The ACC men's and women's basketball tournaments will be “two games, and one day, longer when Syracuse and Pittsburgh finally arrive from the Big East,” according to J.P. Giglio of the Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER. Conference ADs and basketball coaches yesterday “settled on a format for the expanded, 14-team tournament” at their spring meetings. ACC Commissioner John Swofford said that both tournaments will include all 14 teams. Giglio also notes the league's football schedule will “expand to nine conference games, one more than the current format, when Syracuse and Pittsburgh join the league.” Syracuse will "play in the Atlantic Division and Pitt will be in the Coastal Division." The expanded conference schedule “eliminates one of the four nonconference games on the schedule” (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 5/17). Swofford said that conference members “prefer a postseason plan for football that would incorporate the bowls for at least the semifinal stage of a four-team playoff with conference champions meeting ‘a certain standard within the rankings'” (AP, 5/17).
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: ESPN.com’s Andrea Adelson noted Swofford would “like to see Pitt and Syracuse join the ACC sooner rather than later, but that decision rests in the hands of the schools and the Big East.” He would also “like the ACC to continue its bowl tie in with the Orange Bowl.” Swofford said that “future expansion is not on the horizon.” Swofford: “Every time you make a jump, it’s a different configuration. It brings a different set of circumstances and different challenges. But I would tell you that expansion to 16 at the moment is not something that’s on our front burner” (ESPN.com, 5/16).
PAYING TRIBUTE: In Orlando, Matt Murschel notes Swofford took a moment yesterday to remember former Univ. of Miami AD Paul Dee, who passed away on Saturday. Dee was “instrumental in helping move the school from the Big East to the ACC.” Swofford said, “I was very, very fond of Paul. ... A wonderful and extraordinarily bright man who gave a lot to Miami and gave a lot to the Atlantic Coast Conference” (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 5/17).
GOOD TALK: In Tallahassee, Ira Schoffel notes Swofford confirmed that he "has spoken with Florida State officials about the scuttlebutt regarding the Seminoles considering a move to the Big 12.” Swofford said that the conversations “didn’t interfere” with the conference meetings. Swofford spoke with an FSU delegation at the meeting that included AD Randy Spetman, Senior Associate AD Monk Bonasorte, football coach Jimbo Fisher, men’s basketball coach Leonard Hamilton and women’s basketball coach Sue Semrau. Swofford said that he also “chatted with FSU president Eric Barron.” In his first public comments about the situation, Swofford said he “anticipates" that FSU and the ACC will have a bright future together (TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT, 5/17). Meanwhile, former FSU football player Derrick Brooks on "The Tim Brando Show" yesterday said, “The Big 12 is coming after us. There's no doubt we're going to listen. If anyone comes in and talks, there's no harm in listening to what the pitch is. There's been no commitment at all.” Spetman said, “I don’t know what Derrick said. I don’t know where Derrick got that” (TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT, 5/17).
BOOMER SOONER: Univ. of Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione said that in regard to any postseason football format, the school's “top priority is clear: protection of the regular season.” Castiglione: “If our regular season is strong, our postseason will be strong, too. If we make this all about the postseason, we will have made one of the colossal errors in college football.” He added, “Every Saturday matters. The idea that when we host football games on our campuses, it's important. We don't have that in college basketball right now. ...The games need to matter in the minds of the stakeholders in college football. That's what draws television ratings and ticket-holders. That's what draws attention to the sport in general” (NEWSOK.com, 5/16).
HEFTY, HEFTY: In Orlando, Iliana Limon notes leaving Conference USA for the Big East could cost the Univ. of Central Florida, Univ. of Houston, Univ. of Memphis and SMU “as much as $7 million apiece in exit fees.” In the past, C-USA has been “willing to trade games with remaining members for reduced exit fees.” C-USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky said that “this time around, though, the league will not be negotiating reduced fees in exchange for nonconference games.” Banowsky added that he “didn’t recall the timeline for the payments, but they are broken up into installments” (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 5/17).
