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Big East commissioner John Marinatto arrived in Philadelphia yesterday ready to officially invite six schools to join the conference. The problem is, he needs seven.
The defection of West Virginia to the Big 12 leaves the football conference with five teams. As of last night, Temple had garnered the support of a key Big East voice, Louisville men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino.
“We must have Temple and Fran Dunphy in the Big East,’’ Pitino told The Post. “We all understand that football drives the bus. It’s corporate greed at its best. But we can’t forget the basketball core that this league was founded on — great basketball in urban markets.’’
Pitino also has been campaigning hard for Memphis, but he said he always had Temple as a first choice. If Temple is going to get an invite, it might come at the 11th hour.
A Post source said Marinatto did not meet with Temple officials on the eve of today’s annual meeting of league presidents and athletic directors in Philadelphia.
If Memphis gets the seventh slot over Temple, it will be a puzzling move. Memphis has a Top 10 men’s basketball program, but its football program is dead weight. Sources said Memphis-based Federal Express is ready to pump more money into that program.
But as of today, the inclusion of Memphis could hurt the Big East’s standing as an Automatic Qualifier (AQ) in the BCS. Memphis is 2-7 this season and has won three games combined in the two prior seasons. But the basketball team has 18,000 season-ticket holders.
Pitino’s words carry weight. He and Marinatto share a close relationship from their days together at Providence.
The addition of Temple or Memphis would restore some of the luster the Big East lost when Pitt and Syracuse announced their move to the ACC. A basketball league with Connecticut, Marquette, Georgetown, Villanova, Cincinnati, St. John’s and Temple or Memphis would be as good as any in the country.
As reported last week in The Post, the Big East is poised to invite Air Force, Boise State and Navy for football only and Central Florida, Houston and SMU in all sports.
The Post also reported last week West Virginia’s decision to leave the Big East for the Big 12 next season would end up in court. Yesterday the Big East acknowledged West Virginia had filed suit to leave on its own terms.
“We are disappointed that West Virginia has adopted this strategy and cannot imagine why it believes it does not have to respect and honor the bylaws it agreed to as a member of the Big East,’’ Marinatto said in a statement released by the league. “ Based on an initial review of the lawsuit, it is clear that the allegations and claims in it are false and inaccurate.”