UConn's win out west, Gonzaga rumors and more Big East Storylines

1. Dan Hurley invites Gonzaga to the Big East

Conference realignment talk never sleeps, and it sparked back up after UConn's victory over the Bulldogs. While rumors have been flowing for the past few years now, the dialogue continued once again, "Maybe Gonzaga will want to join a really good basketball league," Huskies Coach Dan Hurley said.

It is an interesting play to invite the team you just beat by double digits into your conference, but with rumors of UConn themselves moving, the Big East may want to make additions themselves. Gonzaga had been rumored with the Big 12 when the major shifts in conference realignment were happening, but nothing has been decided as of yet.

Gonzaga would be a tough play in the Big East considering they are all the way out in Washington, and with schools all over the East Coast, travel would be quite difficult. But we have seen with the Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC that inviting West Coast teams has not been much of an issue.

Conferences at this point are fighting for their own survival, the PAC-12 has already fallen, and there is always the thought that the ACC might be next. The Big East remains in an interesting position with football not being a factor in their conference realignment discussions. This makes Gonzaga a great fit amongst the non-football schools this conference boasts.

Being a basketball-focused conference sounds harmful given the billions of dollars football provides, but it might just give them an advantage in this situation. Gonzaga may be more drawn to the Big East because of football not being a factor, but these are all just rumors and speculations.

For this season, it is just the same old 11 teams that we have seen since UConn's arrival. And while the Gonzaga discussions will come back in the offseason, for now, it is time to enjoy a great Big East season yet again.