After weeks of negotiations and rumors, the Big East conference finally confirmed on Friday that its basketball-first members will split away from the conference's football schools as of July 1.
The Big East's press release announcing the separation stated that "after several weeks of cordial and professional discussions, a definitive agreement has been reached that will enable a mutually-beneficial separation of some of the league's current members and allow an orderly formation of a new conference by the seven basketball schools."