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The seven Catholic Big East schools will form their own league beginning next fall and will retain the Big East name, according to an ESPN Report Thursday.

Big East presidents and athletic directors will meet in Atlanta Friday to discuss the terms of the imminent split, multiple outlets reported. Mark Blaudschun of AJerseyGuy.com reported that the Big East will “sell” its name to the Catholic Seven. The cost of the league name is unknown.

Georgetown and Providence are both leaving the Big East. The league name could be going with them. (AP)

Initially scheduled to leave in 2015, the Catholic Seven would agree to take “considerably less money” from a Big East reserve pool earned from exit fees and NCAA basketball tournament shares, Blaudschun said. In total, it’s a reported excess of $60 million. A nice chunk of that could go to UConn, one of the few remaining members of the conference formerly known as the Big East.

Several Big East coaches have supported the Catholic Seven retaining the Big East name.

“It almost seems fitting they should have the name,” Notre Dame coach Mike Brey told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “It’s how they’ve carried the flag, those Catholic schools. It’s going to be a heck of a league. It’s a league we investigated a little bit…We ended up in the ACC and we’re excited about that challenge, whenever it happens and it looks like it might be a little longer. I think it would be fitting for them to have name with the history of those Catholic schools in the league.”

Louisville’s Rick Pitino shared similar thoughts.

“I think without question, the Catholic Seven deserves the Big East name,” Pitino said, according to CBSSports.com. “They should have, in my estimation, broken away from the football schools three years ago. I think they waited way too long. They should have been fed up a long time ago…You have some of the great, great traditions in college basketball. They should have gotten together, made their strong basketball league, sell their own deal and they should be the Big East. They should be playing in Madison Square Garden.”

According to ESPN, the Catholic Seven will add Butler and Xavier for the 2013-14 season. Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com reported that the new Big East may stop at nine teams (the Catholic Seven, Xavier and Butler).

“Nine teams would be ideal in the sense that each team would be able to play every team twice in the league,” a source told Goodman.

The impending exit of the seven Catholic schools could change Notre Dame’s plans. The Irish were set to join the ACC in 2014, but ESPN reported that it could join this summer. If unable to do so in 2013-14, Notre Dame would consider spending one season in the Catholic Seven league before moving to the ACC in 2014, a source told ESPN.

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Here’s what went wrong for UConn in the final minutes of Wednesday’s 79-78 double overtime thriller against Georgetown.

FIRST OVERTIME

0:05—After DeAndre Daniels blocks Otto Porter’s turnaround, Ryan Boatright catches the ball with 5.5 seconds remaining. At 2.7, he’s at halfcourt with wide-open Daniels sprinting down the middle of the floor. With 2.2, Daniels is at the 3-point arc. He gets to the block at the 1.3 mark, which means he probably could have had a layup. Boatright opts to keep the ball, and misses a running 3-pointer.

Ryan Boatright in the first overtime

SECOND OVERTIME

1:51 — Playing man-to-man defense, DeAndre Daniels gives Otto Porter some space. Porter, standing about 23 feet from the basket, buries a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 78-74.

Otto Porter's 3-pointer

1:17— On an isolation, Shabazz Napier jab-steps 6-foot-6 forward Aaron Bowen and launches a contested 3-pointer with eight seconds on the shot clock. The ball hits the backboard. UConn retains possession, and Omar Calhoun’s layup is blocked by Jabril Trawick. Shot clock violation.

Shabazz Napier clearout

0:51 — Napier sinks into the lane while guarding D’Vauntes Smith Rivera, a 33 percent 3-point shooter. Porter receives a screen to pop up to the 3-point line. Daniels fights through, and Napier provides help, leaving Smith-Rivera open on the right wing. The freshman buries a clutch 3-pointer. 78-77, UConn.

D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera open on the wing

0:21 — With the shot clocking winding down, UConn again clears out for Napier. He takes Smith-Rivera right, but is stripped with 16 seconds remaining. Smith-Rivera quickly gets the ball to Porter at halfcourt. He catches it on the run, and Daniels is never able to recover into good defensive position. Omar Calhoun, who could have slid into the lane for help, remains outside the paint as Porter glides in for the game-winning layup.

Otto Porter's game-winning layup

0:4.4 — Unlike the first overtime, Boatright didn’t have many open teammates. His only opportunity to pass was with 4.4 seconds left. He could have reversed the ball to  Calhoun, who was open at the top of the key. From there, Calhoun had enough time to either shoot or draw a defender and find Niels Giffey under the basket. Instead, Boatright changes direction. Now, he’s committed to a shot attempt.

Ryan Boatright in the final seconds

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A lethargic first half turned into the wildest game of UConn’s truly insane season.

Otto Porter Jr. and Aaron Bowen (AP)

The Huskies stormed back from a 12-point deficit with 4:36 remaining in regulation. Then Georgetown, trailing 78-71 with 2:03 left in the second overtime, scored eight unanswered points — the final two on an Otto Porter layup with 9.5 seconds remaining — to leave Gampel with a shocking 79-78 win.

“This was a very, very, very, very emotional game,” said UConn guard Ryan Boatright.

Yes, the Huskies (19-8, 9-6 Big East) were very, very, very, very close to securing another huge victory. Notes, quotes and links from Wednesday:

*My column — DeAndre Daniels outplayed Otto Porter Wednesday. But Porter, responsible for the final eight Georgetown points (he scored two baskets and assisted on the other) got the best of it in the end.

*Chris Elsberry column — No one ever thought Ollie, UConn could pull off this season

*Playing with an eight-point lead, UConn’s offense wasn’t crisp down the stretch. A Napier turnover led to Porter’s game-winning layup, and Boatright launched a desperate heave after dribbling to the corner with his head down.

In regards to that final attempt, Ollie said, “We weren’t looking for that shot…You try to push it and get to the rim, see if we can get an offensive rebound, see if we can get a kick-out. They played good defense. They bottled (Boatright) up in the corner and he just had to make a play.”

Boatright explained it like this: “When I made my initial move, (the defender) kind of knocked me off line and I lost the ball. I had to move myself and try to get to an open spot. I thought I had an open shot, but I ran into Smith-Rivera. Once I hit him, I knew I only had two seconds so I went right up with it.”

*Shabazz Napier was in a walking boot for postgame interviews. He “tweaked” his right foot on the first possession of the second half when he landed on the shoe of Georgetown forward Mikael Hopkins. Napier scored 16 points, but needed 16 shot attempts (and 11 3-pointers) to get there. Still, he delivered some big shots in overtime, including a 3-pointer that put UConn ahead 75-71.

*John Thompson III’s take: “I know it’s easier for me to say than Kevin (Ollie) right now, but it was a terrific basketball game.”

*Ollie’s advice for the media: “You can say we’re small, we don’t rebound. You can write whatever you want, but at the end of your articles I hope you write that we’ve got heart.”

Another great Ollie-ism: “Adversity is the intersection between character and opportunity.”

*Highlights below. Enjoy.