Decourcy article on conference realignment

From Mike DeCourcy:

ACC basketball will never be the same

Expansion will ruin conference
as a hoops-first coalition

Oct. 27 — This season’s ACC opener will send Wake Forest over to North Carolina’s Smith Center on December 20. The Demon Deacons and Tar Heels are expected to be among the leading contenders for the conference championship, so it is an appropriate beginning to such a significant season.

This is the last season of genuine ACC basketball, before the league is diluted and polluted in a manner that ought to make Phil Ford, Len Chappell, David Thompson and Christian Laettner ill. So we should savor every game on the schedule.

Fans of other conferences have grown weary of being reminded how special this league has been. This is a good time for them. Soon, they will see the ACC surrender its double round-robin schedule, its distinct regional flavor, its prominence as a basketball-first coalition. These detractors are among the beneficiaries of the colossal conference reshuffling that commenced with the ACC’s expansion invitations to Virginia Tech and Miami last spring and climaxed with Boston College’s recent decision to become its 12th member.

There are winners and losers throughout the sport.

WINNERS

The ACC elite. Making conference membership less exclusive decreases the ability of other members to trade on their affiliation in recruiting. Thus, established programs (such as Duke, Maryland and North Carolina) with established coaches (such as Mike Krzyzewski, Gary Williams and Roy Williams) have a more distinct advantage. In the eight years before the Big East expanded in 1995-96, five of the league’s nine members made at least five NCAA appearances. In the eight years since, only Connecticut and Syracuse have.

Conference USA refugees. Marquette, DePaul, Cincinnati and Louisville merely are awaiting their confirmation hearings for Big East membership. It only was two years ago that the Cardinals lost recruit Sean May partly because he couldn’t see himself playing Southern Mississippi and Tulane. Prospects should be more impressed by the chance to play UConn, Syracuse and Notre Dame.

The Bigger East. The four new members will bring a combined five national titles and 18 Final Fours, the most recent being Marquette’s trip last April. Based on the 2002-03 Ratings Percentage Index, the new Big East would have had the most top 70 teams (11), the most top 50 teams (eight) and the most top 15 teams (five). The league now has the potential to be the best basketball conference.

The Atlantic 10. This is on the condition that the conference adds Saint Louis and Charlotte. There are a few cranks among the league’s presidents who contend this is not the move to make because it will stretch the boundaries and shift the balance of power more firmly toward members in the Midwest. But this league can’t pass on an opportunity to improve. Now, if only it could jettison some of the dead weight at the bottom.

LOSERS
Boston College. The Eagles weren’t especially powerful as members of the Big East, with a 78-94 record in conference games over the past decade. They’ll experience the same sort of isolation in their new ACC home as Virginia Tech has endured during its time in the Big East. It’ll be a while before BC plays in the NCAA Tournament again.

Memphis. Although coach John Calipari maintains he can keep the Tigers competitive at a national level by scheduling high-profile nonleague games and winning Conference USA, the loss of rivals Cincinnati and Louisville has to sting. If the Tigers are smart, they’ll work hard to convince the Bearcats and Cardinals to start nonconference series.

Stability. A 16-team Big East is a temporary solution. For amusement purposes only, the over/under for a split between football and basketball schools has been established at four years. Enjoy it while it lasts.

 

the cranks are why I referred to this as "not a done deal" last week. Hopefully the vote is in our favor. I would be curious what kind of vote it takes to expand. Wasn't the ACC a simple majority? I can't remember.

 

Re: Re: Decourcy article on conference realignment

ACC needed 7-of-9 to expand.

 

Re: Re: Decourcy article on conference realignment

No, I think it had to be 7 (maybe 6?) of the 9 members. That is why VA's no vote ruined the whole thing.

 

Everyone thought Florida ST. would be a basketball power house after joining the ACC. It didn't happen. It won't happen with Miami, V-tech and B-college either.

The Big East will be the best college basketball conf. year in, year out.

The Big East football conf. will suck.

 

Exactly Barry. Upon adding Fla. St. the acc thought 2 things would happen...1) It would raise the level of acc football, and 2) it would raise the level of Fla St. basketball.

Neither has happened. You could argue that the both deteriorated.

Acc expansion will do nothing but hurt the current 8 sorry sisters of acc football. Fla st, miamai, Va tech and BC will continue to thrive and the rest of the conference will get worse in football.

All the greedy acc has done is weaken the football programs of the original 8.

 

Hamilton has got his recruits in now. I would love to see how this pans out if FSU were to get in the mix with Wake, UNC, Duke and Maryland.

 

Yeah, but now they have the best of both worlds.