ESPN's Andy Katz posts on what he thinks college basketball needs to remain strong and healthy, focusing on teams and schools with name recognition.
In the Big East:
In the Big East: St. John's and DePaul must be players again. These are two storied programs in the sport. There's no question that a strong Red Storm program, with a galvanized fan base filling Madison Square Garden, is a plus for college basketball. Along with a relevant Illinois, having DePaul play meaningful league games against Notre Dame and Marquette in the Chicagoland area would awaken the college hoops fans in that Midwestern media hub as well.
"Need" is a strong word. But St. John's actually filling the Garden, being a big name in New York? That's a plus plus. DePaul I take some issue with - they have only been in the Big East for a few years, and their glory days, while nice, ended around 1992, when many of today's fans were not watching college ball.
St. John's, and New York, have been pretty weak in basketball on the college and pro levels for much of the decade. But as markets go, New York is one that college basketball needs to have engaged in the game.