Butler?

[mike012]

Was that a mistake by the big east or will Butler come back? I think if they had known Stevens was leaving they might have reconsidered that pick up.

 

[lv99]

Yes, I was thinking that before. They should have picked Wichita State instead. Wichita State has good tradition that predates recent years, unlike Butler. And they would have been a good travel partner with Creighton. Maybe they could have gotten Gonzaga and other western schools too to go to 16.

 

[Fishy]

Going that far west is a non-starter.

They should have picked up Dayton instead of Butler.

Great hoop school, off the charts fan support.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

The defenders of Eastern Basketball (NBE)had to get Butler and Creighton.
Rather than St joe and Dayton
How did a non-Catholic private sneak in. (Heresy)

 

[BUHusky]

Adding Butler was probably a mistake on the part of the nBE. Stevens was that entire program. Also, it's the only non-Catholic school in the entire conference.

The nBE would have been much better off getting Dayton (even if Xavier wasn't a fan of that) and/or Saint Louis. Both are Catholic schools with great basketball traditions.

If/when the nBE decides to expand again I see them taking Saint Louis for sure and maybe Dayton too. Can't see them taking VCU or Wichita St. because both are public schools, and while Richmond is a private school, it is nonsectarian (like Butler) so I don't think it's high on their list.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Dayton hasn't made a sweet 16 since 1984.

St. Louis hasn't made a Sweet 16 since 1957.

Butler made the Sweet 16 in 2003 and 2007 before the back to back runner ups and advanced to the second round 7 times since 2001.

To act like Butler is a two year wonder and down for the count, while at the same time lauding praise to Dayton and St. Louis are clearly better choices doesn't make sense.

The two runners up brought them enough national cache to go through a few down seasons to justify their invite.

 

[HuskyHawk]

So if I understand this correctly, our own maddending conference situation isn't enough, and we instead need to worry about some of our former conference mates as well? Forgive me if I am unable to generate any concern.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Butler is in Indianapolis and Dayton is in...Dayton. If any fanbase should appreciate the benefit, and curse, of geography, it is Uconn's.

 

[frankthetank]

Dayton hasn't made a sweet 16 since 1984.

St. Louis hasn't made a Sweet 16 since 1957.

Butler made the Sweet 16 in 2003 and 2007 before the back to back runner ups and advanced to the second round 7 times since 2001.

To act like Butler is a two year wonder and down for the count, while at the same time lauding praise to Dayton and St. Louis are clearly better choices doesn't make sense.

The two runners up brought them enough national cache to go through a few down seasons to justify their invite.

Correct - Butler had quite a bit of success prior to Brad Stevens. They aren't a one coach wonder. Plus, this isn't a school out in the middle of nowhere - Indianapolis is extremely fertile basketball recruiting territory and perennially one of the best college basketball TV markets in the country. Regardless of how Butler performs on the court, they are still an institutional, TV market and geographic fit for the new Big East.

Now, I think SLU makes a ton of sense for Big East expansion since it also meets a lot of TV market and institutional needs. Dayton is a little tougher call - it has a great fan base and they certainly fit as an institution, but their TV market doesn't do much and they don't have much of a national profile. SLU is pretty much a lock for school #11 in the Big East, but the issue is with #12. Everyone else that the Big East is looking at has a major "wart" - Dayton has a small TV market, Richmond has a small fan base, and VCU is a public school.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Correct - Butler had quite a bit of success prior to Brad Stevens. They aren't a one coach wonder. Plus, this isn't a school out in the middle of nowhere - Indianapolis is extremely fertile basketball recruiting territory and perennially one of the best college basketball TV markets in the country. Regardless of how Butler performs on the court, they are still an institutional, TV market and geographic fit for the new Big East.

Now, I think SLU makes a ton of sense for Big East expansion since it also meets a lot of TV market and institutional needs. Dayton is a little tougher call - it has a great fan base and they certainly fit as an institution, but their TV market doesn't do much and they don't have much of a national profile. SLU is pretty much a lock for school #11 in the Big East, but the issue is with #12. Everyone else that the Big East is looking at has a major "wart" - Dayton has a small TV market, Richmond has a small fan base, and VCU is a public school.

Dayton is strong for college hoops though. There are also reports that as Cincinnati grows north, the government would combine Dayton and Cinci into one statistical area. Of course, that means overlap with Xavier in that market. Still, I think it's a better market for college hoops than Richmond, and the other fits should give Dayton the edge for the last spot. SLU is a no brainer. I think overlap is a positive in some ways, especially when the southern Ohio/No Kentucky market is so saturated with teams from several different conferences.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

So if I understand this correctly, our own maddending conference situation isn't enough, and we instead need to worry about some of our former conference mates as well? Forgive me if I am unable to generate any concern.

Exactly what is wrong with the posters on this board with their obsession with the NBE. That collection of Hypocrites want us dead. What part of that are you guys not getting? They are one of our many enemies.
They are "Morto per meo"
As they should be for all UConn fans.