Once again, conference realignment seems to be on pause, not over

The big news that came out on Thursday evening was that the Big 12 had finally come to an agreement that would stabilize the conference. The remaining nine members reportedly had struck a deal that would force a school to turn over their first and second tier media rights -- essentially, the money they would get for airing their best football and basketball games -- to the conference if they left within the next six years. In other words, if this agreement was made and Missouri left for the SEC, the Big 12 would retain the rights to air those Missouri games.

But just hours after we had seemingly found a way to save the Big 12 and began thinking of how to do the same for the Big East, it all went to hell again.

For starters, all that talk about the Big 12 schools agreeing to grant their first and second tier rights was tossed aside when it became clear the schools couldn't agree upon what they had, in fact, agreed upon. Then came the news from this morning's KC Star that Missouri still has a wandering eye, one sending suggestive glances towards their new flame, the SEC, all while trying to convince their current beau that they want the Big 12 to work.

“We either stick in the Big 12 because everything came about the way it needs to, the right way, with all the differences being settled in Missouri’s favor,” a university administrator who asked not to be identified told The Star on Thursday night. “But what are the odds of that happening? The other option is to join another conference and I believe that is something that we’re very open to.”

The Big 12 has their own fall back option, however. Last night there were reports that teams like TCU, BYU and possibly Air Force and Boise State had a shot of being invited to the BCS party by the Big 12. Today, Tom Liucci of NJ.com said that Louisville was another option, meaning that, once again, the Big East is in danger of getting raided. And keep in mind, UConn -- and Notre Dame and Rutgers? -- still wants in the ACC.

So is the Big East now the conference in the most danger of disintegrating? Will it be forced to add schools like East Carolina, Navy, Memphis and Central Florida while becoming Conference USA 2.0? Can it still be called the "Big East" whem less than half of the original members are involved and it stretches across the midwest?

Why couldn't Dan Wetzel just get put in charge?
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Chace Stanback's arrest may end up being a good thing for him

The punishment for UNLV's Chace Stanback has finally been decided upon.

With a court date originally scheduled for the middle of the season, Stanback opted to avoid that nuisance and plead guilty to driving under the influence of marijuana. He'll get a 30 day suspended sentence, one he won't have to serve if he completes 40 hours of community service and pays a $585 fine by March 8th.

Stanback also got some closure in regards to his standing with the basketball team on Thursday, as UNLV head coach Dave Rice came to the decision that the 6'8" forward and potential Mountain West Player of the Year would be suspended for one game.

"Chace is a quality person who has had an outstanding track record in three-plus years at UNLV," first-year coach Dave Rice said in a statement. "That said, he made a bad decision that negatively impacted our program. We can't have that."

"I think it's really important for this day to come prior to the season. Going into the season, we could know what we were looking at, and he’s a really important member of our team, we're expecting big things from him. Had (his court date) stayed at Dec. 1, we would have dealt with it, but I think it’s important going into the season to have as few variables as we possibly can."

This is the correct decision from Rice.

This is a first offense from Stanback. He had a clean track record prior to the May 13th incident, he claimed responsibility and made no excuses about what happened, and he's already proven that he is changing the way that he carries himself. Stanback learned his lesson, and it didn't take the court system of a one game suspension to make that happen. In fact, Stanback's renewed focus on the game of basketball may be the best thing that has ever happened to him as a player.

Words like DUI and marijuana and arrest are not one that a head coach wants to hear, especially when they are all associated with a key player on your new team.

But this arrest may end up being a blessing in disguise.
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Friday Morning Dump

- The must-read of the day comes from Jeff Goodman. He fills us in on what super-conferences will look like in three years. Speaking of Goodman, some people weren't happy with his mini-twitter rant about Perry Ellis

- The fake @DanBeebe may be the best fake twitter account ever (And that cobra from the Bronx Zoo is pretty hilarious)

- A fantastic-read on Big East hypocrisy, a comparison between 2003 and 2011

- It's official: UConn and Arizona will play on a boat in 2012

- Brett McMurphy believes that expansionocalypse will lead to standings realignment

- Archie Goodwin continues to let people know that his decision to attend Kentucky was probably "all about da money"

- Joe Lunardi believes the Big-12 is now the Nation's premier hoops conference (Insiders Only). National Hoops Report provides more on the future of Big-12 Hoops

- If Arizona wants to have success similar to last season, they will have to rely heavily on the play of freshman

- UNLV guard Chase Stanback will be suspended just one game for his DUI arrest back in May
- Diamond Leung tells us not to sleep on Utah State (The Aggie Student Section won't allow anybody to sleep on them)

- Don't think that expansionocalypse doesn't affect the weaker power-conference teams, because it does

- A great-read on the influence, or lack thereof than fans have in recruiting

- Thanks to the lockout, NBA coaches have some extra time to share their knowledge with college coaches

- Kemba and Jimmer finally shared the court together

- Getting cut from the Team USA roster provided motivation for UConn sophomore Shabazz Napier

- Notre Dame coach Mike Brey wants the Irish to remain in the Big East

- Former-Oklahoma guard Michael Neal helps Jeff Eisenberg preview the Big-XII

- A good-read on what Christian Watford and Will Sheehey want to provide the Hoosiers with in 2011-2012

- Louisville-great "Never Nervous" Pervis Ellison begins a new career as a high school coach

- Norvell Pelle has not decommited from St. John's, as reported earlier

- Boston University has released their full schedule, notable tilts include Texas, Villanova and Boston College

- A look at the top statistical returners to the Big Sky Conference

- Creighton's "Bluejay Madness" will be one of the Midnight Madness events covered by ESPN. Speaking of Creighton, Andy Katz believes it isn't long before the Blue Jays return to prominence in the MVC

- Albany has made some recent coaching moves

- Former-Iowa guard Dean Oliver has been named assistant coach at North Dakota

- Get to know Xavier's reserve forward Griffin McKenzie

Two things to note in this video: 1) Kobe Bryant haning out with the cross country team, and 2) Mike Wilder's epic afro. Oh and the dude doing "The Bernie" at the end.




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I think Pitt basketball survives in the ACC

For me -- and for many other college hoops fans -- one of the most interesting and depressing plot lines through this realignment madness has been what the future holds for some of college basketball's elite programs.

What happens to Georgetown and Villanova? Will they continue to be able to play at the high-major level without a football program? What about Kansas and Kansas State? Are they going to find a home? Will Louisville and West Virginia?

The topic that has made headlines of late is how a move to the ACC will affect Pitt basketball. Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News opined over the weekend that the move could be the death knell for Pitt's program. His reasoning? Jamie Dixon has built his reputation by recruiting kids from Philly and New York that fly under the radar. His selling point is the chance to play in the Big East, a prospect that every kid on the east coast dreams of, which would provide ample opportunities to return home to play in front of their friends and family.


There are no teams from Philly in the ACC. The only New York school is Syracuse, which is actually further from New York City than Maryland is. DeCourcy's argument is that without a strong local recruiting base in Pittsburgh, Dixon's will slowly have the legs cut out from under his program. As DeCourcy is wont to do, he makes some very valid points.

But it wasn't enough to convince former Pitt assistant and current Marshall head coach Tom Herrion.

"I think it will have zero effect," Herrion told Jeff Eisenberg of The Dagger. "Jamie has built that program to continue to sustain success. They've proven over the last 10 years that program can win against teams all over the country. There will be a transition period and an adjustment geographically, but I think it will have zero effect on the program."

"It might even help them in a lot of areas. They may even be able to go into other areas and get kids that they couldn't before."

To be frank, there is an argument to be made for both sides, and only time will tell which is accurate.

But what needs to be mentioned is that Dixon's program hasn't been built on blue-chip recruits. While players like Khem Birch and Steven Adams (who hail from Canada and New Zealand, respectively) are both considered top ten players in their class, they are the exception that proves the rule of Dixon's philosophy. Pitt isn't a place you go if you are a one-and-done kind of player. Its a program that attracts kids that have been overlooked by some of the other big programs, kids that Dixon coaches up to become all-conference players by their junior or senior year.

Pitt is the definition of a "program". Its runs the same way that Bo Ryan's runs his program at Wisconsin or that John Beilein runs a program at every one of his stops. Its more about finding players with the right fit than players with the right rankings on Scout.com. If the kids from Philly and New York that Dixon currently chases down don't want to play in the Big East, there's a pretty good chance that Pitt takes an initial hit from the change in conference affiliation.

But there are under recruited prospects all over the country, not just in those two east coast cities. And, eventually, Dixon will find them.

I have to side with Herrion on this one. Five years ago, this move could have brought about the demise of Pitt Panther basketball.

Right now, there is too much momentum and Dixon is too good of a head coach.
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Thursday Morning Dump

- Rick Pitino says Lousiville is happy in the Big East. Unfortunately Rutgers and UConn aren't. A great-read on UConn's pledge of un-allegiance. East Carolina still wants in. Texas and Texas A&M are probably done being rivals. This is the real ACC admissions application (Okay, no it's not, but it's damn funny). Oklahoma wanted Dan Beebe fired, so Dan Beebe got fired

- Perry Ellis chose Kansas over Kentucky, Kansas State and Wichita State

- With every passing minute Archie Goodwin looks more and more like LeBron James "Summer 2010" (Trust me that wasn't a good year. Now the 2007 LeBron James was a much better vintage)

- College athletics expansion involves many factors (Does it really? I was under the impression that it was all about da' chedda)


- Lost Letterman compares The Big East to The Godfather (Hmm that's funny, No mention of JT3, Stan Heath, Ed Cooley or Oliver Purnell...)

- The Arena Pulse compiled a list of possible breakout stars in the 2011-2012 Pac-12 Conference

- Colorado head coach Tad Boyle is happy the Pac-12 didn't to any more expanding

- According to a story in Jason King's new book titled "Beyond The Phogg: Untold Stories from Kansas Basketball's Most Dominant Decade", Kris Kardashian Humphries is a total jerk

- With Arizona and UCLA hitting top-speed on the recruiting circuit, the Pac-12 is back to it's mid-90s form

- Go here for all your schedule information on the MAAC

- St. John's signee Amir Garrett has reportedly enrolled at Bridgton Academy with hopes to become elligible for the second semester

- John Calipari visited DaJuan Coleman yesterday

- The Friar Blog offers up a great-read on the recruitment of Nerlens Noel

- Former-Louisville assistant FranK Masiello is looking to get the Manhattan jasper back on the path to success

- TCU, you know that other Big East school, got a committment from Antelope Valley College power forward Reggie Murphy

- You can read the entire 2011-2012 America-East prospectus online


Take a gander at Michigan's new arena

The Unveiling of Crisler Arena from Danny Ackerman on Vimeo.

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Kentucky gets a recruit for 2012 in a business decision?

John Calipari is finally on the board in the Class of 2012.

Archie Goodwin, the No. 8 player in our Consensus Recruiting Rankings, announced last night that he will be headed to Lexington to play for the University of Kentucky. A 6'5" wing, the Arkansas native is quick and powerful when going to the basket, capable of finishing above the rim with authority. He'll only get better as he continues to develop his mid-range game and his perimeter jumper. He's also extremely competitive and a winner, which are traits that are almost as important in a prospect as their vertical and their wingspan.

Goodwin, who picked Kentucky over Arkansas and Memphis, is a perfect fit for Coach Cal's dribble-drive motion offense thanks to his ability to slash to the basket.


More importantly, however, is that Goodwin is the first commitment for Kentucky in the Class of 2012. Who will follow? The Wildcats are, as always, in the mix for a number of high profile recruits, including the likes of Shabazz Muhammad, Mitch McGary, Kaleb Tarczewski and DaJuan Coleman. Many of their targets will be on campus for Big Blue Madness, but will Goodwin's commitment be the spark needed to start getting some of these players to commit to the Wildcats?

My favorite part about Goodwin's commitment is this quote that Dave Telep tweeted out last night: "I love my state but it’s a business decision and this is best for my career and my family."

A business decision? Is that right, Archie? Is that an unfortunate choice of words or, finally, a moment of clarity? Whatever the case, given Coach Cal's track record and the rumor and innuendo that surrounds his recruiting successes, that quote is too funny.


As always, here's why UK fans should be excited about Goodwin:


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Wednesday Morning Dump

I'll get the realignment crap out of the way early. (NOTE: Whenever you see the word crap, stuff, junk, hell or damn when referencing realignment, please be reminded that I'm using self-control. I'd love to drop F-bombs like it's frickin' D-Day, but we hold ourselves to high journalistic standards here at B.I.A.H. Okay, well, Rob does. I don't, but I'm told I have to.)

- West Virginia got rejected by the ACC? Missouri is being courted by the SEC. Air Force, and Navy to the Big East? East Carolina too? The Big East and Big-XII are going to merge? The Pac-12 won't grow past 12? What will the new ACC super-divisions look like? Trizzle for new NCAA President? (Sigh....I wish there was a link attached to that last one)

- According to Jeff Goodman the Pac-12 is back

- The non-Big East football teams need to unite, right? This move will hurt Pitt basketball, right?

- KenPom provides a fantastic list of transfers that will be eligible next season

- Been living under a rock for half a decade? Here's a cheat-sheet for you: It's all about the money

- Indiana continues to move forwards in the rebuilding process. Having a healthy Maurice Creek will help the Hoosiers accelerate the process

- A look at how UCLA got back on the recruiting map

- Rick Majerus' health is no longer a problem

- More on the post-Kyle Anderson decision: Shabazz Muhammad won't be swayed by Kyle's choice. Adam Zagoria tries to figure out where Seton Hall goes from here. You can pin-point UCLA's recent recruitment success to one key off-season hire

- I try to link to Jeff Borzello as little as possible , but since nobody else picked up this story, I have to tip my cap to Brozello

- This is the year Northwestern makes the tournament, right?

- A breakdown of St. John's 2011-2012 schedule

- Speaking of St. John's, Jakarr Sampson decommitted. This has not been a good week for the Red Storm. Where do they go from here?

- Archie Goodwin became the first member of Kentucky's 2012 recruiting class

- Kareem Canty will make his college decision next week

- Baylor got another commitment, this time for the frontcourt

- Miles Plumlee and Ryan Kelly were named the captains of the 2011-2012 Duke basketball team

- A spotlight on Iowa State's Royce White, Duke's Andre Dawkins and Ohio State's Jared Sullinger

- No George Washington, you shouldn't panic. Hurricane Expansion won't be reaching you

- You don't know enough about the Long Island Blackbirds or the Stony Brook Sea Wolves, which is why I am directing you to Big Apple Buckets

- Listen, I hate the University of Maryland. I hate nearly everything about it. That being said, I am very glad this is happening

This might be the best mixtape of the year



C6U77MAR9PNC

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Conference realignment isn't over, its just on pause

If you follow the right people on twitter, than the last four or five days have been wild.

With every article that is published, every source that is quoted, and every theory that is floated comes a wave of speculation, analysis, and rumor-mongering. And its non-stop. Expansionocalypse is moving so quickly that in a matter of hours, the entire landscape changes. Trying to keep up to date is utterly exhausting.

The good news, however, is that late on Tuesday night, it looks like we've reached a resting point. For starters, the Pac-12 announced that they would not be expanding.

"After careful review we have determined that it is in the best interests of our member institutions, student-athletes and fans to remain a 12-team conference," Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said in a statement. "While we have great respect for all of the institutions that have contacted us, and certain expansion proposals were financially attractive, we have a strong conference structure and culture of equality* that we are committed to preserve. With new landmark TV agreements and plans to launch our innovative television networks, we are going to focus solely on these great assets, our strong heritage and the bright future in front of us."


(*Culture of equality, huh? Was that a cheap shot at Texas and the Longhorn Network? Methinks that's a yes.)

There's more. The Big East's seven football schools met and made a commitment to the conference while deciding to actively pursue replacements for the departed Pitt and Syracuse.

"Our membership met this evening," the Big East said in a statement, "and we are committed as a conference to recruit top level BCS caliber institutions with strong athletic and academic histories and traditions. We have been approached by a number of such institutions and will pursue all of our options to make the Big East Conference stronger than it has ever been in both basketball and football."


The reason I call this a resting point as opposed to a stopping point is that there are still decisions to be made. First and foremost, the SEC needs a 14th. As of Tuesday afternoon, most believed that Missouri was the SEC's top target after West Virginia had their application denied. But Missouri still wants the Big 12 to work out, so with the Pac-12's decision to stay at 12 teams, Missouri is forced into a holding pattern. They don't want to be responsible for the downfall of the conference and they want a piece of Texas A&M's exit fee while avoiding having to pay the fee themselves.

Second of all, both the Big 12 and the Big East have to find some level of stability. Its no secret that UConn wants out, and that notion was reinforced on Tuesday when a source informed the AP that the Huskies still want to follow Syracuse and Pitt to the ACC. Rutgers may also accept an invite from the ACC if the league wants to go to 16 schools, while Notre Dame to the ACC was also floated today. And even if the league somehow manages to keep all seven football playing members on board, they will still need to add at least one football-playing member to retain FBS status.

What does the Big 12 do to promote stability? Can Texas and Oklahoma ever learn to get along? With schools like Baylor and Iowa State be ok with the money Texas brings in from the Longhorn Network and unequal revenue sharing? Will the conference add BYU? What about snagging TCU from the Big East? Will anyone actually want to submit themselves to this kind of squabbling, in-fighting and sibling rivalry?

This is far from over.

And even if we reach a stale-mate this fall, where the team's shifting leagues are forced into a holding pattern, will that last? Is there enough trust between league presidents and conference commissioners to prevent another round expansionocalypse next year? Or next month? Or tomorrow?

I doubt it.
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VIDEO: Hitler is pissed about the Big East ...

One of my favorite internet memes has been the dubbing over of Hitler's meltdown from the movie Downfall.

The latest version? The departure of Syracuse and Pitt from the Big East:



(h/t RTC)
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A couple of suspended guards: Andre Cornelius and Jerime Anderson

George Mason's back court cannot afford another hit.

With Cam Long and Luke Hancock both gone, the Patriots are already without their two best playmakers -- the two combined for roughly 50% (240 of 483) of the team's assists last season -- which is why the suspension of starting guard Andre Cornelius is a big deal. According to the Washington Times, Cornelius was suspended after being arrested for credit card fraud and credit card larceny on Friday.

“Cornelius has been summarily suspended from the team as a result of the charges filed against him,” the school said in a statement. “The suspension will be in effect until the legal and University judicial processes have been completed.”

That leaves the Patriots with a major void in their back court. Who steps in? One option is Vertrail Vaughns, a redshirt sophomore that seems primed for a breakout season. He was the most efficient player on the George Mason roster a season ago and had a high usage rate (20.9%) while playing limited minutes (9.5 mpg). But he also was more of a spot-up shooter than a point guard or a creator.

That means the point guard role will likely be filled by either sophomore Byron Allen, who was one of the top 50 point guards in the country when he graduated high school, or freshman Corey Edwards, a New York native that is known for his ability to put the ball on the floor and create. Also expect redshirt sophomore Sherrod Wright to get minutes in the back court after missing last season with a shoulder injury.

And, for what its worth, I'm not expecting Cornelius to miss too much time. These things tend to result in a suspension of a handful of games, but I don't know if Cornelius has had disciplinary issues in the past. So we'll have to wait and see.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

If you didn't believe me when I said that these things tend to result in a minor suspension, well, here's your proof.

UCLA senior point guard Jerime Anderson was arrested back in July for allegedly stealing a laptop. After pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges of appropriation of lost property and trespass, Anderson will have to do 300 hours of community service and will have his record expunged if he can stay out of trouble for two years.

"Jerime has been very remorseful in acknowledging his mistake and accepting responsibility for his actions," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said in a statement. "I believe he has learned a valuable lesson."

Apparently he did, because Anderson's suspension is officially for two games but, well, actually, no. Its not. Anderson will sit out an exhibition game before missing the team's season opener against Loyola Marymount.

Expect something similar for Cornelius.
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Does Kyle Anderson make UCLA relevant on the recruiting trail again?

Kyle Anderson, a 6'8" point forward out of Jersey City and the No. 3 recruit in the Class of 2012 according to our Consensus Rankings, ended his recruitment on late Monday night by opting to head west to join UCLA rather than stay at home and play for Seton Hall.

Landing Anderson is an impressive feat by Ben Howland, as he stretched his tentacles across the country to pull the youngster out of Seton Hall's backyard. Anderson joins Dominic Artis, a point guard and Cali-native that attends Findlay Prep in Las Vegas but grew up in the same town that the movie Coach Carter was based on, and Jordan Adams, a 6'5" wing that Howland was able to reel in from Georgia. Both are top 75 recruits.

"I chose UCLA cause I feel they can help me improve my defense and we will have a good chance of winning a National Championship," Anderson said.


With Anderson joining Artis and Adams in UCLA's 2012 recruiting class, the Bruins now have one of the best in the country, and they aren't done yet. The next target for Howland and his staff is Shabazz Muhammad, the consensus No. 1 player in the country who many believe favors UCLA at this point in his recruitment. Throw in the possibility of landing a big man like Tony Parker or Shaq Goodwin, two Atlanta-area kids that UCLA is in the mix with, and the Bruins could end up with a scary-good team in 2012.

Seriously. Look at this potential line-up:

PG - Larry Drew or Dominic Artis
SG - Shabazz Muhammad
SF - Kyle Anderson
PF - Reeves Nelson
C - Joshua Smith
Bench - Travis and David Wear, Jordan Adams, Shaq Goodwin/Tony Parker?

Let me ask you this: is UCLA's roster better than what Sean Miller has put together for the 2012 season at Arizona? Actually, it doesn't matter, because both of those teams are going to be ranked in everyone's top five, if not their top two. Apparently all it took to get the Pac-12 back on the map was the threat of expansion.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Howland still have quite a bit of work left to do chasing down Muhammad, Parker and Goodwin for that situation to be feasible. but part of what makes Anderson's commitment so important is that it will no doubt help Howland attract interest from the other three recruits. Its not secret that elite players have had their issues playing in Howland's grind-it-out, defense-oriented system.

While he did make three consecutive Final Fours -- and, in the process, send numerous players to the NBA, where they are flourishing -- his "loaded" 2008 recruiting class, a class that was supposed to keep UCLA atop college basketball after losing Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love to the 2008 Draft, was a massive bust. Drew Gordon and J'Mison Morgan transferred out. Jrue Holiday left school after one season. Malcolm Lee left this past summer. The only guy remaining is Jerime Anderson, who never lived up to his hype and spent this summer dealing with the legal ramifications of stealing a lap top.

With three straight 'meh' classes coming in the past three seasons, there is now reason to once again be excited about the prospect of Howland bringing in prospects that can compete for a national title in Westwood.


Kyle Anderson mixtape, because we all like moving pictures:


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Tuesday Morning Dump

I don't like expansionocalypse. I don't like reading about it, thinking about it, discussing it or even linking to posts about it. But you all have given me no other choice. I beg of you, PLEASE START WRITING ABOUT BASKETBALL AGAIN. PLEASE.

- First we start off with a bit of shameless self-promotion. The B.I.A.H staff was on-hand at the Hoop Group Northern Virginia Top 100 Showcase this past weekend, and provided some write-ups and analysis on the guys who stood out at the event

- This is the funniest thing you will read all day: UConn's ACC admission's application

- Jim Calhoun has put his trust in UConn's President Susan Herbst. Unfortunately, she does not see staying in the Big East as a viable option

- How on Earth did we miss this? A possible NCAA violation involving John Calipari

- Gary Parrish believes the Big East will survive

- Jerry Carino details what Plan A and Plan B might be for Big East basketball survival

- Despite an all-out recruitment pitch, Seton Hall was unable to land Kyle Anderson. The highly-touted recruit decided on UCLA instead. Speaking of UCLA, senior Jerime Anderson has been suspended for the first two games of the season following his arrest for laptop theft

- What's this? Jim Boeheim says something I agree with? This is new

- Andy Katz details what could have been for Big-XII basketball

- Wait a minute, now TCU is going to stay in the MWC? This realignment crap is turning out like a bad game of Risk

- Can the basketball-only schools save the Big East? This is the best round-up of realignment reactions you will find

- Maybe we should have gone with JoePa's idea?

- The rematch is set between the Goodman League and the Drew league

- San Diego State guard Jamaal Franklin was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence

- Andy Bottoms previews George Mason's upcoming season

- Baylor is going to great lengths to try to save the Big-XII

- According to U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell, former-Duke star Christian Laettner is not in contempt

- Rush The Court takes Arizona's schedule to school

- Perry Ellis will make his college decision on Wednesday

- A solid preview of some of the better games on Penn's 2011-2012 schedule

- While discussing conference realignment over the weekend, I mentioned that maybe conferences should start to merge. @Ballinisahabit said that conference mergers were almost impossible and will probably never happen. Well, I'm glad to see he's once again proven wrong. Or so we are being told by The Nova Blog

- Iowa State got a commitment from Sherron Dorsey-Walker

- Tickets for the first annual Champions Classic go on sale soon

- Yes, this realignment article is geared towards football, but it has charts. Charts with numbers and colors





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Jim Boeheim seems like he would be fun to go out drinking with

Jim Boeheim is nothing if he's not frank.

The man tells it like it is. He's not afraid of laying into a writer or making fun of a question he gets asked at a press conference. Twice last season, we dedicated an entire post to a gem of a Boeheim press conference. And who can forget this epic rant about Gerry McNamara being overrated.

The fans and the writers that are unaware of Boeheim's quotable tendencies got a face full of it this afternoon when Jon Solomon, a writer for The Birmingham News, was present for the Syracuse coach's speech at the Monday Morning Quarterback Club in Birmingham.


"If conference commissioners were the founding fathers of this country, we would have Guatemala, Uruguay and Argentina in the United States," Boeheim said. "This audience knows why we are doing this. There's two reasons: Money and football."

And it only got better from there.

"We're going to end up with mega conferences," Boeheim said, "and 10 years from now either I'm going to be dead wrong -- and I'll be the first to admit it -- or everybody is going to be like, why did we do this again? Why is Alabama playing Texas A&M this week and going to Texas Tech next weekend? And why is Syracuse going to Miami in basketball this week and next week they're going to play Florida State?"

Is he the only person in college athletics with any kind of sense? It appears that way. Boeheim also had plenty to say about the money that will be made by the schools, although he did stop short of saying that the players that earn all of that money never see a dime.

"It's interesting because 30 years ago schools made X amount of money," he said. "Twenty years ago, they made 2X. Ten years ago, they made 4X. Now they're going to make 6X. And you know what? They're going to end up breaking even, just like they did 30 years ago."

"At the end of the day, there's a school with a billion-dollar budget and they're talking about making an extra $4 million. What does that really mean when your school's budget is a billion dollars? It's just what has happened. People feel like they have to get these mega conferences. Whether they're right or wrong, we won't know for a while."

Boeheim did say that there would "be some heartbreak" over losing longstanding rivalries and conference affiliations with some of the other programs that founded the Big East -- he used St. John's and Georgetown by name. But his biggest concern -- playing a conference tournament in Greensboro?

"It's a great place for a tournament," he said in regards to the potential for the ACC to hold their tournament in Madison Square Garden. "Where would you want to go to to a tournament for five days? Let's see: Greensboro, North Carolina, or New York City? Jeez. Let me think about that one and get back to you."

You think this guy wants to see the Cuse leave the Big East?

And since you can never leave a gold mine untapped, Solomon ended his piece with a quote from Boeheim where he said John Calipari and Rick Pitino aren't on the same level as Bob Knight but think they are.

Good luck, ACC scribes. Be aware of what awaits you.
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With conference realignment, just be honest with us

I'm not as angry about conference realignment as some folks are.

Yes, it sucks that some of the best traditions in the collegiate ranks -- the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry, the Georgetown-Syracuse rivalry, the Big East Tournament, possibly the NCAA Tournament -- will vanish in the coming years, but I'm less pissed off than I am accepting of our fate. We've known that the end game of the shifting of the tectonic plates would be four superconferences for almost two years now. If we can make it through without losing the NCAA Tournament to the secession of those four conferences, than I think that everyone -- even the folks at the Baylor's and the Villanova's and the Louisville's of the world -- can say that this round of realignment wasn't too bad.

What does piss me off, however -- and where I agree with both Dodd and Doyel, the scribes of the two articles linked above -- is the constant lies and efforts to save face by claiming that these changes were precipitated by anything other than money.

The latest comes from Syracuse Chancellor Nancy Cantor: "I would say that our concerns are really forward looking with respect to the ACC. The issues for us is that we have increasingly strong Olympic sports across the board, women sports -- the ACC is a wonderful match for that for us. And we really are obviously very excited about that."


Get the fuggoutta here. Seriously. Get the fuggout.

Olympic Sports? Women's sports?

Nancy -- can I call you Nancy? -- you don't care about the success of the Olympic Sports or your women's teams. Nothing about your move to the ACC has anything to do with how well your women's volleyball team will do taking mid-week trips to Miami and Tallahassee, or how well your shotputters stack up against the rosters of North Carolina and Duke. Nancy, we know this. And we don't believe the garbage you are spewing. Just be honest with us. We can handle Syracuse making a move for more money and status because its something we all would have done.*

(*For anyone that disagrees with that last statement, let me ask you a question: do you drive a Prius? Why not? Would you be willing to take public transportation or ride a bike to work? Again, why not? Is it a status thing? A comfort thing? Living further away from work, driving distance, saves you some money? If you do drive a pick-up or a mercedes, than you aren't doing your part to try and stave off global warming, which is a much bigger deal than anything that could possibly happen in college sports. But you criticize schools for choosing comfort and status when switching conferences while ignoring the greater good of college sports? Sounds hypocritical to me.)

Its mind-boggling to me that Cantor can claim that non-revenue sports are what drove this decision. Syracuse is one of the few schools where the basketball program is actually more profitable than the football program. According to a study done by the website The Business of College Sports, the Syracuse basketball team generated $18,309,470 in revenue with a profit of $10,223,094. That ranks them as the 41st most profitable team -- including football and basketball -- in the country and the sixth highest basketball program. I guess it pays to play in a place that can hold 34,000 people and be the most popular sports team in New York once you get outside of Westchester.

The Syracuse football program, on the other hand, generated just $3,851,951 in profits -- less than Penn State's basketball team -- in 2009-2010.

Digest that for a second. Syracuse basketball is the sixth most profitable program in the sport. They are (were?) a founding member of the best basketball conference in the country. Their iconic, bespectacled and balding head coach and his infamous battles with John Thompson Jr's Hoya Paranoia teams is the stuff of legend, a rivalry that helped build the foundation of what the Big East became.


And all of that is getting tossed to the curb with the decision to move to the ACC.

I'm not telling you this to ridicule Syracuse for their choice. Like I said, its a decision that few of us will be able to criticize without being hypocritical.

What I'm trying to say is that the decision to move to the ACC is being done without regard for the Syracuse basketball program, its history, its tradition and its rivalries. If the people making these decisions are ignoring the cost on their school's -- and their region's -- most popular sports teams to chase more profit from football, what makes you think that the fate of a single non-revenue sport had any influence whatsoever?

What realignment has taught us is that people, in the end, just don't care enough about college basketball.

But Cantor expects us to believe they care enough about Women's Golf to set the demise of the Big East in motion?

Get the fuggoutta here, Nancy.
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Rick Pitino compares Pitt and Syracuse to The Godfather

More college coaches need to do what Rick Pitino has done and start a blog.

It gives them a chance to speak their mind without having to deal with the cliches and the generalities that come through during press conferences and phone interviews. Its just Pitino being Pitino, and the analogy he used regarding the defection of Syracuse and Pitt to the Big East is about as Pitino as you can get:

The words of the Pitt chancellor ring out at the Newport, RI league meetings: we must stick together. There is a scene from the godfather where one of the capo’s of the Corleone family approached Michael at his dad’s funeral. He told Michael he could arrange a meeting to stop the bloodshed. The Godfather told Michael that the one who comes to set up the meeting will be the one who betrays the family. Robert Duval, as Tom Hagen the consigliere, thought it would be Clemenza who would be the one. Instead, it was good old Abe Pagoda as Salvatore Tessio. Michael Corleone’s response to Tom was the answer to why Pittsburgh and Syracuse would make the move. His response: it was the smart move.

Well, there you have it. The smart play was made by two schools that helped the BIG EAST explode in basketball popularity. Now, in a mere 72 hours, they are BIG EAST history.

The chess match now begins.

Will UConn and Rutgers be the next to join the ACC as many predict?

The BIG EAST will have a conference call and the football members will all say they will stick together – that is, until an offer they can’t refuse comes along. I love these movie analogies.

It doesn't get much better than an Italian coach that looks and speaks like he's straight out of an episode of The Sopranos using a godfather analogy. (Would you all judge me if I told you I've never actually seen The Godfather?)

It also gives us a good jumping off to discuss the future of Louisville and, for that matter, the Big East. Where do they go from here? Right now, there are six football playing members left: Louisville, South Florida, Cincinnati, West Virginia, UConn and Rutgers. That number becomes seven when TCU joins next fall.

Theoretically speaking, the Big East could still hang on and hope for survival as a power conference by adding the likes of Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Baylor, and Memphis or Central Florida. The name "the Big East" will probably need some tweaking, seeing as the majority of the conference will be in the Central and Southern part of the country, but as an entity it would still exist.

The problem? That just isn't feasible. For starters, there is no guarantee that UConn, Rutgers or West Virginia are going to remain committed. The Huskies and the Scarlet Knights appear destined for the ACC as well, while the Mountaineers have been rumored to be one of the few teams in the mix for the SEC's 14th (and 15th or 16th?) spot. Replacing two football playing members is possible. Replacing five is not.

The most shocking part of all of this is that, like Kansas and Kansas State, Louisville appears to be a college sports power house without a home. The logical fit would be the SEC, but does the SEC want them? The ACC probably doesn't. Ditto with the Big Ten. It looks like the Pac-12 is going after Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. Could Louisville partner up with the Big 12 castoffs, the Big East cast offs and the likes of Memphis and Central Florida to create a league that keeps a BCS bid? To me, that is the most likely scenario.
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I'll miss the Big East, but college basketball will live on

Let's face it: the Big East as we know it is done. Its over. No more Big Monday, no more Syracuse-Georgetown home-and-home's, no more five-day runs through the Big East Tournament.

And that sucks.

People that don't live in the Northeast don't truly understand what Big East basketball was to us. We may not have tailgated as hard, we may not have been quite as delusional as fans, we certainly didn't pack 100,000 people into the arenas to see the games, but the passion and the love affair with the sport ran just as deep as SEC football in the south. Big East basketball was Lou Carnesecca and John Thompson, Jr, Jim Calhoun and Jim Boeheim. It was Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin to Kerry Kittles and Ray Allen to Gerry McNamara and Kemba Walker, and every hero in between.

The Big East was everything that was right about college basketball. But the writing was on the wall -- the Big East simply thrived in the wrong sport.


With so many of the founding members of the Big East playing football below the Big East level -- Villanova, Georgetown, St. John's, Providence -- it was only a matter of time before someone made the move. Many believed that Syracuse and Pitt were eventually going to be headed to the Big Ten. The surprise of this tweet on Friday night from Pete Thamel wasn't that the Big East had two members defecting, its that those members were defecting to the ACC.*

(*Frankly, we shouldn't be surprised. With the lack of football strength in the Big East, it became the ACCDL [ACC Developmental League, thank you very much] over the past six years. The last five teams that the conference has added -- Miami, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Syracuse, and Pitt -- all came from the Big East.)

As disappointing as this move is for Big East hoops fans, college basketball will live on. Hell, it may end up being better. If the rumors are true and UConn does follow Syracuse and Pitt into the ACC, that conference immediately becomes the most powerful in the country. Think about this -- since Michigan State's national title in 2000, eight of the last 11 national champions will be playing in the ACC, and that doesn't including UConn's title in 1999. You don't think it will be fun to see North Carolina and Duke have to do battle with UConn, Syracuse and Pitt every single season? If the powers that be opt to bring in a school like Louisville or West Virginia instead of Rutgers**, the league will be even stronger.

(**I seriously don't understand the love-fest with Rutgers. They stink at football, they have never been good at basketball [although Mike Rice seems to have that trending towards change], and no one in the New York market cares about them.)

I'm not naive. I know that conference alignment in college sports in a fluid thing. These shifts happen, and for some schools and leagues its for the better. For the Villanova's and the Georgetown's and the rest of the Big East (ahem, TCU), its for the worse.

But I'm also sentimental and nostalgic.

I'll miss the Big East Tournament and Big Mondays. I'll always fondly remember the rivalry between Syracuse and Georgetown. I'll never forget moments like DeJuan Blair's body-slam of Hasheem Thabeet in 2009; or Ray Allen's prayer to beat Georgetown in the 1996 Big East Tournament; or the late-game heroics of Gerry McNamara in the 2006 Big East Tournament; or, simply, the sixth-overtime.

Most of all, I'll miss those late-nights in the Garden. Every college basketball fan has to have the Big East Tournament on their bucket list.

Its an unbelievable experience.

And it may come to an end, as we know it, in March.
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Monday Morning Dump

As you might expect, the dump this morning is going to be quite Expansionocalypse heavy

- Syracuse and Pitt shocked folks this weekend when they decided to leave the Big East for the ACC. Will UConn follow? Rutgers?

- Will this be the spark that sends Texas, Oklahoma, and friends to the Pac-12? Or is Texas still trying to get into the ACC?

- The NCAA president has no say in the shifting of the conferences.

- Jason King says this brings the ACC into basketball supremacy.

- Mike DeCourcy, a native of Pittsburgh, says that the move could destroy Pitt hoops.

- Dana O'Neil calls Syracuse, and Pitt, greedy hypocrites. Sean Keeley's response was hilarious.

- Irony? The founder of the Big East died the same day that Pitt and Syracuse jumped to the ACC.

- Switching gears, here is John Gasaway's takedown of Taylor Branch article in The Atlantic about the NCAA.

- And while we're here, Matt Norlander did a podcast with Taylor Branch.

- Five for Friday. I got a laugh out of the last paragraph, when Gary Parrish writes "there's not too much going on in college basketball these days".

- A town in Missouri is pushing Kansas to get rid of the name 'Jayhawks'.
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If you can't get academically eligible, its your own fault

On Thursday, JaKarr Sampson, Norvel Pelle and Amir Garrett were all ruled ineligible to play basketball for, at the very least, the first semester of the 2011-2012 school year.

Just like Kevin Ware was ruled ineligible at Louisville. Or Michael Chandler at Central Florida. Bill Self's three incoming freshmen (Braeden Anderson, Ben McLemore, and Jamari Taylor), Jahii Carson at Arizona State, Ohio State's LaQuinton Ross and DePaul's Macari Brooks are all still awaiting official word from the NCAA.

Am I the only one that feels no pity for kids that cannot make it through the NCAA's eligibility clearinghouse?

High school is not that difficult. The requirements the NCAA has for being cleared are not overwhelming by any stretch of the imagination. To be eligible to pay Division I sports, 16 core courses are required -- four years of english, three years of math (Algebra I or higher), two years of natural or physical science (including a lab year, if the school offers it), two years of social science, and five years of additional courses, one of which must be either english, math, or science. In other words, a normal high school curriculum.

You don't even have to be that good of a student in those classes either. You can get away with having a 2.0 GPA in those 16 core classes if you can get a 1010 on your SATs (math and verbal only) or an 86 on the ACTs. If you bump that GPA up to a 2.5, the required SAT score drops to 820 while the ACT score falls to 68.

All of that information can be found here. I found that page by googling "what are the requirements for division 1 basketball eligibility". The second result on google was to the "NCAA Student-Athlete Eligibility and Recruiting" page at NCAA.org. The second bullet-point on that page was a link that simply said "eligibility". The first link on the eligibility page says "Information for college bound athletes and parents", which leads you to a reference sheet for eligibility standards.

That literally took me all of about 90 seconds to figure out.

So as far as I'm concerned, there is no excuse for these athletes -- or their handlers, parents, teachers, coaches, etc. -- not knowing the requirements to get eligible to play in college. None whatsoever.

I understand the problems involved here. Many of these students don't enter high school prepared to take an Algebra I level math class or a high school level science class, an indictment on the level of education they are getting -- and the effort the are putting in -- in elementary and middle school. Some of these don't decide that they want to try and play college basketball until after their sophomore seasons, when they are so far behind academically that it is going to take them two summer school sessions and a year in prep school just to complete those 16 core classes. Others simply don't care about the fact that they need to be academicly eligible to play in college. In some cases, these kids just get the wrong advice -- or no advice at all -- from people that don't understand what it takes to get through the NCAA's Clearinghouse. In other cases, a kid that makes up four years of high school in a two-and-a-half year period of time will draw a red flag. And for the kids whose transcript reads like War and Peace because they attended five high schools in four years, well, you brought that on yourself.

But just because I understand the issues involved with getting eligible doesn't mean that I accept them as a valid excuse. If playing basketball in college is that important to these kids, take some initiative. Go to class. Pick up a book. Do your homework. Find out for yourself what is required of you to become a scholarship athlete. If you're old enough to drive a car, you're old enough to be held accountable for being unable to reach the NCAA's established eligibility guidelines.

A high school education is a four-year process, not something that can be processed and packaged into a year and a half of tutoring sessions where the work is done for you.

My father is a longtime high school science teacher. He's taught advanced classes, remedial classes, and all the levels in between. As he puts it, you have to try to get below a C in high school.

I don't feel sorry for the kids that can't try.
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Friday Morning Dump

- Three stud freshman at St. John's were ruled ineligible to participate until the second semester, including Cincinnati Reds draft pick Amir Garrett. Although the players will be able to join the team in the second semester, St. John's will be woefully undermanned to start. Who will be the guy to step up for the Johnnies? But other than this, there was like NO NEWS yesterday. I could seriously just end the dump here. But I won't because well, even though Scarlett Johahnsson's phone getting hacked does seem like news, I'm not sure I'm allowed to put the pictures on our site.

- Jason King is releasing a book in a few weeks on the recent history of Kansas basketball. If the book contains stories like this, it will be a must-read for EVERYONE. Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins jawing with Jay Wright?

- Diamond Leung explains just exactly why Sean Miller didn't leave Arizona when the Maryland job opened up

- A look at some of Marquette's more interesting jersey styles

- Play the Expansionocalypse "Choose Your Own Adventure" game

- Lute Olson says he lost a cool million bucks to David Salinas

- A cool pre-season projection of the ten best players in the CAA

- What's this you say? Texas is actually helping us out by launching the Longhorn Network? I don't buy it

- Good read from Mike DeCourcy on Austin Rivers.

- Ditto from Jason King on Nasir Robinson

- Outside the Lines debated the fair market value of college athletes

- Mt. St. Mary's picked up a commitment from 6-foot-4 combo guard Chazz Pattersen

- Colorado got a verbal commitment from 6-foot-9 Chicago-native Jermaine Morgan

This is Xavier head coach Chris Mack dunking a basketball



See, I told you yesterday was a slow news day



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Three ineligible freshmen at St. John's, not as bad as you think it is

When Steve Lavin made the decision to take the St. John's job back 18 months ago, he knew he had to bring in a loaded 2011 recruiting class.

That's what happens when you take a job coaching a program with 10 seniors on the roster. So while St. John's made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002 last season, Lavin knew back on March 31st, 2010, that his program would essentially be starting from scratch with his crop of 2011 recruits.

To Lavin's credit, he did just that, bringing in a nine-man class that ranked right behind Duke and Kentucky's as one of the best in the country. But since he was in a bit of a desperate position, Lavin had to take on a couple of risks, namely Jakarr Sampson, Norvel Pelle and Amir Garrett. Today, St. John's got the news that all three of those recruits -- who sit at 38th, 57th and 76th, respectively, in our Consensus Class of 2011 rankings -- would be ineligible for at least the first semester.


"The NCAA Eligibility Center informed us this afternoon that after a review, these three PSAs cannot qualify at this time," said Director of Athletics Chris Monasch said in a statement. "The University has been proactive and diligent in assisting in the reviews for each of our incoming men's basketball student-athletes. We will continue to review what avenues the student-athletes may have to achieve their initial eligibility."

"We will continue to work with the NCAA in an effort to review Amir, Norvel and JaKarr's cases regarding their eligibility. Our student-athletes and their families have been patient and cooperative throughout this review process," added Lavin. "We are hopeful that Amir, Norvel and JaKarr will be able to join us on the court this winter, and in the classroom when the 2012 spring semester begins."

What happens from here is unclear. The official statement is that all three players will try and earn their eligibility for the second semester, but whether that actually happens is a different story. Garrett has a contract with a $1 million signing bonus to play baseball in the Cincinnati Reds' organization, a sport where he may actually be a better prospect. Sampson has yet to enroll at St. John's, so there is talk that he will head back to Brewster Academy for another season and try to enroll at St. John's in 2012-2013. As far as Pelle is concerned, the rumor that made its way through twitter this evening is he may never suit up for St. John's.

Let's assume the worst case scenario -- none of the three ever set foot on the St. John's campus. While it will damper some of the expectations of St. John's fans heading into the season, this is not as bad of a result as you think. Simply put, talented recruiting class and all, the Johnnies were headed for a long season full of growing pains. Even with those three in the fold come Big East play, finishing in the top half of the conference and making the NCAA Tournament would have been a very impressive feat for a team that literally returns a single player. Winning with freshmen is not an easy thing to do. When UConn overhauled their roster following the 2006 season -- when they lost their top six players from a team with a seven-man rotation -- the Huskies brought in a loaded recruiting class and promptly finished 11th in the Big East.

The 2011-2012 season was about laying the groundwork for the future of St. John's basketball under Steve Lavin. Without Sampson, Pelle or Garrett, Lavin's uphill battle gets just that much steeper.

But that doesn't change the fact that he is still bringing in six talented recruits. And those six kids, who are going to be thrown into the fire from the first time they put on a Red Storm uniform, will have to grow up quickly. Its not ideal, but Lavin will still get the foundation that he needs to build his program on.

And in the end, that is what this season was supposed to be about in the first place.
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