AP Poll Week 16 - UConn #21

[awfuldan]

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We move up a bit to #21. Have a match-up with #8 Villanova tomorrow. Huge opportunity. Providence is the only other BE team at #11.

 

[Peacefrog]

21 seemed to be the consensus from the board. Maybe a case can be made to put us in front of Texas but we seem to about where we belong. Beating Nova would shoot us up the board a bit.

 

[upstater]

21 seemed to be the consensus from the board. Maybe a case can be made to put us in front of Texas but we seem to about where we belong. Beating Nova would shoot us up the board a bit.

I don't really care too much about this but Texas being ranked so high is interesting. They played 14 games in their pre-conference schedule, 11 against creampuffs, 1 against mediocre Stanford, and they lost 2 games to Gonzaga and Seton Hall.

They did basically nothing preconference.

The Big12 is good though, so again I don't begrudge them that, but I should think the tourney committee is going to take note, no?

 

[upstater]

And is this for real? I haven't been paying attention, but Duke is the ONLY ACC team in the top 34?

 

[navery12]

I don't really care too much about this but Texas being ranked so high is interesting. They played 14 games in their pre-conference schedule, 11 against creampuffs, 1 against mediocre Stanford, and they lost 2 games to Gonzaga and Seton Hall.

They did basically nothing preconference.

The Big12 is good though, so again I don't begrudge them that, but I should think the tourney committee is going to take note, no?

I thought they would too, but then the tourney committee revealed the top 16 seeds and Texas was 16

 

[Jaydumo20]

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We move up a bit to #21. Have a match-up with #8 Villanova tomorrow. Huge opportunity. Providence is the only other BE team at #11.

I still can't believe the disrespect the big east gets in the tourney. There is no rhyme or reason to it, imo. Im sure you can find some reason to say a conference is better than another but it usually ends up coming out in the wash in March. I think it has something to do with the way people view conferences based on football prowess. I know it sounds far fetched but why else would we be disrespected year in and year out?

 

[ecasadoSBU]

I still can't believe the disrespect the big east gets in the tourney. There is no rhyme or reason to it, imo. Im sure you can find some reason to say a conference is better than another but it usually ends up coming out in the wash in March. I think it has something to do with the way people view conferences based on football prowess. I know it sounds far fetched but why else would we be disrespected year in and year out?

I think the league is getting respected this year. I would say that in past year there may have been some disrespect. But this year thinks look good. I mean - two weeks ago we had 5 ranked teams for like 4 consecutive weeks. The Big East is probably the 3rd best league right now as per the NET rankings behind the B12 and B1G so I think everything is looking good right now.

We are also on the way to getting 7 bids in which is right in line with the rest of the P6 conferences.

 

[Tenspro2002]

As I expected.

Seton Hall and Xavier have really fallen off in the eyes of the voters (Marquette too for that matter), so we're not getting credit for these wins beyond "not losing".

Beat Nova and take care of business against Georgetown and we'll get some respect, probably into the 16-18 range. We don't have any bad losses, but Auburn is our only signature win at this point.

 

[MU in MKE]

What makes you think the conference is disrespected year in and year out? There's many years that people thought the opposite, that the Big East was getting too much love in the tourney (at least when it came to how many teams made it in). Last year was probably the only anomaly, but that had more to do with COVID and the wacky disjointed season.

 

[Jaydumo20]

What makes you think the conference is disrespected year in and year out? There's many years that people thought the opposite, that the Big East was getting too much love in the tourney (at least when it came to how many teams made it in). Last year was probably the only anomaly, but that had more to do with COVID and the wacky disjointed season.

If you look at end of year rankings over last 6 years, with the exception of Nova and Xavier there seems to be very little representation compared to the other conferences. I think it is a minor thing, not a huge conspiracy. But Alabama with 10 losses and 2-6 on the road is ranked 24th? I have always thought that big name football get preferential treatment in everything college sports. Marquette and Creighton have better W/L stats than Bama. So do seton hall and Xavier I think

 

[UconnFanDC]

Being ranked is always a good thing and fun to debate where we should be. I just want us to play like we are going to remain and be a fixed part of the top 20 and upset some teams on a way to earn a higher ranking in the final poll. Now let's prove something by beating a healthy Nova team

 

[Jaydumo20]

I think the league is getting respected this year. I would say that in past year there may have been some disrespect. But this year thinks look good. I mean - two weeks ago we had 5 ranked teams for like 4 consecutive weeks. The Big East is probably the 3rd best league right now as per the NET rankings behind the B12 and B1G so I think everything is looking good right now.

We are also on the way to getting 7 bids in which is right in line with the rest of the P6 conferences.

Very true. This year has been better. I think uconns presence has helped but I still can't shake the feeling that big football schools get a leg up. I don't feel that the SEC is that much better than the big east this year. I don't know if their top 3 teams would beat our top 3 by that large of a margin. I mean, we beat their best.

 

[superjohn]

What makes you think the conference is disrespected year in and year out? There's many years that people thought the opposite, that the Big East was getting too much love in the tourney (at least when it came to how many teams made it in). Last year was probably the only anomaly, but that had more to do with COVID and the wacky disjointed season.

I don't think many UConn fans paid much attention when UConn was out of the conference. The Big East is not a disrespected conference, they're always talked about as one of the best conferences and their seeding is reflective of that.

 

[RichCTBB]

Many predicted that among our losses, there would be a seriously head scratcher of a loss. I’d argue that Creighton would be that loss. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the other losses were to either ranked teams at their place, or against a veteran coach in a hostile environment. Need to get Creighton back.

 

[businesslawyer]

I still can't believe the disrespect the big east gets in the tourney. There is no rhyme or reason to it, imo. Im sure you can find some reason to say a conference is better than another but it usually ends up coming out in the wash in March. I think it has something to do with the way people view conferences based on football prowess. I know it sounds far fetched but why else would we be disrespected year in and year out?

This is the second year we've been back in the Big East. Define "year in and year out."

 

[Jaydumo20]

This is the second year we've been back in the Big East. Define "year in and year out."

I didn't specify uconn. I said the big east. I also don't mean the past 20 years

 

[Jaydumo20]

I don't think many UConn fans paid much attention when UConn was out of the conference. The Big East is not a disrespected conference, they're always talked about as one of the best conferences and their seeding is reflective of that.

I don't think it is egregious disrespect. I feel like given 6 teams of equal ability the big 5 teams would get a better shake than a non football conference. Looking at the final reg season rankings from
2015- BE had 3 teams top 25
2016-2 teams
2017- 2 teams
2018- 1 team
2019- 4 teams
2020- 2 teams
Current- 3 teams.

And most of them have been Nova and Xavier. I also feel that more BE teams make the tourney because we typically have a more basketball focused viewership.

 

[Tenspro2002]

The problem the BE has this year is there are 2 teams on the outskirts of the top 10 (and nobody buys the success of one of them), and then like 4-5 other teams in that kind of 20-40 range that might make the Tournament but isn't going to get much buzz.

We don't have either a single top 5 dominant team being mentioned as a title contender, nor do we have a stable of 4-5 teams ranked all year and getting notoriety for the conference.

 

[KingAG]

As I expected.

Seton Hall and Xavier have really fallen off in the eyes of the voters (Marquette too for that matter), so we're not getting credit for these wins beyond "not losing".

Beat Nova and take care of business against Georgetown and we'll get some respect, probably into the 16-18 range. We don't have any bad losses, but Auburn is our only signature win at this point.

I understand this isn’t you’re opinion just your observation of the voters. But that’s BS. That’s 2 top 40 wins this week. How many teams ahead of us can say that? Also it’s a bit disingenuous, Xavier was practically ranked(26). I’m not mad at 21 because we control our own destiny at this point. Beat win out the regular season(which is realistic if we get over this nova hump) and we’ll be in discussion for a 4 seed. Win the BET too and we’re on the verge of a 3. Long story short, just win.

 

[KingAG]

The problem the BE has this year is there are 2 teams on the outskirts of the top 10 (and nobody buys the success of one of them), and then like 4-5 other teams in that kind of 20-40 range that might make the Tournament but isn't going to get much buzz.

We don't have either a single top 5 dominant team being mentioned as a title contender, nor do we have a stable of 4-5 teams ranked all year and getting notoriety for the conference.

Funny enough, the big east really needs us to beat Nova. It adds another viable team into the mix

 

[storrsroars]

And is this for real? I haven't been paying attention, but Duke is the ONLY ACC team in the top 34?

The ACC is projected to get fewer tourney bids than the Mountain West.

 

[August_West]

And is this for real? I haven't been paying attention, but Duke is the ONLY ACC team in the top 34?

And yet somehow slotted for 5 teams in a bracket I saw.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I don't think many UConn fans paid much attention when UConn was out of the conference. The Big East is not a disrespected conference, they're always talked about as one of the best conferences and their seeding is reflective of that.

I think the league gets downgraded vs the P5 leagues. I'm not sure there is a cure for it except for some Big East team that isn't Villanova to go on a run in the tournament. When you look at B10, B12, SEC, Pac and ACC (normally not now) they always have 3-4 teams that are a threat and different teams make deep runs.

 

[Jaydumo20]

I think the league gets downgraded vs the P5 leagues. I'm not sure there is a cure for it except for some Big East team that isn't Villanova to go on a run in the tournament. When you look at B10, B12, SEC, Pac and ACC (normally not now) they always have 3-4 teams that are a threat and different teams make deep runs.

I feel the exact same

 

[auror]

I understand this isn’t you’re opinion just your observation of the voters. But that’s BS. That’s 2 top 40 wins this week.

Xavier is 1-4 in their last 5 (3-6 in last 9).
Seton Hall is 7-8 in conference play overall.

Both games were at home.

Have to have some perspective about the "shine" of these 2 wins. Good wins. Not losses. Wins we needed for tournament resume, conference standings, and general mojo.

But KenPom has both teams outside the top 35. It's easier to beat either team at home than a team of St. John's strength on the road.

 

[storrsroars]

And yet somehow slotted for 5 teams in a bracket I saw.

Wake snuck into Palm's bracket this weekend and both UNC and Wake crawled into Lundardi's. Prior to that it was MW 4, ACC 3.

 

[ecasadoSBU]

What makes you think the conference is disrespected year in and year out? There's many years that people thought the opposite, that the Big East was getting too much love in the tourney (at least when it came to how many teams made it in). Last year was probably the only anomaly, but that had more to do with COVID and the wacky disjointed season.

Yeah. Last year really sucked. The shortened OOC really hurt the Big East. I don't remember the Big East ever being in the running for only three bids in the history of the league (well maybe a long time ago in the 90s... who knows). Glad that Georgetown saved the league some face by pulling that BET run and stealing a 4th bid

 

[ecasadoSBU]

If you look at end of year rankings over last 6 years, with the exception of Nova and Xavier there seems to be very little representation compared to the other conferences. I think it is a minor thing, not a huge conspiracy. But Alabama with 10 losses and 2-6 on the road is ranked 24th? I have always thought that big name football get preferential treatment in everything college sports. Marquette and Creighton have better W/L stats than Bama. So do seton hall and Xavier I think

I definitely agree that the league has gotten disrespected in the past several years, esp. since the last round of realignment in 2013. I actually have always called it out in other boards (particularly in HLOH where I participate the most) that the quality of the league has been significantly better than what the polls say for most of the decade.

One thing I noticed is that Big East teams get very little pre-season hype and struggle to get on the AP poll early in the season until they prove their worth in the OOC and smack the voters in the face. In other words - we don't often get the benefit of the doubt early on like other programs do. Perhaps it has been due to the fact that the league moved its games to FS1 which has significant less visibility than the ESPN/CBS networks (but is slowly gaining ground on them), perhaps its due to the programs not being a CFB powerhouses (there is less commercial interest to hype the brands), perhaps there is some bias against Big East schools, maybe all of the above.

Who knows... But I'm glad that this year is probably the first year that I feel satisfied with the respect the league has been getting overall. 5 teams ranked is pretty legit for an 11-team league. Maybe it has helped that the ACC is down and the Big East has served as the standard bearer for the East Coast. The Big East needs to make sure it stays that way. Lets beat the ACC every year! Keep our coaching stability and recruit tough! In the next TV negotiations I would really love if the Big East retains Fox as a primary partner but also signs ESPN as a secondary partner to force their hand with coverage... something like what the Big Ten does.

 

[Jaydumo20]

What makes you think the conference is disrespected year in and year out? There's many years that people thought the opposite, that the Big East was getting too much love in the tourney (at least when it came to how many teams made it in). Last year was probably the only anomaly, but that had more to do with COVID and the wacky disjointed season.

To your point though, I do remember the year that the Big East had a gaudy number of entrants. Like 9 or something (and I remember they didn't live up to that hype). Big ten is supposed to have 9 in this year and I doubt most people would even blink an eye at that number. I saw one bracket prediction that had Michigan getting in. I still think we don't get the immediate respect that the Big 5s do. We really have to earn it.

 

[Jaydumo20]

I definitely agree that the league has gotten disrespected in the past several years, esp. since the last round of realignment in 2013. I actually have always called it out in other boards (particularly in HLOH where I participate the most) that the quality of the league has been significantly better than what the polls say for most of the decade.

One thing I noticed is that Big East teams get very little pre-season hype and struggle to get on the AP poll early in the season until they prove their worth in the OOC and smack the voters in the face. In other words - we don't often get the benefit of the doubt early on like other programs do. Perhaps it has been due to the fact that the league moved its games to FS1 which has significant less visibility than the ESPN/CBS networks (but is slowly gaining ground on them), perhaps its due to the programs not being a CFB powerhouses (there is less commercial interest to hype the brands), perhaps there is some bias against Big East schools, maybe all of the above.

Who knows... But I'm glad that this year is probably the first year that I feel satisfied with the respect the league has been getting overall. 5 teams ranked is pretty legit for an 11-team league. Maybe it has helped that the ACC is down and the Big East has served as the standard bearer for the East Coast. The Big East needs to make sure it stays that way. Lets beat the ACC every year! Keep our coaching stability and recruit tough! In the next TV negotiations I would really love if the Big East retains Fox as a primary partner but also signs ESPN as a secondary partner to force their hand with coverage... something like what the Big Ten does.

Good point about the networks. I agree- that, coupled with the CFB stuff kind of keeps the BE less visible. But also agree, this year feels like it's on the upswing. Especially if the teams perform in the tourney.