Should we Join the Big East if offered

[strikenowhere]

To me, the future is few retiring. Potential for us to slip back to irrelevance drops greatly in the BE once that happens. Few leaves and a few rough seasons, recruits dry up and back to WCC irrelevance.

Yes - can you imagine where Butler would be right now if they hadn't capitalized on their run in 2010 & 2011 to jump ship to the Big East? Especially after wunderkind coach Brad Stevens departs for the NBA? They'd be just one more mediocre mid-major team stuck in the conference realignment dance. Instead now Butler has the Big East "floor" underneath them to buoy their mediocrity.

[GonzagasaurusFlex]

What makes you think the WCC will let the non-basketball sports stay in the WCC? You just took the WCC's biggest funding source away and gave them the middle finger what incentive do the WCC member schools have to allow the non-revenue generating Gonzaga sports teams to stay in the WCC? You seem to think that Gonzaga has a say in where their non-revenue generating sports teams play, which is simply likely not the case. IMO, the WCC says, you made your choice to move to the Big East, take your non-revenue generating teams with you and now live with the ramifications of your choice.

You are correct in that the basketball teams and donors have to foot the bill for the non-revenue generating sports which is true no matter where you play.

While I think it would be the best of both worlds, FOR GONZAGA, to take basketball to the Big East and leave all of the other sports teams in the WCC, I don't think Gonzaga is going to be given that choice.

ZagDad

Excellent point. Why would WCC make it easier for Zags hoops to leave by agreeing to keep their non revenue generating sports?

I voted no. So hypocritical to talk about “student athletes” yet move to an East coast based conference.

[bigblahla]

Excellent point. Why would WCC make it easier for Zags hoops to leave by agreeing to keep their non revenue generating sports?

I voted no. So hypocritical to talk about “student athletes” yet move to an East coast based conference.

How about GU plays 4 games a year vs WCC teams in the OCC as the visiting TEAM... giving WCC schools great home games in the OOC.. it's an idea...

Go!! Zags!!!

[jazzdelmar]

How about GU plays 4 games a year vs WCC teams in the OCC as the visiting TEAM... giving WCC schools great home games in the OOC.. it's an idea...

Go!! Zags!!!

Noblesse oblige? But, but, but hasn’t that been the case for 20 years?

[jazzdelmar]

Yes - can you imagine where Butler would be right now if they hadn't capitalized on their run in 2010 & 2011 to jump ship to the Big East? Especially after wunderkind coach Brad Stevens departs for the NBA? They'd be just one more mediocre mid-major team stuck in the conference realignment dance. Instead now Butler has the Big East "floor" underneath them to buoy their mediocrity.

Super point.

[HenneZag]

I've seen points on both sides of the fence. Alot of contradicting. So if no BE what does the WCC need to do? We've been relevant and found a way to elevate our brand the last 5-6 years even more so. My worry, is we were able to do this with the Euro line which closed the gap. With Lloyd gone we will feel those effects narrowing. Now we rely on recruiting mostly in the states which is great but the recruits we will go after will have every big boy offer out there. As we may nab a few, we will see ourselves on the other side often as alignment starts to shape college basketball. We won't be able to offset those effects Luke past years imo cause the Euro line won't be a sure thing. All those factors with the image of the WCC will put us in a tough spot. If we could find another feasible option to realign with a more doable scenario I'm all in but it's shrinking.

[gu03alum]

I would have opposed a move to the Big East as recently as last April when Gonzaga was playing in the Final Four and held a top ranking in every national poll.

Since April, we’ve seen some pretty significant changes to college sports. The latest round of conference realignment is aimed at packaging the biggest conferences to monopolize more and more of the available television revenue.

Gonzaga has maintained a national profile in spite of our WCC membership, because we have always been able to schedule high profile non-conference games and because so many of our games are broadcast on ESPN. As the power conferences consolidate their membership, they will leave fewer open games to schedule against unaffiliated programs. The new alliance between the ACC, Big Ten, and PAC-12 will obligate those schools to play a portion of the non-conference games against each other. They may only have a few remaining “cupcake” games to schedule. Those programs may not be able to schedule quality games outside of the alliance.

I also have doubts that ESPN will renew the ongoing WCC broadcasting arrangement when the current deal expires. Losing BYU really hurt the league for those negotiations. At some point ESPN may try to poach the PAC-12 or even the Mountain West from other networks in order to secure late night content for the future.

Gonzaga might have an opening to move to a bigger league simply by offering that league a slate of Gonzaga home games to fill a later broadcasting time slot. The Big East might be that league. What if it wasn’t? What if Gonzaga approached the BIG XII with a proposal to fill 20+ broadcasting slots per year with BYU and Gonzaga home games? That would be a better slate of games than the full Mountain West or WCC schedules. We would stipulate that we collect no share of the football revenue, but we would significantly improve the basketball product for that league.

The Big East will have a chance to renegotiate it’s television rights in just a couple of years. Could the Big East make a play for a better TV deal if the league added a dozen Pacific Time Zone games to the package?

I don't see why the big 12 or pac 12 is not an option even though we don't have football. Notre Dame joined the ACC without football.

[zagdontzig]

What makes you think the WCC will let the non-basketball sports stay in the WCC? You just took the WCC's biggest funding source away and gave them the middle finger what incentive do the WCC member schools have to allow the non-revenue generating Gonzaga sports teams to stay in the WCC? You seem to think that Gonzaga has a say in where their non-revenue generating sports teams play, which is simply likely not the case. IMO, the WCC says, you made your choice to move to the Big East, take your non-revenue generating teams with you and now live with the ramifications of your choice.

You are correct in that the basketball teams and donors have to foot the bill for the non-revenue generating sports which is true no matter where you play.

While I think it would be the best of both worlds, FOR GONZAGA, to take basketball to the Big East and leave all of the other sports teams in the WCC, I don't think Gonzaga is going to be given that choice.

ZagDad

It's a bit of a staring contest, but I imagine if the Big East looked like a real possibility, Gonzaga could work out a fee to keep non-basketball sports in. Your point is well-taken; why would the WCC enable Gonzaga's departure with that deal? The counter to the WCC is to take what they can get now, or face a future realignment (MWC?) with a regional conference where they're left with nothing.

In the alternative, take the mens' and womens' basketball teams to the Big East, then have non-basketball sports pay-for-play in the Big Sky or MWC.

[TravelinZag]

Basketball, M and W, only. Zags have no other revenue sports.

[NotoriousZ]

Good point on the WCC and the Zags being the cash cow... Cut a deal where the Zags will play 4 to 5 WCC teams in the OOC portion of the season each year .... all as the visiting team so WCC schools can generate revenue... in exchange the WCC allows the Zags to keep the other sports in the conference.

Logic says any NCAA funds due to GU would disappear with a move to the BE.

Just my opinion

Go!! Zags!!!

I like this idea. We need cupcakes in the schedule too (zing)! And I would make it a requirement that we would have to alternate the home court advantage of every team we play. Wouldn’t want to play SMC on the road every time.

[DonJuan]

If Gonzaga basketball leaves the WCC, all of your sports would have to leave too. Why would the WCC keep Gonzaga's non revenue sports? I think many schools would love to save the money on the Spokane trips. And, be careful, because the WCC doesn't have to take you back if things don't work out.

[zagdontzig]

If Gonzaga basketball leaves the WCC, all of your sports would have to leave too. Why would the WCC keep Gonzaga's non revenue sports? I think many schools would love to save the money on the Spokane trips. And, be careful, because the WCC doesn't have to take you back if things don't work out.

1. The record reflects you read the first seven posts in this thread, then ignored the rest before posting.
2. Powerhouse basketball programs that fly around in private jets and count tournament payouts in million-dollar increments don't care whether their conference schools save money on bus trips.
3. The WCC would take us back in a heartbeat. The WCC would let us abuse it and treat it like a disposable solo cup we threw out, decided to rinse off and use one more time, and it would be grateful for the treatment.

[SorenTodd45]

No, no, a huge no. Gonzaga is a west coast university. Yeah, they are on the Idaho border, but c'mon, it's still the west coast-ish. Might as well ask UCLA to leave the Pac-12.

[DonJuan]

That is not what I have heard. The other WCC members did not like when Few strong armed them last time on the schedule change. They are tired of it, quite frankly. And the WCC/WCAC existed without Gonzaga for many years. It will survive without Gonzaga. And it will give other schools a chance to make the Tourney. And please stop with the "we'll allow the WCC teams to play us in the OOC". Thanks for the favor.

First, the Big East is not what you think it is. Many of the teams that have been named in this thread are in the 50's in the Kenpom, lower than St. Mary's and USF. Providence, Marquette, Butler and Depaul are bigger names, but are middle of the NET level teams. Would you rather play St. Mary's in Moraga and the Dons in SF, or travel 3,000 miles to play Providence or Seton Hall? Or travel to Chicago and play a very mediocre DePaul? 2021 Conference RPI rankings? Big East was 6. Guess who was No. 5? You are not joining the ACC, Pac 12, or the Big 12.

Second, you will lose many more games. Lots of travel and playing in huge arenas. Expect 7-8 losses a year. There goes your No. 1 seed, which is essentially guaranteed by the WCC.

[GonzaGAW]

i voted yes

- my reason is gonzaga and the wcc cannot survive by remaining static. the wcc and gonzaga knows this. for 10-12 years the wcc and gonzaga have been trying ot get new gyms and better players to come to the wcc....but it does not seem to improve much.
- i'm known for being a champion of the wcc, i always point out that after the big 5 and the big east, the wcc is usuall 2nd or 3rd best conference after those 6. but we never see 3 teams in the tournament, usually it is just gonzaga and sometimes st. mary or byu.
- say what you will about byu, but them leaving hurts the wcc.
- the business adage, if you (the wcc) are not growing, you are dying is true in college sports. i do not see the wcc growing, i.e. better schools, better teams.

- thus i think if invited we go, it is that simple. yes logistices, yes extra travel costs, yes that may hurt a couple of other sports, but we gotta move to survice........just my opinion.