"I have resigned my position at Pitt in the best interest of my family to pursue the head coaching position at Arizona State. Coaching there has always been a dream of ours and we have family there. The timing of the circumstances have prohibited from telling you this directly. I now am on my way to Tempe to continue those discussions. God Bless. Coach Graham."

Thanks to the people of the Big East for the grand welcome in Times Square to the Houston Cougars.

I hope and believe you will find us to be valuable contributors.

The allegations that have come forth today are disturbing and deeply troubling. I am personally very shocked because I have never witnessed any of the activities that have been alleged. I believe the university took the appropriate step tonight. What is most important is that this matter be fully investigated and that anyone with information be supported to come forward so that the truth can be found. I deeply regret any statements I made that might have inhibited that from occurring or been insensitive to victims of abuse.

If you don't know it by now, know this:

Houston Cougar basketball will be competitive.

A young team, loaded with talent, went to Arkansas and beat them by 9. UH is now 3 wins and no losses. A top 10 recruiting class is coming.

We had a very productive meeting and were able to discuss the great progress we have made in the last few weeks regarding conference realignment.

Our Presidents voted unanimously to extend invitations to specific institutions, including both football-only and all-sport members to join the BIG EAST Conference. I will be speaking to representatives of those schools shortly and look forward to announcing with them their acceptance into the BIG EAST. The addition of these members will extend our reach, bring us to exciting new markets, strengthen our status within the BCS, and lay the foundation for possible further expansion, all while maintaining the high quality and standards our Conference is known for.

In light of the lawsuit filed by West Virginia yesterday, the Presidents also discussed and confirmed our continuing commitment to enforce the Conference’s 27-month notification period for schools choosing to leave. The Conference believes these claims to be wholly without merit and will explore all its legal options to protect its interests and to ensure that West Virginia lives up to its obligations.

We are disappointed that West Virginia has adopted this strategy and cannot imagine why it believes it does not have to respect and honor the bylaws it agreed to as a member of the Big East. Based on an initial review of the lawsuit, it is clear that the allegations and claims in it are false and inaccurate. Certainly there is nothing in it that would justify WVU’s not fulfilling its obligations. To put it simply, a contract is a contract.

Once we have reviewed the filing, we will explore all our legal options and will act vigorously to ensure that WVU lives up to all its obligations to our conference. In the meantime, this lawsuit will not interfere in any way with our ongoing efforts to strengthen and expand the Big East.

"We always keep our television partners close to us,’’ (DeFilippo) said. "You don’t get extra money for basketball. It’s 85 percent football money. TV - ESPN - is the one who told us what to do. This was football; it had nothing to do with basketball.’’

"Conference realignment continues to be a very fluid situation as we have seen developments and new rumors nearly every day. It is important that none of us here at UConn become too anxious over this situation. We will continue to monitor the national landscape and be in communication with officials from other schools and leaders from around the country. UConn has always competed at the high level of collegiate athletics and will continue to do so in the future."

Connecticut President Susan Herbst

"This is a case that involves broken commitments, secret dealings, breaches of fiduciary responsibility, the misappropriations of conference opportunities and predatory attempts to eliminate competition."
-Pitt Chancellor Mark Nordenberg in 2003 when the ACC first raided the Big East.

LAWRENCE - Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little today addressed the ongoing questions surrounding the Big 12 Conference.

"It's obviously disappointing that it has come to this point. Keeping the Big 12 strong and competitive remains our top preference, but no matter what happens we're going to continue to work in the best interests of the University of Kansas. That's our number one priority and it's what we've been focused on throughout the process as we've looked at all our options when it comes to conference realignment," she said.

Gray-Little said that KU appreciates the interest that alumni and fans have expressed throughout the process, and that she and Athletics Director Sheahon Zenger will continue to keep the KU community updated.