Presidents of "Catholic 7" release joint statement

[IWB]

The presidents of the "Catholic 7" have released a statement announcing they are leaving the Big East.

http://www.brewcityball.com/forums/content.php?492-Presidents-of-Catholic-7-release-statement

[IrwinFletcher]

Interesting how it doesn't say we are breaking away, or leaving or anything like that.

Lawyers are going to be making some money on this one.

[IWB]

Statement from Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of Marquette University:

Marquette University, along with six other colleges and universities, has made a decision to withdraw from the Big East Conference. Former Big East Conference members, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Providence College, Seton Hall University, St. John’s University and Villanova University have also withdrawn, and together we will explore our options to develop a premier athletics conference centered on elite-level basketball.

The seven presidents and athletic directors of the universities previously named have been in a thoughtful dialogue to ensure we jointly solidify our vision and commitment to compete at the absolute highest levels of athletic excellence for many years to come.

This move will allow us to enhance the elite status of our men’s basketball program, while developing new opportunities for student athletes in all 16 of our competitive athletic programs.

[IWB]

Larry Williams is meeting with media immediately after the game.