Mailbag 9/14: Will Big East Reconsider And Allow UConn Into Garden Party?

Question: Do you think the Big East  will reconsider and allow UConn to play in the MSG Tournment in March? Seems to me the  Big East is shooting itself in the financial foot by not allowing UConn to play while allowng those schools that are bailing from the conference to play. And what’s it’s going to look like if one of those schools wins the tournment, which may very well happen.

Larry R.

Hockessin, Del.

A: Larry, it’s a long shot. No one at UConn is optimistic at this point about the chances The Big East will reconsider, because Conferences are not inclined to do anything that runs counter to the NCAA.

That said, it’s clearly worth a try. And UConn probably will try at future league meetings. UConn could make the case, as it certifies its 2011-12 APR scores long before the tournament, that its most recent grades warrant the league to make its own conclusion based on the more recent information. I would suppose, in this event, all the league scores would also have to have  their APR documented by a certain date. When the vote was taken last March, there were schools on the way out of the league that were voting, teams on the way in that were not. So if the issue is re-opened, it could be a significantly different slate of school presidents doing the voting, and, of course, a new president is in place.

 Moreover,  The Big East, given its current state, would do well to show as much loyalty as it can to schools it hopes will remain loyal to the league.

But the most compelling points are probably yours, Larry. The Big East hurts itself and the tournament financially with UConn on the outside, and where there are financial considerations, there can often be found and will and a way. So UConn should try to re-open this.