BillsFever
06-25-2003, 05:23 PM
The ACC's reported stunning move to invite Miami and Virginia Tech to go to an 11-team conference raises a host of questions that won't be easily answered by an official announcement from the league Wednesday:
What happens next?
Under the ACC bylaws, the conference has to visit Virginia Tech for a site survey and continue official dialogue with the two schools (they already visited Miami). Miami and Virginia Tech have to deliberate and decide if they want to accept.
Will Miami and Virginia Tech accept the offer?
Miami wanted to join the ACC with Boston College and Syracuse because the Hurricanes don't want to lose their trips to the Northeast to appease an alumni base. Miami also didn't buy into the expansion plan for an 11-team league without a football championship game and the expected revenue that would come from that deal. The Big Ten, which has 11 members, doesn't have a football championship game so there is no reason to believe the NCAA would automatically change the rule to allow a conference with fewer than 12 teams to hold an event.
If the ACC did have 11 teams then the question remains, how would the divisions be divided? One with six and one with five would lead to an imbalanced schedule and the failure to crown a true champion.
Miami has to decide if the Big East has gone too far in its comments and with a lawsuit before opting to return. But the Hurricanes might find the money is a wash and simply wants to get out of the Big East.
Personal relationships would also be burned. Miami president Donna Shalala is a close friend of Syracuse chancellor Buzz Shaw. Leaving Syracuse behind could leave scars in the relationship.
Virginia Tech would be in the awkward position of joining a conference that it is a plaintiff against in a lawsuit with four other Big East members. The Hokies would take a public relations hit as being hypocrites if it were to immediately join the ACC. Virginia Tech is only in this position because its rival Virginia was pressured into voting for the Hokies.
What happens to men's basketball with 11 teams?
The product is diluted. The ACC would be like the Big Ten and have no-play games during the season. The ACC coaches were willing to go from 16 to 18-league games if the conference added just Miami. But the ACC wouldn't play 20 league games. That means adding four more conference games.
ACC schools like Duke or North Carolina value their non-conference schedules for TV games, neutral court games and a few guaranteed- win games. They won't sacrifice their non-conference schedules for the sake of having a true champion in a complete round-robin format.
The conference tournament would have an opening round and last four full days with no day off and that's if everyone was invited to the event.
And what does the ACC get in hoops? Not much. Virginia Tech has been one of the worst programs in the Big East. Miami turned the program around under Leonard Hamilton with a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2000 and Perry Clark was able to keep the 'Canes in NCAA contention the following season. But the 'Canes missed the NCAAs last season.
Adding Syracuse would have made a significant difference to the basketball power rating. Expanding to Virginia Tech and Miami does very little.
http://espn.go.com/ncaa/news/2003/0624/1572526.html
What happens next?
Under the ACC bylaws, the conference has to visit Virginia Tech for a site survey and continue official dialogue with the two schools (they already visited Miami). Miami and Virginia Tech have to deliberate and decide if they want to accept.
Will Miami and Virginia Tech accept the offer?
Miami wanted to join the ACC with Boston College and Syracuse because the Hurricanes don't want to lose their trips to the Northeast to appease an alumni base. Miami also didn't buy into the expansion plan for an 11-team league without a football championship game and the expected revenue that would come from that deal. The Big Ten, which has 11 members, doesn't have a football championship game so there is no reason to believe the NCAA would automatically change the rule to allow a conference with fewer than 12 teams to hold an event.
If the ACC did have 11 teams then the question remains, how would the divisions be divided? One with six and one with five would lead to an imbalanced schedule and the failure to crown a true champion.
Miami has to decide if the Big East has gone too far in its comments and with a lawsuit before opting to return. But the Hurricanes might find the money is a wash and simply wants to get out of the Big East.
Personal relationships would also be burned. Miami president Donna Shalala is a close friend of Syracuse chancellor Buzz Shaw. Leaving Syracuse behind could leave scars in the relationship.
Virginia Tech would be in the awkward position of joining a conference that it is a plaintiff against in a lawsuit with four other Big East members. The Hokies would take a public relations hit as being hypocrites if it were to immediately join the ACC. Virginia Tech is only in this position because its rival Virginia was pressured into voting for the Hokies.
What happens to men's basketball with 11 teams?
The product is diluted. The ACC would be like the Big Ten and have no-play games during the season. The ACC coaches were willing to go from 16 to 18-league games if the conference added just Miami. But the ACC wouldn't play 20 league games. That means adding four more conference games.
ACC schools like Duke or North Carolina value their non-conference schedules for TV games, neutral court games and a few guaranteed- win games. They won't sacrifice their non-conference schedules for the sake of having a true champion in a complete round-robin format.
The conference tournament would have an opening round and last four full days with no day off and that's if everyone was invited to the event.
And what does the ACC get in hoops? Not much. Virginia Tech has been one of the worst programs in the Big East. Miami turned the program around under Leonard Hamilton with a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2000 and Perry Clark was able to keep the 'Canes in NCAA contention the following season. But the 'Canes missed the NCAAs last season.
Adding Syracuse would have made a significant difference to the basketball power rating. Expanding to Virginia Tech and Miami does very little.
http://espn.go.com/ncaa/news/2003/0624/1572526.html