AAC as a pretty good basketball league?

[HuskyHawk]

There are good teams, no question. But no rivalries. Conferences used to be regional. The traveling in the AAC is too much. I know fans in CT are not excited with playing ECU and some of these other schools. There is no way around it, regardless of how well some of the teams do.

Most conferences have similar problems now. Chatted with some Pitt fans the other day. They hate the ACC. They don't play any of their rivals anymore either. Nebraska and OU split up. Kansas and Missouri. Texas and A&M. The Pac still has a couple of rivalries, as does the SEC and Big Ten, but many have been lost.

 

[storrsroars]

There are good teams, no question. But no rivalries. Conferences used to be regional. The traveling in the AAC is too much. I know fans in CT are not excited with playing ECU and some of these other schools. There is no way around it, regardless of how well some of the teams do.

Had KO kept up his part of the bargain past couple of years, Cincy would be a rival and a must-see game for the average non-AAC hoops fan.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I kind of love these threads.

Well, if UConn is back, then Memphis is back, Wichita State remains good, Temple returns, Cincinnati maintains success under Cronin, UCF is solid, SMU is alright, USF was ok that one time 7 years ago, and don't forget about Tulsa.

You realize, that some teams have to lose, right? As a 12 team league, it would be very difficult for all these teams to be that good. I think we saw it a few years ago, when the top 5 (or 4?) were ranked and then the bottom 5 were some of the dregs of the world.

The league can be what it is - the 6th/7th best hoop league in a good year.

UConn is never going to be what we were (impossible standards from Calhoun), but we can win in the AAC and make the tournament more often than not. It just not may be with 5 other league members.

The Big XII has ten teams. How many got in the tournament? How many are still playing? Seven and four.

I'm not saying the American will become that good, simply that it could. There is no artificial ceiling on it. Getting 5-6 teams in for a 12 team league doesn't mean the other teams suck. Rather the opposite from an RPI perspective. The teams the Big XII didn't get in this year were almost all pretty good bubble/NIT teams (Baylor, OSU).

UConn can become whatever it wants. The main issue the American faces is whether those teams at the bottom will make the investment to become better. I think Tulane is trying. Tulsa is trying. UCF is trying. ECU and USF? Not so much.

 

[Slasher]

I kind of love these threads.

Well, if UConn is back, then Memphis is back, Wichita State remains good, Temple returns, Cincinnati maintains success under Cronin, UCF is solid, SMU is alright, USF was ok that one time 7 years ago, and don't forget about Tulsa.

You realize, that some teams have to lose, right? As a 12 team league, it would be very difficult for all these teams to be that good. I think we saw it a few years ago, when the top 5 (or 4?) were ranked and then the bottom 5 were some of the dregs of the world.

The league can be what it is - the 6th/7th best hoop league in a good year.

UConn is never going to be what we were (impossible standards from Calhoun), but we can win in the AAC and make the tournament more often than not. It just not may be with 5 other league members.

I think the ceiling is higher than that. AAC is only the 6th/7th best in a good year? I think that's underestimating it. The AAC was better than the Pac-12 this year and really, wasn't that great of year due to SMU/UCF injuries and inconsistent play from Temple. Big 12/ACC are going to be better every year. The B1G/Pac-12/SEC/AAC/Big East are going to be pretty fluid. What happens to the Big East next year if Mack leaves for Louisville? There's reasonable hope that the AAC could be the 3rd best league in some seasons (maybe once every 5-6 years.) The A-10 is the next best league, but you can bet they're going to take a step back in 2018. Dayton is in disarray and Hurley gone from Rhode Island.

 

[Urcea]

I said this in another thread but I think if UCONN does its share of heavy lifting, the whole outlook on the conference changes. We have the right guys in charge of the football and basketball programs to make that happen.

I agree with other members, though, in saying we could desperately use another team or two somewhere around us. Poach somebody and bring in UMass. I would also like to see what would happen after a few years of Temple and UCONN both being good - they're the only thing close we have to being a "regional" rival, after all

 

[Scrutineer]

The day after the Ollie news hit, when it suddenly seemed like our players would be sticking around before we even had a new coach in place, I started to get very optimistic about our future. That included the AAC even, sure I'd much rather be in the ACC or Big East, but if Wichita/Cinci stay sturdy, and we get back to where we belong, as well as Memphis and SMU being strong, then throw in a team like Houston or Temple and so on being a bubble team, this conference can absolutely be good enough for us to compete for titles.


I think it can be close to what we thought in our most optimistic days right after the NBE broke off when Lville and Rutgers were still around. It can be a good enough league where if we are battling for the title every year, we're a good team that is respected. We need to do our part and the league really wont hold us back.

Maybe a couple of top of the line 5 star kids will scoff at our recruiting because we aren't in the ACC, but most kids will be open to playing in our league and that's all that matters really to me

You're an optimist like me......at least at the start of every year. Just ask my wife.

Having said that, I was hopeful of a good showing by the league this year. With 2, 4 and 6 seeds it seemed the AAC was getting some respect and all we needed was two to make the Sweet Sixteen. That would have validated how strong at least the top of the league was. Even one in the S16 would have been good, but we all know how that worked out.

As to respect with recruits, maybe you didn't see the quote from one of the top HS coaches in New Jersey who commented that his kids don't view the AAC nearly the way we'd like them to, so getting the top guys may be a challenge we can never meet. But, Geno elevated the Big East and maybe UConn will now be able to add the star power to elevate the men's side.

 

[Slasher]

I said this in another thread but I think if UCONN does its share of heavy lifting, the whole outlook on the conference changes. We have the right guys in charge of the football and basketball programs to make that happen.

I agree with other members, though, in saying we could desperately use another team or two somewhere around us. Poach somebody and bring in UMass. I would also like to see what would happen after a few years of Temple and UCONN both being good - they're the only thing close we have to being a "regional" rival, after all

No doubt about your first point. Not so sure on the 2nd point. UConn has a team a hell of a lot closer than Cincinnati does and they're doing just fine. Cincinnati is more centrally located, but they're not taking buses anywhere in conference.

 

[Urcea]

No doubt about your first point. Not so sure on the 2nd point. UConn has a team a hell of a lot closer than Cincinnati does and they're doing just fine. Cincinnati is more centrally located, but they're not taking buses anywhere in conference.

i don't think we need it as much for recruiting as some others do, i just want electric rivalry games that makes me hate other academic institutions for no reason because it's fun. easier to do in-region

 

[whaler11]

The Big XII has ten teams. How many got in the tournament? How many are still playing? Seven and four.

I'm not saying the American will become that good, simply that it could. There is no artificial ceiling on it. Getting 5-6 teams in for a 12 team league doesn't mean the other teams suck. Rather the opposite from an RPI perspective. The teams the Big XII didn't get in this year were almost all pretty good bubble/NIT teams (Baylor, OSU).

UConn can become whatever it wants. The main issue the American faces is whether those teams at the bottom will make the investment to become better. I think Tulane is trying. Tulsa is trying. UCF is trying. ECU and USF? Not so much.

There is a huge giant real ceiling on it.

Money.

UConn can’t just become whatever it wants. It would be nice if it worked like that but it doesn’t.

 

[HuskyHawk]

There is a huge giant real ceiling on it.

Money.

UConn can’t just become whatever it wants. It would be nice if it worked like that but it doesn’t.

I don't think money is a significant limitation on basketball success. I think Gonzaga, Nova and others have already shown that.

 

[jibsey]

Don't forget AAC also had the NCAA College Football National Champs, so we're on the rise!

Alabama is in the AAC?

 

[whaler11]

I don't think money is a significant limitation on basketball success. I think Gonzaga, Nova and others have already shown that.

Well if you just make up an alternate reality sure.

Just grab a half dozen new Fews and Wrights from the factory.

While somehow supporting football on a 2 million dollar TV contract.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

There is a huge giant real ceiling on it.

Money.

UConn can’t just become whatever it wants. It would be nice if it worked like that but it doesn’t.

Agreed. At some point we're not going to be able to fund our AD like we do now.

I do think men's hoops will be the last to feel the pain and it'll be a slow bleeding out process starting with non-revenue sports, Geno's retirement, football, and so on.

But at some point we just can't funding the AD with a $40M+ subsidy.

 

[whaler11]

Agreed. At some point we're not going to be able to fund our AD like we do now.

I do think men's hoops will be the last to feel the pain and it'll be a slow bleeding out process starting with non-revenue sports, Geno's retirement, football, and so on.

But at some point we just can't funding the AD with a $40M+ subsidy.

Something is going to give. Saw EMU dumped 4 programs this week. Pretty much at the FBS minimum.

Will be interesting if the FBS minimum goes lower than 16 because a lot of schools have got to be looking at it.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Something is going to give. Saw EMU dumped 4 programs this week. Pretty much at the FBS minimum.

Will be interesting if the FBS minimum goes lower than 16 because a lot of schools have got to be looking at it.

It's almost inconceivable that in the face of all this, UConn has upgraded to Hockey East and has plans to rebuild fields and stadiums for non-revenue sports. I know that for the stadium and field upgrades that were funded through donations, but at the same time, I would think there would be a more effective use for the money.

I've said it a ton, but any money that isn't spent on men's basketball or football is near sighted. Even if football gets back to 2007-2010 levels and hoops becomes a tourney team again, the last life boat has probably already left the titanic.

 

[whaler11]

It's almost inconceivable that in the face of all this, UConn has upgraded to Hockey East and has plans to rebuild fields and stadiums for non-revenue sports. I know that for the stadium and field upgrades that were funded through donations, but at the same time, I would think there would be a more effective use for the money.

I've said it a ton, but any money that isn't spent on men's basketball or football is near sighted. Even if football gets back to 2007-2010 levels and hoops becomes a tourney team again, the last life boat has probably already left the titanic.

The noise on dropping football is going to get really loud, really fast.

This coming season ain’t gonna help.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

The noise on dropping football is going to get really loud, really fast.

This coming season ain’t gonna help.

I was thinking the same thing. It's likely two more brutal seasons too unless they catch lightning in a bottle with a QB.

People have been clamoring for Big East hoops for years already and at some point it does get difficult to justify the product we see on the gridiron every fall. I've had a bit of a change of heart and do think that the Big East would be included in a breakaway from the NCAA for March Madness purposes, but if it's P5 schools reeling in $40M+, there's no way Big East schools would be able to retain talent anyway.

 

[whaler11]

I was thinking the same thing. It's likely two more brutal seasons too unless they catch lightning in a bottle with a QB.

People have been clamoring for Big East hoops for years already and at some point it does get difficult to justify the product we see on the gridiron every fall. I've had a bit of a change of heart and do think that the Big East would be included in a breakaway from the NCAA for March Madness purposes, but if it's P5 schools reeling in $40M+, there's no way Big East schools would be able to retain talent anyway.

I think the Big East will continue to be pretty good because they don’t have to feed the football master and they can still recruit to schools where the basketball players are BMOC.

They don’t have huge national fanbases but they have great atmospheres at places like Marquette, Butler, Creighton etc.

Even with the penalty of playing on Fox they have a league where everyone was a top 101 team this year - that isn’t easy.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I think the Big East will continue to be pretty good because they don’t have to feed the football master and they can still recruit to schools where the basketball players are BMOC.

They don’t have huge national fanbases but they have great atmospheres at places like Marquette, Butler, Creighton etc.

Even with the penalty of playing on Fox they have a league where everyone was a top 101 team this year - that isn’t easy.

It's a really fun league. The fact that they still own the Garden in March makes me pretty damn envious.

Obviously sucks, but the only way we would ever be a member again is dropping football.

 

[tduconn]

That's become the case in many of these leagues now. Hard to be worse than West Virginia. Creighton is another one. Would help if Temple could become what they were under Chaney again.

True, in the current conference both UConn and Temple have travel challenges. But in recent ACC and BIG conference alignments, both Syracuse and Pittsburgh "rivals" in the ACC are quite distant, and new rivals for Rutgers and Maryland in the BIG, absent Penn State, are also quite distant. Wisconsin and Minnesota aren't actually next door neighbors, and neither are the other Midwestern BIG schools actually neighbors. If UConn was in either ACC or BIG, travel challenges wouldn't exactly disappear.

Look at the PAC schools......from Washington to Arizona and everyone in between, now includes Colorado and Utah.

The old NE Yankee Conference rivalries and proximities are no longer a reality in "big time " college sports

 

[HuskyHawk]

Well if you just make up an alternate reality sure.

Just grab a half dozen new Fews and Wrights from the factory.

While somehow supporting football on a 2 million dollar TV contract.

There is the possible and the probable. The improbable has occurred in the past and will occur again. Where and how is hard to predict. I'm not willing to say it's impossible for these programs to make a significant improvement.

I'm not saying the schools in the American are in a great financial situation. I think the contract is about to improve, and if we can start winning NCAA credits at a better clip, that will help as well. But it is certainly reasonable to see the American putting 5-6 teams in the tournament at some point. The coaching hires have been good. Most teams are trending up, with the exception of UConn.

I think football at UConn will have an upside surprise this year, and that will help our situation.

 

[whaler11]

There is the possible and the probable. The improbable has occurred in the past and will occur again. Where and how is hard to predict. I'm not willing to say it's impossible for these programs to make a significant improvement.

I'm not saying the schools in the American are in a great financial situation. I think the contract is about to improve, and if we can start winning NCAA credits at a better clip, that will help as well. But it is certainly reasonable to see the American putting 5-6 teams in the tournament at some point. The coaching hires have been good. Most teams are trending up, with the exception of UConn.

I think football at UConn will have an upside surprise this year, and that will help our situation.

Again how about the league not crash and burn one time before potential greatness is ascribed to it.

 

[Exit 4]

The potential is there for next year, but we all need to chillax and see some squads make the sweet 16, elite 8 and final 4 first.

 

[ASweet3781]

As long as Mick Cronin and SMU are the faces of the league, it will never be respected nor should it.

 

[BlueDogs]

There is the possible and the probable. The improbable has occurred in the past and will occur again. Where and how is hard to predict. I'm not willing to say it's impossible for these programs to make a significant improvement.

I'm not saying the schools in the American are in a great financial situation. I think the contract is about to improve, and if we can start winning NCAA credits at a better clip, that will help as well. But it is certainly reasonable to see the American putting 5-6 teams in the tournament at some point. The coaching hires have been good. Most teams are trending up, with the exception of UConn.

I think football at UConn will have an upside surprise this year, and that will help our situation.

The AAC Conf Football
Championship and the follow-on whooping put on Auburn did wonders for elevating the national perception of the conference. We just need to sustain the high level of competitive play and have more OCC success and the American will start competing for media dollars.