Note I am anything BUT a Pitino nut hugger but found this article interesting.
Last month, legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski called for the Big East and ACC to effectively merge and create a new “mega” conference on his SiriusXM radio show. St. John’s coach Rick Pitino is also on board.
Pitino, speaking on Krzyzewski’s show, supported the idea of a Big East-ACC combination. In fact, he said it’s something he spoke about with his peers, although it’s not necessarily gaining traction.
Pitino’s argument stems from NCAA Tournament access, but also the opportunity to increase revenue. Both the Big East and ACC received four projected bids in ESPN’s latest Bracketology, and Pitino argued the investment of a merger could pay dividends down the road.
“I’ve been trying to get them, and obviously I jumped on your bandwagon with the suggestion that you had about combining with the ACC because I’ve been trying to get them to start a Super League, basketball league, and get up to 18 teams, 16 teams,” Pitino said. “Eleven is just not enough. And right now, a little bit like the ACC, we’re not typical of the Big East of the past that’s getting eight or nine, 10 teams in the NCAA Tournament. So I think we are missing the boat if we don’t expand.
“Now, the presidents, most of the presidents – probably including mine, who’s a very knowledgable basketball fan – they think about money. They think about the bottom line. It’s like a company like Uber starting out and they’re losing $500 million a year, but they understand 10 years down the road, they’re going to be making $1 billion. We just can’t see that. We can’t see that there’s a lot of money to be made down the road if we form a Super League. Because we all don’t have football, we’re basically all Catholic schools with the exception of UConn, the bottom line is there. They’re just thinking of today. I wish they would add Dayton, Memphis, combine with the ACC and just have a super basketball league.”
Since 2014, the Big East has had five or more bids to the NCAA Tournament six times. The fewest appearances came last year with three teams – eventual national champion UConn, Marquette and Creighton – in the Field of 68.
On the ACC side, five teams reached March Madness in each of the last three years. However, the number of bids has decreased every year since nine berths in both 2017 and 2018.
That disparity, Pitino said, needs to change. He further made the case for a Super League with marquee matchups to bring in viewers.
“What gets me upset, Mike, when you started and I started, I think college basketball and college football were on the same level,” Pitino said. “The old days of Duke-North Carolina and the ACC, nobody could surpass them, TV-ratings wise. Today, football is dominating everything. A bad football game on a Saturday outdraws an NBA playoff game.
“So we need to do something about that in the Big East, and we want to build – the coaches, I think, are in favor of a Super League. I just think the presidents are against it.”
ESPN recently picked up its option on its media rights deal with the ACC, keeping the agreement in place through 2036. That decision came after Florida State and Clemson filed suit against the conference over an exit fee, and those lawsuits are ongoing despite ESPN’s move.
As for the Big East, the conference’s new media deal with FOX, NBC and TNT Sports will kick in next season. That deal will run through 2031 and received unanimous support from the 11 conference members.
The post Rick Pitino calls for Big East, ACC to combine: ‘I’ve been trying to get them to start a Super League’ appeared first on On3.
Last month, legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski called for the Big East and ACC to effectively merge and create a new “mega” conference on his SiriusXM radio show. St. John’s coach Rick Pitino is also on board.
Pitino, speaking on Krzyzewski’s show, supported the idea of a Big East-ACC combination. In fact, he said it’s something he spoke about with his peers, although it’s not necessarily gaining traction.
Pitino’s argument stems from NCAA Tournament access, but also the opportunity to increase revenue. Both the Big East and ACC received four projected bids in ESPN’s latest Bracketology, and Pitino argued the investment of a merger could pay dividends down the road.
“I’ve been trying to get them, and obviously I jumped on your bandwagon with the suggestion that you had about combining with the ACC because I’ve been trying to get them to start a Super League, basketball league, and get up to 18 teams, 16 teams,” Pitino said. “Eleven is just not enough. And right now, a little bit like the ACC, we’re not typical of the Big East of the past that’s getting eight or nine, 10 teams in the NCAA Tournament. So I think we are missing the boat if we don’t expand.
“Now, the presidents, most of the presidents – probably including mine, who’s a very knowledgable basketball fan – they think about money. They think about the bottom line. It’s like a company like Uber starting out and they’re losing $500 million a year, but they understand 10 years down the road, they’re going to be making $1 billion. We just can’t see that. We can’t see that there’s a lot of money to be made down the road if we form a Super League. Because we all don’t have football, we’re basically all Catholic schools with the exception of UConn, the bottom line is there. They’re just thinking of today. I wish they would add Dayton, Memphis, combine with the ACC and just have a super basketball league.”
Since 2014, the Big East has had five or more bids to the NCAA Tournament six times. The fewest appearances came last year with three teams – eventual national champion UConn, Marquette and Creighton – in the Field of 68.
On the ACC side, five teams reached March Madness in each of the last three years. However, the number of bids has decreased every year since nine berths in both 2017 and 2018.
Rick Pitino: ‘Football is dominating everything’
But Rick Pitino also noted the TV ratings gap between college football and basketball. During the 2024 college football season, an October game between Georgia and Texas was the most-watched regular season game with 13.2 million viewers. So far in the 2024-25 college hoops campaign, Illinois vs. Arkansas brought in 5.1 million on Thanksgiving after directly following an NFL game.That disparity, Pitino said, needs to change. He further made the case for a Super League with marquee matchups to bring in viewers.
“What gets me upset, Mike, when you started and I started, I think college basketball and college football were on the same level,” Pitino said. “The old days of Duke-North Carolina and the ACC, nobody could surpass them, TV-ratings wise. Today, football is dominating everything. A bad football game on a Saturday outdraws an NBA playoff game.
“So we need to do something about that in the Big East, and we want to build – the coaches, I think, are in favor of a Super League. I just think the presidents are against it.”
ACC, Big East media rights deals run into next decade
As for how feasible Rick Pitino’s would be in the near future, media rights would complicate things. Both the ACC and Big East have agreements in place that run through the next decade.ESPN recently picked up its option on its media rights deal with the ACC, keeping the agreement in place through 2036. That decision came after Florida State and Clemson filed suit against the conference over an exit fee, and those lawsuits are ongoing despite ESPN’s move.
As for the Big East, the conference’s new media deal with FOX, NBC and TNT Sports will kick in next season. That deal will run through 2031 and received unanimous support from the 11 conference members.
The post Rick Pitino calls for Big East, ACC to combine: ‘I’ve been trying to get them to start a Super League’ appeared first on On3.
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