12 Reasons Why UConn Will Regret the New Big East

[Palatine]

I know, what an ignorant comment, every Michigan fan watching them get their butts kicked knew what conference Nova was in.

Nova is the only nationally relevant team in the ZBE.

 

[Zissou]

Have a stiff drink tonight. Middle of the pack OSU with a 25 point win. It’s a long season, but not a great night. Lots of weaknesses on the floor for Nova.

#17 this week with a lot of work ahead of us. Our biggest issue is PG. A 5 star washed out (quinnerly) putting a lot on a Freshman who hasn’t played a game yet due to shoulder surgery (Antoine). Look for Nova to be a late bloomer this year.

 

[Steelerone]

While I agree there are pros and cons in the move to the Big East I also believe that it is a step back to reality. Ct. has never been a rabid hotbed of football and I seriously doubt that we ever will and I have no problem with that. I think the more important question is where we stand in the academic community and we should all be proud of the young men and women who come out each year prepared to make our society a little better.

 

[willie99]

Fan interest surged
Donations increased
Recruiting improved

Seems pretty obvious to me, and I didn't love the move either

 

[atom58]

I think FB will be OK with a schedule having more variety (regional and well-known national opponents) and bringing in recruits who would like to play in those games for UConn, a good school with a catchy name - many years ago I first heard "UConn" mentioned on TV in conjunction with sports and wondered - that Canadian province next to Alaska Y-u-k-o-n? (Had to add hyphens as your autocorrect does not recognize the spelling!)

 

[Towney007]

Fair. I just don’t think the aac was helping us that much in baseball

Actually the irony of the AAC to be as a baseball nerd is that it ended up being spectacular baseball conference. It's a bonafide power conference for sure.

I know RPI is a little crude, but the last few years here's the conferences national ranking:

2019- 5th
2018- 4th
2017- 4th
2016- 6th
2015- 3rd
2014- 6th

I'd actually say the AAC to baseball is essentially what the NBE is in college hoops. Wichita was a big add, Cincinnati is getting better, UCF, USF, Houston, East Carolina, Tulane and UConn are all very good. Cincinnati is getting better, Wichita is rebuilding but were a national super power for a brief period... Memphis is the only real sub-par program in the conference.

The Big East by contrast - outside of St John's and Xavier - is pretty bad. Creighton is good I guess. Seton Hall is consistent. Everyone else blows. Georgetown, Butler and Nova are bad.

 

[superjohn]

Actually the irony of the AAC to be as a baseball nerd is that it ended up being spectacular baseball conference. It's a bonafide power conference for sure.

I know RPI is a little crude, but the last few years here's the conferences national ranking:

2019- 5th
2018- 4th
2017- 4th
2016- 6th
2015- 3rd
2014- 6th

I'd actually say the AAC to baseball is essentially what the NBE is in college hoops. Wichita was a big add, Cincinnati is getting better, UCF, USF, Houston, East Carolina, Tulane and UConn are all very good. Cincinnati is getting better, Wichita is rebuilding but were a national super power for a brief period... Memphis is the only real sub-par program in the conference.

The Big East by contrast - outside of St John's and Xavier - is pretty bad. Creighton is good I guess. Seton Hall is consistent. Everyone else blows. Georgetown, Butler and Nova are bad.

Nobody cares about baseball though. Big East has been the 3rd best basketball conference since UConn left.

 

[Guapo]

Nobody cares about baseball though. Big East has been the 3rd best basketball conference since UConn left.

I care about baseball and I think baseball will be fine.

That program is all Penders and, given the new stadium, I’m excited for the future of the program

 

[businesslawyer]

Baseball is all Penders.

Now Baseball+Penders+New Stadium = continued success.

Penders job here has been beyond remarkable. That having been said, and while I'm sure we'll have continued success, there is no way we will be as good a team in the long run playing Big East opponents in weekend series once we get into conference play as we would be playing AAC opponents. You cant make up for that pre-conference season, because we've already been scheduling to play a really strong schedule, and you can't make up for it in weekday games because driving distance is what it is. Our schedule will not be as good and thus the players won't have played as good competition.

How anyone can not view this as a negative I don't get. Cripple the program? I'm not saying that. But it will be harder to be as good when the SOS and level of competition takes a material hit.

Is it material to the Athletic Department compared to basketball and football. Of course not. And might the benefits for soccer outweigh the cost to baseball? Heck yes. But can't we acknowledge obvious truth?

 

[storrsroars]

Penders job here has been beyond remarkable. That having been said, and while I'm sure we'll have continued success, there is no way we will be as good a team in the long run playing Big East opponents in weekend series once we get into conference play as we would be playing AAC opponents. You cant make up for that pre-conference season, because we've already been scheduling to play a really strong schedule, and you can't make up for it in weekday games because driving distance is what it is. Our schedule will not be as good and thus the players won't have played as good competition.

How anyone can not view this as a negative I don't get. Cripple the program? I'm not saying that. But it will be harder to be as good when the SOS and level of competition takes a material hit.

Is it material to the Athletic Department compared to basketball and football. Of course not. And might the benefits for soccer outweigh the cost to baseball? Heck yes. But can't we acknowledge obvious truth?

All good points, but in the past half dozen years, the AAC has only been to the CWS once (L'ville, 2014). The B1G has only made it once (Michigan, 2019), however, that appearance showed that a cold weather team could conceivably make it.

But in the end, like football, the SEC owns college baseball. Of the 48 teams that have appeared in the CWS over the past six years, 18 (37.5%) have been from the SEC. The B12 has had 10, the ACC 9, the PAC12 had 4 as did the Big West, while the AAC, B1G and SunBelt had one each.

 

[businesslawyer]

All good points, but in the past half dozen years, the AAC has only been to the CWS once (L'ville, 2014). The B1G has only made it once (Michigan, 2019), however, that appearance showed that a cold weather team could conceivably make it.

But in the end, like football, the SEC owns college baseball. Of the 48 teams that have appeared in the CWS over the past six years, 18 (37.5%) have been from the SEC. The B12 has had 10, the ACC 9, the PAC12 had 4 as did the Big West, while the AAC, B1G and SunBelt had one each.

I'm mystified about what you think you've said here. Because the AAC hasn't sent teams to the CWS recently, it means we're not harming ourselves by playing a weaker schedule? Huh?

And yes, the SEC is the dominant baseball conference whether we're in the AAC or the Big East. Again, so? What does that have to do with whether or not the conference move is good for the baseball program?

 

[uconnbaseball]

Nobody cares about baseball though. Big East has been the 3rd best basketball conference since UConn left.

You clearly have not stopped by our baseball board during the spring. It is one of the more active baseball boards out there, and occasionally has people from other programs commenting there.

Give our team a shot!

 

[storrsroars]

It's quite simple: the AAC may be better than the Big East for baseball, but it's not like AAC teams have been getting to the CWS. What do you judge as success, making regionals?

As a cold weather team is a conference that isn't all that great in baseball, Michigan showed how to do it.

 

[businesslawyer]

It's quite simple: the AAC may be better than the Big East for baseball, but it's not like AAC teams have been getting to the CWS. What do you judge as success, making regionals?

As a cold weather team is a conference that isn't all that great in baseball, Michigan showed how to do it.

I'm still puzzled. Isn't the goal to be as good as you can be? Is your point that we're not going to win national championships in baseball so it doesn't matter? Because I guaranty you that most college athletes think there is an awful lot to play for with every game even if they're not going to win the national championship.

 

[storrsroars]

I'm still puzzled. Isn't the goal to be as good as you can be? Is your point that we're not going to win national championships in baseball so it doesn't matter? Because I guaranty you that most college athletes think there is an awful lot to play for with every game even if they're not going to win the national championship.

Personally I think getting to Omaha should be the goal. Whether it ends up in an NC is unlikely but would be a fantastic surprise. But Omaha should be the goal.

I'm not arguing that the BE > AAC. However, I will argue that a) there's enough good competition that it's not a given UConn wins the BE, and b) SJU has been to the regionals 3x in past 5 years and 6x in past decade, so achieving that in the BE certainly can be done with regularity.

I'm only going to cite SJU here, but they've put 8 players into MLB this century vs UConn's 11. I don't think the BE will thwart the MLB pipeline from Storrs.

One last note - given SJU is 0-37 in failing to make the CWS, it would certainly be a huge feather in UConn's cap to get there first!

IOW, I simply don't believe baseball going to the BE is as much the disaster as you apparently think. That's all.

 

[Rufus]

Indiana made the CWS in 2013. I know that was just before the formation of the AAC, but it is another cold weather team that made it.

There have been other cold weather teams make it this century, but none in the P5.

 

[dbmill]

Indiana made the CWS in 2013. I know that was just before the formation of the AAC, but it is another cold weather team that made it.

There have been other cold weather teams make it this century, but none in the P5.

How soon we forget. Michigan made it to the finals last season.

 

[gtcam]

The thing I'm saying is is the AAC is better in baseball. Granted, I believe UConn will still get the best players in New England, which is underrated in baseball. I just hope UConn will keep up a tradition of getting baseball players into the World Series. (Springer, Barnes,Springer the last 3 years...)

i believe its more important to get players into the bigs first

 

[gtcam]

Fair. I just don’t think the aac was helping us that much in baseball

you think wrong