I forgot to post this Friday. The SEC and Big East have finalized the long rumored Hoops Challenge between the two conferences. From SECSports.com:
Four different teams from each conference will be selected to participate for the next four years and the format will feature doubleheaders played at two off-campus sites.The December 2007 double headers will take place in Birmingham and Philadelphia.
- Dec. 5th - Birmingham
WVU vs. Auburn at 7:00 pm on ESPN2
Georgetown vs. Alabama at 9:30 pm on ESPN
Dec. 6th - Philly
South Carolina vs. Providence at 7:00 pm on ESPN2
LSU vs. Villanova at 9:30 pm on ESPN
If the series is 4 years * 4 games, hopefully that means every SEC team will get to participate in the event at least once. You'd think UF, UK and UT would get first dibs on a second game, but I'd like to think the love will be shared. Given that Auburn is participating (and they blow), it looks like UGA will get to participate.
It will be interesting to see which six cities get the other spots in the eight neutral site rotation. You would think the Meadowlands, Madison Square Garden, Chicago's United Center, Atlanta's Philips Arena, Nashville's Gaylord Center, and Indianapolis would be at the top of their wish list. This is one of those moments were geography and TV markets could work to our favor. We'll see.
See Also:
-- SEC vs. Big East in Hoops - AL.com
-- Suggested Matchups for Big East/SEC Challenge - GSB (April 2006)
PWD
4 comments:
At first I was having trouble figuring out why Indy or Chicago would be used, but then remembered that ND and Rupaul were in the Big East. Given that I work about a fifteen minute walk from Conseco Fieldhouse, I'd love to see that.
BTW, if Billy Humphrey's cousin Matthew winds up at Georgia, I could definitely seeing us play a game in Chicago against Rupaul, UIC or Illinois. And that would make me happy (though I could probably do without the conflict of a Georgia/Illinois game).
While I wish the Challenge had a few more participants per year, I'm glad we're doing this with the Big East rather than the Big 12, as was originally rumored. The Big 12 had two of its best coaches poached last week, and isn't likely to be very much beyond KU and UT for quite some time.
Don't forget Marquette. They are only 95 miles from Chicago.
ssb charley-
Are you also a grad of both UGA and UI? I thought I was the only one. I tend to be a bigger Dawg fan in the fall, and pick up my interest in the Illini during basketball season.
Pulpwood Smith
Nope, just an Illinois sidewalk alum. Grew up in Carbondale and went to high school in the late 80s when the Flyin' Illini (with Carbondale alum Steve Bardo at the point) were riding high. Nearly went there for law school, but liked UGA a bit better. Father, mother and two grandfathers either attended or graduated from UI, but I did not.
I pay a lot more attention to Illini hoops than I do football, but I follow UGA hoops about as closely as I do UGA football. It's just harder to be able to watch UGA basketball games up here in Indianapolis (though Illinois games are plentiful).
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