Dom Amore: If Big 12 calls, UConn will have to choose between Big East love and Power Five money.

[AntG168]

I think we are criminally downplaying Houston in these tier lists. There is history there and Sampson is a phenomenal coach. We drew some amazing crowds and excitement with Houston in town

 

[ConnHuskBask]

now do football since they are a major UConn program.

Tier I- Cancel everything, find a ticket

- None

Tier IIa - Plenty of juice

- West Virginia

Tier IIb - Civil Conflict

-UCF

Tier III- Above average interest

- Cincinnati, Baylor, Oklahoma State, TCU

Tier IV- Meat and potatoes

- Kansas State, Iowa State, Houston, Kansas, BYU, Texas Tech

Tier V- Eww

- None

 

[auror]

I think we are criminally downplaying Houston in these tier lists. There is history there and Sampson is a phenomenal coach. We drew some amazing crowds and excitement with Houston in town

Yeah we have recent rivalry experience with them and they've been better than any big east team over last 5 years. Plenty of juice for sure.

 

[John]

Tier I- Cancel everything, find a ticket

- None

Tier IIa - Plenty of juice

- West Virginia

Tier IIb - Civil Conflict

-UCF

Tier III- Above average interest

- Cincinnati, Baylor, Oklahoma State, TCU

Tier IV- Meat and potatoes

- Kansas State, Iowa State, Houston, Kansas, BYU, Texas Tech

Tier V- Eww

- None

Tier I- Cancel everything, find a ticket


- None


Tier IIa - Plenty of juice


- West Virginia, Cincinnati, UCF


Tier III- Above average interest


Baylor, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech


Tier IV- Meat and potatoes


- Kansas State, Iowa State, Houston, Kansas, BYU


Tier V- Eww


- None

 

[Billy Jack]

No, I wasn't bring sarcastic; being realistic. Agree with you that the BE is at a turning point - it needs Nova to remain a top 10-20 program, St. John's to rise into an NCAAT team again, and two of Butler, DePaul and Georgetown to improve markedly. The bottom half really needs to create a deeper BE.

These thing fluctuate wildly. Five years ago, Butler finished the season ranked in the top 20 on Ken Pom and had gone to the Sweet 16 the year before. We finished the season ranked #179 on Ken Pom.

I take the long view. Just as we turned things around from 5 years ago, Butler and Georgetown will be fine. I don’t know about DePaul.

 

[Waquoit]

FB wise, I put BYU up a notch. They have some brand value and drew well at The Rent. 35K

 

[superjohn]

I think we are criminally downplaying Houston in these tier lists. There is history there and Sampson is a phenomenal coach. We drew some amazing crowds and excitement with Houston in town

And Kelvin Sampson will be 68 before next season. Houston was a basketball wasteland since Hakeem and Drexler left in the early 80's. Apply some of your same logic to them that you do to the Big East schools.

 

[superjohn]

Yeah we have recent rivalry experience with them and they've been better than any big east team over last 5 years. Plenty of juice for sure.

Houston was never a rival.

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

These thing fluctuate wildly. Five years ago, Butler finished the season ranked in the top 20 on Ken Pom and had gone to the Sweet 16 the year before. We finished the season ranked #179 on Ken Pom.

I take the long view. Just as we turned things around from 5 years ago, Butler and Georgetown will be fine. I don’t know about DePaul.

Agreed about fluctuations and with NIL it can be even wilder. I agree about the longer term view but perhaps in the NIL era the long view becomes shorter because of the volatility. Sure will make things even more interesting if not chaotic.

 

[superjohn]

These thing fluctuate wildly. Five years ago, Butler finished the season ranked in the top 20 on Ken Pom and had gone to the Sweet 16 the year before. We finished the season ranked #179 on Ken Pom.

I take the long view. Just as we turned things around from 5 years ago, Butler and Georgetown will be fine. I don’t know about DePaul.

It's hard to envision DePaul ever being fine.

 

[Hoophound]

I don’t dislike BYU as an opponent in either sport. My least favorite matchup would be UCF. As good as they’ve been, I’m of the generation that sees them as a CUSA/Sunbelt type. Basketball against UCF is particularly uninspiring.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

this is the argument for why the big 12 is stable at this time, because nobody is going to want to poach these programs.

If the economics didn't matter your point would carry a good amount of weight. Estimate what each BE member will make in media revenues in four years. Compare that to what members of the B-12 will make.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I think we are criminally downplaying Houston in these tier lists. There is history there and Sampson is a phenomenal coach. We drew some amazing crowds and excitement with Houston in town

That list also isn't giving K St or Ok St anywhere near enough credit and Iowa St and TCU each should be bumped up a level.

 

[Jbirdp5]

If the economics didn't matter your point would carry a good amount of weight. Estimate what each BE member will make in media revenues in four years. Compare that to what members of the B-12 will make.

Our athletic director said as much, just because it makes us more dollars it still has to make sense as a university to make this decision. Only looking at the money aspect you are always going to be right. I like the fact that he’s not glossing over the unintended consequences of a league that is completely different culturally and is so spread out would do to our student athletes

 

[Jbirdp5]

Well more specifically, the P2 likely won't poach the Big 12. That means a lot if you want to be a stable #3. And rumors have included Nova, Georgetown, and SJU so AW's comment about the Big East doesn't hold water.

The catholic 7 have been in lockstep for so long. I find it hard to believe that a few of them would ever take the dollars and leave the other 3-4 out in the cold

 

[aburks41]

FB wise, I put BYU up a notch. They have some brand value and drew well at The Rent. 35K

There is a huge Mormon temple in Farmington - which I think may be the only one in the state? - but they have like 15,000+ members in CT. BYU would probably be one of the biggest draws at the Rent

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Our athletic director said as much, just because it makes us more dollars it still has to make sense as a university to make this decision. Only looking at the money aspect you are always going to be right. I like the fact that he’s not glossing over the unintended consequences of a league that is completely different culturally and is so spread out would do to our student athletes

Are you sure the league is that different culturally? I'm not sure we aren't more culturally aligned with the B-12 as a whole (what they will be with the departures and additions) than we are with the current BE.

By type of school alone, large, public, high research dollars, we have no similar schools in the BE while more than half of the B-12 falls into this category.

 

[auror]

Houston was never a rival.

Tell that to the crowd in March 2020. I'm not saying it was the biggest rivalry in the world, but it reached a level where I'm comfortable calling it that.

 

[Jbirdp5]

Are you sure the league is that different culturally? I'm not sure we aren't more culturally aligned with the B-12 as a whole (what they will be with the departures and additions) than we are with the current BE.

By type of school alone, large, public, high research dollars, we have no similar schools in the BE while more than half of the B-12 falls into this category.

I think we live in a much more progressive part of the country than many of these institutions and I think Lubbock texas would be culture shock for UConn fans if they made the trip.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

A quick question considering the level that many here are downplaying the overall quality of B-12 basketball.

There had been many complaints when the Gonzaga series was announced about the dearth of quality non-conference opponents on our home schedule.

If hypothetically, it was announced that two of Ok St, K St, Iowa St and TCU would be on our upcoming home schedule, one at Gampel and one in Hartford. Would we believe this would be something good for the fan base or merely a waste of effort?

 

[AntG168]

And Kelvin Sampson will be 68 before next season. Houston was a basketball wasteland since Hakeem and Drexler left in the early 80's. Apply some of your same logic to them that you do to the Big East schools.

Kelvin Sampson is not leaving Houston unlike Miller and McDermott(who would’ve left this off season if Notre Dame came calling). And Kelvin Sampson isn’t a ? of a coach like English, Holloway, Neptune or the DePaul coach who escapes my memory. Pitino is 75 and Matta is taking on Butler as a pre retirement project. I don’t see how any of those situations mirror what Kelvin Sampson has at Houston.

I’ll tell you this, if Sampson retires Houston will have a lot more resources at their disposal to maintain success than any of the BE schools will

 

[AntG168]

Tell that to the crowd in March 2020.

That was one of the best UConn games I’ve ever been to.

 

[CTBasketball]

A quick question considering the level that many here are downplaying the overall quality of B-12 basketball.

There had been many complaints when the Gonzaga series was announced about the dearth of quality non-conference opponents on our home schedule.

If hypothetically, it was announced that two of Ok St, K St, Iowa St and TCU would be on our upcoming home schedule, one at Gampel and one in Hartford. Would we believe this would be something good for the fan base or merely a waste of effort?

I think hoops attendance would be better in the Big East outside of Butler/DePaul games.

 

[superjohn]

That was one of the best UConn games I’ve ever been to.

The day 17-12 UConn took down mighty #22 Houston will live on forever!

 

[Billy Jack]

No, I wasn't bring sarcastic; being realistic. Agree with you that the BE is at a turning point - it needs Nova to remain a top 10-20 program, St. John's to rise into an NCAAT team again, and two of Butler, DePaul and Georgetown to improve markedly. The bottom half really needs to create a deeper BE.

These thing fluctuate wildly. Five years ago, Butler finished the season ranked in the top 20 on Ken Pom and had gone to the Sweet 16 the year before.

Five years ago, Butler was ranked #20 by Ken Pom and had gone to the Sweet 16 the year before. That same year UConn was ranked #179 on Ken Pom. I’ll take the long view and say that Butler and Georgetown will turn it around just as we did. I don’t know about DePaul.