Louisville coach Rick Pitino Refuses to Schedule a Game with Boise State or San Diego State

by bluesyourdaddy on Dec 20, 2011 7:13 AM PST in News

Louisville coach Rick Pitino said he will never schedule a non-conference game against new Big East football-only members San Diego State and Boise State according to ESPN's Andy Katz. Last month Big East commissioner John Marinatto stated contractually that the Big East would negotiate in good faith with Boise State and San Diego to schedule home-and-home basketball agreements with member schools with a goal of four games per year — two home and two away. On December 6, Pitino couldn't praise Marinatto's negotiations enough in adding Boise State and San Diego into the Big East Conference and even mentioned that SDSU would "be a nice place to go" for basketball.

But now that the ink has dried on the agreement, Ricky is suddenly singing a different tune: "We would never schedule San Diego State or Boise State," Pitino is saying now. "We’ll play someone that makes sense geographically like Indiana."

That statement comes from a head coach from one of the present Big East members who is geographically one of the closest members to either San Diego State or Boise State, and who will probably be in the same Western Division of the league for football. That is disturbing considering that the Big East team does not have a problem scheduling patsies Fairleigh Dickenson, Tennessee Martin, and Butler and making sure nearly all preconference games give Louisville the home field advantage.

With the good faith articles of the contract with the Big East already in threat of being thrown under the bus, you have question what else might be in store for the Broncos and Aztecs by their new conference.

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coachspeak to English translator

“I love Big East basketball, but we’re joining the Big 12 as soon as the administration can work everything out, so we’ll be gone before we have to worry about this. DePaul can go to Boise.”

by drothgery on Dec 20, 2011 7:29 AM PST reply actions

The distant possibility of one day

going to the Big12 is no excuse to undermine the faith and trust of your conference commissioner. IF, and I repeat, IF the day comes when the Big12 really does consider adding the Cardinals to their conference that just might be one of the things they take into consideration.

Teamwork is what the Green Bay Packers were all about. They didn't do it for individual glory. They did it because they loved one another.---Vince Lombardi

by bluesyourdaddy on Dec 20, 2011 7:49 AM PST reply actions

No one has faith and trust in the Big East commissioner

Why would they?

And the Cards to the B12 is, well, extremely likely, not a distant possibility. So is UConn to the ACC (no matter what BC thinks). I’ll be shocked if they both haven’t been announced by the end of 2013.

by drothgery on Dec 20, 2011 9:51 AM PST up reply actions

The Big East commissioner sucks

You are so right. Marinatto is not a Dave Gavitt or Tranghese (sorry if I messed up either spelling). Marinatto completely messed up the football negotiations, did not move fast enough to build up the football side last year (when the Pac 12 made its move) so that it could have kept Syracuse and Pitt (and subsequently West Virginia). Though everyone picks on the Big East football, it does have some schools that are very popular from a TV perspective (Syracuse, West Virginia, Louisville, Cinci and Rutgers). The basketball schools ran roughshod over the football ones. The thing is, Big East Football and Basketball could have been combined into a massive TV contract with ESPN, which is what the ACC wants. Marinatto screwed this up big time.

Louisville is a great program in basketball. It has had some good years in football, including some recent years. It has a 22,000 seat basketball arena, so it’s big time. Pitino is a big-time coach. He’s kind of like Boeheim, where both are the power in the athletic departments at their respective schools.

Don’t be surprised if Louisville and UConn end up in the ACC (I just don’t see Rutgers, because it doesn’t bring enough to the table). I’m glad Pitino is now speaking up. I was at Syracuse when the Big East started up (I was there at the first Big East tournament in Syracuse), and I’ve been a fan for over 30 years. I despise Georgetown at a level that none of you could possibly imagine. I won’t even hire a Georgetown grad. :) But I’ve hated it over the past few years. I’ve hated knowing that Utah, my undergrad school, could probably beat every Big East team over the past 5 years (OK maybe not a couple of those West Virginia teams). Boise State and SDS

Go Cuse. Go Utes. Go Kings (hockey version). Go Panthers (hockey version). Go Marlins. Go Dodgers. I despise the NFL and NBA, so don't bore me.

by LeftCoastMan on Dec 20, 2011 12:41 PM PST up reply actions

The same academic snobbery that kept WVU out of the ACC

will keep Louisville, too. It’s Big 12 or bust for them (barring the SEC going to 16 and not worrying about market overlaps).

by drothgery on Dec 20, 2011 2:02 PM PST up reply actions

here we go

not too surprised by this. Does Rick Pitino know there is good talent out in California? If its a long trip play two games like on a Thursday/Saturday or Friday/Sunday combo and play a Pac 12 team or UNLV or Gonzaga.

I would put good money on DePaul being one of the teams to play SDSU and/or Boise. Basically the bottom teams.

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by Jeremy Mauss on Dec 20, 2011 11:00 AM PST via Android app reply actions

True.

but then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if UConn and SDSU had scheduled each other to keep last year’s intense style game. it could turn into a small rivalry, East vs West.

"Natty Light: For when you absolutely, positively have to knock uglies with a corn-fed co-ed from the opposing school who’s half your age." -- jonfmorse

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by greekpadre on Dec 20, 2011 1:04 PM PST via Android app up reply actions

the two schools are in talks to play

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by Jeremy Mauss on Dec 20, 2011 2:02 PM PST via Android app up reply actions

Rick Pitino is slimy and an a**hole.

GO ROCKIES!
I'm a believeR!

by HylianHero on Dec 20, 2011 1:53 PM PST reply actions

It is difficult

to envision this far flung conference surviving for very long. Of course, much will depend on the size of the TV deal the Big East can get and whether or not there are AQ’s beyond 2014. For Boise this may end up as a way to get their foot in the door of a bigger conference the next time things get shaky. It is a shame to see San Diego State sacrifice their excellent basketball team in order to get their historically unsuccessful football team in a marginally better conference whose stability is anything but certain. Maybe my take on that last part is wrong, but that is how it looks at this point in time, and Pitino’s comments seem to confirm that.

Gentlemen, you cant fight in here! This is the war room!

by MGBrand on Dec 20, 2011 4:02 PM PST reply actions

Is anyone surprised

So much for the commish “helping” schedule four Big East games… Big East basketball powers rule the roost, and Boise, SDSU, Houston, and SMU are now and will always be western outsiders. They were invited under the tent reluctantly and Boise and SDSU are no better than “the help”. SDSU and Boise had the BE over a barrel and didn’t take advantage. Ohh well… CSU Bakersfield and Utah Valley have open dates.

by cokolman on Dec 20, 2011 7:47 PM PST reply actions