Your problem is you are living in the past. The present Big East had 1 guy get drafted last year, went 1-4 in the NCAA tournament, and has 1 program worth a damn. Sean Miller left Xavier for a PAC 12 school because it is better. Chris Mack left for an ACC school because it is better. The Big East is a mediocre conference that is battling the AAC for the 6th best overall basketball conference. Pitt would be battling Villanova every year for the BE title if they stayed with Dixon as the HC in the current BE format. They went to the ACC and immediately dropped to 8th in the conference. You are proving my point. The ONLY program that could switch to a big time conference, and maintain their strength in basketball is Villanova. Your beloved Ed Cooley and Kevin Willard would sink like the Titantic in the ACC.
Miller and Mack didn't leave for Washington State and Clemson. They went to elite jobs. Those jobs just happened to be in the Pac-12 and ACC.
That said, Cooley and Willard have a bunch of 10-8 finishes in a conference that isn't very good. They've won 1 NCAAT game between them? Color me unimpressed. If Cooley turned down Michigan to stay at Providence that was a big mistake.