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[QUOTE="Antiprodigy, post: 33224, member: 582"]
You are forgetting the fact that football drives the bus, not basketball.  From an economic standpoint, basketball is an also ran.  Schools do not make conference affiliation decisions based upon any other sport.  That is the fact, and failure to accept that fact is failure to accept reality.

I don't disagree that you want a strong basketball conference as a whole, rather than just a few very top level teams, but long term, what you need is to be in a conference that has solid football programs, with members who feel comfortable and secure.  You also want to be in a position that will allow you the opportunity to reach the very highest levels (BCS bowl).

The BE could not or would not provide that security to the football schools.  so, ultimately, that is why they left.  First Miami, VT & BC, and now SU & Pitt.

I have no idea whether the ACC will ultimately provide that security or not.  Only time will tell on that.  There certainly has been comments about FSU, especially.
Though, agreeing with raising the cost to leave the ACC to $20 million certainly seems like solid support, stranger things have happened.

And as for UCONN, there is no fear of them, but like in any business, you want to put yourself in as good a position as you can, and handicap your rivals as much as possible.  I agree with the previous poster, that it is preferable to leave UCONN behind in a less prestigious league.  With less prestige, inevitably comes less interest from the top players.

As SU competes with UCONN for a significant number of its players, this puts SU at a competitive advantage.  It isn't fear, it is smart business.
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