OT: 2020 Big East recruiting

[bendm]

If the big east is our childhood home then the aac is our step dads trailer-park meth lab

 

[CL82]

I actually our move more as UConn actually stepping up and believing in itself and it's worth.

If you want to analogize it to some melodrama, I'd go with leaving an unsatisfying vaguely abusive relationship.

 

[scoscox]

Colby Jones #127 commits to Xavier. #2 class in the country at the moment

 

[bendm]

if cam thomas comes here i hope lane goes to PC. but if cam doesn't come here then we get lane. deal?

 

[UConnStats]

Eh, maybe in the crystal ball but I’ve been hearing Florida for the past month or two.

Travis Steele is putting in work though. Odom and Wilcher is probably my favorite 2020 guard tandem in the country right now. Both are studs.

 

[scoscox]

Yep out on him now and on to Jalen bridges and Ben Carlson. One of those two will be the last commit in the class most likely. Carlson if I had to guess. Bridges just got a cb to the u.

Hopefully you guys will get lane now

 

[scoscox]

if cam thomas comes here i hope lane goes to PC. but if cam doesn't come here then we get lane. deal?

I’m hearing Thomas to UConn is likely. That’d be huge. Big east recruiting is on fire right now. Marquette rumored to be closing on another top 100 forward as well

 

[Scrutineer]

Amen (or Kofi) to that.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I’m sorry for your situation, but that does not project on the conference move by UConn.

The Big East is simply a Top 3 basketball conference, and UConn wants to play at the highest level that is possible for them.

Top 3? . Not close. Definitely behind the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and in the last few years the SEC. With UConn, if we get back to business, should be top 4-5 consistently. The improvement of the SEC beyond UK and Florida should concern everyone. The PAC keeps recruiting pretty well and doesn’t turn it in to anything.

Don’t read into this move that somehow UConn loves the Big East. We’d jump to the ACC in an instant. The American screwed us over and this was our best and only move under the circumstances.

 

[Guapo]

Top 3? . Not close. Definitely behind the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and in the last few years the SEC. With UConn, if we get back to business, should be top 4-5 consistently. The improvement of the SEC beyond UK and Florida should concern everyone. The PAC keeps recruiting pretty well and doesn’t turn it in to anything.

Don’t read into this move that somehow UConn loves the Big East. We’d jump to the ACC in an instant. The American screwed us over and this was our best and only move under the circumstances.

It's definitely close to Top 3 and usually sufficiently better than the SEC.

Just look at the past rankings; last year was easily it's worst year:

NCAA College Basketball RPI Rankings (updated today)

NCAA college basketball RPI rankings and ratings for 2024, updated daily for all teams and available historically for every day of the 2024 season.

www.teamrankings.com

 

[bendm]

Just look at the past rankings; last year was easily it's worst year:

for anyone who doesnt wanna read through where the big east ranked over the past 6 years:

13-14: 4th
14-15: 3rd
15-16: 3rd
16-17: 3rd
17-18: 2nd
18-19: 5th

on average Big East has been 3rd behind Big12 and ACC

 

[HuskyHawk]

It's definitely close to Top 3 and usually sufficiently better than the SEC.

Just look at the past rankings; last year was easily it's worst year:

NCAA College Basketball RPI Rankings (updated today)

NCAA college basketball RPI rankings and ratings for 2024, updated daily for all teams and available historically for every day of the 2024 season.

www.teamrankings.com

KenPom has them 5th

 

[Guapo]

KenPom has them 5th

Yes. Last year they were 5th. The year before that they were second. Each year before that, they were 3rd or 4th

 

[superjohn]

Yes. Last year they were 5th. The year before that they were second. Each year before that, they were 3rd or 4th

You would think he has an agenda or something.

 

[Guapo]

You would think he has an agenda or aomething.

It’s whatever, I like @HuskyHawk

I just think he happens to be wrong here

 

[HuskyHawk]

You would think he has an agenda or aomething.

Who me? I don’t. I just think the Big East is being overrated. From a basketball perspective I’m glad UConn is there rather than the AAC. I think it was the right move. I just see a clear trend of big time football schools becoming serious about basketball and gaining.

Main advantage the Big East has is the high floor. The bottom of the conference is better than most.

 

[superjohn]

It’s whatever, I like @HuskyHawk

I just think he happens to be wrong here

I like him too but I don't understand how he could say the Big East isn't even close to a top 3 conference when the numbers clearly say otherwise and they are one of the three conferences who actually wins national championships.

 

[Guapo]

Who me? I don’t. I just think the Big East is being overrated. From a basketball perspective I’m glad UConn is there rather than the AAC. I think it was the right move. I just see a clear trend of big time football schools becoming serious about basketball and gaining.

Main advantage the Big East has is the high floor. The bottom of the conference is better than most.

If it makes you feel any better; I’m sitting here in the heart of SEC football country and - I can’t stress this enough - no one cares about college basketball.

I know that these schools are making an effort but ultimately they can’t force people to care.

The main advantage the Big East has, in my opinion, is it’s a group of traditional basketball schools that are all basketball centric, situated in prime recruiting real estate.

Georgia can hire Tom Crean. Georgia can renovate Stegman Coliseum. Athens is an amazing place to be a college student. But, most basketball kids going on a recruiting trip there know that they will be viewed as second class citizens by the athletic department, the students and the, essentially football-only, fanbase.

 

[scoscox]

Pretty sure the conference average kenpom since realignment is 3.5. On par with the big ten. Saying its “not close” to top 3 is severe recency bias. Go back even 1 year and you have a top 3 league with the national champion. The conference will be a top 3 league this upcoming year

 

[scoscox]

If it makes you feel any better; I’m sitting here in the heart of SEC football country and - I can’t stress this enough - no one cares about college basketball.

I know that these schools are making an effort but ultimately they can’t force people to care.

The main advantage the Big East has, in my opinion, is it’s a group of traditional basketball schools that are all basketball centric, situated in prime recruiting real estate.

Georgia can hire Tom Crean. Georgia can renovate Stegman Coliseum. Athens is an amazing place to be a college student. But, most basketball kids going on a recruiting trip there know that they will be viewed as second class citizens by the athletic department, the students and the, essentially football-only, fanbase.

The sec hired mike tranghese to consult to improve their league. He basically advised them to improve their coaching. Really insightful stuff. Thus you’ve seen Arkansas, Alabama, Texas a&m etc all spend big on big name coaches. I’m skeptical that they maintain success. Meanwhile the pac 12 keeps going off the deep end. Their flagship program just hired mick cronin

To your point about second class citizens... the kid who just committed to Xavier specifically cited the basketball culture as a huge attraction. he had 3 or 4 offers from the sec (Alabama, Auburn, etc). His school is the biggest feeder school to Alabama and was a priority for them. Xavier has also taken 3 top 4 stars from Georgia in the last two years right out from tom crean. Just some anecdotal supporting evidence

Breaking: Xavier lands EYBL’s breakout star, Colby Jones

 

[HuskyHawk]

I like him too but I don't understand how he could say the Big East isn't even close to a top 3 conference when the numbers clearly say otherwise and they are one of the three conferences who actually wins national championships.

I guess it’s because I saw Nova and nobody but Xavier and they lost their coach. Seton Hall everyone said would break out and they never did. Same with PC. I’m waiting to see somebody besides Jay Wright actually do something. The rankings are good because there just aren’t any awful teams. The bottom is very solid. The top doesn’t have the 3-4 programs who might make a final four run in a given year that the ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten have. The SEC surge may fade, but they have been very deep of late.

I’m excited, don’t get me wrong. But as much as UConn needed the Big East, I think the Big East needed UConn more. Nobody else besides Nova and maybe one Xavier team has been able to make a strong postseason run.

 

[Guapo]

Nobody else besides Nova and maybe one Xavier team has been able to make a strong postseason run.

As a Kansas fan, you should know that success in March is not the be-all end-all.