Does continued membership in the Big East have any significant ongoing benefit for DePaul, Marquette, Creighton, and Xavier?

St. Louis, Loyola Chicago, Dayton, and Detroit would welcome the proposed conference whose public identity would be top level men's basketball.

The Big East is too broad and over extended geographically. It might be time for the Big East to return completely to its original blueprint powered by Georgetown, St. John's, Villanova, Providence, Seton Hall, etc.

The proposed new conference of Midwest schools could develop quickly an identity as a major conference for men's basketball, securing more than a single invite to the annual national tournament.

As the Big East thrived on the New York market, the proposed Midwest conference would appeal to the large media markets, centering in Chicago.

brings those schools men's basketball contracts with FOX and CBS plus all-important and ill-defined exposure.

Logic may tell DePaul it's time to look for something new, but DePaul believes it's the right coach away from becoming very relevant. Marquette would see it as a "step back." Loyola might be thrilled, because many LUC backers believe the school has outgrown the Valley.

Trading Georgetown, Villanova, etc. for Detroit, St. Louis, Dayton holds no appeal for DePaul, Marquette and the other Big East members without "Here's what the broadcast contract is going to be and our tournament is going to be [wherever] (tell that to recruits!)"

Does having the men's bb tournament in MSG help schools with recruiting? I don't know, but if schools believe it does it's an advantage they don't want to give up without a similar venue or an upgrade.

Dayton started investigating "how do we get into that league?" as soon news of the reformed league was out and the school wasn't included. Would the school automatically jump from the A-10 for this new venture?

If University presidents and administrations were on board maybe, but they tend to care a lot about money too. Not many in athletics are going to go for it unless hand is forced.

Your thoughts are persuasively stated. Thanks for sharing.

picking on Creighton...they left the MVC with names like Illinois St, Wichita State, Missouri State, Northern Iowa and replaced them with Georgetown, Villanova, Marquette, Xavier, DePaul, Providence...far better academic schools. The Big East pretty much starts at Creighton in the West and follows almost a straight line due East to the East Coast.

To me the Big East is a great conference for these types of schools and I don't know what replacing them with SLU, Dayton, and Detroit would do for them.