Does UConn to the ACC for olympic sports only make any sense?

[champs99and04]

As somebody who is primarily a UConn basketball fan (I follow and root for our other teams, but more in a casual manner), I'm far from the grizzled, conference re-alignment expert. I'm not naieve enough to think much besides TV revenue and football matter in this whole thing, but you'd think if Manuel was at all competant as an AD, he'd find a way to make sure our basketball program that we've built for so many years do not drown. One way of doing that, IMO, would be to merge our olympic programs with the remaining Big East catholic schools, and a few other select basketball-first programs (similar to the rumors of today) until we (hopefully) find a more stable home that can secure the long term interests of all our athletic programs. Playing Dayton, St. Louis, and DePaul instead of Syracuse, Louisville, and Pitt isn't ideal, but at least we can sustain a decent RPI and still attract recruits. If this were to happen, the basketball program might take a couple steps back, but I don't think it would implode.

The better option, though, would be to join the ACC. I'm not sure if the ACC would go for this, since they have long had a rule that members must join for all sports (ND is always the exception and not the rule), but it would seem to make sense on some levels. Since the ACC's one reserve regarding the acceptance of UConn was our luke-warm football program, this would allow them to reap the benefits of everything UConn does have to offer (academics, excellent basketball, good TV market, etc.) while not upsetting the football schools and compromising the obligatory open seat at the table for Notre Dame (the seat we all know they won't take, but that's beside the point).

This would immediately give the ACC the upper-hand in any potential negotiations to swipe MSG from the Big East. It would also give them 16 teams for basketball, an even number that would allow for equal divisions and easier scheduling. This would leave them with two basketball divisions:

North:
Boston College
Connecticut
Louisville
Notre Dame
Pittsburgh
Syracuse
Virginia
Virginia Tech

South:
Clemson
Duke
Florida State
Georgia Tech
Miami
North Carolina
North Carolina State
Wake Forest

The ACC could potentially design a mega 11 week, 22 game conference schedule in which teams from each division play each other twice and teams from opposing divisions host each other on a rotating basis. Obviously the TV deal the ACC gets for hoops is going to be huge regardless, but UConn balances the schedule, and IMO, makes it easier for the ACC to host their tournament at MSG.

From UConn's point of view this certainly is not ideal but it would appear to make sense financially. I would assume the football program would either stay in the New Big East or go independent but we don't really have any better options at this point.

 

[uconnfan68]

As somebody who is primarily a UConn basketball fan (I follow and root for our other teams, but more in a casual manner), I'm far from the grizzled, conference re-alignment expert. I'm not naieve enough to think much besides TV revenue and football matter in this whole thing, but you'd think if Manuel was at all competant as an AD, he'd find a way to make sure our basketball program that we've built for so many years do not drown. One way of doing that, IMO, would be to merge our olympic programs with the remaining Big East catholic schools, and a few other select basketball-first programs (similar to the rumors of today) until we (hopefully) find a more stable home that can secure the long term interests of all our athletic programs. Playing Dayton, St. Louis, and DePaul instead of Syracuse, Louisville, and Pitt isn't ideal, but at least we can sustain a decent RPI and still attract recruits. If this were to happen, the basketball program might take a couple steps back, but I don't think it would implode.

The better option, though, would be to join the ACC. I'm not sure if the ACC would go for this, since they have long had a rule that members must join for all sports (ND is always the exception and not the rule), but it would seem to make sense on some levels. Since the ACC's one reserve regarding the acceptance of UConn was our luke-warm football program, this would allow them to reap the benefits of everything UConn does have to offer (academics, excellent basketball, good TV market, etc.) while not upsetting the football schools and compromising the obligatory open seat at the table for Notre Dame (the seat we all know they won't take, but that's beside the point).

This would immediately give the ACC the upper-hand in any potential negotiations to swipe MSG from the Big East. It would also give them 16 teams for basketball, an even number that would allow for equal divisions and easier scheduling. This would leave them with two basketball divisions:

North:
Boston College
Connecticut
Louisville
Notre Dame
Pittsburgh
Syracuse
Virginia
Virginia Tech

South:
Clemson
Duke
Florida State
Georgia Tech
Miami
North Carolina
North Carolina State
Wake Forest

The ACC could potentially design a mega 11 week, 22 game conference schedule in which teams from each division play each other twice and teams from opposing divisions host each other on a rotating basis. Obviously the TV deal the ACC gets for hoops is going to be huge regardless, but UConn balances the schedule, and IMO, makes it easier for the ACC to host their tournament at MSG.

From UConn's point of view this certainly is not ideal but it would appear to make sense financially. I would assume the football program would either stay in the New Big East or go independent but we don't really have any better options at this point.

Dude, we're not ND. We don't bring a tv network with us.

 

[UConn4ever]

Not gonna happen

 

[Fishy]

I wish this site had a trap door.

I could read something insane and then instead of having to write, "hey, that's insane", I could just pull a lever and make the post and the poster fall into a pit full of vipers and crocodiles and rabid monkeys with scissors.

 

[champs99and04]

Look, I understand UConn doesn't add a tremendous amount of value to the ACC. But it does give them an even number of basketball teams, add another fan base to the New York City area, and groom UConn as a natural replacement if and when there are more departures. I really don't see what's so insane about this.

 

[dante]

What UConn needs to do is get its act together, that monitor the landscape BS from Ward should get his butt fired. The Big East got dismantle for sitting back and letting it play out attitude from the 2 previous commissioner.
When the ACC expands Cincy will be the next one not UConn, they upgraded their facilities, have a good basketball program their football program is better then ours even though they lost their coach for what the 4th time in decade? they went out and hired a great coach for the 4th time in Tubberville luring him from a pretty damn good football school.

Our football program is being run to the ground by two dinosaurs, we don't have a basketball coach for next year and what is our AD doing? nothing!

If the ACC adds another team for everything but football then Georgetown becomes a big player, wish Lew Perkins was still here.

 

[uconnric]

I wish this site had a trap door.

I could read something insane and then instead of having to write, "hey, that's insane", I could just pull a lever and make the post and the poster fall into a pit full of vipers and crocodiles and rabid monkeys with scissors.

You know you'd probably lose at least 50% of the posters if your wish came true.

 

[Oxford Bob]

NO

 

[Husky25]

As somebody who is primarily a UConn basketball fan (I follow and root for our other teams, but more in a casual manner), I'm far from the grizzled, conference re-alignment expert. I'm not naieve enough to think much besides TV revenue and football matter in this whole thing, but you'd think if Manuel was at all competant as an AD, he'd find a way to make sure our basketball program that we've built for so many years do not drown. One way of doing that, IMO, would be to merge our olympic programs with the remaining Big East catholic schools, and a few other select basketball-first programs (similar to the rumors of today) until we (hopefully) find a more stable home that can secure the long term interests of all our athletic programs. Playing Dayton, St. Louis, and DePaul instead of Syracuse, Louisville, and Pitt isn't ideal, but at least we can sustain a decent RPI and still attract recruits. If this were to happen, the basketball program might take a couple steps back, but I don't think it would implode.

The better option, though, would be to join the ACC. I'm not sure if the ACC would go for this, since they have long had a rule that members must join for all sports (ND is always the exception and not the rule), but it would seem to make sense on some levels. Since the ACC's one reserve regarding the acceptance of UConn was our luke-warm football program, this would allow them to reap the benefits of everything UConn does have to offer (academics, excellent basketball, good TV market, etc.) while not upsetting the football schools and compromising the obligatory open seat at the table for Notre Dame (the seat we all know they won't take, but that's beside the point).

This would immediately give the ACC the upper-hand in any potential negotiations to swipe MSG from the Big East. It would also give them 16 teams for basketball, an even number that would allow for equal divisions and easier scheduling. This would leave them with two basketball divisions:

North:
Boston College
Connecticut
Louisville
Notre Dame
Pittsburgh
Syracuse
Virginia
Virginia Tech

South:
Clemson
Duke
Florida State
Georgia Tech
Miami
North Carolina
North Carolina State
Wake Forest

The ACC could potentially design a mega 11 week, 22 game conference schedule in which teams from each division play each other twice and teams from opposing divisions host each other on a rotating basis. Obviously the TV deal the ACC gets for hoops is going to be huge regardless, but UConn balances the schedule, and IMO, makes it easier for the ACC to host their tournament at MSG.

From UConn's point of view this certainly is not ideal but it would appear to make sense financially. I would assume the football program would either stay in the New Big East or go independent but we don't really have any better options at this point.

Basketball does not steer the ship. Football does. We have to get our football house in order before we get invited (that the part lost in most of the realignment talk) to another conference.

 

[uconnfan68]

What UConn needs to do is get its act together, that monitor the landscape BS from Ward should get his butt fired. The Big East got dismantle for sitting back and letting it play out attitude from the 2 previous commissioner.
When the ACC expands Cincy will be the next one not UConn, they upgraded their facilities, have a good basketball program their football program is better then ours even though they lost their coach for what the 4th time in decade? they went out and hired a great coach for the 4th time in Tubberville luring him from a pretty damn good football school.

Our football program is being run to the ground by two dinosaurs, we don't have a basketball coach for next year and what is our AD doing? nothing!

If the ACC adds another team for everything but football then Georgetown becomes a big player, wish Lew Perkins was still here.

I think they have already discussed that. If they go non-football, Georgetown or St.John's or Villanova goes before us.

 

[freescooter]

And if cows fly, we all should probably wear rubber hats...

 

[ctchamps]

You know you'd probably lose at least 50% of the posters if your wish came true.

More like 90%. Question is whether fishy would have the balls to pull the lever on himself. He's had a few wild claims that were wide of the mark.

 

[businesslawyer]

Look, I understand UConn doesn't add a tremendous amount of value to the ACC. But it does give them an even number of basketball teams, add another fan base to the New York City area, and groom UConn as a natural replacement if and when there are more departures. I really don't see what's so insane about this.

"First rule of holes" would have been applicable here.

 

[freescooter]

I guess I'd put it this way...if this is a theoretical argument and you wanted to ask "could a case be made for such an arrangement?" the answer would be "Sure, you could make an argument that UConn to the ACC for everything but football makes sense." On the other hand, if you are asking a real question, as in will it happen? the answer is no.

 

[arnie3]

No, and no again! And just curious but what happened to 2011?