Posted by alblack56 on 12/24/2012 6:10:00 AM (view original):
From today's "New York Post'
(This is the first time I've heard George Mason mentioned over Creighton)
The plan is that starting in 2014 there will be two conferences, sources told The Post.
One league will comprise the seven Catholic schools — DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall and Villanova — plus five schools from the following group: Butler, Creighton, Dayton, Duquesne, George Mason, St. Louis and Xavier.
A Post source said though St. Mary’s and Gonzaga are attractive candidates, the travel costs to fly non-revenue teams cross-country will almost surely make adding them prohibitive. The source said Butler, Dayton, George Mason, St. Louis and Xavier are the top five options as the league seeks to transform into an elite, 12-team, hoops conference.
My guess is that Xavier and Butler are as good as in the new conference.
Next would be the desire to add to the midwest footprint with Creighton and St. Louis. If they add these 4, VCU could be the 12th.
Gonzaga is great option and I'd guess it's up to them if they can handle all the travel to the Midwest and East (an extra $3 million a year in media rights may help them decide).
I find it interesting that St. Mary's is so heavily discussed as a potential travel partner with the Zags. They are in the same time zone, but they're over 800 miles from Gonzaga/Spokane. Why not add Tulane as a travel partner with Xavier?