Memphis and Houston playing for the Big East basketball championship?

It sounds strange, but it could happen.

With established powers Syracuse, Pittsburgh and West Virginia on their way out and former Conference-USA schools Memphis, Houston, SMU and UCF on their way in, the Big East will look dramatically different in a year or so.

All those schools are set to join in 2013, meaning by the time of the 2014 Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden, it’s at least possible Memphis and Houston – or for that matter, SMU and UCF — could play for the title. (more…)

**PROGRAMMING NOTE: Memphis basketball coach Josh Pastner will be my guest on ‘The Big East Report’ on Thursday. Check back here and on SNY.tv tomorrow for the interview.**

Everyone in the college basketball world knows Josh Pastner can recruit.

The Memphis coach signed ESPN’s No. 4 recruiting class nationally in 2010.

His current roster includes McDonald’s All-American Joe Jackson and Jordan Brand All-Americans Will Barton and Wesley Witherspoon.

Now that Memphis is headed to the Big East beginning in 2013, Pastner and his staff will have recruiting entree to the rich talent corridor from New York to Washington, D.C. (more…)

Rick Pitino appears to be getting his way.

Memphis and the Big East are negotiating to make the Tigers an all-sports member of the league beginning in 2013, Brett McMurphy of CBSSports.com reported.

“Memphis would be an awesome addition,” Pitino, the Louisville basketball coach, told SNY.tv last fall, referring to their basketball program. (more…)

When Louisville’s Chane Behanan and Notre Dame’s Pat Connaughton were named co-Big East Rookies of the Week this week, they became the eighth and ninth different players to win those honors this year.

What that shows is that the league is loaded — loaded — with talented frosh.

We’re still about a month away from the official naming of the All-Rookie team but here is the ZAGSBLOG Big East All-Rookie Team for 2011-12. (more…)

Louisville coach Rick Pitino says Louisville will remain in the Big East and won’t head to the Big 12.

“I doubt it,” he said on Thursday’s Big East conference call. “I think that there was a chance last year but from what I understand some of the members of the [Big 12] conference don’t want to split the revenue and they want to stick at 11, so at least personally I’m hoping we stay put.

“But you never know in this landscape today, I don’t decide those things.” (more…)

NEWARK — Eleven Big East teams remain alive for an NCAA bid.

That’s not to say 11 will make it. They probably won’t.

But 11 teams are currently at or near the .500 mark in the league, which generally is good enough to generate an invite to the Big Dance.

After Saturday’s wild day of action, the following teams are above or at .500, or within striking distance: Syracuse (9-1), Marquette (7-2), Georgetown (6-3), Notre Dame (5-3), USF (5-3), UConn (4-3), Louisville (5-4), Cincinnati (5-4), West Virginia (5-4), Seton Hall (4-5) and Rutgers (4-5). (more…)

The Big East is hosting a 3 p.m. conference call with Navy officials reportedly to announce that Navy will join the league for football only in 2015.

ESPN and CBSSports.com first reported the news, and it was confirmed by The Associated Press.

The Big East has been courting Navy, a football independent, for months and service academy officials had made it known they liked the idea of joining.

But when the Big East added Boise State and San Diego State as football-only members and Houston, SMU and Central Florida as full members in December, the Midshipmen were not ready to get on board. (more…)

ACC Commissioner John Swofford announced Thursday that the ACC will move next year to an 18-game league schedule from the current 16-game slate.

“Our member institutions have been talking about this increase for awhile and knowing our league will be expanding to 14 in the future, we’ve decided to move to an 18-game conference schedule next year, regardless of our membership number,” Swofford said in a statement.

“The additional conference games create a more equitable schedule and we’ve received significant feedback from our fans for more conference games.” (more…)

If you think a 16-team basketball conference in the Big East is big, just wait until the 2013-14 season.

There could potentially be an 18- or 19-team Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden in March 2014.

“We have a 16-team tournament now,” Big East Commissioner John Marinatto said Wednesday on a conference call. “Anything is possible.”

With the additions of Central Florida, Houston and SMU, the league will jump to 19 basketball teams in 2013. (more…)