Tuesday--January 29, 2013

Matty V. has a story about UMass and Tulsa being linked to the new Big East (pay wall).

Partial quote:


"It’s likely that UMass, if given that opportunity, would make the jump. The prospect of being conference rivals with Connecticut and Temple, as well as having a likely more lucrative television deal, would be too good not to chase, despite knowing that the Huskies would jump ship at the first opportunity.

With the Atlantic 10 expected to lose at least Xavier and Butler, and perhaps Dayton, Saint Louis and maybe even Virginia Commonwealth to the new league featuring the Big East’s seven Catholic schools, the A-10 won’t be nearly as strong, making staying put a not especially enticing possibility for UMass.

The next wave of decisions could come some time in February."

The potential downgrade of the A10 would severely impact UMass hoops. Basketball is the only other revenue sport UMass has. The MAC is an excellent fit for UMass, but the bigger cash flow from the Big East and the return of rivalries with UConn and Temple would be too good to turn down.

The Hartford Courant says UConn should sit tight in the Big East.

UPDATE: MassLive.com has a story that the Big East and the Catholic Seven may break up as early as 2014.

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The Tampa Bay Times has a story about innovative recruiting measures and mentions UMass.

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CBS Sports says it was a banner year for MACtion, but UMass and Akron need to improve.

And we will.

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Manning to Victor Cruz highlights the NFC Pro Bowl rout.

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All the sports pundits were complaining about NIU being in the Orange Bowl.

The TV ratings were up 44% over the previous Orange Bowl featuring Clemson and West Virginia.

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