Moving on up: Butler to Join Big East

The official logo of the 2013 Big East Tournament held annually at MSG. Butler is expected to announce next week their decision to leave the Atlantic 10 for the Big East at the end of the season. (Photo by Big East)

The Butler did it again.

No not in the form of an upset victory, rather this time in the form of another conference switch.

For the 2nd straight year, Butler will jump conferences and join the newly forming Big East(more popularly known as the “Catholic 7”,) at the conclusion of this season, according to the Indy Star and long-time beat writer for the Bulldogs David Woods, who first broke the story late Thursday evening.

An announcement is expected to be made by Butler sometime next week.

Unbelievable. Truly Unbelievable.

Three years ago people were poking fun at the Bulldogs asking “Who’s Butler?” “Where’s Butler?” or my personal favorite, from a girl in Duke’s student section at the 2010 Final Four, “Mom send money…to tip our Butler”.

They were but a Cinderella in the Horizon League, a conference that boded well with Butler at the time. However, similarly to a child and slip-on sneakers, eventually they outgrew the conference and moved on to bigger things..the Atlantic 10.

This move gave true excitement to myself and the entire Butler community. The Bulldogs were growing up right before our very eyes. The Atlantic 10 was a quality conference frequently known for producing multiple at-large bids into the NCAA Tournament. They would no longer have to worry about losing on the road, because a loss against La Salle is exponentially less damaging to a tournament resume than a defeat to Youngstown State.

At this point, I figured the growth was over. Butler had grown more in a year than I ever thought possible. If they were to stay in the A10 forever I would have been perfectly happy…but then, almost as suddenly as Butler’s move to the A10 occurred,rumors started to leak out to the public.

“Catholic 7 to leave Big East, form own conference, eye new members”

“Butler to Big East?”

It wasn’t until December when Butler President James Danko released a statement, that I knew Butler’s growth wasn’t finished just yet and that the impossible could very well happen again.

“The fact that Butler is now being mentioned prominently as a potential candidate to join the “Catholic 7” universities in a new athletic league, is a tribute to the success of our athletic program overall and our men’s basketball team, in particular….Our administrators, our coaches, our trustees and our team will continue to do what is right for Butler and its students. Decisions will be made, first and foremost, with the University’s strong values and The Butler Way at heart,” said Danko in his statement.

If you were going to stay in a conference that you had just joined a year prior, why would you not openly reaffirm your commitment?

Because Butler still had one more rung on the ladder to climb: be apart of a “Power Conference”.

And that’s exactly what the Big East offers.

A bigger recruiting market, eight times more money in revenue than the $400,000 Butler currently receives in the A10, and a chance to forever cement Butler as a national university.

On smaller notes:

1. Butler will still play their postseason tournament in New York, however instead of playing in Brooklyn at the Barclays like they do in the A10, they’ll take their talents to Manhattan and play at Madison Square Garden. (Had you told 10 year old me that Butler would play at MSG on an annual basis I would have thrown a basketball at your head).
2. Assuming an announcement is made next week, their rivalry with Xavier will continue because the Musketeers are expected to join as well.
3. The Bulldogs can now be spoken,(as if they couldn’t have been before), in the same sentence as: Georgetown, Villanova, St. John’s, Providence, Seton Hall, Marquette and DePaul(the members of the “Catholic 7” Big East).

Today, (and next week when the official announcement is made), will be a day that I never forget. Since I was just a little Bulldog I’ve wanted nothing more than for Butler to be spread into a national brand and be recognized and respected just like all the other top programs in the country.

While I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined this would happen, I’ve never been happier or more proud in my entire life.

Little Old Butler.

To quote my favorite poster at Hinkle Fieldhouse, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

That fight has taken Butler to back-to-back Final Fours, two new conferences, and potentially an Atlantic 10 Championship in their first and only year in the conference.

Big East…

Are you ready?

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