THE BIG EAST CONFERENCE

[EPJr]

Source confirms Syracuse will schedule Villanova in basketball



Villanova is headed to the Dome this coming season as part of a 1-1-1 series with the game in Syracuse, a return meeting the following season at the Wells Fargo Center, and in the 2015-16 season a game at Madison Square Garden that could be part of a college basketball doubleheader.

http://sujuiceonline.com/2013/05/05/ora ... asketball/

[EPJr]

DePaul to receive $300 million McCormick Place Arena in Chicago

Plans are in the works for a $300 million, 12,000-seat arena for DePaul University to be built near downtown Chicago, according to a Sun Times report.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is expected to make a formal announcement later this week, according to the report. The proposal would mandate a third of the cost come from taxpayers, a third from the school itself, and the final $100 million would come from a naming rights deal.

The Blue Demons, which currently play in Rosemont, Illinois -- about 15 miles west of the university's campus -- have played at Allstate Arena since 1980. The new arena could prove more alluring to both fans and recruits, alike. The far-away arena is often cited as a reason for such little fan support at games.


http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketb ... in-chicago

http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-ro ... 71071.html

[EPJr]

New Big East meetings set to begin with no commissioner

The sun will be warm, the drinks will be cool, the rooms at the 5-star resort in West Palm Beach will be plush.

Welcome to the world of the new Big East Conference, which will gather for the first time at the spring meetings this weekend, planning a future which will officially begin on July 1.

No commissioner is expected to be named during the meetings, but a decision is expected before the end of May.


* They have hired a stenographer to record the proceedings of the meeting.

* They have hired a New York publication firm, Rubenstein Associates, with a point person Alice McGillian serving as the public voice on all Big East matters.

* They have hired former Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe to guide them through the interim period.

* They are talking with some old American Athletic Conference officials about making the move to the new Big East.

* They will have the conference office in New York City.

* They should pick and announce their new commissioner before the end of May.

http://ajerseyguy.com/?p=6860#more-6860" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

How The New Big East Coaches Stack Up


we inch closer and closer to the commencement of the revamped Big East, now is a good time to take a look at the names and stats of those who will coach the ten teams of this “new” conference.

Keep in perspective that from the 2012-13 to 2013-14 school years, the Big East will lose basketball coaches that accounted for well over 2,600 career wins including a Hall of Famer (Jim Boeheim) and a Hall of Famer-to-be (Rick Pitino).

Losing those two coaches alone tremendously impacts the credibility of the conference in the short term, but do not be fooled; there is PLENTY of coaching talent that have proved to make deep runs in the NCAAs. There is, however, a name or two with a seat too warm for comfort. Take a look at the table below (all info provided by sports-reference.com) and the observations that follow it.

http://playforthegarden.com/2013/05/15/ ... -stack-up/

[EPJr]

Fox Sports 2 likely to launch in August alongside Fox Sports 1


News Corp.'s Fox Sports will launch not one, but two new national sports cable channels in August, according to people familiar with the plan.


In March, Fox Sports said it would debut Fox Sports 1 on Aug. 17. At the time, the company downplayed talk that it had plans for a second national service -- Fox Sports 2 -- as well.

But now insiders say Fox Sports 2 will launch around the same time and perhaps even the same day as Fox Sports 1. The new channel will take the place of Fuel TV, a News Corp.-owned network that currently carries a heavy load of Ultimate Fighting Championship programming.

While Fox Sports 1 is getting a big marketing push behind it, Fox Sports 2 will have a much softer launch. It is unclear what sports will be on the new channel initially besides mixed martial arts. Fox Sports 1 already has an impressive lineup for a start-up that includes NASCAR, college football and basketball, with regular-season and postseason Major League Baseball coming in 2014.


http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/en ... ewsandbuzz+(News+%26+Buzz" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)

[EPJr]

Well, former Big 12 Commish Dan Beebe is helping the Big East presidents sort things out. But he's only temporary. Still, there are things that look vaguely familiar.

There are reports by East Coast media outlets that Georgetown is running the show. That the presidents haven't found a commissioner yet because they want one they can push around. They don't want a Gavitt or Mike Tranghese, larger than life leadership.

Could this league turn into a situation where a few old guard Big East schools run the show and everyone else does as told?


http://www.omaha.com/article/20130525/B ... -off-court" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

Pre-Summer Big East POWER RANKINGS


1. Marquette Golden Eagles

It’s unlikely that anyone was tagging Marquette as a serious Final Four contender if Vander Blue had returned for his senior season, but their chances of reaching the third weekend of the NCAA Tournament would have been much higher if he did. Nonetheless, the Golden Eagles return big men Davante Gardner and Chris Otule, along with Todd Mayo to run the point and Jamil Wilson as a stretch forward. Juan Anderson has also elected to return to the team after contemplating transferring. That’s an already solid group that will allow Marquette to contend in the Big East, but they are also welcoming the best recruiting class in the conference and the 11th best in the country per ESPN.

http://playforthegarden.com/2013/05/24/ ... -rankings/

[EPJr]

Athlon's 2013-14 College Basketball Conference Snapshot:
The Big East Conference


1. MARQUETTE (26-9, 14-4 Big East, NCAA Elite Eight)

Key players gone: Juan Anderson, Vander Blue, Junior Cadougan, Trent Lockett

Top returners: Davante Gardner, Chris Otule, Jamil Wilson

New faces: Deonte Burton (freshman), JaJuan Johnson (freshman), Jameel McKay (junior college), Duane Wilson (freshman)

Vander Blue’s departure hurts and likely knocks Marquette out of the preseason top 10. Gardner (11.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and Jamil Wilson (9.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg) still give Buzz Williams veterans to work with in 2013-14. In addition to the returners, Marquette may have a new point guard (Wilson) and two major freshmen in Johnson and Burton.

http://www.athlonsports.com/college-bas ... y-rankings

[EPJr]

The Big East/AAC Interweb Separation


The new Big East keeps Brand name
The AAC gets the likes and followers

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/BIGEASTconference
https://www.facebook.com/AmericanConf

Twitter:
@BigEastConf @BigEastChamps @BigEastMBB @BigEastWBB

@American_Conf @American_FB @American_MBB @American_WBB
@American_Champs


Pinterest
http://pinterest.com/bigeast/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://pinterest.com/theamericanconf/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

they will launch the two websites on 7/1/2013
a revised http://www.bigeast.org/ and http://www.theamerican.org/

[EPJr]

ZagsBlog:
Big East Preseason Rankings


Preseason Ranking:
1. GEORGETOWN (25-7, 14-4 Big East)
2. MARQUETTE (26-9, 14-4 Big East)
3. ST. JOHN’S (17-16, 8-10 Big East)
4. XAVIER (17-14, 9-7 Atlantic 10)
5. VILLANOVA (20-14, 10-8 Big East)
6. CREIGHTON (28-8, 13-5 Missouri Valley)
7. BUTLER (27-9, 11-5 Atlantic 10)
8. PROVIDENCE (19-15, 9-9 Big East)
9. SETON HALL (15-18, 3-15 Big East)
10. DEPAUL (11-21, 2-16 Big East)

Per ESPNU Top 100:
17. PG Rysheed Jordan, St. John’s
27. SG JaJuan Johnson, Marquette
39. SF Deonte Burton, Marquette
53. PG Duane Wilson, Marquette
56. SF Brandon Austin, Providence
63. SF Reggie Cameron, Georgetown
73. PF Kris Jenkins, Villanova
89. PG Brandon Randolph, Xavier
91. PG Jaren Sina, Seton Hall
92. SF Josh Hart, Villanova
94. PG Billy Garrett, Jr. DePaul


http://zagsblog.com/articles/sny-big-ea ... -recruits/

[EPJr]

Master List of Big East Schools OOC In Last 5 Years...


We are going to be competing to be the top conference in the country. I don't see how anyone can argue differently. Our numbers are fantastic.

With the exception of DePaul, one thing these numbers seem to show is that the Big East schools don't lose a lot of games to lower conference teams...

...in contrast, the 4 ACC schools I highlighted Thursday (Georgia Tech, Wake, Virginia and Boston College) lost a combined 26 games vs teams from the weaker conferences, including double digit losses to Kennesaw State, Stetson, Holy Cross, Boston University, etc...

...in our case, however, the 10 Big East teams combined to go an amazing 307-34 vs the weakest conferences. If DePaul is removed, the other 9 Big East teams combine to go 277-24...

Another thing that these numbers seem to show is that our league is going to be stacked with great teams:

http://www.csnbbs.com/showthread.php?tid=636682

[EPJr]

How consistent have the schools of the new Big East been in the recent past in making deep runs in the NCAA tournament?

That's 9 trips to the Elite 8 in 11 years. Only 3 conferences have done better -The new ACC, the new SEC, and the Big XII with 10 apiece. (I'm using the post-expansion membership. So, Louisville, for example counts for the ACC.). Here's the list by conference:

ACC - 10 years (19 total appearances)
B12 - 10 years (17 total appearances)
SEC - 10 years (14 total appearances)
BEC - 9 years (9 total appearances)
B1G - 8 years (10 total appearances)
Pac - 6 years (7 total appearances)
AAC - 5 years (6 total appearances)*
A10 - 4 years (4 total appearances)
MVC - 1 year (1 total appearance)

*I did not count Memphis' 2008 run because it was vacated.

http://www.csnbbs.com/showthread.php?tid=637266

[EPJr]

Georgetown's Greg Whittington suffered a significant knee injury that could force him to miss the entire 2013-14 season, sources told ESPN.com.

The 6-foot-8 sophomore forward suffered the injury a little more than a week ago. The extent of the injury, as well as how much time he will miss, is still undetermined, sources said.

"They still aren't completely sure," one source said. "He could still come back. They are going to have it looked at again soon."

Whittington averaged 12.1 points and seven rebounds last season before being ruled academically ineligible prior to the St. John's game on Jan. 12. He played 13 games this past season and was expected to help ease the loss of Big East Player of the Year Otto Porter, who left early for the NBA.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketb ... uring-knee" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

Color Commentary:
Power Ranking the New Big East Mascots


The conference realignment has ushered in a new era of the Big East, in which we say goodbye to some classic rivals and hello to new competitors. Along with the changing of schools comes a changing of team mascots that we’ll be rooting against. Gone are the days of hating on an Irish stereotype or a stupid piece of fruit – instead, we’ll be clashing with new faces in Butler, Creighton, and Xavier. While the basketball games themselves might be settled on the court, I’ve taken it upon myself to settle which team in the new Big East has the best mascot. So sit tight and pop an MHL with me (that’s a Mike’s Hard Lemonade, for you amateur drinkers out there) – it’s time to power rank the new Big East Mascots.

http://www.vuhoops.com/2013/6/18/444324 ... st-mascots

[EPJr]

Val Ackerman Is New Big East Commish


Former WNBA Commissioner Val Ackerman will be the new Commissioner of the Big East Conference, according to a report by Bloomberg News.

Ackerman, 53, was the head of the WNBA from 1995-2006. She also served as an NBA staff attorney and was the first female president of USA Basketball from 2005 to 2008.

“She brings all of that experience with intelligence, a keen analytical ability, an intense work ethic and a winning management style,” NBA Commissioner David Stern told Bloomberg via e-mail.

http://zagsblog.com/big-east/report-val ... t-commish/

[EPJr]

NEW YEARS EVE MARATHON

FOX Sports 1 is slated to televise over 100 Big East men’s regular-season basketball games this coming season. The non-conference schedule begins Friday, Nov. 8, the likely date of the first Johnson-Raftery assignment. The Big East Conference schedule begins with a five-game, all-teams-featured New Year’s Eve marathon on Dec. 31:
St. John’s at Xavier, noon ET;
Seton Hall at Providence, 2:30 p.m. ET;
DePaul at Georgetown, 5 p.m. ET;
Villanova at Butler, 7:30 p.m. ET;
Marquette at Creighton, 10 p.m. ET).

The Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament runs March 12-15, live from Madison Square Garden in New York City, the tournament’s home since 1983. It is the longest-running conference tournament played at one venue.


http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketb ... ast-062713

[EPJr]

YES Network to televise ACC basketball and football games
and Big East basketball games

NEW YORK -- The YES Network, the most-watched regional sports network in the country the past 10 years, has reached an agreement with FOX Sports Media Group by which YES will televise live Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) basketball and football games and Big East basketball games beginning this fall.
As part of the deal, YES will televise up to 10 ACC football games and up to 23 men's ACC basketball games, as well as select women's basketball and Olympic sports. YES will also offer up to 10 Big East basketball games. Telecast schedules will be announced at a later date. All telecasts will be in HD.

http://web.yesnetwork.com/news/article. ... 6300&oid=0

[EPJr]

Ther Big East and TV partner FOX Sports 1 announces SUPER SATURDAY HOOPS on Feb. 1 at Madison Square Garden on the day before the Super Bowl. Marquette will face St. John's in conference action and Georgetown takes on Michigan State.

http://go.mu.edu/13JfsUk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

Conference catch-up: Big East
By Andy Glockner

The name and postseason tournament venue are the same, and so are some of the members, but everything else about the Big East enters a whole new world starting this season. Gone are the football-playing members of the conference in its previous behemoth form, and in their place, basketball schools Xavier, Butler and Creighton join the breakaway Catholic Seven. The league also has a new TV home, inking a deal with new ESPN challenger Fox Sports 1, which even was able to nab ESPN Big Monday mainstay Bill Raftery to help call the revised league’s games. After years of an uneasy alliance, the basketball schools indeed showed the required Onions!! to start anew.

http://college-basketball.si.com/2013/0 ... -big-east/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

RE: website

Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.bigeast.org/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

BIG EAST Announces 2013-14 Men's Basketball Conference Schedule



Each team will play an 18-game schedule, marking the first time since 1994-1995 that the league will feature a full double round-robin format.
A New Year's Eve marathon will feature all 10 teams, including the first BIG EAST home games for the conference's newest members: Butler, Creighton and Xavier. The marathon will tip off with St. John's at Xavier at noon ET, followed by Seton Hall at Providence at 2:30, DePaul at Georgetown at 5:00, Villanova at Butler at 7:30 and Marquette at Creighton at 10:00.

FOX Sports 1 will air A SUPER SATURDAY HOOPS doubleheader, featuring Marquette vs. St. John's and Michigan State vs. Georgetown, live from Madison Square Garden, on February 1, the eve of Super Bowl XLVIII in the New York/New Jersey region.

The quest for the 2013-14 BIG EAST regular season crown will conclude with four games on Saturday, March 8 - Georgetown at Villanova, Providence at Creighton, St. John's at Marquette and Seton Hall at Butler.

The BIG EAST Championship, one of the elite events in all of college sports, is college basketball's longest running conference tournament at the same venue. The 10-team tourney will begin with a first-round doubleheader on Wednesday, March 12. Two quarterfinal doubleheaders will be played Thursday afternoon and evening, March 13, followed by a semifinal doubleheader Friday, March 14 and the championship game Saturday, March 15.

In addition to the Tuesday night showcase on FOX Sports 1, fans will be able to enjoy BIG EAST basketball on virtually every day of the conference season in January and February, including multiple games each Saturday. Other than December 31, all 10 teams will play on the same day only once, Saturday, Jan. 25.

FOX Sports 1 will air 108 regular-season games, and an additional 9 tournament games. FOX Sports 2 will air 12 games. (To find the channel location for FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2 on local distributors, use the channel locator at http://msn.foxsports.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.)

CBS Sports Network will air 18 games, and 2 additional games will air on CBS Sports.

FOX Sports Network will air up to 18 games regionally. FOX Sports (FBC) will televise one game featuring BIG EAST teams.

http://www.bigeast.org/genrel/090513aab.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/big ... hedule.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.cbspressexpress.com/cbs-spor ... w?id=36502" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

http://www.bigeast.org/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

[EPJr]

BILL RAFTERY'S BIG EAST PREVIEW



ALL TIMES EASTERN
1) Sun 11/03/2013 9:00 PM Fox Sports 1
2) Mon 11/04/2013 8:00 PM Fox Sports 1
3) Tue 11/05/2013 7:00 PM Fox Sports 1
4) Wed 11/06/2013 1:00 PM Fox Sports 1
5) Thu 11/07/2013 7:00 PM Fox Sports 2


http://www.gocreighton.com/ViewArticle. ... =209295996

[dal4018]

NEW YEARS EVE MARATHON

FOX Sports 1 is slated to televise over 100 Big East men’s regular-season basketball games this coming season. The non-conference schedule begins Friday, Nov. 8, the likely date of the first Johnson-Raftery assignment. The Big East Conference schedule begins with a five-game, all-teams-featured New Year’s Eve marathon on Dec. 31:
St. John’s at Xavier, noon ET;
Seton Hall at Providence, 2:30 p.m. ET;
DePaul at Georgetown, 5 p.m. ET;
Villanova at Butler, 7:30 p.m. ET;
Marquette at Creighton, 10 p.m. ET).

The Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament runs March 12-15, live from Madison Square Garden in New York City, the tournament’s home since 1983. It is the longest-running conference tournament played at one venue.


http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketb ... ast-062713

Saw Creighton vs Alcorn St tonight 11-8 they turned it on vs The Braves in a blowout 107-61 setting a new school record for points scored in a game.