AAC Tournament is a joke!

[veryolddog]

Why don't they just hand UConn the championship Trophy on Day 1 and let the other teams play for second place. This is not a question. There is not one team in this league that can compete with UConn and make it a game. UConn would be better off competing against it's male practice players during this time period than playing any of these teams and have a more competitive game that forces them to excel for 40 minutes. Either these teams come up to the level of play of UConn or UConn women should have 26 out of conference games. Look what it did to the UConn men's program. They play no better than they did before Calhoun arrived at the University. And look what they are playing against.

What I think Geno is really worried about is that this program will sink down to the level of play of the rest of the AAC and not maintain the level of consistency it has over the years. Then it is retirement time.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I invoke the Mojo God:

 

[ZachCT12]

teams like Tulsa and UCF have played UConn close this year... and USF is just as capable in my view.. Not all games are full blown 40-50 point routs. Not only to mention, the records for the top AAC teams this year are much better. UCF is well on its way under Coach Abe to reaching the NCAAs in the coming years. Temple was destroyed with injuries this year who are usually an NCAA team as well. Also kudos to Jamelle for compiling the record she has and landing a top 4 finish in the conference

 

[EricSD]

The PAC-12 championship game was a smackdown of 20 points by Oregon over Stanford. Why not just give it to Oregon this year and move on? Why bother playing those games??

Baylor and Texas have ripped thru the Big 12. Why not just jump to the championship game between those 2 and skip the rest?

Yeah our league sucks. Unless there's another expansion by one of the P5 leagues, UCONN is stuck. USF has always been good. Houston, UCF, Cinci and Temple are showing signs of life. For many years it was Stanford and everyone else in the Pac 12. Once Geno retires and UCONN comes back to earth, I bet our conference is plenty competitive for complaining fans...

 

[CL82]

Why don't they just hand UConn the championship Trophy on Day 1 and let the other teams play for second place. This is not a question.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Once Geno retires and UCONN comes back to earth,

This increasingly conventional wisdom, syllogistic logic (not, I know but I'm trying to draw someone out of hiding), formulaic thinking I am unwilling to have go unchallenged. I'm shocked, Eric, shocked!

 

[rugbymate]

Some of us prefer to look at the AAC not as a conference that will drag UCONN down but rather a conference that UCONN will pull up....patience

 

[DefenseBB]

It is what it is-go blame the Athletic Department for wanting to field a football team that can't recruit in it's backyard because it doesn't have a backyard! So until you tell the AD to Forego football and go back to the BigEast, the other sports programs will be stuck in purgatory.

That said, it took FSU and Miami 6 years to make the ACC more competitive in football as they were easily winning all those conference titles. It elevated Clemson finally but also at the detriment of their own prestige and top echelon status.

 

[oldude]

The PAC-12 championship game was a smackdown of 20 points by Oregon over Stanford. Why not just give it to Oregon this year and move on? Why bother playing those games??

Baylor and Texas have ripped thru the Big 12. Why not just jump to the championship game between those 2 and skip the rest?

Yeah our league sucks. Unless there's another expansion by one of the P5 leagues, UCONN is stuck. USF has always been good. Houston, UCF, Cinci and Temple are showing signs of life. For many years it was Stanford and everyone else in the Pac 12. Once Geno retires and UCONN comes back to earth, I bet our conference is plenty competitive for complaining fans...

Would much prefer the rest of the AAC raising their level of play to compete with UConn, than UConn coming back down to earth after Geno retires.

 

[eebmg]

Our conference is in perfect balance

 

[Artifact]

I agree with the statement regarding Geno, concerning retirement & prognosis of the future for UConn W.B. I look around & I see no one. I feel that all those around him will, also, pack it in, Enjoy it, as long it lasts !

 

[BostonCanuck]

I respectfully dissent. Yesterday, while most were watching the Pac-12 final, I took in an absolute thriller between Cincinnati and Tulsa in the AAC quarter-final. This is a game that had something like 12 lead changes, with both teams making shots and at one point trading threes like they were body blows in a heavyweight prize fight.

Tulsa was up by 1 and had possession with just 14 seconds left on the clock. But they turn the ball over on the inbound. The Bearcats advance the ball with a timeout, and Jamelle draws up a play. Senior Ana Owens breaks down the defense on the dribble drive, makes a great move to the hoop and scoops the ball in with her left hand to put her team up by 1!

But there's time left on the clock. On her own drive to the rim, Tulsa's Erika Wakefied splits the defenders, who cannot foul, but then puts the ball a touch too hard off the glass to miss the winning layup. Heartbreak! Wakefield's teammates rush to comfort her, but she is seen shedding tears during the post-game handshakes. Meanwhile, Cinncinatti is ecstatic and celebrating that they just made it to their first American semi-final, where the UConn Huskies await.

Excitement and drama in our game doesn't get much better than this. I love our conference.

 

[j66kicker]

It’s all relative. In her post-game presser last night Tulane coach Lisa Stockton said the level of competition increased when they joined the AAC.

 

[Wbbfan1]

While I hope it doesn't happen, how do you think USF would do if UConn was forced to play the Championship Game without Crystal and Gabby? I'd venture the game might be closer then many might think.

You got to play the games and anything can happen. No Championships or games are guaranteed wins.

I can remember watching UConn vs St John's and I was shocked St John's won. Also how about the improbably Duke win when Foley hit the shot.

 

[ZachCT12]

While I hope it doesn't happen, how do you think USF would do if UConn was forced to play the Championship Game without Crystal and Gabby? I'd venture the game might be closer then many might think.

You got to play the games and anything can happen. No Championships or games are guaranteed wins.

I can remember watching UConn vs St John's and I was shocked St John's won. Also how about the improbably Duke win when Foley hit the shot.

I also believe that this would be a real close one as well without Gabby and Crystal.

 

[Nuyoika]

They really could get rid of the conference tourney's altogether for the major conferences or really any conference with multiple top 25 teams. How often do you see a B10, B12, ACC, SEC, or PAC12 team win and think wow I couldn't have imagined that? Usually by the time the conference tourneys come around you know it is going to be one of two teams basically. Usually the two that get there have played each other twice already anyway. Then they could just move the NCAA tourney up.

 

[HGN]

Why don't they just hand UConn the championship Trophy on Day 1 and let the other teams play for second place. This is not a question. There is not one team in this league that can compete with UConn and make it a game. UConn would be better off competing against it's male practice players during this time period than playing any of these teams and have a more competitive game that forces them to excel for 40 minutes. Either these teams come up to the level of play of UConn or UConn women should have 26 out of conference games. Look what it did to the UConn men's program. They play no better than they did before Calhoun arrived at the University. And look what they are playing against.

What I think Geno is really worried about is that this program will sink down to the level of play of the rest of the AAC and not maintain the level of consistency it has over the years. Then it is retirement time.

Veryolddog , exactly what are you complaining about ? Are you mad that the other teams are not as good as UConn , or that UConn is not as bad as the other teams? Don't blame UConn for it. Please remember that
UConn was in the Best basketball league in the college game , The Big East. But League Presidents broke it up. And please remember that NO OTHER league has chosen to ask UConn to join them. BIG 10 ; ACC ;
SEC .........None of the so-called P5 Conferences.

So its not UConn's fault that they have to play the teams in their league and are just better.

 

[dogged1]

Our conference is in perfect balance

Unh, d sub 2 needs to go way in more to left.

 

[UConnNick]

It is what it is-go blame the Athletic Department for wanting to field a football team that can't recruit in it's backyard because it doesn't have a backyard! So until you tell the AD to Forego football and go back to the BigEast, the other sports programs will be stuck in purgatory.

That said, it took FSU and Miami 6 years to make the ACC more competitive in football as they were easily winning all those conference titles. It elevated Clemson finally but also at the detriment of their own prestige and top echelon status.

Even if the new Big East had any interest, a big if, in adding UCONN, it no longer has much appeal outside of men's BB. There's no Syracuse, Pitt, WVU, Louisville, Rutgers, and ND anymore. In essence, almost all of the premier women's programs have long since waved goodbye. DePaul is one of the few women's programs left that might provide some competition, but not really because we always hammer them. A run through the current NBE schedule for us would look very much like a run through the AAC looks now.

UCONN also has other sports teams. It's not only basketball. We are nationally ranked in baseball, and the AAC is a great baseball conference. The AAC is also the best non-P5 football league. If you truly want the women's program in a really competitive league, it's P5 or bust, and the only way to get there is market share demographics that work, and football. Without football, get used to being in a mid major conference for women's BB permanently.

 

[dogged1]

Even if the new Big East had any interest, a big if, in adding UCONN, it no longer has much appeal outside of men's BB. There's no Syracuse, Pitt, WVU, Louisville or Rutgers anymore. In essence, almost all of the premier women's programs have long since waved goodbye. DePaul is one of the few women's programs left that might provide some competition, but not really because we always hammer them. A run through the current NBE schedule for us would look very much like a run through the AAC looks now.

UCONN also has other sports teams. It's not only basketball. We are nationally ranked in baseball, and the AAC is a great baseball conference. The AAC is also the best non-P5 football league. If you truly want the women's program in a really competitive league, it's P5 or bust, and the only way to get there is market share demographics that work, and football. Without football, get used to being in a mid major conference for women's BB permanently.

A neat summation of 10 years of debate, of the now nearly dead, Conference Realignment Board.

 

[Charliebball]

excuse my ignorance as always but why can't UConn women's basketball be like Notre Dame in college football with their own independent schedule with lots of great match ups throughout the season............I can't believe the AAC broadcasting rights can be all that lucrative

 

[eebmg]

Unh, d sub 2 needs to go way in more to left.

Not my construction. I just liked the visual.

 

[msf22b]

1. Geno has compensated for the (relatively) weak conference schedule by scheduling a monster out-of-conference lineup.

2. It's not impossible that the year after next and following could well be rebuilding years like the group before Tina and Maya. I'm sure that Geno's 30- win remark was a reference to that possibility.

3, My guess (is it allowed to guess) is that Geno would raise that group to a National Championship level and then retire.

4. In a sense, by loading up such a formidable OOC lineup. he has made the relatively weaker conference schedule of no concern (variation of argument 1).

5. (and last) No matter how (relatively) weak the schedule is, there still is a huge difference between practice and playing in front of a large, potentially critical paying crowd, interested in seeing a brand of woman's BB unavailable elsewhere.

 

[Oldbones]

Why don't they just hand UConn the championship Trophy on Day 1 and let the other teams play for second place.

ESPN has an article on the only 8 schools that can possibly win the Men's NCAA Tournament (Spoiler: UCONN not included) so they could skip to the elite 8. BTW, I think if we include Texas and Oregon there are probably about 8 contenders on the Women's side a well.

The 343 teams that will not win the national championship

 

[DefenseBB]

Even if the new Big East had any interest, a big if, in adding UCONN, it no longer has much appeal outside of men's BB. There's no Syracuse, Pitt, WVU, Louisville, Rutgers, and ND anymore. In essence, almost all of the premier women's programs have long since waved goodbye. DePaul is one of the few women's programs left that might provide some competition, but not really because we always hammer them. A run through the current NBE schedule for us would look very much like a run through the AAC looks now.

UCONN also has other sports teams. It's not only basketball. We are nationally ranked in baseball, and the AAC is a great baseball conference. The AAC is also the best non-P5 football league. If you truly want the women's program in a really competitive league, it's P5 or bust, and the only way to get there is market share demographics that work, and football. Without football, get used to being in a mid major conference for women's BB permanently.

UConnNick-nice job with the counterpoints of the issue with one/two minor rebuttals if I may-
The conference alignments are about the 2, and only 2 revenue sports: Football/MCBB. In order to compete in CFB 35-50% of your recruits need to be regional i.e.New England, otherwise you can't field depth. Add in 11 paid assistants and large fan base to donate and come to the games and you see the issue. No New England University or for that matter Eastern Seaboard team north of Virginia can compete in CFB. So why waste the money, tax dollars and cost of other programs to try?
Forego football, focus on Basketball, baseball, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and other sports where the Northeast pool of talent is abundant. The Big East does offer significant competition in all of those sports. The BigEast WCBB is still better than the AAC-besides DePaul, there's Marquette, Villanova and Creighton all in the top 50 on Massey and Georgetown/St.John's all in the top 72. AAC has 2 in top 50 and 3 in top 72 with UCF. As you say, you should look at the other sports as well and think of the more regional travel to take the burden of the other sports to compete-Butler, Creighton and Xavier being the furthest with only Creighton not in the Eastern time zone.

I do know the issue is not dead and I think with UConn Hockey showing life, the budget situation will start to determine where funding needs to go as the Connecticut Tax payers do not want to subsidized D1 football... JMHO..

 

[Oldbones]

Why don't they just hand UConn the championship Trophy on Day 1 and let the other teams play for second place. This is not a question. There is not one team in this league that can compete with UConn and make it a game. UConn would be better off competing against it's male practice players during this time period than playing any of these teams and have a more competitive game that forces them to excel for 40 minutes. Either these teams come up to the level of play of UConn or UConn women should have 26 out of conference games. Look what it did to the UConn men's program. They play no better than they did before Calhoun arrived at the University. And look what they are playing against.

What I think Geno is really worried about is that this program will sink down to the level of play of the rest of the AAC and not maintain the level of consistency it has over the years. Then it is retirement time.

When Bobby Bowden's FSU Football team first competed in the ACC between 1992 and 2000, they were 70-2 in the conference, winning of tying for the title all nine years. They eventually found a way to play down to the competition...................

 

[cohenzone]

The tournament may not mean
much for UConn these days, but it does mean something for other league teams. A few wins might solidify an NCAA bid. A loss might mean not getting a bid. And UConn has had a couple of close games in league. If one of those becomes a loss in the tournament, another team would get an automatic NCAA bid. So it isn’t all that irrelevant.

 

[CL82]

It is what it is-go blame the Athletic Department for wanting to field a football team that can't recruit in it's backyard because it doesn't have a backyard! So until you tell the AD to Forego football and go back to the BigEast, the other sports programs will be stuck in purgatory.

That said, it took FSU and Miami 6 years to make the ACC more competitive in football as they were easily winning all those conference titles. It elevated Clemson finally but also at the detriment of their own prestige and top echelon status.

Where to begin...

1) UConn is still in the same the conference it joined back in 1979. The Big East sold it's name to the departing Catholic schools but UConn has not changed conferences.

2) The new Big East isn't the Big East we remember. Syracuse is in the ACC with Pitt and BC. Rutgers in the Big 10 and West Virginia is in the Big 12. Cinci, USF and UCF, of course are still in the conference formerly known as the Big East but now called the American.

3) Football is where the mega conferences make their money. The American and the new Big East have tiny media contracts that mean that eventually they will lose the ever escalating athletic department arms race. There may not be more expansion for the P-5 conferences but UConn is smart to make itself a candidate for as long as it can.

4) UConn football is in a down period but had great success including two conference championships (2007 and 2010) and a BCS bowl (The Fiesta Bowl 2010.)

Dropping football isn't a panacea, it's a surrender.

 

[DefenseBB]

Where to begin...

1) UConn is still in the same the conference it joined back in 1979. The Big East sold it's name to the departing Catholic schools but UConn has not changed conferences.

2) The new Big East isn't the Big East we remember. Syracuse is in the ACC with Pitt and BC. Rutgers in the Big 10 and West Virginia is in the Big 12. Cinci, USF and UCF, of course are still in the conference formerly known as the Big East but now called the American.

3) Football is where the mega conferences make their money. The American and the new Big East have tiny media contracts that mean that eventually they will lose the ever escalating athletic department arms race. There may not be more expansion for the P-5 conferences but UConn is smart to make itself a candidate for as long as it can.

4) UConn football is in a down period but had great success including two conference championships (2007 and 2010) and a BCS bowl (The Fiesta Bowl 2010.)

Dropping football isn't a panacea, it's a surrender.

How many years did the program make money?

 

[CL82]

How many years did the program make money?

I'd guess back when the Rent was full, it was doing pretty well. Don't know and don't have time to search it right now. I remember in 2011 it had a modest profit of about $1.5 M. It was about half of the either of the basketball programs profit.

Not really the point though, right? The point is about positioning the University to have a shot at P5 money. Without that every program will suffer.