Big East Basketball: Expansion candidates for an 11-school conference
By Brian Foley
Connecticut
The Pros
Committed to basketball: No matter the conference, Connecticut remains committed to its basketball program. According to the Hartford Courant, the Huskies’ operating expenses for men’s basketball in 2017 fell just shy of $10M, and this season, new head coach Danny Hurley starts a six-year contract worth roughly $3M annually.
Nostalgia: Everyone wants UConn back in the Big East. The fan base hungers for a return to its former conference. Media members harp upon the old days even though we are now in the sixth season of the new Big East. And you can’t get through a Big East tournament game without watching historic highlights at Madison Square Garden, many of which include legendary UConn moments. The Huskies were a founding member in 1979 and won three national titles as a part of the Big East. When you think UConn Basketball, the images that come to mind are Jim Calhoun and Ray Allen and Kemba Walker battling at MSG, not playing SMU in front of half-empty arenas. It just feels right to watch UConn duel Georgetown or Villanova or St. John’s on a weekday night. Bring back Big Monday on ESPN!
Fits Big East footprint: Even with five schools scattered around the Midwest, the heart of the conference is on the East Coast. UConn clearly fits the bill.
Improves league: Not only does UConn make sense historically and geographically, the Huskies are also pretty good at basketball! UConn slumped in the final two years of the Kevin Ollie era, but Hurley has the program on the right track in his first season at the helm. I would expect the Huskies to finish in the top-half of the Big East in most seasons, competing for a conference title every now and then as well. (And don’t forget about what the Huskies’ women’s team, the best program in the history of the sport, would bring to the Big East as well).
The Cons
Ye old pigskin: Ah football. The obvious inhibitor to a Big East-UConn reunion. The Huskies remain committed to football even as its program falls further into the abyss. If UConn drops down to the FCS-level to join a few current Big East members (Butler, Georgetown, and Villanova), then the door is wide open for a return to the Big East. But it seems like UConn currently has no inclination to do that, meaning no Big East agreement can even get off the ground.
Potential American deal: The AAC’s current deal with ESPN runs out in 2020, and initial reports are a new deal that will make three or four times as much money for its member schools than the current contract (and significantly more than what Big East programs rake in). UConn may be more interested in the financial returns from the AAC. Another issue is the new American deal could center around a “grant of rights” agreement, which would theoretically lock UConn into the AAC long-term without an out, should the Big East (or Big 12) come calling.
Could always leave: In the unlikely scenario that UConn decides to take its football program to a lesser FBS league (like Conference USA) or go independent (which is risky for a program with seven wins in three years) and join the Big East in other sports, another conference – like the Big 12 or ACC – could always come calling when realignment winds start to swirl down the road, and offer a permanent home and more money for the Huskies in all sports. UConn never spurned the old Big East, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen in the future.