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Report: Tulsa to join the (old) Big East, East Carolina to join as full member

Danny Manning

Tulsa coach Danny Manning gestures during the first half of his team’s NCAA college basketball game against Memphis in the Conference USA men’s tournament in Tulsa, Okla., Friday, March 15, 2013. Memphis won 85-74. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

AP

The carousel of conference realignment spins on.

According to a report from ESPN.com’s Brett McMurphy, Tulsa will be the latest school to switch conferences, joining the Big East later this year, with East Carolina joining as a full member in 2014.

Both programs will be leaving Conference USA as a result. East Carolina had initially announced it would join as a football-only member.

Tulane and Navy will round-out the 11 schools when they join. Navy is slated to join in 2015.

League commissioner Mike Aresco has not named expansion candidates, but said on Tuesday’s teleconference announcing the league’s media rights extension with CBS that the league expected to have “something relatively soon” on a new member.

“We are looking for a 12th team,” Aresco said. “Within the next few weeks, I think we’ll be able to announce a new member. We’ll have a member that brings great value to the conference.”

Aresco said Tuesday he expects the league to have 11 schools in 2014.


The search for a new name for the current Big East is nearing a conclusion.
“We are getting closer,” Aresco told ESPN.

Tulsa moving on to the Big East/soon-to-be-unnamed conference makes sense, even if just because it seems like every other current and former Conference USA member is doing the same thing. Geographically, it doesn’t make sense. But what does anymore with conference realignment?

From a basketball standpoint, East Carolina isn’t much to bring in with only two NCAA Tournament appearances, the last one in 1993. However, they did finish the season 18-11 this year under Jeff Lebo. Tulsa brings in better recent success, with their last NCAA appearance coming in 2003. They also have two NIT titles to their credit.

Follow David Harten on Twitter at @David_Harten