In your opinion, do you believe the addition of Temple is a net positive or negative for the Big East?
BE: From the perspective of the conference-as-a-whole, it is a positive. The Big East needed a school that could come in and play football this fall and of the schools that were both willing and able to do that, the Owls offered the most to the conference.
In basketball, the Big East loses a lot with Syracuse, Pittsburgh and West Virginia on the way out the door and there really weren't a lot of great brands in the sport outside of the power conferences. Memphis and Temple were two historically-strong programs that will presumably perform well in the Big East conference.
In basketball, the Big East loses a lot with Syracuse, Pittsburgh and West Virginia on the way out the door and there really weren't a lot of great brands in the sport outside of the power conferences. Memphis and Temple were two historically-strong programs that will presumably perform well in the Big East conference.
What is the overall take on adding Temple from the Villanova fan base?
BE: I think the feelings on the Main Line are very mixed on the addition. Most Nova fans do seem to like playing Temple regularly and a lot will look forward to the game every year. The flip side is that there are also concerns that recruiting will be impacted negatively (a concern I wouldn't think has much merit since neither school relies exclusively on the Philadelphia market for recruits), as well as a certain amount of disappointment over the way that Villanova football has been treated in the past year. There was some hope that Villanova football would receive an invitation to play Big East football at the same time as Temple.
Overall, what do you think the addition of Temple does for the rivalry between the Owls and Wildcats?
BE: You have to hope that it will make the rivalry more relevant. Villanova fans are split on their feelings about the Big 5, but Big East games are always a big deal. Add to that the fact that pretty much every Villanovan knows a few people who went to Temple and vice-versa, and things should be at least a bit more heated going forward.
What is your stand on the preservation of the Big Five? What does the city rivalry mean to VU?
BE: Personally, I have always been in favor of keeping the Big Five going. I think it is a great tradition that has helped college basketball become relevant in Philadelphia. For Villanova, however, there is definitely a divide in the fan-base between the older alumni who remember the round-robin's glory days and younger alumni who don't feel as strong a connection to the tradition. That latter group of alumni tend to prefer playing more "national" games.
I think that maybe the alumni would feel a greater connection with that tradition if it had always been left intact. Losing the streamers and moving the games on campus hasn't helped and at Villanova, the event security has banned roll-outs from the student sections on campus for too long.
BE: Personally, I have always been in favor of keeping the Big Five going. I think it is a great tradition that has helped college basketball become relevant in Philadelphia. For Villanova, however, there is definitely a divide in the fan-base between the older alumni who remember the round-robin's glory days and younger alumni who don't feel as strong a connection to the tradition. That latter group of alumni tend to prefer playing more "national" games.
I think that maybe the alumni would feel a greater connection with that tradition if it had always been left intact. Losing the streamers and moving the games on campus hasn't helped and at Villanova, the event security has banned roll-outs from the student sections on campus for too long.
How do you see the Big East TV negotiations panning out?
BE: I tend to be on the more optimistic side of things — I think that they ultimately will do better than the offer ESPN made last spring.
There is some talk that the market may have peaked already now that the ACC and SEC have reportedly had difficulty getting more money for their expanded leagues. It is important to remember, however, that those leagues were already signed to long-term contracts with their television partners and couldn't sell their rights to anyone else — meaning they had only minimal leverage.
Meanwhile, NBC and Fox have brand-new cable sports networks with a big need for content and it appears that the Big East will be fielding competing offers from at least three or four bidders.
There is some talk that the market may have peaked already now that the ACC and SEC have reportedly had difficulty getting more money for their expanded leagues. It is important to remember, however, that those leagues were already signed to long-term contracts with their television partners and couldn't sell their rights to anyone else — meaning they had only minimal leverage.
Meanwhile, NBC and Fox have brand-new cable sports networks with a big need for content and it appears that the Big East will be fielding competing offers from at least three or four bidders.
In your opinion, how does the conference look five years down the road?
BE: That depends entirely on how the television contract pans out. If the conference does well in television negotiations, things could stabilize, and they may even add one or more quality football programs without suffering additional losses. If the Big East schools do significantly worse than the ACC television deal, then it is very possible that more conference members could end up moving to different leagues.
Any changes are far more likely to come from the football side than the basketball side of the conference, however. The major players on the basketball-only side won't support any talk of splitting the Big East up.
Any changes are far more likely to come from the football side than the basketball side of the conference, however. The major players on the basketball-only side won't support any talk of splitting the Big East up.
As someone outside of the A10, where do you rank the 2012 A10 among the major basketball conferences?
BE: The Pac-12 has been a huge disappointment in the last few years despite their revenue advantage over the A-10. I do think that UCLA will bounce back sooner than later and that the Pac-12 will eventually regain some strength, but in the meantime the Atlantic-10 is almost guaranteed to finish the 2012-13 season stronger.
The A-10 will be one of the top-6 conferences in the 2012-13 season if not better. Butler will "bounce back," if you can call it that, and VCU should continue to be a strong program. Since no programs leave until after the coming season, the Atlantic-10 should only be stronger until the departures kick in.
The A-10 will be one of the top-6 conferences in the 2012-13 season if not better. Butler will "bounce back," if you can call it that, and VCU should continue to be a strong program. Since no programs leave until after the coming season, the Atlantic-10 should only be stronger until the departures kick in.
Give us a WAY TOO EARLY idea of what to expect from Jay Wright's squad this season.
BE: I hate to make a prediction like that because it really is way too early. Losing Maalik Ways, Dominic Cheek and Markus Kennedy certainly isn't a huge benefit to the Wildcats, but the team could still be improved. JayVaughn Pinkston is emerging as a star player, and Wright has high expectations for Ty Johnson as well.
Whether the 'Cats are looking at a trip to the postseason or not may depend highly on what the two incoming freshmen, Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu, can provide. It will also be interesting to see what transfer Tony Chennault will offer to the Wildcats and what his role will be (a starting point guard or coming off the bench).
If I had to be more specific, I think the team will show some progress this season, but is probably likely to fall short of an NCAA bid, barring a big run in the Big East tournament (which will only feature 14 schools).
Whether the 'Cats are looking at a trip to the postseason or not may depend highly on what the two incoming freshmen, Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu, can provide. It will also be interesting to see what transfer Tony Chennault will offer to the Wildcats and what his role will be (a starting point guard or coming off the bench).
If I had to be more specific, I think the team will show some progress this season, but is probably likely to fall short of an NCAA bid, barring a big run in the Big East tournament (which will only feature 14 schools).
What is your favorite moment between the Owls and Wildcats?
BE: Probably the midnight game in 2003, it was really my personal introduction to the rivalry and was such a unique situation between the two schools working so hard to come to a compromise for the sake of the Big 5. Things got heated quickly between two student fan bases that were, uh, less-than-sober, and the game had a great atmosphere at the Liacouras Center.
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Please be sure to check out VUHoops.com (@VUHoops) and to follow Brian Ewart on Twitter: @brian_ewart for all the latest on Villanova hoops.
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