From a WVU Board

[jkwuc89]

I don't know if it'll matter or not, but the city of Cincinnati will likely become a 2 BCS basketball school town-- with XU being invited to join the Big East and UC joining the Big 12.

Basketball thankfully does not have a BCS type system. Eggs-avier potentially joining the Big East may help their basketball team but will still keep them as UC's little brother in town because Eggs-avier does not play football.

[RedRocker]

They have not upgraded.

It is a great place to watch a game.

If you want to go for the concourses or the concessions, just stay home.

But you cannot have a better atmosphere for a basketball game.

And you can add this...there are always tickets available at game time for a team that played in the National Championship Game.

I don't need creature comforts. I'm all about watching the game. Hinkle has a lot of character that cannot be duplicated much like Nippert, Wrigley, Fenway, etc.

[Bearcat Otto]

I don't need creature comforts. I'm all about watching the game. Hinkle has a lot of character that cannot be duplicated much like Nippert, Wrigley, Fenway, etc.

I agree with you and I have been to many games at Hinkle.

But some go for other reasons.

[08bearcat]

X's building.

[swilsonsp4]

X's building.

While overall facilities can make an impact on a kid's recruitment decisions, what's more important is the status of the program.

XU (let's admit it) has been a national name for several years now. They play in a secondary league with a lot of teams, but little depth. Their facilities are excellent.

UC has, under Mick, rebuilt the program. Yes, the Shoe is dated, but I seriously doubt that it's a turn-off to the players. They could care less about sight lines and uncomfortable, pink benches in the upper atmosphere. They do care about crowd size. That comes with winning. When UC was on top and challenging for a national title, the Shoe was packed; not because it was new, but because the Cats dominated virtually every team that entered the gym.

Let's say that an eventual merger or melding occurs between the BE and B12, as the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram suggests. (http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/09...st-big-12.html). And, let's say XU, Butler and UD move to a revamped BE, while Mizzou goes to the SEC. The two conferences would look like the following, given that UConn and WV don't jump elsewhere:

BE: XU, Butler, UD, Marquette, DePaul, Seton Hall, St. John's, Providence, Georgetown, Notre Dame. That's ten schools and they could add Temple and another team to get to twelve. It's also a very good and competitive conference.

B##: TX, TX Tech, Baylor, OK, OK St, KS, KS St, IA St, UC, UofL, WV, USF, Rutgers, UConn, TCU and one other university to get to 16 (BYU, perhaps, if some issues can be resolved, such as Sunday play and their own TV network).

Looking at football, this would be a dynamite superconference. Not the SEC, but outstanding and guaranteed to keep BCS status.

Looking at basketball, which would be better: the new, reformulated BE or a conference whose only weak links would be USF, TCU and Rutgers?

I'm a UC fan and could care less about XU. I want to pound the Muskies into submission perennially. However, it doesn't hurt the Bearcats for XU to be good. It keeps the rivalry hot and makes Cincy one of the best college basketball cities in America.

Again, while facilities are important, what really counts to talented players is how strong a program is and whom they're facing. Having KU come to the Shoe would be rocking, even more so than Cuse or Pitt.

[cpawstoney]

WVU football: LSU game had lowest rating of ABC prime-time games in 2011

http://dailymail.com/Sports/WVUSports/201109293136

Oh! This has to sting! Will This affect WVU's chances to get in the SEC???

[jadam222]

WVU football: LSU game had lowest rating of ABC prime-time games in 2011

http://dailymail.com/Sports/WVUSports/201109293136

Oh! This has to sting! Will This affect WVU's chances to get in the SEC???

They think they already won the SEC if you read their boards. They also act quite pompous about the Big 12 - as if it would be lucky to get them. Somehow, they forget that there are only a few lifeboats and its all of us that need the boats not the other way around. I did notice that a large part of their board really lack English and writing skills - not kidding.