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'For every head coach in the Big East, today was a frightening day' BY BILL KOCH | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER Since the day in November 2003 when the University of Cincinnati accepted an invitation to join the Big East Conference, school officials have talked about the boost membership in the elite conference would provide the school's athletic program. But Sunday, after the Bearcats (19-12) were shocked to discover that their string of 14 straight NCAA Tournament appearances had come to an end, interim head coach Andy Kennedy said that being a member of the Big East might have actually hurt the men's basketball program. Kennedy had been so confident UC would make it that he was telling his players the past two days during practice that they should relax, they had nothing to worry about. They were in. Then the hammer fell. And just like that, all that the Bearcats had accomplished this season against such overwhelming odds didn't seem to matter. "I made no qualms about it," Kennedy said. "If this team did not get to the NCAA Tournament, I felt like we failed. I know our kids, because of the proud heritage of this program, are very upset right now." Kennedy said the only reason he could think of for why UC was left out was that the selection committee was reluctant to take nine teams from the Big East. "To me, the only explanation is that despite the rhetoric that we hear about not putting caps on teams from one league, I think they did not feel justified in allowing nine teams from one conference," Kennedy said. The committee took a record eight teams from the Big East - Connecticut, Villanova, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Marquette, Syracuse and Seton Hall - breaking the previous mark of seven from one league. "I need the truth to be told and the truth to be told is that we can't give one (conference) nine bids, so for every head coach in the Big East, today was a frightening day," Kennedy said. What happened to UC is exactly what some Big East observers feared would happen when the league expanded to 16 teams this season, forming a conference that some called the most powerful college basketball had ever seen. But Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said repeatedly the league would not be too strong for its own good, that the committee had assured him each team would be viewed on an individual basis and that there would be no limit placed on how many teams could be invited from one league. When told Sunday night that Kennedy believed UC was left out for that very reason, Tranghese - who served on the committed from 1997-2001 and was chairman in 2001 - urged restraint before jumping to conclusions. "I'd like to think that's not the case," Tranghese said. Craig Littlepage, the Virginia athletic director who chaired this year's committee, said UC received serious consideration. He implied that the Bearcats had been left out because of the season-ending knee injury to forward Armein Kirkland on Jan. 9. The Bearcats went 5-10 after Kirkland's injury, but beat Syracuse and West Virginia, both of which made it to the Tournament. "Cincinnati's record after a season-ending injury was considered (as a negative factor)," Littlepage said. "Yes, Cincinnati did have a very good season. We have two gallons of water and a one-gallon container." The Bearcats knew they had hurt their cause when they lost to Syracuse in the first round of the Big East Tournament on a last-second shot by Gerry McNamara. But that loss seemed to be less damaging after Syracuse went on to knock off No. 1-ranked Connecticut and eventually won the tournament. Their Feb. 28 loss at Seton Hall also hurt. Littlepage said the Syracuse loss is not what kept UC out of the 65-team field. "No, no," he said. "We looked at every aspect of the body of work. To try to pin it on ... we try not to put that much importance on one individual game." But Littlepage has said repeatedly that the committee does put a lot of importance on the strength of a school's nonleague schedule. If that's the case, Kennedy said, UC should have been in. The Bearcats were ranked No. 40 in collegeRPI.com, with a schedule ranked as the fifth-most difficult in the country. Their non-conference schedule was ranked No. 22. They were 11-11 against teams in the RPI top 100 and won four games against RPI top 50 teams. They were 8-8 in the Big East. "The whole thought process, not only from Mr. Littlepage, but from years past was that we understand sometimes in league play you don't have control over your league schedule," Kennedy said. "They really want you to control the part you can, which is your nonleague, which is what we did very aggressively." Littlepage said RPI is not as powerful a tool as some believe. "It's one of the tools we have at our disposal," he said. "It gets far too much (credit) as a determinant. What gets a team into the Tournament is a team that plays well in its conference schedule." Tranghese was as perplexed as Kennedy. "I just don't know what their thinking was," he said. "I thought they had done enough, both in the league and outside the league, to warrant a bid. You don't know what goes on inside the room." What went on inside UC's locker room as the players, coaches and staff watched the selection show was severe disappointment mixed with disbelief. "I'm just terribly disappointed for these kids," Kennedy said, "especially for these seniors. It's not a fitting way for it to end."

Posted on Mon, Feb. 20, 2006 Setting the stage for a turnaround in SJSU football UNIVERSITY SEEMS INTENT ON BUILDING A WINNING TEAM Mercury News Editorial The current motto on the San Jose State University athletic Web site proclaims: ``It's a new day in San Jose.'' At long last there may be a truly new day for the Spartans and their fans, who have endured nine losing football seasons in the past 10 years while compiling a dismal 38-77 record. San Jose State University President Don Kassing said Thursday that Spartan Shops will no longer control Spartan Stadium and that the athletic department will oversee the facility. That is welcome news. The move opens the door not only to needed improvements in the university's athletic department, but also to future cooperative ventures between the university and the city of San Jose. Kassing's commitment to building a competitive Division I athletic program is becoming increasingly obvious. Since he became interim president of the university in 2004 and then president in May, he has: • Hired a new athletic director, Tom Bowen, with a proven track record in fundraising. • Hired a football coach, Dick Tomey, with a proven track record in turning programs around. • Given control of Spartan Stadium to the athletic department, meaning it will receive the revenues generated from parking, concessions and marketing efforts, which could prove to be lucrative if the team becomes more successful and draws larger crowds. • Proclaimed Louisville and Cincinnati as role models of regional universities with successful Division I athletic programs that he wants the university to emulate. Now that Kassing has made the commitment, it's put-up-or-shut-up time for the football program, which is running out of excuses for five consecutive losing seasons and lackluster attendance for decades. For years, many have questioned -- with good reason -- whether the university should even continue to play at the Division I level. Last year the team averaged just over 12,000 fans per game, putting it near the bottom for average attendance by any of the 123 Division I universities. Kassing's move to put the stadium under control of the athletic department also opens the door to the possibility of any number of options concerning development of the university's athletic facilities and its south campus. Spartan Shops, a non-profit auxiliary corporation formed by SJSU, runs the food service and bookstore operations on campus. San Jose State has been the only school in its conference that did not have its athletic department controlling its stadium. Bowen argues that diminishes the game-day experience for most fans and hinders fundraising. Kassing said he also is encouraging the city to ``think big'' about working with the university to create a more vibrant campus and downtown connection. He wants to continue to significantly increase the percentage of students living on campus -- eventually to 6,000, or 20 percent of the university's students -- which will create an obvious need for additional facilities. He has also said he would be receptive to looking at new proposals to help bring a Major League Soccer franchise back to San Jose. An upgraded Spartan Stadium could be the only way to make professional soccer work in the South Bay. A more vibrant campus with an array of activities, including a winning football team? Those are difficult challenges that will require deft maneuvering in the years to come. The Spartans have one additional reason for hope -- CollegeFootballNews.com recently named Tomey's recruiting class of 2006 the best of any school in the Western Athletic Conference, including Fresno State. Time will prove whether it's a new day, indeed, at San Jose State University.

Send a copy to you know who.

Good. That was my concern was that they weren't going to change the color either. I assumed by "the jersey's will be the same as last year" that it included color. Maybe now there is hope?

Oops, I sure did. I got the list off the Rutgers site and they didn't include themselves on that list...&*^%$.

But is it realistic to be taking time away from the other "probable" starters and main backups in the practice game situations? Don't they need the practice time more? Do we really need a 4th string QB at this level?

Sure, why not? Nothing else has changed up there from last season.

I think he was referring to a MGC function, like the old Quarterly Meetings. I don't recall any kickoff luncheons recently, just the end of season awards banquets. I also don't recall any call for an AC Capital Campaign of members. Maybe we're missing some invites here?

Cincy is whinning they were left out of the NCAA basketball tourney (because the Big East already had 8 out of 16 schools in it). It was said perhaps joining the Big East has hurt Cincy's ability to get into the Dance? Could this cause the Big East to split football/basketball schools? ....................................................................................................................... "The Bearcats were left wondering if it hurt them to join the Big East. They were 8-8 in the basketball-rich conference, with a nation-high 16 teams." "I'm open to anyone telling me a justifiable reason as to why this team did not get to the NCAA tournament other than, 'Andy we can't let nine teams from one league get in. It sends the wrong message,'" Kennedy said." ....................................................................................................... This could cause the football playing schools to break off from the non-football schools. They all have good basketball but there's too many schools in the conference to justify giving 9-10 bids from 16 teams. Look for a new Big East to form soon, perhaps helping UNT in the process? Big East Conference today: Cincinnati* Connecticut* Georgetown DePaul Louisville* Marquette Notre Dame Pittsburgh* Providence Rutgers* St. John's Seton Hall South Florida* Syracuse* Villanova West Virginia* * Football playing school **Add Memphis with the other football schools to have a nice, tough all-sports conference: (you could also add UCF or Marshall for additional fodder) New Big East? Cincinnati Connecticut Louisville Memphis Pittsburgh Rutgers South Florida Syracuse West Virginia ** This would cause CUSA to need additional schools (like UNT?).

This is what will cause the football playing schools to break off from the non-football schools. They all have good basketball but there's too many schools in the conference to justify giving 9-10 bids from 16 teams. Look for a new Big East to form soon. Big East Conference today: Cincinnati* Connecticut* Georgetown DePaul Louisville* Marquette Notre Dame Pittsburgh* Providence Rutgers* St. John's Seton Hall South Florida* Syracuse* Villanova West Virginia* * Football playing school **Add Memphis with the other football schools to have a nice, tough all-sports conference: (you could also add UCF or Marshall for additional fodder) New Big East? Cincinnati Connecticut Louisville Memphis Pittsburgh Rutgers South Florida Syracuse West Virginia ** This would cause CUSA to need additional schools (like UNT?).

Cincinnati was left out of the NCAA tourney: The Bearcats were left wondering if it hurt them to join the Big East. They were 8-8 in the basketball-rich conference, with a nation-high 16 teams. "I'm open to anyone telling me a justifiable reason as to why this team did not get to the NCAA tournament other than, 'Andy we can't let nine teams from one league get in. It sends the wrong message,'" Kennedy said.

True. But you can't motivate people by waiting for them to become motivated on their own.

Nothing new here really about other facilities that wasn't previously known. What I'd like to see is an updated timeline on everything and a REAL fundraising update and specific drive for each venue. Of course that would take supporters that have confidence in the direction of the programs and I think there needs to be some discussion about that too. Too many secrets.

Yes, they were much better than us but only 8-5. Previous records: 2005: 8-5 2004: 0-11 2003: 3-9 2002: 7-5

I'm waiting for the briefs and boxers to come out next.

The Atlantic Sun is not exactly loaded with known basketball powerhouses, then neither is the SunBelt: Lipscomb Belmont Florida Atlantic Gardner-Webb ETSU Stetson Kennesaw State Campbell Mercer North Florida Jacksonville

Agree, Memphis would be a Big East first choice, good travel partner with Louisville. Memphis also has good football and basketball teams and facilities, and could bring the Liberty Bowl. UCF has good location, but lousy football and basketball. Marshall likewise has bad basketball and is in Hicksville.

OU has played at Tulsa a couple times. It's mainly to accomodate the OU-alums in Tulsa. Although their stadium looks Fouts-ish I believe it can hold 40,000, 25K of which will be Sooner fans. And why did we turn down a home game with BYU again??

I'll take it, where do we sign?

Sunday, February 19, 2006 (2/19) Report: TU and OU agree to series Oklahoma-Tulsa agree to series: Daily Oklahoman via NewsOK.com reports: Oklahoma and Tulsa have verbally agreed on a three-game football series, OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said Saturday. OU will play at Tulsa's Skelly Stadium in 2007. Tulsa will play at Owen Field in 2009 and 2011. The contract has not been officially announced, but OU's 2007 schedule also includes home games with Miami and North Texas.

SMUt may not think of us as a rival but us fans will act like it next season!

Was he the color commentator on the telecast? How was the picture quality on it? They had a general PA announcer at Fouts, not for all the plays and it seemed like they kept a running clock most of the time.

Woody would work well as a Ja'Mel Branch type player, use his speed and running ability other than as QB. But doubt we'll see that change, DD wants more than one QB available.

Phillips could have had over 400 yards passing if 2-3 long balls weren't tipped away at the last second. He reminds me a little of Scott Hall. I'd start Phillips with Wilson in for a change of pace as it sounds like Dickey plans to do to start the season although I hate rotating QBs. WW still runs too much up the middle; he gains yards but is too open for big hits from a LB.

Offseason Blues or just been through too many battles in this Army? Others have already given up the good fight when they saw no signs of light or life. I'm not getting any younger either and I'm tired of guessing about the direction this wagon is heading. Either we want to be a 1-A program and work to act and look like it or we just can't. If we can't afford it yet but we want to do something about it then that needs to be expressed too; soon before we lose many more longtime fans. I see some positive signs of progress in facilities and rumors of other conferences watching us then I see signs of total collapse in some sports, a non-focus against our main moveup competition, and a constant spin on it all. A lack-of-hunger, as one player put it, concerns me. The rewarding of continuity based solely on seniority concerns me also as a financial supporter. Banter about further delays in football stadium priority only highlights if there is indeed a real goal or timeline or just more talk. The seemless futility of it all wears a fan down to the point of surrender and a change in one's time and financial priorities. I'm looking for answers but they're not easy to find these days; too many Chiefs not enough Indians. If you read between the lines of things going on at UNT it's not all good I fear.