DALLAS (AP) – Larry Brown hopes the Big East can keep everybody together at least another basketball season or two.

Three things drew the veteran coach to the SMU job: the school, city and the Mustangs’ pending move to the Big East Conference.

But even before SMU and three other Conference USA schools move there next season, seven Big East schools are now planning to leave to form their own basketball-based league. The departure of the so-called Catholic 7 could come in the next two years.

The Mustangs play C-USA co-leader Memphis on Wednesday night in a matchup of future Big East teams.

Brown says he doesn’t know where realignment is going. But he’s hopeful the Big East can stay together for Dallas-based SMU to become relevant as a basketball and football school.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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