Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino has been pushing Big East Conference officials to invite Memphis and Temple regardless of which schools the league may add.
The latest round of conference realignments has left the Big East on the verge of collapse following Pittsburgh’s and Syracuse’s decision to join the ACC.
West Virginia has also announced they will leave the Big East to join the Big 12 Conference, although that move was put on hold temporarily.
Earlier this month the Big East announced plans to add Boise State and Air Force as football members and Central Florida, Houston and SMU as all sports members.
That plan is nowhere close to becoming reality, especially after the Mountain West Conference and Conference USA announced they would form a 22-member football league beginning in 2012 or 2013.
According to ESPN’s Andy Katz, Pitino told him that he has expressed his opinion to Big East commissioner John Marinatto.
Pitino said he wants the Big East to seriously consider raising its basketball profile with the additions of Memphis and Temple.
Memphis enters the 2011-12 college basketball season ranked No.9 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Preseason Poll, one spot below Louisville.
The Tigers and Cardinals will square off on December 17 at the KFC Yum! Center.
