Conference Realignment--K was behind the latest ACC raid?

[dsturdy5]

Sorry if this is common knowledge but I just read this on Blaudschun's blog this morning...

Apparently it was Ratface who wanted to improve the ACC basketball brand by adding Cuse, Pitt, and ND.

LINK

 

[Fairfield 1st]

But I thought he wanted UCONN but was overruled by others

 

[Doggie Style]

But I thought he wanted UCONN but was overruled by others

Yeah, it looks like this is just a top line story with no real depth or backstage information beyond that which has already been common knowledge for some time. I'm really looking forward to a time down the road when someone with inside information publishes a book on how this whole thing really went down.

 

[upstater]

I buy this. I buy it because K. and UNC's Pres. have been talking about bball. I also buy it because it serves Duke and UNC to have 16 in the league and break into 2 divisions, old-ACC and old-BE. That way they can preserve what they used to have.

Also, we've heard two separate stories in 2 years about Duke wanting UConn. In 2010, a year after UConn went F4, and BC overrode UConn's invitation in committee, in favor of Pitt. And again in 2012, a year after UConn won the NC, and UNC and Duke's Pres. were said to be incredulous at BC's arguments that UConn would dilute competition in New England (crazy given the 4 teams within one hour of each other on Tobacco Road).

It's not only the ACC's competitiveness that concerns K., but it's makeup.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

If this was basketball driven, then it's complete bull that UCONN is not in the ACC today.
Great history with men's and women's winning multiple championships recently. They are obviously a NYC draw with the SNY deal...I just don't get it.

 

[CL82]

If this was basketball driven, then it's complete bull that UCONN is not in the ACC today.
Great history with men's and women's winning multiple championships recently. They are obviously a NYC draw with the SNY deal...I just don't get it.

Because committee group think goes wrong often when the members don't have a unified goal and vision. Others may have been thinking about better the league, but BCU was thinking about protecting its turf. It did so artfully, building a coalition to oppose UConn each with different reasons for opposing us. I hate those guys and have no respect for their integrity, but it was very well played on their part. Any effort to get into the ACC has to recognize that and neutralize them to be effective. Duke is the one school that would have to advocate for us. They need to be courted.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

Here in NC we have Wake, NC State, Duke and UNC all within an hour of each other...no one complains about protecting turf. If that's true about BC blocking UCONN, then they are a bunch of vaginas.

 

[Fishy]

It wasn't football-driven - Pitt and Syracuse are not good football programs.

I am sure the ACC was miserable seeing the Big East touted as the best hoop conference year in and year out and that was no doubt behind some of this. Also, let's not forget that the ACC wanted to kill the Big East dead....

Part of this goes back to the ACC just being historically overrated in basketball - the Big East has nine schools with 25 or more NCAA tournament bids.

The ACC? Two.

They have two elite programs and then a handful of good programs and then a lot of driftwood. The A-10 has more programs in it right now who have been to an elite eight in the past decade than the ACC does - year in and year out, schools like Florida State, Miami, Wake, Virginia, BC, VaTech and more recently Maryland are not persistent NCAA tourney teams.

Even now, Miami and NC State are cratering, Syracuse is going to have to rent a Final Four banner and most everyone else is treading water or worse.

 

[Marty Jackson]

in 30 years, the acc will look back at uconn in the same light as the be does psu.
history does repeat.... just a matter of time.

 

[Ha Who]

I am finished with blaming anybody for the mess we are in (other than the former attorney general). It was meant to be. Perhaps it will be like aging. We will look back on our youth with fond memories.

On second thought I also blame Jeff Jacobs. When he was hammering JC, I would comment that he would only be happy when UConn moved to Conference USA. Well, Jacobs got his wish

 

[upstater]

If this was basketball driven, then it's complete bull that UCONN is not in the ACC today.
Great history with men's and women's winning multiple championships recently. They are obviously a NYC draw with the SNY deal...I just don't get it.

Driven by Duke and UNC, but the engine is built by FSU.

 

[noeynox]

UConn fans should lose the hope of joining the ACC anytime soon. If BC, kept UConn out while K, advocated for them, what makes anyone think the situation is going to changed anytime soon?

So for those of you who like to poo poo, any potential interest by the big ten in UConn, learn to love our yet to be named conference.

 

[upstater]

UConn fans should lose the hope of joining the ACC anytime soon. If BC, kept UConn out while K, advocated for them, what makes anyone think the situation is going to changed anytime soon?

So for those of you who like to poo poo, any potential interest by the big ten in UConn, learn to love our yet to be named conference.

BC may complain yet again, for a 3rd time, if the ACC loses members and looks to add, say, either Cincy or UConn. It wouldn't surprise me.

But each time this played out, there was a viable substitute for UConn. Pitt, the first time. Ville the second. In the first instance, UConn was blown out in committee because of BC (i.e. BC's voice in committee helped lead to the substitution of Pitt). In the second go round, FSU stepped in. Duke and UNC supported UConn until the end. Ville did not receive a unanimous vote. Tobacco Road was against them. UConn got the votes from Tobacco Road.

So, no one said that BC blackballed UConn the second time around. People did say that BC voiced its objections to Uconn, and that they were ridiculed by UNC and Duke for objecting.

 

[noeynox]

BC, Miami, syracuse. You now have three schools that for one reason or another would like to keep UCONN out. And tobacco road may have been on our side, but to date that has meant too much. Like I said learn to like this league we may be here for a while.

 

[upstater]

BC, Miami, syracuse. You now have three schools that for one reason or another would like to keep UCONN out. And tobacco road may have been on our side, but to date that has meant too much. Like I said learn to like this league we may be here for a while.

So, they'll take Cincy then before UConn.
And maybe if UConn flops and deemphasizes, they will never take them. At that point, the ACC can replenish its Virginia presence with Old Dominion.

Cuse, BC, Pitt, Cincy, Ville, Wake Forest, Old Dominion, Duke. Sounds like a good conference.

 

[Hoophound]

There was never a viable substitute in the big picture. State flagship universities will rule college sports in the future. The ACC keeps making mistakes that will eventually prove fatal. Of the adds, the ACC made one good pick and that was Louisville. It is a secondary state school but a big name in sports with an awesome fan base. They should have added Rutgers, UConn and WVU to go along with them and the ACC would be rock solid.

 

[tzznandrew]

BC, Miami, syracuse. You now have three schools that for one reason or another would like to keep UCONN out. And tobacco road may have been on our side, but to date that has meant too much. Like I said learn to like this league we may be here for a while.

But there comes a point where you vote to take a school because the other alternatives suck.

For instance:

Villanova and Temple.
Everyone and Memphis.

The other options were so unpalatable that even those school that didn't want another were forced to deal with it.

While I hold out some (irrational, I know) hope that UConn is Big 10 bound (with Virginia; with Virginia, UNC and Duke; with Virginia, UNC, Duke, Notre Dame, Syracuse; with anyone), there comes a point where schools in the ACC can't black-ball UConn anymore.

That comes if two more schools leave. If they want to add, they have to add UConn.

 

[noeynox]

Time will tell. I am less hopeful of an ACC invite than I am big ten invite.

 

[Hoophound]

But there comes a point where you vote to take a school because the other alternatives suck.

For instance:

Villanova and Temple.
Everyone and Memphis.

The other options were so unpalatable that even those school that didn't want another were forced to deal with it.

While I hold out some (irrational, I know) hope that UConn is Big 10 bound (with Virginia; with Virginia, UNC and Duke; with Virginia, UNC, Duke, Notre Dame, Syracuse; with anyone), there comes a point where schools in the ACC can't black-ball UConn anymore.

That comes if two more schools leave. If they want to add, they have to add UConn.

To add to that. There may come a point where Espn says, "Wtf is wrong with you people? Are you trying to kill yourselves and us in the process? Add 'in school that makes sense for once".

 

[tzznandrew]

To add to that. There may come a point where Espn says, "Wtf is wrong with you people? Are you trying to kill yourselves and us in the process? Add 'in school that makes sense for once".

Right. For all the ESPN conspiracists out there, I suspect they are genuinely shocked. They told the ACC to add two schools (clearly for basketball purposes otherwise Cincy was the clear #1), and they add Syracuse and UCo--NO, Pitt. Then Maryland leaves, and they go with Louisville, clearly at Florida State's behest.

Here's the thing: if you were going to add Louisville, then adding them in the first expansion made sense. Syracuse and Louisville would have made sense. UConn is better than Syracuse historically, but only by a little, and is tied to behind Louisville. And Louisville is much better at football than Pitt. There were clearly changing standards between the first (second) expansion and the second (third). Who could have foreseen that?

 

[RS9999X]

By acting first the ACC assured its survival. Its not much deeper than that. If they lose 6 teams they will still survive even as a mockery of former BE teams calling themselves the ACC.

It's why the C-7 left. They assured their survival coming with as strong a hand as they could. ND put itself in a position to get some decent teams scheduled every year through the ACC, get bowl status, and still be independent. They survived.

 

[CL82]

You know I think that in the end we'll end up in the Big 10, have a better upside than most of our former conference and be the happier for it. I base that on some key facts and bread crumb clues, that we've all discussed ad nauseum. I recognize that there is a big wishful thinking component in that coupled with seeing the world through national flag (soon to be navy) blue. I don't particularly like or feel nostalgic about the teams that left as they've done their best to kill us so that they can better themselves. That's fair enough. They are entitled to look after there own interests.

So it's Big 10 or 'bust.' ...but what if it is bust? What if we end up in craptastic conference, essentially as a mid major that occasionally make a run? While I doubt I could have said this a year ago, I think that I will be okay with that. As long as we continue to improve academically, I will be okay with that. I won't love it but I'll still be able to root for the teams, where ever they compete. I won't be happy about it but in the end it will be okay.

Accepting that, a lot of the angst I felt about conference realighnment is gone. We should end up okay. I hope that it will be in the B!G but even if it's not it we'll deal with it and move on.

 

[upstater]

You know I think that in the end we'll end up in the Big 10, have a better upside than most of our former conference and be the happier for it. I base that on some key facts and bread crumb clues, that we've all discussed ad nauseum. I recognize that there is a big wishful thinking component in that coupled with seeing the world through national flag (soon to be navy) blue. I don't particularly like or feel nostalgic about the teams that left as they've done their best to kill us so that they can better themselves. That's fair enough. They are entitled to look after there own interests.

So it's Big 10 or 'bust.' ...but what if it is bust? What if we end up in craptastic conference, essentially as a mid major that occasionally make a run? While I doubt I could have said this a year ago, I think that I will okay with that. As long as we continue academically, I will be okay with that. I won't love it but I'll still be able to root for the teams, whereever they compete. I won't be happy about it but in the end it will be okay.

Accepting that, a lot of the angst I felt about conference realighnment is gone. We should end up okay. I hope that it will be in the B!G but even if it's not it we'll deal with it and move on.

Russ Smith is from Brooklyn, NY.
How many B1G players are from this area?

I see Indiana just dipped its toe into the water with Noah Vonleh, but in general, the B1G is lacking a northeast presence for bball.

 

[CL82]

Yet another reason why we are attractive to the Big 10.

If you are saying that it could hurt us in recruiting, I agree, but NYC/ NJ still has our home games and RU away. Wash metro area has Maryland and I'm not sure but there just might be an Illinois kid on the roster. So I think we'll have access to furtile recruiting grounds. Add preseason games at MSG and Barclays and we're fine.

 

[Hoophound]

A B

Yet another reason why we are attractive to the Big 10.

If you are saying that it could hurt us in recruiting, I agree, but NYC/ NJ still has our home games and RU away. Wash metro area has Maryland and I'm not sure but there just might be an Illinois kid on the roster. So I think we'll have access to furtile recruiting grounds. Add preseason games at MSG and Barclays and we're fine.

A B1G move won't hurt our recruiting and it will improve the B1G's recruiting. Two New York area teams will improve the B1G's presence in the Northeast while the strong conference affiliation will help us. Its a win win.