Memphis brings hoops value to Big East

The University of South Florida has acquired another new dance partner in the Big East Conference.

Big East commissioner John Marinatto announced Wednesday the University of Memphis will become an all-sports member of the league in 2013, the latest chapter in the conference's rapid evolution.

Memphis, which will leave Conference USA, its home since 1995, adds great value in men's basketball. The Tigers, 23-time NCAA tournament participants who reached the Final Four on three occasions, were national runners-up in 1973 and 2008.

Their football fortunes have been sagging, though. Memphis football, which plays at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, is just 5-31 the past three seasons.

"We, as a league, have every confidence in Memphis' ability to rebuild a solid and competitive football program in the Big East Conference," said USF president Judy Genshaft, who chairs the league's CEO executive committee. "We also appreciate and respect its consistency over the past decade in basketball. We feel it would be an obvious fit to a conference that has prided itself on basketball excellence for over 32 years."

Memphis clamored for a Big East invitation in 2005, when USF was added, but was bypassed.

Marinatto is convinced Memphis is committed to upgrading its football program. Its basketball success "obviously speaks for itself," he said.

Marinatto said the Big East has achieved its goal of reaching a 12-school football league — a championship game could be held in 2015, when Navy is added to the conference — and he believes it has assured long-term stability. That was called into question last fall when Pittsburgh and Syracuse defected to the ACC, then West Virginia jumped to the Big 12.

The Big East answered in December by accepting Central Florida, Houston and SMU as all-sports members, then Boise State and San Diego State as football-only members for the 2013 season.

Marinatto has maintained Pittsburgh, Syracuse and West Virginia are bound to Big East membership until July 1, 2014, because the conference's bylaws stipulate defectors can't jump until a 27-month waiting period.

West Virginia, which wants to join the Big 12 this fall, and the Big East are suing each other over the matter. Pittsburgh and Syracuse have said they intend to honor the Big East's waiting period.

Marinatto wouldn't comment on when the Big East plans to release its football schedule and wouldn't speculate on whether the league would move to bring in Memphis or another school as an immediate 2012 replacement if West Virginia is cleared for a jump to the Big 12.

The West Virginia-Big East decision is being watched closely by all league members. USF is scheduled to play at West Virginia next football season.