What will old big east be called

All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. CBS2 Videos. Giants New York Giants. Jets New York Jets. MAC ends speculation, won't pursue expansion. Florida International Panthers. Middle Tenn. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. With all apologies to Prince, the conference formerly known as "The Big East" now has a new handle.

The Big East Conference has made official it's new name and a new identity on the eve of the Final Four taking place in both men and women's basketball. The American Athletic Conference is the choice, as the league has placed an unprecedented five teams into the two "Final Fours" combined. Case-in-point: Everyone of the top seven conferences has at least one team allowing less than 1.

This a league where six teams seem destined to get a berth to the NCAA tournament again, a league that looks like it is going to finish in the top three on KenPom for the fourth consecutive season. The Big East is also one of just two power conferences, along with the Big 12, that play a full round-robin schedule. Nothing stokes a rivalry better than a home-and-home in conference games that matter. What the Wildcats are doing in this conference should not be used as a weapon to bring the league down.

This has been, unequivocally, one of the three best conferences in America for the last three seasons, just as it is this season. They have two Big East tournament titles in that stretch. In total, if you include two Big East tournament losses, Villanova has lost 12 games to Big East foes since the split.