that the P-whatever thinks the fans of the left out schools care about them no matter what, The basketball tournament was the final link but it will be gone soon. That’s the next step.

This is what will happen to football, and if basketball and the NCAA tournament is handled badly, it will happen to basketball as well. The football stadiums will most likely continue to be mostly filled, but there is only one NFL, and television watching will decline. Also, without the rivalries, school life, fraternities and sororities will care less and less in the future.

[B&Gpassion]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2021/09/03/big-12-conference-new-schools-join-byu-houston-ucf-cincinnati/5721822001/

[Topshock]

I have to believe that the endgame of this hyper Machiavellian realignment that has been going on for years and continuing with the departures of Texas and OU will be fewer overall fans and less popularity. We already have 1 NFL. The lilly is long gone from the rose on amateurism. What use to be festive Saturdays all over the country is down to about 32 towns hogging all of the exposure on a given weekend. The basketball will quickly diminish as well. It is so arrogant that the P-whatever thinks the fans of the left out schools care about them no matter what, The basketball tournament was the final link but it will be gone soon. That’s the next step.

I am afraid you may be right. I personally will never watch another college football game which won't be a big step from where I already was.

[Veritas]

While nearly every single school of the L8 wants to join a P4, there are only a handful at max that very well could get an invite (KU, ISU, OSU, and maybe TT and WVU) within the next 5 years. That leaves UH, UC, UCF, BYU boarding a sinking ship.
Why take that chance?

As I posted earlier this week, Aresco’s interview did not seem comforting. I’m hoping as one of you posted, he’s walking (talking) softly and carrying a big stick. The AAC needs the be a mega conference with the best of the MWC, as well as the military academies, and choice BB non football playing schools etc. and turn the back on leftovers of the L8 until they come begging. Go critical mass.

[mattdalt]

P64 mental exercise.

If you presume that the 4 remains conferences will expand to 16 each, leaving NCAA football with a P4 and a total of 64 teams.

For playoff purposes, you take the 4 conference champs, plus some combination of 4 more determined by an “elite” panel, and you have your 8 team playoff.

Who are the 64?

SEC, adding OU and Texas might be set at their 16.
ACC is at 14, B1G is at 14 and the PAC 12 is at 12.

That leaves 8 spots. Norte Dame is taking one spot. That leaves seven spots for the little 8, BYU and possibly Cincy, Houston and UCF.

Who gets the last seven spots? Main decision criteria, FOOTBALL rules!

My quick thought, from the little 8, West Virginia, Texas Tech, Okie State and Iowa state land somewhere. I think Cincy is more attractive than any of the remaining little 8. 2 pots remaining. Hmmm. Would the pac 12 take BYU? Of is the religion thing a deal breaker? That could leave only 1 spot.

Thoughts?

[1972Shocker]

Big East goes to 16.

Add:
- WSU
- SLU
- Dayton
- VCU
- 5th school yet to be determined.

The new BE would have a seat at the table if the P5 broke off for their own tournament. That's the greatest chance to stay relevant, the way it looks like the pendulum is currently swinging.

That 5th school needed to get to 16 might be a bit of a challenge. What's left in basketball focused schhools outside of Gonzaga? Gonzaga would be a great but it would almost havd to be a basketball only deal with them considering the geography. Not sure that is doable.

So who would be the condidates for that final slot?

While Tulsa has had 4 starters suspended for the game agianst UC Davis yesterday, they nevertheless lost to the FCS Aggies 17-19 at home yesterday. Maybe Tulsa needs to pull a Wichita State and become a basketball focused school.

Other than that it is really difficult to come up with good candidates.

And, of course, this presumes the Big East has any desire to expand to 16 teams. Or even to 12 teams considering their options. Although if they did go to 12 teams Wichita State might have a shot. It doesn't have to be 12 or 16. Maybe expand to 14.

Add VCU to Villanova, Georgetown, Seton Hall, St. John's, Providence and UConn for 7 team Eastern Division and add Wichita State and St. Louis or Dayton to Creighton, Marquette, Depaul. Xavier and Butler for a 7 team Western Division. Would adding 2 more teams make much of a difference? Especially, with the options being somewhat limited.

Chances of this happening? Probably not great, but one can keep wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin' and plannin' and dreamin'. Unfortunately, none of that, according to Dusty Springfield, will get us in their arms.

[WuShockFan]

Look, I'm disappointed with the direction this is taking and certainly understand the frustration. However, the 8 with 3 AAC schools and BYU isn't in the same solar system as the MAC. 8 of those 12 are either ranked in the top 25 at the moment or receiving votes. That's 8 of the top 44 in the preseason poll including 2 ranked in the top 8. Meanwhile the MAC has one (1) team receiving votes.

There certainly is no Clemson, Bama, or tOSU among that group, but denying several quality football programs are amongst those 12 schools is disingenuous or uneducated.

There is a lot of hyperbole on forums such as this. It's just the nature of the beast. I agree with you that this revamped Big 12 would be no where near a MAC-level conference. I am one of the few who takes an interest in all in-state schools doing well. I wouldn't consider myself a "fan" of the Big 12, but since KU and K-State are members of the Big 12, I do think it benefits the state and keeps us relevant in college athletics if the Big 12 does well. I also care about WSU and am concerned about the American losing prominent members.

I think the addition of those four schools to the Big 12 will probably keep the conference in the Power Five. BYU is a respectable football program with a national championship under its belt from 1984. UCF has been making moves for years and is currently the largest public college in the country. West Virginia and Iowa State are solid football programs with beautiful large stadiums that really do compare very well to the atmosphere in Big Ten stadiums. On the basketball side, this new Big 12 could, in some years, be the best basketball conference in the country. With KU, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, and Baylor, that's four programs that have national championships in basketball. Every school in the conference except UCF has been to at least an Elite 8. And UCF basketball is on the rise. So certainly they could make it there.

Isn't a program like UCF what we wish we could be at WSU? It's a rising non-flagship public college in a state that has historically been dominated by Florida, Florida State, and Miami. Kind of like how WSU is a rising non-flagship public college in a state that has historically been dominated by KU and K-State. I don't begrudge UCF and wish them well. They could be a top program. In college football, there is the Power Five and the Group of Five. If you are in a Power Five conference, you can compete for a national championship. If you are in a Group of Five conference, you are pretty much shut-out.

For WSU, our leaders need to figure out the best way forward for us, whether that means staying in the American and adding new schools or looking to another conference like the Big East.

[calfan]

The American Conference has to be honest, and admit that they have lost the Football war. They need to start playing the basketball war. That is the next war. They need to tell teams that we will add based on basketball now. The teams some suggested as adds to us to join the Big East, would be on my list to invite to the American conference. Schools like VCU and St. Louis and I can't remember some of the others would be worth a look. Time to stop playing hopscotch and start playing chess.

As for Wichita State, If WSU wants to get a Big East invite, it needs to make an invitation a no-brainer, WSU needs to recruit a lot better. It needs a bigger arena. It needs to make some NIL deals.
That's a start.

If they don't do that, we either stay where we are or go to the A-10.

[Shock Top]

That 5th school needed to get to 16 might be a bit of a challenge. What's left in basketball focused schhools outside of Gonzaga? Gonzaga would be a great but it would almost havd to be a basketball only deal with them considering the geography. Not sure that is doable.

So who would be the condidates for that final slot?

While Tulsa has had 4 starters suspended for the game agianst UC Davis yesterday, they nevertheless lost to the FCS Aggies 17-19 at home yesterday. Maybe Tulsa needs to pull a Wichita State and become a basketball focused school.

Other than that it is really difficult to come up with good candidates.

And, of course, this presumes the Big East has any desire to expand to 16 teams. Or even to 12 teams considering their options. Although if they did go to 12 teams Wichita State might have a shot. It doesn't have to be 12 or 16. Maybe expand to 14.

Add VCU to Villanova, Georgetown, Seton Hall, St. John's, Providence and UConn for 7 team Eastern Division and add Wichita State and St. Louis or Dayton to Creighton, Marquette, Depaul. Xavier and Butler for a 7 team Western Division. Would adding 2 more teams make much of a difference? Especially, with the options being somewhat limited.

Chances of this happening? Probably not great, but one can keep wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin' and plannin' and dreamin'. Unfortunately, none of that, according to Dusty Springfield, will get us in their arms.

I’d say Zaga, but they are a billion time zones away.

it would probably be someone like Davidson, St Bonnie, Belmont.

My reason for going to 16 STRONG basketball programs is that it makes the BE too big and too good for the P4 to ignore if/when they want to break off and start their own March Madness.

[1972Shocker]

I’d say Zaga, but they are a billion time zones away.

it would probably be someone like Davidson, St Bonnie, Belmont.

My reason for going to 16 STRONG basketball programs is that it makes the BE too big and too good for the P4 to ignore if/when they want to break off and start their own March Madness.

Not sure 16 strong is better than 14 strong plus a couple of so-so programs added just to get to 16. If those are the options I think 14 strong programs would be better.

[Shock Top]

Not sure 16 strong is better than 14 strong plus a couple of so-so programs added just to get to 16. If those are the options I think 14 strong programs would be better.

So: WSU, VCU, Dayton. I am more than fine with that.

SLU has some very good years and loads of potential (similar to Houston, IMO. Maybe not F4 good, but a in-the-tourney-most-years good). So I’d like to see them involved.

15 just feels off though, so fine the school that has the best potential to grow with the rising tide of the 16 team BE conference.

[abdullah_sharif]

Goggles:

”How to become a Catholic university quickly”

for the sake of the little boys of wichita … no!

[Veritas]

All this BB talk without going into the BE sounds like The Valley 2.0

We have a right to be pissed at the AAC if Aresco can’t hold the conf together. Not good for our University or athletic department.

[Ashockalypse]

The Conference is almost gone.

[Topshock]

So: WSU, VCU, Dayton. I am more than fine with that.

SLU has some very good years and loads of potential (similar to Houston, IMO. Maybe not F4 good, but a in-the-tourney-most-years good). So I’d like to see them involved.

15 just feels off though, so fine the school that has the best potential to grow with the rising tide of the 16 team BE conference.

Loyola Chicago?
Northern Iowa?
Bradley?

Bradley, at least used to have, a large fan base that would go crazy in that situation.