Despite comments from Big East Commissioner John Marinatto that he "expects his league to secure a lucrative TV deal next year on the same scale as the one anticipated before the departures of Pitt and Syracuse," sources said that that "is not likely," according to Lenn Robbins of the N.Y. POST. A media exec said, "When you lose a market like Pittsburgh, which is 20th or 21st, and you lose Syracuse, which has a lot of appeal in the New York market, that's a lot to lose." Robbins notes the Big East "has already begun moving to add Navy and Air Force, which because of their presence worldwide contain significant value." The academies' "presence on ships and on military bases is a huge potential market." Sources said that the league "also is evaluating the benefits of inviting Baylor, Iowa St., Kansas, Kansas St. and Missouri" (N.Y. POST, 9/22). A Big East official said that four or five of the conference's schools "were committed to keeping the league together but the other two or three needed to know where the league was headed before a firm commitment was made" (USA TODAY, 9/22). A source said that UConn "twice declined to pledge its long-term allegiance -- after the departures of Syracuse and Pittsburgh last Sunday and again at a hastily called league meeting on Tuesday night." In Hartford, Dom Amore notes UConn is "keeping its options open," and "as the dominoes have fallen, teetered or stayed upright, it seems less likely that staying in the Big East would be the best option" (HARTFORD COURANT, 9/22).
COMING ON BOARD? Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino said that he "was told that the Big East will add service academies Air Force and Navy by the end of the week -- but only in football." Pitino added that the conference "was trying to secure Air Force and Navy before the departures of Pitt and Syracuse." ESPN.com's Andy Katz noted Navy is an independent, but Air Force "would have to decide if it makes sense to leave the Mountain West for football and keep its other sports in the league." The MWC "has a similar reverse deal with Hawaii joining the conference in 2012 only for football" (ESPN.com, 9/21).
