With new Big East, the bigger questions for 2013-14. ...

[SelectionSunday]

(for now we'll just call next year's former Big East the "Big Leftover")

1. Will both the Big East (Catholic 7 + Butler, Xavier, and maybe Creighton) and the Big Leftover receive automatic bids next season?

2. If they don't, which one will get the automatic, which one won't?

3. If they both get automatic bids, the number of automatic bids increases to 32, chopping the at-large field from 37 to 36, which we know would cause the coaches to go into an all-out panic tizzy. Which leads to the biggest question. ...

4. If they both get automatic bids, will the tournament committee take that opportunity to once again increase the field so that the at-large number does not decrease?

Here's my hunch. If (I said if) both the Big East and the Big Leftover get automatic bids next season, I'll predict the field expands by 4 to 72. I hope that doesn't occur, but there's no way the save-our-own-skin coaches will allow the the number of at-larges to get smaller. They'll p*ss and moan until some more teams are added to the field.

 

[Drake University Gopher]

I guess I would think that the new Big East gets the autobid along with the name, but I'm obviously not really certain either. This drama is very odd to say the least. Creighton would be a good addition to the others, but I would be sad to lose the rivalry (it felt like one anyways) vs my Bulldogs in the MVC.

 

[SelectionSunday]

And I can't help but think about the A-10. They really had a good thing going adding Butler and VCU this season, but now it appears they'll also lose Dayton and Saint Louis to the Big East in a couple years.

Assuming Dayton and Saint Louis bolt, will be interesting to see what VCU does. I'm also wondering what Temple and Memphis are thinking about right now with their pending move to the Big Leftover.

 

[Ope3]

WAC

(for now we'll just call next year's former Big East the "Big Leftover")

1. Will both the Big East (Catholic 7 + Butler, Xavier, and maybe Creighton) and the Big Leftover receive automatic bids next season?

2. If they don't, which one will get the automatic, which one won't?

3. If they both get automatic bids, the number of automatic bids increases to 32, chopping the at-large field from 37 to 36, which we know would cause the coaches to go into an all-out panic tizzy. Which leads to the biggest question. ...

4. If they both get automatic bids, will the tournament committee take that opportunity to once again increase the field so that the at-large number does not decrease?

Here's my hunch. If (I said if) both the Big East and the Big Leftover get automatic bids next season, I'll predict the field expands by 4 to 72. I hope that doesn't occur, but there's no way the save-our-own-skin coaches will allow the the number of at-larges to get smaller. They'll p*ss and moan until some more teams are added to the field.

What is the status of the WAC? Could they lose their auto-bid?

 

[Holy Man]

What is the status of the WAC? Could they lose their auto-bid?

I hope no expansion and the destruction of the WAC may prevent it from happening. The new Big East is esentially returning to the original Big East in terms of basketball only/first, and it will end up with 12 teams within a couple of years. Maybe the Leftover can separate and be aded into the A-10, Colonial, Ohio Valley, and maybe Mountain West if they still have a few left west of the Mississippi. It appears right now that UConn may end up the biggest loser here, but I can't keep track.

One of these days, the school leadership is going to figure out that there is more than sports at stake in conference allignments and maybe some rationality will replace teh greed. Killing rivalries and natural academic relationships will not help them in the long run.

 

[MadtownGopher]

The 'Big Leftover' will not get an auto-bid unless they make some major additions and solidify their legitimacy as a conference. That conference will be gone in the next 2-3 years if not sooner. No doubt a conference with as many quality programs and big TV deal like the New Big East will definitely get an auto-bid.

 

[SelectionSunday]

What is the status of the WAC? Could they lose their auto-bid?

Not 100% certain, but I think with all their reshuffling the WAC was able to protect its auto bid, at least for 2013-14. I could be wrong.

 

[SelectionSunday]

This from Andy Katz's 3-point shot

"The Catholic 7 plus two or three to form the old/new Big East (you following?) needs to apply for new-conference status by June 1 and the NCAA board of directors has to vote the new league in by Sept. 1 so it could get an automatic qualifying spot in the 2014 NCAA tournament. All of that is doable. The remaining Big East would be eligible to keep its automatic-qualifier status since it would have at least seven members (even if it dropped below that number, since there is a two-year grace period). The teams don't have to have a history of playing together. If the split occurs -- as expected -- with Georgetown, St. John's, Villanova, DePaul, Marquette, Seton Hall and Providence joining Butler and Xavier out of the Atlantic 10 and likely Creighton from the Missouri Valley to form a new league, the remaining Big East would have eight members. Connecticut, Cincinnati, South Florida, Central Florida, Houston, SMU, Memphis and Temple would populate the new league in 2014. The league is expecting Tulane in 2014 and possibly East Carolina for all sports (though just football for now). There is a chance those moves could be expedited. If the AQs go through, in 2014 there would be 32 automatic bids and one less at-large than now, at 36, for a 68-team NCAA tournament bracket.''

Stay tuned. If there's one less at-large bid, let the whining (from the coaches) commence.