Look who is suggesting that the BE and ACC should merge

[xudash]

https://nypost.com/2025/01/11/sports/pitino-endorses-coach-ks-merger-proposal-to-create-mega-basketball-conference/

[GoMuskies]

Hasn't that already been tried? I think it was called...the Big East.

[xubrew]

This would be...what...27 teams???

Okay, sure. Great idea!!!

[A Fan]

One of the reasons Sean Miller must elevate Xavier out of the bottom half of the Big East is to ensure the program’s relevance and NCAA Tournament appearances. If Xavier remains stuck in mediocrity, it risks becoming a candidate for exclusion as college athletics evolve. With Connecticut’s resurgence as a national power, pressure will likely mount for schools like UConn to leave the Big East, raising questions about which programs might be invited to tag along in a new mega basketball conference. While Xavier is unlikely to be grouped with Seton Hall or DePaul at the bottom, continued underperformance could threaten its standing and increase the likelihood of being relegated to a lower-tier league. As college athletics increasingly revolve around revenue, NIL competitiveness, and market appeal, the criteria for inclusion will emphasize financial strength, marketability, and brand recognition. Schools like UConn and Villanova boast national championships and established brands, while programs like Georgetown and St. John’s benefit from their presence in major media markets. By contrast, Xavier’s smaller market in Cincinnati and relatively limited ability to generate TV revenue or NIL funds could weaken its case for inclusion. Time is of the essence .

[Xavgrad08]

Here is a quote from the end or the article. "There are a lot of issues that would have to be sorted out. Certain schools may need to be left behind".


I definitely can see a day where some current Big East schools are once again playing in a conference with some of the ACC schools. Hope Xavier has positioned itself to make the cut.

[MHettel]

Interesting for sure, but doesn’t address the real “threat” out there. The ACC is a distant third or even fourth in the football packing order. The have a couple football “brands” in Clemson and Miami that probably aren’t too interested in sticking around if they had an option to leave. They are unstable from a football point of view. Merging with the Big East does what exactly?

I mean from a basketball perspective it makes sense, which is why the 2 guys in the article would only see it through that lens.

I suppose if it were to occur, it would in fact need to be a trimmed down version with around 20 teams or maybe 22. I’d like to see Cal and Stanford sent back West to rejoin the Pac12. I think the decisions on who gets “cut” would be based on TV markets primarily. I think markets that have “overlap” with a BE and an ACC team would be the most likely to have one of them dropped. But I can’t think of any. Are there any?

One of the most attractive things about the Big East is that it taps 11 urban markets. As unwieldy as a 20+ conference might be, having that many eyeballs would be attractive.

I figure this is dead in the water just due to football issues.

[xudash]

Interesting for sure, but doesn’t address the real “threat” out there. The ACC is a distant third or even fourth in the football packing order. The have a couple football “brands” in Clemson and Miami that probably aren’t too interested in sticking around if they had an option to leave. They are unstable from a football point of view. Merging with the Big East does what exactly?

I mean from a basketball perspective it makes sense, which is why the 2 guys in the article would only see it through that lens.

I suppose if it were to occur, it would in fact need to be a trimmed down version with around 20 teams or maybe 22. I’d like to see Cal and Stanford sent back West to rejoin the Pac12. I think the decisions on who gets “cut” would be based on TV markets primarily. I think markets that have “overlap” with a BE and an ACC team would be the most likely to have one of them dropped. But I can’t think of any. Are there any?

One of the most attractive things about the Big East is that it taps 11 urban markets. As unwieldy as a 20+ conference might be, having that many eyeballs would be attractive.

I figure this is dead in the water just due to football issues.

I don’t believe we can be certain this thing is even alive enough yet to be able to die. Nonetheless, it’s interesting that these two are going on about it in the New York Post, and K apparently has been talking about it on his podcast.

[JTG]

Interesting for sure, but doesn’t address the real “threat” out there. The ACC is a distant third or even fourth in the football packing order. The have a couple football “brands” in Clemson and Miami that probably aren’t too
interested in sticking around if they had an option to leave. They are unstable from a football point of view. Merging with the Big East does what exactly?

I mean from a basketball perspective it makes sense, which is why the 2 guys in the article would only see it through that lens.

I suppose if it were to occur, it would in fact need to be a trimmed down version with around 20 teams or maybe 22. I’d like to see Cal and Stanford sent back West to rejoin the Pac12. I think the decisions on who gets “cut” would be based on TV markets primarily. I think markets that have “overlap” with a BE and an ACC team would be the most likely to have one of them dropped. But I can’t think of any. Are there any?

One of the most attractive things about the Big East is that it taps 11 urban markets. As unwieldy as a 20+ conference might be, having that many eyeballs would be attractive.

I figure this is dead in the water just due to football issues.


Having worked in the Raleigh area, UNC, Duke, and NC State are as close to each other as X & UC

[GoMuskies]

NC State isn't as close, but UNC and Dook are nearly as close as XU and UC. NC State is kind of like Dayton distance-wise away.

[JTG]

NC State is about as close as CVG. All 3 are within the metro of each other

[XUBison]

Five yrs ago we still would have been a no-brainer inclusion for such a thing. Now, I suspect we’d find ourselves on the outside looking in. God, this sucks.

[hoopster68]

XU's success over four decades depended upon success on the court + perception of a "tough place to play" for opponents (Cintas). Small enrollment, small endowment, small market, (now) small NIL monies were overcome by performance on the court. Recent performances under Steele & Miller do not portend acceptance in any realignment. Oh how I hate typing this comment, but the truth is XU may get left behind.

[bleedXblue]

I see this as a very, very small chance. Football still rules.

[A Fan]

XU's success over four decades depended upon success on the court + perception of a "tough place to play" for opponents (Cintas). Small enrollment, small endowment, small market, (now) small NIL monies were overcome by performance on the court. Recent performances under Steele & Miller do not portend acceptance in any realignment. Oh how I hate typing this comment, but the truth is XU may get left behind.
If Xavier misses the NCAA Tournament in both 2025 and 2026, the program’s recent track record would be only one NCAA Tournament appearance in an eight-year span (2019–2026). This would seriously harm Xavier’s reputation as a consistently competitive program, especially as on-court performance remains a critical metric for any potential conference realignment. With the growing focus on financial metrics, marketability, and NIL infrastructure in college basketball, where Xavier may not be strong, such a prolonged absence from March Madness would diminish Xavier’s standing compared to other schools vying for inclusion in a potential mega basketball conference. In short, missing the tournament for 8 out of 9 years would severely weaken Xavier’s ability to position itself as an indispensable program.

[xubrew]

Who from the 16 team Big East that left the conference is better off basketball-wise than they were before?? I'd venture to say that it's no one. No one that left for the ACC is performing at a higher level than they were when they were in the Big East.

Meanwhile, the current Big East is flourishing. It doesn't need to expand. It doesn't need to merge with another league. The Big East may be having a down year, but they still have two teams on pace to get protected seeds, and at least two more that are on pace to make the NCAA Tournament. If a conference can send four teams to the NCAA Tournament and two of those teams get protected seeds and consider that to be a huge disappointment, then that's a sign that it's doing just fine! That's better than what the ACC will probably do.

[X-band '01]

Notre Dame had a brief resurgence when they went to the ACC. They had never won a conference tournament until they won the ACC title and also had back-to-back Elite 8s. They went into a down cycle as Brey's career started to downspiral, but I do believe that Micah Shrewsberry will eventually have them back to at least a quasi-regular NCAA Tournament contender.

[xudash]

Who from the 16 team Big East that left the conference is better off basketball-wise than they were before?? I'd venture to say that it's no one. No one that left for the ACC is performing at a higher level than they were when they were in the Big East.

Meanwhile, the current Big East is flourishing. It doesn't need to expand. It doesn't need to merge with another league. The Big East may be having a down year, but they still have two teams on pace to get protected seeds, and at least two more that are on pace to make the NCAA Tournament. If a conference can send four teams to the NCAA Tournament and two of those teams get protected seeds and consider that to be a huge disappointment, then that's a sign that it's doing just fine! That's better than what the ACC will probably do.

You make a great point.

We have to consider the source of this little newsclip: an ACC legend. It didn't come from anyone tied to the Big East, although Pitino got up on his hind legs to voice his approval of it. It came from an ACC person, and a big one at that. The problem - for the ACC, in this case - is that it came from a basketball legend, not a football legend. We all know that football, not basketball drives the bus. Coach K is looking for solutions for improvement and solidification of his former conference. It actually is a compliment to the Big East that he views the BE as a solution.

Yet that means that the ACC is not on firm footing now, nor will it be moving forward. We know that the ACC is handcuffed for another 11 years, assuming it finds a way to hold together as it presently exists. Each program is presently staring at a GOR-induced < $40 million per year media distribution. Thank you John Swofford, in hindsight.

For purposes of conference unity, it actually could get much worse for the ACC. A few of my friends down here who are well connected at FSU are certain that FSU will continue to look for a financially viable way to break away from the ACC, while continuing to fuss about unbalanced distributions. Florida State argues that it is the flagship of the conference, when it comes to ignoring on field performance in favor of looking at it on the basis of viewership numbers/media value. According to a study commissioned by FSU a couple of years ago, it contributes roughly 15% of the value in the ACC's media rights deal, but the school only gets 7% of the distributions. ACC spring meetings must be particularly enjoyable for schools like BC and Wake at this point.

Sometimes less is more: it makes sense not to do the equivalent of piling into a VW Beetle. Very uncomfortable and could actually lead to injuries. We - the Big East - stand at 11 with a rather unique group of schools, albeit Butler is a waste of a slot.

We are entering a 6-year window with our new media deal, which should provide runway for Xavier, in particular, to right the ship. If we can stay together - if UCONN does not find a viable escape hatch for football - we should be capable of continuing on as a unique, basketball-centric power conference.

[drudy23]

XU's success over four decades depended upon success on the court + perception of a "tough place to play" for opponents (Cintas). Small enrollment, small endowment, small market, (now) small NIL monies were overcome by performance on the court. Recent performances under Steele & Miller do not portend acceptance in any realignment. Oh how I hate typing this comment, but the truth is XU may get left behind.

Well, if we do get left behind, at least we can go back and dominate the A10 and actually make the tournament most years.

No, I don't prefer that - but damn I miss the tournament.

[xudash]

XU's success over four decades depended upon success on the court + perception of a "tough place to play" for opponents (Cintas). Small enrollment, small endowment, small market, (now) small NIL monies were overcome by performance on the court. Recent performances under Steele & Miller do not portend acceptance in any realignment. Oh how I hate typing this comment, but the truth is XU may get left behind.

The Cintas Center still enjoys are very solid reputation nationally both as a tough place to play and in terms of quality of facilities.

Small Enrollment: That is what that is.

Small Endowment: We were late to the game, thanks in my mind primarily to Mulligan. Yet we've raised about $1 billion since Gary Massa took over that function as given to him by Father Hoff in 1999. During his tenure, his office has conducted three successful campaigns raising more than $875M (nearly 95% of what has been raised in the history of the University). The Annual Fund has more than tripled and estate giving to the University has quadrupled. His University Relations office has been recognized multiple times with a national honor from CASE (Council For Advancement and Support of Education) for overall performance for advancement. I'm not worried about Xavier's ability to raise money and grow the endowment at this point, especially given the recent titanic gifts committed to the University.

Small Market: Cincinnati's DMA is the number 36 Designated Market Area in United States, as ranked by Nielsen as of 2025: TV Household population of 863,800. We aren't New York or Chicago or Atlanta or Philly, etc. but we also aren't Omaha, Dayton and Winston Salem. Xavier wouldn't get dinged for its location were conference turmoil to kick up again.

NIL Money: I believe we are trending in the right direction for NIL BASKETBALL money.

Do we have to win and get back to making the tournament on a consistent basis? Of course. But our program strengths are better positioned than you appear to perceive them to be.

[waggy]

The ACC isn’t going away unless Notre Dame leaves.

[xudash]

The ACC isn’t going away unless Notre Dame leaves.

That makes sense. Either way, any such implosion probably will take a while to come about.

Just remember that the Pac 12 probably couldn’t imagine it ever ending up the way that it did.

Beyond that, if the most powerful programs decide upon something that looks akin to the NFL model, the ACC will be toast, along with the Big XII.

[XUGRAD80]

Beyond that, if the most powerful programs decide upon something that looks akin to the NFL model, the ACC will be toast, along with the Big XII.

What do you mean by “toast”?

[webxu]

The ACC isn’t going away unless Notre Dame leaves.

I disagree with this.. football is the driver and with FSU, Clemson, and I believe Miami rumored to want to leave that would certainly have cascading effects....