Into The Future: Big East Fridays?
While college sports media rights were a major story all summer, the Big East is quietly approaching its media rights renewal with Fox Sports.Per an article at Awful Announcing.com, changes to Fox programming may suggest that a Friday night sports bloc may open up as early as the fall of 2024."In a period of about six months [in 2018], Fox announced the following deals: reaching a television deal with the WWE to air Smackdown and moving that property to Friday nights where it would air almost exclusively on Fox...[and] acquiring the rights to Thursday Night Football," it writes. "Fox has now walked away... from Thursday Night Football, which moved to Amazon, and opting to not renew Smackdown, which will be heading to USA." (Following its acquisition of Big Ten and Big 12 media rights, Fox did not match USA Network's offer of $1.4 billion for a five year renewal of Smackdown, a two hour program which draws about 2.2 million viewers a week on Fox.) Former Fox Sports president Bob Thompson suggests that the Big East could be a mainstay of a Friday night lineup. "I would expect college football in September and early October," said Thompson, with "MLB LCS and World Series mid-October to early November. Maybe a bit more college football in November, then roll into Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East college basketball in December through early March." "What seems to be clear is that some sports will be coming to Fox on Friday nights," writes author Ben Koo. "Whether these are one-off games or seasonal, or they build out an entire series and brand around the concept remains to be seen." The current Big East media rights contract expires in April 2025. 2023-24 Game Times, TV Schedules Announced
Four national appearances on Fox highlight the broadcast schedule for the 2023-24 season.Georgetown's Dec. 9 home game with Syracuse will be broadcast on Fox, along with three Big East opponents, all on the road: Connecticut (January 14), Providence (January 27), and St. John's (March 9). A total of 21 games will be found on FS1 or FS2, three on CBS Sports Network, one on an ESPN network to be named later (November 15 at Rutgers), and one on the CW broadcast network (December 16 at Notre Dame), which is found at channel 50 in Washington DC.The November 18 home game with Mount St. Mary's is only listed as "TBD", suggesting Fox Sports has not bid on the game. A similar situation last year, where a lightly attended home game versus Wisconsin-Green Bay was only scheduled to be broadcasted locally but was later picked up on the Fox streaming platform. Radio coverage was not announced at this time.
Midnight Madness: M.I.A, or Just R.I.P.?
This weekend's homecoming at Providence College is capped off by "Late Night Madness", a debut for the Friars at Amica Mutual Pavilion, with floor seats going for as much as $300.
Nearly a quarter century after head coach Craig Esherick introduced the event on campus in 1999, Midnight Madness (aka Hoya Madness) appears to be gone for good. No current students were around for its last appearance in 2019, and instead of calling out Georgetown for the lack of an event, the HoyaBlue Instagram account has focused on a "meet the coach" night instead. Unlike many Big East fan bases, the first appearance of the Georgetown team before fans won't be until the season opener Nov. 7 versus LeMoyne."Properly planned, an open practice at Homecoming would have drawn thousands of students and those young alumni returning to campus for events around Saturday's homecoming game," we wrote in 2022. "The last Midnight Madness available to Georgetown students was [in 2019], when names like James Akinjo and Mac McClung were star attractions. Instead, while every other Big East school will sponsor a Madness-style event, or an exhibition game before students and homestanding fans, the basketball office will apparently do neither." "For some at GU, Midnight Madness has been a declining proposition in recent years. At its peak, Midnight Madness was broadcast nationwide on ESPNU and featured visits by prospective recruits and various hip-hop entertainers, from Warren Mathis ("Bubba Sparxx") to Doug "Doug E. Fresh" Davis. Recent years have not been as noteworthy. A 2017 appearance by rapper Robert Williams ("Meek Mill") was canceled when Williams was not allowed to travel to DC as part of his probation (Williams was the featured guest at this year's Hoops Mania at Villanova.) In 2019, GU officials hastily cancelled an appearance by John "Fabolous" Jackson when details of a plea deal on a domestic violence charge were brought to the University's attention. As more recruits visit schools earlier in the process, the wow-factor of an event like this has lessened, at least given Georgetown's diminished position in the sport in recent years." It wasn't always like this. "Midnight Madness is at the same time comforting and familiar, the annual welcome to my favorite sport," wrote John Hawkes (F'04) in 2011. "I normally can't get enough of this, and not just on account of the [GUGS] burgers. The pre-Madness festivities for Hoya fans are equal parts contemporary history lesson, carnival, and awkward freshman mixer." More from his column at GUHoyas.com, below: "Legends like the collection of Hoya greats at Midnight Madness tonight, in full: Lonnie Duren, John Duren, Mike Hancock, Gene Smith, Eric Smith, Mark Tillmon, Ronny Thompson, Chip Simms, Reggie Williams, Jerome Williams, Othella Harrington, Anthony Perry, Nat Burton, Omari Faulkner, Amadou Kilkenny-Diaw, Sead Dizdarevic, Jeff Green, Tyler Crawford, Patrick Ewing, Jr., Ryan Dougherty, Roy Hibbert, Greg Monroe... Midnight Madness is the annual beginning of basketball practice, but in a broader sense, it's a passing of the torch, from the legends before who built a program's tradition to the new crop of players who aim to protect it..."Hawkes and his classmates celebrate their 20th reunion next June; but today's generation carries one less tradition moving forward. Women's Basketball Coach Takes Leave of Absence
First year women's basketball coach Tasha Butts has announced a leave of absence with continued health issues following a 2021 diagnosis of breast cancer."Since her hiring in April, Tasha has proven to be a coach full of passion and drive," said athletic director Lee Reed in a statement posted Thursday evening. "As she battles this terrible disease, she continues to be an inspiration to our student-athletes, coaches and staff, and we will support her in this fight. Her community stretches from coast to coast, and I know that now, more than ever, we will band together to be Tasha Tough."Butts, 41, was named head coach in April. Assistant coach Darnell Haney, a former head coach at Jacksonville from 2018-2023, will serve as an interim coach. Georgetown: #22
Georgetown University is ranked #22 in the annual US News college rankings, which was released Sunday night. Georgetown was 22nd in last year's survey.A fairly static list over the years, 2023 sees some of the biggest changes to the top 25 in almost two decades, led by state schools, where California, UCLA, North Carolina, and Michigan all made major gains, the University of Chicago dropped from 6th to 12th, and Washington University in St. Louis, MO dropped from 15th to 24th. NYU fell out of the Top 25 altogether, dropping from 25th to finish 35th. Four of the top 25 and seven of the top 30 schools are located in California.Changes to the methodology in 2023 included eliminating metrics on alumni giving rates, class size, and high school ranking of admitted students. Georgetown has been ranked in the Top 25 every year since 1988. Here are the 2023-24 Top 25 Rankings:
Among Big East schools, Connecticut (#58, up nine from 2022), Villanova (#67, down 16), and Marquette (#86, down three) are the only other Big East universities ranked nationally in the top 100. Other nationally classified schools include Creighton (#124), DePaul (#151), Seton Hall (#151), St. John's (#163), and Xavier (#201). Providence and Butler are ranked in regional categories. Local schools included Maryland (#46), George Washington (#67), American (#105), George Mason (#105), and Howard (#115). 2023-24 Big East Schedules Big East schedules were released Friday morning, with Georgetown's schedule noted to the left.Some observations:
And...The Roster Arrives Nearly six months into the Ed Cooley era, the basketball office has, without comment, posted the 2023-24 team roster this afternoon.Ten scholarship players and five walk-ons (the most since the 1962-63 season) complete the lineup. A name missing from the lineup is forward Drew McKenna, who did not reclassify to college a year early and will likely complete his senior season instead.The complete list of players by number and position is posted to the right. Some details on the newest of newcomers:
Saturday Scrimmage Canceled Owing to NCAA compliance, Saturday's public scrimmage has been canceled, per an e-mail from the basketball office."Please note that due to guidance from the NCAA, the format of this weekend's event has changed," read the e-mail. "We hope you will still join us for a meet and greet and barbecue with the team, with remarks from Coach Cooley and a Big East preview. Please note that no scrimmage will take place."The issue appears to center on NCAA bylaw 17.4.2, which reads "An institution shall not commence on-court preseason basketball practice sessions before the date that is 42 days before the date of the institution's first regular-season contest." (Saturday is 52 days before the November 7 season opener.) A promotional activity prior to the 42 day window is permissible, but as long it does not involve a practice. A rescheduled date has not been announced. New Post-Season Option For Big East Teams? In the midst of contract negotiations with the Big East, Fox Sports is considering a new post-season tournament for Big East teams that did not qualify for the NCAA tournament, reports Seth Davis."Discussions are ongoing, but the current vision is for the event to include 16 teams that would play at T-Mobile Arena during the final week of March following the NCAA tournament's Elite Eight games," Davis writes in this link to The Messenger. "Under terms of the proposed arrangement, the top 16 teams in the Big 12, Big East and Big Ten that did not qualify for the NCAA tournament, as ranked by the NET, would be required to play in the Fox event even if they are invited to the NIT. Those three leagues have rights deals with Fox," he added.A 16-team post-season tournament for non-NCAA and NIT qualifiers was held in Las Vegas in 2016, but only eight teams committed to it and the event was defunct thereafter. Maj Gen. Dennis J. Murphy (1932-2023) One of the last surviving members of the 1953 NIT team died this past week, with the passing of 6-5 forward Dennis Murphy (C'53) at the age of 91.Wrote the Georgetown Basketball History Project: "A 1949 graduate of Cardinal Hayes HS, Murphy saw considerable action as a sophomore, with seven double figure scoring games and a season high 16 against George Washington in January, 1951. The Colonials were a favorite target for Murphy, who scored 60 points against GW over three seasons, including a career high 19 as a senior. He finished fourth in scoring as a senior with an 8.9 points average.Murphy graduated Georgetown in 1953 with a double major in history and government, and joined the U.S. Marine Corps at commencement, beginning a 34 year military career. A graduate of the Army Ranger School, he completed training at the the Amphibious Warfare School and attended the National War College; while stationed in Washington, he also earned a master's degree in international affairs at George Washington University. A decorated Vietnam era veteran (including the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit with combat V), Murphy was named commander of the USMC Basic School at Quantico in 1977, where he was selected for promotion to Brigadier General. Additional leadership at Camp Lejeune, NC and Fleet Marine Forces, Pacific soon followed. At the time of his retirement in 1987, Murphy had been promoted to major general and held command of the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune. Following retirement, Gen. Murphy served as the executive director of the Naval Historical Foundation." Per his obituary, his family added: "He was wise counsel to all he encountered. He was incredibly well read and passed an enthusiastic love of crosswords to his children and grandchildren. He was smart, sharp, and selfless in service to God, his family, and this nation. The passing of this Murphy giant leaves a giant hole in all of our hearts." Dennis Murphy is survived by his wife of 68 years, his daughter, two daughters-in-law, seven grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. A funeral Mass is scheduled for September 16, with internment to take place at Arlington National Cemetery later this year. Big East Schedules Coming Soon With nine weeks to the start of the 2023-24 season, the announcement of the Big East conference games and the start times for non-conference games is arriving soon.Last season's schedule was announced on September 9, with the availability at pro arenas an additional complication at four Big East schools (Georgetown, Marquette, Seton Hall, and St. John's.) An overlay of dates against the published schedules of the Wizards, Capitals, and selected concerts at the arena offer the following open dates: (Gray indicates an prior event that evening, green indicates a scheduled event in the early afternoon):
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