The Catholic 7

The consortium of schools known as the Catholic 7 are parting ways with the football element of the Big East, that much we know.  What we don't know is what their new league will look like or what it will be called.  There are plenty of candidates out there for inclusion, most of whom come from the Atlantic 10.  Here they are:

Xavier--this Jesuit school in Cincinnati is most definitely a lock to join the Catholic 7.  They have a large fan base and plenty of basketball pedigree

St Louis--another Midwestern, big city, Catholic school.  The Bilikens have had their ups and downs but right now they are on an upswing so I think they will be going too.

Butler--4 years ago I would have laughed at the notion of Butler joining up with the Catholic 7.  Two National Championship appearances later things are different.  No, they aren't Catholic, but they are a private school in a large Midwestern city in a state that passionate about basketball.  had Notre Dame still been with the Catholic 7 they might have gotten passed over but I think they are definitely in the mix and one Minnesota newspaper has reported that the Bulldogs and Xavier were locks for membership in the Catholic 7

Dayton--an excellent Catholic basketball school in the Midwest with tons of success and pedigree.  The only downside is that they are not in large city and they are in the shadow of Xavier.

Creighton--this Catholic school in Omaha has been mentioned frequently in expansion talks.  I'm not a huge fan of their inclusion but they are definitely part of the discussion.  They are a solid team however and they would deliver a new market, albeit not a huge one.

Duquesne--Duquesne hasn't had the most success of these candidates in recent years but they are in a large market that would help bridge the geographic gap between the Midwestern and East Coast flanks of the conference.  They are a Catholic school too which might help their candidacy but they haven't really been mentioned much in discussion talks

Richmond--this private school isn't Catholic but they are a basketball power and they would provide a southern travel partner for Georgetown.  Their name hasn't come up much in the expansion articles so far but I wouldn't rule them out quite yet.

If the Catholic 7 admitted all of these candidates into their conference they'd have 14 schools and a nice divisional split between the East Coast and Midwest.  I wouldn't be surprised if they only went with 12 members in order to concentrate the wealth.  The following weeks should reveal who gets in and who is left in the Atlantic 10.