By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The already intense basketball rivalry between the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University could get quite a bit hotter if things fall together properly during the next few months.

Amid the chatter over the possible move of Miami, Boston College and Syracuse from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference, one possible scenario that has emerged has UC and XU both joining a revamped Big East Conference that would create a powerful basketball league and keep Big East football alive, possibly with its Bowl Championship Series affiliation intact.

Under this scenario, the Big East would respond to the defections by forming a 16-team league with two eight-team divisions, one consisting of football and basketball schools, the other consisting of basketball-only schools.

If that were to happen, UC and Louisville are the two schools considered the most likely candidates for the Big East's football/basketball division. Xavier and Marquette would be likely fits for the basketball division.

Suddenly, UC and XU would be competing in the same league with more at stake during their annual basketball showdown than just bragging rights. Now they would be playing for a conference championship.

Until Miami makes its decision, which is expected within the next few weeks, no one knows for sure what the Big East will do, but given the league's reputation and history, it's logical to expect a quick, aggressive response. The 16-school, two-division setup has some benefits.

From a football standpoint, the Big East would be getting two schools that have experienced recent success in Conference USA, both with attractive stadiums and major television markets.

UC and Louisville would join Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Rutgers and Connecticut for football. The league then would seek an eighth member from among Memphis, Marshall, Temple, South Florida or Central Florida and play a seven-game league schedule every year.

Notre Dame, which would remain part of the Big East for basketball only, would play several Big East schools in a non-league football game every year.

For UC, the football rivalries are natural and could help lure the large crowds to Nippert Stadium that the Bearcats have coveted.

UC has a long history with Louisville and Memphis. The Bearcats are involved now in a home-and-home football series with West Virginia and used to belong to the Metro Conference with Virginia Tech, which it also played regularly in football.

A league rivalry with Pitt seems a natural, given the proximity of the two schools along the Ohio River and their presence in large cities that are also home to major-league sports.

In basketball, Xavier - currently a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference - and Marquette would join a division with the remaining Big East members, including Seton Hall, St. John's, Providence, Georgetown, Villanova and Notre Dame.

Such a basketball league would be attractive to television because of the size of the markets and the programs' record of on-court success. A 16-team conference tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York would be a potentially huge television draw.

The presence of defending national champion and perennial power UConn in the league also would provide a huge boost to the women's teams at UC and XU.

For now, this is conjecture. Until Miami makes a decision, athletic directors and university presidents are remaining tight-lipped about what might happen, but there is a lot of murmuring behind the scenes.

UC and XU fans can be sure of one thing: If the above scenario presents itself, both schools would jump at the chance to join.

As for the Bearcats and Musketeers co-existing in the same league, surely if Miami and Florida State can learn to live together in the ACC, UC and XU can get along in the Big East.

The Big East of the future?

A look at how XU and UC would fit into a reconfigured Big East.

Football/basketball	Basketball only
Pittsburgh	St. John's
Virginia Tech	Villanova
Rutgers	Providence
West Virginia	Seton Hall
Connecticut	Notre Dame
Louisville	Georgetown
Cincinnati	Marquette
	Xavier

Note: The football division would be filled out by one school from among Memphis, Marshall, South Florida and Central Florida.

E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com