The BE offers UConn fans several things that shouldn't be discounted. MSG for both the tournament and games against St. Johns, geographical proximity with many of the teams, and a long and successful history that would end with a conference change.
That has to weighed against the changes in college sports that are reaching a climax in the near future. With that climax there is a strong possibility that UConn will find its sports, including basketball, relegated somewhere between the Power 3 and Division 2.
It's difficult to argue against an excited fan base that is contributing massive amounts of money, money that somewhat reduces the deficit of our conference inequity. Even more difficult given the success our basketball teams have had recently with the Big East especially given our struggles in the AAC. Plus the accurate observation that most of the former BE members are currently struggling in their new homes.
I lean ever so slightly that if we get an invite to the B12 we take it. I hate the idea of leaving the BE but I feel the outcome of the future I'm portraying is too likely. The glory days of the BE will be nothing more than a fond memory. And the ACC is not much safer if my predictions are correct.
I mean this very respectfully, but you don’t base what league you’re going to put your athletic department in based off of being able to potentially play 3 men’s basketball games at MSG in March. In the same vein, you don’t base it off where you are playing
any of the championship events for any of your sponsored sports. UConn can (will) still play games at MSG regardless of the league they call home.
It’s really not that complicated of a choice, the athletics administration has a financial duty to the university and state to maximize their revenue potential for the entire athletic department. There is no rational world in which an administrator would
ever turn down a potential 10x revenue increase for it’s department for nostalgia/feelings- they would be nuking their entire career by doing so.
This is evidenced by numerous different efforts from UConn over the years, including being left at the altar last year (yet again) by the Big 12. If the invite came last August, they were gone. We would’ve been playing in the Big 12 starting in July of this year along with Colorado and anyone else. The school has spent years and years and millions of dollars trying to move up- they aren’t turning that opportunity down (and shouldn’t turn it down) if it ever comes to them.