Would you do Basketball-only affiliation again?

[Pudge]

Let's face it ... we care about Hoops.

In this NEW NEW Conference, we get to a Place that has all the best Football wannabees with good fanbases (cough cough). It has some special benefits (ie. We might be in markets that are growing & Universities that are exploding) that you won't find in B1G land. As we say Adios to the Catholic 7, what if there was an opportunity to grab a New Basketball only affiliate?

If you could give BYU (which I judge as the most Valuable non-Big Football program) a Basketball home ... and a ND like scheduling window, would you do it?

If the Catholic 7 take 3 or 4 & leave Virginia Commonwealth or someone you'd like, would you do a Basketball oriented affiliation (that MAY give UConn Olympic sports some better traction too)?

Would you do a deal in a city because Comcast/Fox wanted you to? or Maybe ... a NYC based University NOT named St. John's>?

OK ... most of you want to focus on how dire a position we are in ... I get it. St. Mary's has lots of candles to the right of the altar that you can light & pray like Cuse did since 2003.

 

[Pudge]

Thinking it through ... why --- would you invite Tulane?

 

[ZooCougar]

If and when we are locked out for sure. If we can make more money in a hoops only for that sport and FB only in another conference. Yes.

But I think we can make 12-14 team national conference that is relevant and compelling for both.

 

[tzznandrew]

I don't think you can, at this point. Join all sports. Invite all the teams for all sports, including BSU and ECU, and go from there. It's not healthy to have that many different agendas.

 

[upstater]

No.
You hope Cincy, UConn, Temple and Memphis can anchor so that some talent will be drawn to Houston and San Diego St (assuming they eventually join) and USF. You can hope they'll eventually become passable.

UConn obviously needs to go 14-2 in this conference every year. It needs to go 4-2 against Cincy, Temple and Memphis, and hope that it doesn't lose a bonehead game to ECU.

 

[Dann]

right before we leave the nbe with cincy and bo our own ways, the 2 of us should invite every a10 team the c7 are looking at just to with heads a bit.

 

[kingdobbs]

The question is better phrased as "Would/should the Big East add full members who do not play FBS football?" As far as I'm concerned, that answer should be "no".

An actual "basketball-only" affiliate, while not being technically against NCAA membership rules, near as I can tell, would not be looked very kindly upon by the NCAA. They have been tightening access restrictions to D-I basketball, and the D-I basketball tournament, and one of the principles they've been looking at is "You should be committed to D-I sports on at least an acceptable minimum basis". Now, would a "top-tier" team like UConn be able to skirt by those rules if they affiliate themselves with eligible conferences, who do not use UConn as their member to determine their own conferences' eligibility? Maybe, but I would not want to test that.

Hoops-only conferences are *definitely* against the rules, per by-law 18.5.3. Although technically it's not a sanction, rather an ineligibility for an AQ. A league getting a men's hoops AQ needs to have six or more members who play six or more sports (two of which must be team sports).

 

[AZHuskiePop]

BB only No FB only yes
BB needs to be in a regional conferencee that we can put are other sports into
The best never leave anyone behind.

 

[mattp]

I'd love to be able to still watch the Huskies @ MSG every year for the BE tournament. That's important to me and a lot of other UConn fans, why throw away the baby with the bath water? It wouldn't be the same without Cuse, but it would still be a great event, a lot of our rivals from the early days are still there. When I was student our biggest bball rivals were probably GTown, Nova and Cuse, and I really didn't like Providence, Seton Hall and several others and I'd like to play in a tournament with them that's within an easy days travel. If we don't make the B1G/ACC it would just be another kick in the balls to miss out on the BET every year.

All sport conferences are great in theory, because their local, but not when it's stretched across 3 time zones. Would we even bother with a conference tournament in bball, and where would they put it? How many people are realistically going to fly to Memphis to watch the CUSA+ bball tournament?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

It's not one of our choices anyway. The C7 don't want us.

 

[IMind]

As long as the basketball schools don't have veto power/greater numbers than the football schools. This was the primary issue with the Big East. The other issue with the Big East that kind of gets glossed over... is that you had some football schools we sided too often with the basketball programs. I think UConn had this issue with Hathaway. Just as long as the basketball schools know they're coming along for the ride.

 

[businesslawyer]

I would because I am not worried about the long term viability of our new conference, just the short term viability. Because if we're in the conference for the long term, we're screwed no matter what we do.

 

[freescooter]

Not a chance in hell would I want basketball only members, affiliates, associates or anything else. The reality is that the basketball only programs are completely different in their spending, their outlook and in every other way. That was the issue for the Big East for a decade or more. Nothing, not one thing good can come of it.

 

[IMind]

Not a chance in hell would I want basketball only members, affiliates, associates or anything else. The reality is that the basketball only programs are completely different in their spending, their outlook and in every other way. That was the issue for the Big East for a decade or more. Nothing, not one thing good can come of it.

It's worked okay at a lower level where the conference is dominated by football schools. If it's one or two schools that add real value... why not?

 

[freescooter]

Fundamentally we need to lose the idea that basketball matters. Tough sell to UConn fans but it is the truth. We have probably the most successful basketball program in the country over the past 20 years and what did it get us? When the Big 12 looked to be breaking up, who almost got left behind? One of the bluest of blue-bloods in Kansas. It is viewed by the major conferences and the media as a nice little activity to fill space between the end of the real sports season and the beginning of spring football. We need to recognize that fact and deal with it. Doesn't mean we shouldn't continue to try and produce competitive teams, just that it won't help us to get anywhere.

 

[mattp]

Fundamentally we need to lose the idea that basketball matters. Tough sell to UConn fans but it is the truth. We have probably the most successful basketball program in the country over the past 20 years and what did it get us? When the Big 12 looked to be breaking up, who almost got left behind? One of the bluest of blue-bloods in Kansas. It is viewed by the major conferences and the media as a nice little activity to fill space between the end of the real sports season and the beginning of spring football. We need to recognize that fact and deal with it. Doesn't mean we shouldn't continue to try and produce competitive teams, just that it won't help us to get anywhere.

It got me a lot of enjoyment from watching our basketball. What's more important than that? Basketball may not matter much in terms of conference realignment, but watching sports primarily for conference realignment seems a little silly to me. I think people are putting a little too much stock in conference to begin with. Just because we're in a lousy conference doesn't mean we can't be good and just because Rutgers is in the B1G doesn't mean they'll get any better. To be honest I think Rutgers in the B1G is more likely to have a result along the lines of BC to the ACC as far as on the field performance. The last time we got poached some of the remaining schools really improved their lot in life. There can only be so many net winners in a conference. Look at how WVU, Cinci, and to a lesser extent even UConn and Rutgers, capitalized on the opportunities presented by a conference without a power, while Miami and BC floundered in their so-called super-conference.

 

[freescooter]

It got me a lot of enjoyment from watching our basketball. What's more important than that? Basketball may not matter much in terms of conference realignment, but watching sports primarily for conference realignment seems a little silly to me. I think people are putting a little too much stock in conference to begin with. Just because we're in a lousy conference doesn't mean we can't be good and just because Rutgers is in the B1G doesn't mean they'll get any better. To be honest I think Rutgers in the B1G is more likely to have a result along the lines of BC to the ACC as far as on the field performance. The last time we got poached some of the remaining schools really improved their lot in life. There can only be so many net winners in a conference. Look at how WVU, Cinci, and to a lesser extent even UConn and Rutgers, capitalized on the opportunities presented by a conference without a power, while Miami and BC floundered in their so-called super-conference.

matt, I don't disagree in the slightest. But it doesn't change the fact that we're stuck in conference purgatory, if not conference hell. that is the point. Great basketball team? Sure, don't call us,we'll call you.

 

[Danzz]

Let's face it ... we care about Hoops.

In this NEW NEW Conference, we get to a Place that has all the best Football wannabees with good fanbases (cough cough). It has some special benefits (ie. We might be in markets that are growing & Universities that are exploding) that you won't find in B1G land. As we say Adios to the Catholic 7, what if there was an opportunity to grab a New Basketball only affiliate?

If you could give BYU (which I judge as the most Valuable non-Big Football program) a Basketball home ... and a ND like scheduling window, would you do it?

If the Catholic 7 take 3 or 4 & leave Virginia Commonwealth or someone you'd like, would you do a Basketball oriented affiliation (that MAY give UConn Olympic sports some better traction too)?

Would you do a deal in a city because Comcast/Fox wanted you to? or Maybe ... a NYC based University NOT named St. John's>?

OK ... most of you want to focus on how dire a position we are in ... I get it. St. Mary's has lots of candles to the right of the altar that you can light & pray like Cuse did since 2003.

No, we are too far down the football road and we will sink or swim with football. The Rent was built along with a top flight football practice facility. Millions have been spent to make Uconn competitive in Div 1 football. We won't be turning back now because it is way too late.
We could still keep some of the former BE schools on the basketball schedule but I'm not sure that there is any appetite for that on either side.