CBSSports.com AAC Conference Preview

[HooperScooper]

They have UConn finishing first.

2014-15 College Basketball Conference Preview: AAC

 

[BleedHuskyBlu]

I keep remembering Tulane is in our conference and my heart just aches.

 

[HooperScooper]

26.6: The percentage of men's basketball national titles won by UConn since 1999. I type it because I have to shake my skull into realizing how crazy that is. In a lot of ways, I still think UConn juuuust doesn't quite get enough due for how dominant and powerful the program has become compared to what it was 25 years ago.

Matt Norlander isn't very good at math. Should be 25%. 4 out of the last 16 championships (not 15).

 

[7774]

I keep remembering Tulane is in our conference and my heart just aches.

Really? Do you think you will be able to continue on with life, or is this it for you?

 

[OkaForPrez]

Someone needs to tell the coach in "coaches take" that Louisville is no longer in their league.

 

[aceboon]

I don't recall Brimah having a problem with goaltends but whatever, I usually find issue with alot of the nonsense Norlander comes up with.

 

[Walker11]

A lot of time Norlander trips over himself trying not to be over complimentary towards UCONN since he is a local but this seemed fair.

 

[Husky68]

I keep remembering Tulane is in our conference and my heart just aches.

Yeah, I miss Seton Hall.

 

[Huskies4ever]

Matt Norlander isn't very good at math. Should be 25%. 4 out of the last 16 championships (not 15).

Sssssssshhhhhhhhhhh................

 

[upstater]

Really? Do you think you will be able to continue on with life, or is this it for you?

When anyone thinks of Tulane, they might remember schools like DePaul and Virginia Tech in the BE as well.

 

[Scot-e]

I keep remembering Tulane is in our conference and my heart just aches.

We can go to New Orleans for a game! Look on the bright side- love that city.

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

When anyone thinks of Tulane, they might remember schools like DePaul and Virginia Tech in the BE as well.

While I appreciate the optimism, Tulane is far crappier than those two programs. I think we would all jump for joy if VA Tech joined the AAC, as depressing as that sounds.

 

[upstater]

While I appreciate the optimism, Tulane is far crappier than those two programs. I think we would all jump for joy if VA Tech joined the AAC, as depressing as that sounds.

For football? Yes. For bball, they'd be bottom half of the conference.

 

[BearJWS]

For football? Yes. For bball, they'd be bottom half of the conference.

VA Tech BBall has been dismal since they canned Seth Greenberg. While Seth was not great, he kept them competitive. Their cupcake OOC schedule hurt them mostly in Seth's time, but they were decent in ACC standings several years. I think Buzz can get VA Tech back on track. He seems to get a lot out of his players. I'd welcome VA Tech too the AAC but that ain't happening.

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

For football? Yes. For bball, they'd be bottom half of the conference.

You are insane if you don't think VA tech is a major upgrade. At least it's a big state school that people know exists. I didn't even know Tulane or ecu or whoever else is at the bottom of the dumpster in our conference even had basketball programs until I saw them on our schedule.

 

[mcs333]

Right now VT is a train wreck. 2-16 in the ACC. Their record and RPI was worst than both ECU and Tulane last year. I am not saying Tulane or ECU are better, however VT BB program has really gone in the wrong direction. They are a bad BB program no

 

[upstater]

You are insane if you don't think VA tech is a major upgrade. At least it's a big state school that people know exists. I didn't even know Tulane or ecu or whoever else is at the bottom of the dumpster in our conference even had basketball programs until I saw them on our schedule.

When they were in the BE they stunk. In the ACC they stink now. Have you even looked at their record? Do you see the kinds of teams they lose to? East Carolina is just as bad, but not enough to draw any sharp distinctions.

We are talking about a school that last year had losses to SC Upstate Spartanburg and UNC Greensboro. The only team they beat in the ACC the entire year was Miami, Fla.

The year before that, they lost to Georgia Southern and Colorado St. and they were similarly abysmal in the ACC.

Don't get me wrong, Tulane and ECU are similarly awful. We lost Rutgers and gained these two. Tulsa on the other hand has been pretty good at basketball for a long time.

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

When they were in the BE they stunk. In the ACC they stink now. Have you even looked at their record? Do you see the kinds of teams they lose to? East Carolina is just as bad, but not enough to draw any sharp distinctions.

We are talking about a school that last year had losses to SC Upstate Spartanburg and UNC Greensboro. The only team they beat in the ACC the entire year was Miami, Fla.

The year before that, they lost to Georgia Southern and Colorado St. and they were similarly abysmal in the ACC.

Don't get me wrong, Tulane and ECU are similarly awful. We lost Rutgers and gained these two. Tulsa on the other hand has been pretty good at basketball for a long time.

Upstater, you are one of the best posters on this board, but right now I'm starting to think that Jeff Hathaway has hijacked your account, because this is ludicrous.

VA Tech is far from a basketball power, trust me I know that. But they are a big state school, with a legitimate athletic program, and people actually know they play sports! They probably still have a big fan base and plenty of resources for success that Tulane will never have.

Their record stinks, but that's because they are in the ACC. Would Tulane have done any better? If their RPI stinks, I don't care, because at least it creates the perception that we are in a real conference playing against legitimate athletic programs. Recruits have heard of VA Tech; most of them don't know Tulane has a basketball program.

Give me VA Tech, Penn St, Wash St, South Carolina, Georgia, and any other underperforming crappy big state school every day of the week over Tulane, ECU, and Tulsa.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

This is not as bad a basketball conference as seems to be the opinion.
Not counting us ,we have been in a league of our own since. 1999
Memphis,Cinn,Temple,Houston have great BB tradition
Tulsa has had their moments
SMU is on the rise.
ECU,UCF are carrying the football banner
USF and Tulane both have potentential.
All things considered this league has great potentential.
Continued UConn success will attract players and coaches to this league.
Exposure and early Big East success helped JC recruit in the late 80's
The AAC coaches can guarantee games on national TV against UConn
That's the way leagues are built.

 

[upstater]

Upstater, you are one of the best posters on this board, but right now I'm starting to think that Jeff Hathaway has hijacked your account, because this is ludicrous.

VA Tech is far from a basketball power, trust me I know that. But they are a big state school, with a legitimate athletic program, and people actually know they play sports! They probably still have a big fan base and plenty of resources for success that Tulane will never have.

Their record stinks, but that's because they are in the ACC. Would Tulane have done any better? If their RPI stinks, I don't care, because at least it creates the perception that we are in a real conference playing against legitimate athletic programs. Recruits have heard of VA Tech; most of them don't know Tulane has a basketball program.

Give me VA Tech, Penn St, Wash St, South Carolina, Georgia, and any other underperforming crappy big state school every day of the week over Tulane, ECU, and Tulsa.

I was only responding to the idea that we would jump for joy if Va Tech bball joined. Football, absolutely.

As for underperforming because of a tough ACC, look at those horrifically bad OOC loses. And it wasn't just one. They've lost to teams like Spartanburg 4 times in 2 years. They are abominable. I know ECU and Tulane are bad or even worse (though both have good fanbases) but the difference is not that huge. As for Tulsa, they have a lot of fans and a good tradition in bball. Seriously, knocking Tulsa is like knocking Creighton or VCU =or any number of majors that manage to get 15000 fans at every game. In Tulsa, college bball is a big deal.

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

I was only responding to the idea that we would jump for joy if Va Tech bball joined. Football, absolutely.

As for underperforming because of a tough ACC, look at those horrifically bad OOC loses. And it wasn't just one. They've lost to teams like Spartanburg 4 times in 2 years. They are abominable. I know ECU and Tulane are bad or even worse (though both have good fanbases) but the difference is not that huge. As for Tulsa, they have a lot of fans and a good tradition in bball. Seriously, knocking Tulsa is like knocking Creighton or VCU =or any number of majors that manage to get 15000 fans at every game. In Tulsa, college bball is a big deal.

Perception is reality though. Va Tech isn't that much better of a program, I get that. But the perception is that they have major conference level athletic teams. Same with all of those other big school underperforming teams I mentioned who aren't technically that much better either. But if you're in a conference with them the perception is that you're playing real teams. Tulsa, Tulane, ECU, may not be that inferior, but the perception is that they are small, crappy, athletic programs.

Heck, even I think of them that way, and I'm rooting for them to succeed! We are UConn, and we should not be in the same conference as them. You will never convince me otherwise.

 

[upstater]

Perception is reality though. Va Tech isn't that much better of a program, I get that. But the perception is that they have major conference level athletic teams. Same with all of those other big school underperforming teams I mentioned who aren't technically that much better either. But if you're in a conference with them the perception is that you're playing real teams. Tulsa, Tulane, ECU, may not be that inferior, but the perception is that they are small, crappy, athletic programs.

Heck, even I think of them that way, and I'm rooting for them to succeed! We are UConn, and we should not be in the same conference as them. You will never convince me otherwise.

I totally agree that I'd rather have VT in this conference (than practically every other team except Cincy). Because of the school and it's entire AD.

That being said, compare Tulsa bball to VT bball, and you might find the comparison is similar to that of crazy mid-major outposts like Butler bball to Rutgers bball.

 

[LIUCHusky]

Upstater, you are one of the best posters on this board, but right now I'm starting to think that Jeff Hathaway has hijacked your account, because this is ludicrous.

VA Tech is far from a basketball power, trust me I know that. But they are a big state school, with a legitimate athletic program, and people actually know they play sports! They probably still have a big fan base and plenty of resources for success that Tulane will never have.

Their record stinks, but that's because they are in the ACC. Would Tulane have done any better? If their RPI stinks, I don't care, because at least it creates the perception that we are in a real conference playing against legitimate athletic programs. Recruits have heard of VA Tech; most of them don't know Tulane has a basketball program.

Give me VA Tech, Penn St, Wash St, South Carolina, Georgia, and any other underperforming crappy big state school every day of the week over Tulane, ECU, and Tulsa.

I can only assume you have never seen Tulsa play. They are a very good basketball team that will help the AAC in terms of RPI.

 

[Poe]

and 4 of the last 12 tourneys we've made an appearance in - 33.3%!