According to Andy Katz of ESPN, Connecticut leadership, in response to the rapid departure of Syracuse and Pittsburgh, is also seeking membership in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He reports:
UConn president Susan Herbst is aggressively pursuing membership in the ACC to become the 15th or 16th member institution in the conference, according to a source with direct knowledge with UConn's situation.
According to the source, Herbst was having conversations recently but in light of Pittsburgh's and Syracuse's defections from the Big East, the talks have accelerated in the last 48 hours.
The report does not state who might be a 16th member with Connecticut might be, but speculation will likely center on Rutgers (or perhaps West Virginia, which is also a rumored target of a possible 16 team SEC). With members aggressively seeking membership elsewhere, it's difficult to see how the conference can officially survive. Remaining members Louisville, West Virginia, Cincinnati, South Florida, and Rutgers will likely begin individually seeking membership in existing conferences, and those that can't find homes will be forced to begin the process of cobbling together new athletic relationships with fellow leftovers from other conference raids.
Stay tuned to Big East Coast Bias as we chronicle the sad demise of the Big East.