Big East Basketball: Expansion candidates for an 11-school conference
By Brian Foley
Wichita State
The Pros
Great basketball program: From 2009-10 through 2017-18, Wichita State averaged 28.6 wins per season, made seven NCAA tournaments, one Final Four, and another Sweet 16. The Shockers are struggling this season after suffering nearly unprecedented roster turnover in the offseason, but they are still one of the best programs of the decade.
Accomplished coach: Gregg Marshall is one of the better coaches in America, and is paid like it too (he earns over $3M annually from the Shockers). He has had opportunities to leave the program in the past, but is now in his 12th season in Wichita. If WSU moved up the ladder to the Big East, Marshall would be even more likely to turn into a lifelong Shocker, so there would potentially be less concern about Wichita State losing its coach and then falling apart.
Improves league: In a normal Wichita State season, the Shockers would automatically shoot towards the top-half of the Big East, which would in turn improve the resumes of the entire conference and bring in more NCAA tournament money.
The Cons
Another Midwest school: When asked about expansion, part of Ackerman’s comments included: “Would they help us with our tournament? Would they bring fans to Madison Square Garden?” WSU does not have the desired presence on the East Coast, and it’s unlikely the Big East would want to tip the scales with a sixth Midwest school to just five East Coasters.
Doesn’t fit Big East model: Every current Big East basketball member is a small or mid-sized private, Catholic school, save for Butler, which still checks two of the three boxes. Wichita State is a larger (though roughly the same size of the two largest Big East universities – St. John’s and DePaul) public school, and oh yeah, it’s in the middle of Kansas.
Potential American deal: It’s unclear how Wichita State would tie into the new AAC contract as the conference’s only non-football school, but it certainly creates another layer to peel back before WSU to the Big East can truly be considered.