ESPN article - UCONN done chasing other conferences for realignment

[Waquoit]

On the WBB front going forward, the AAC will be much better than the remnants of the Big East. The Big East was awful when UConn first got good. They weren't getting 8 teams in the tourney back then. But the other teams were able to use their relationship to UConn to build their programs. The AAC teams can do that now. The new Big East will regress in a hurry. They have nothing.

 

[RadyLady]

Baylor pushed back - hard - Mulkey did not want that game scheduled so late (and fought like hell to move it to an earlier time, but ESPN insisted) and most others will not as well.

Please advise to me how you are sure that ND will not be of this ilk. Remember the scheduling of the past ND games were all in conference.

As to civility - You like to shout - a lot - and it appears that you do not like people disagreeing with you - unless you disagree. Your suggestion to them is to sedate themselves before posting. I quoted your post above - (go look)

 

[intlzncster]

On the WBB front going forward, the AAC will be much better than the remnants of the Big East. The Big East was awful when UConn first got good. They weren't getting 8 teams in the tourney back then. But the other teams were able to use their relationship to UConn to build their programs. The AAC teams can do that now. The new Big East will regress in a hurry. They have nothing.

Problem is, most of those Big East schools are better universities than the AAC schools (eg Georgetown, Syracuse, Nova, etc...). That's a distinct advantage, especially on the women's side, as many of the high school girls are looking for a good education first and foremost.

 

[RadyLady]

Problem is, most of those Big East schools are better universities than the AAC schools (eg Georgetown, Syracuse, Nova, etc...).

yup - and one wonders if the likes of Nova and DePaul will not get an OOC game with UConn based on their coaches relationship with Geno....just thinking aloud, have nothing to support this notion

 

[Big UConn]

Baylor pushed back - hard - Mulkey did not want that game scheduled so late (and fought like hell to move it to an earlier time, but ESPN insisted) and most others will not as well.

Please advise to me how you are sure that ND will not be of this ilk. Remember the scheduling of the past ND games were all in conference.

As to civility - You like to shout - a lot - and it appears that you do not like people disagreeing with you - unless you disagree. Your suggestion to them is to sedate themselves before posting. I quoted your post above - (go look)

And that was after that poster called me a "garden variety troll." I said, I respond in kind.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

To me as an outsider, you guys continue to focus too much on the fact that basketball will be - if not unaffected - still massivly successful. The issues are all in the football money side of things, in the long run.

By the way, I agree with the statement about the future of the ACC having risk - the "sure things" are B1G, PAC12 and of course the SEC. The Big 12 and ACC have somewhat more challenging futures as it looks, although I think with its TV rights thing that the ACC is probably more secure than the Big 12.

 

[RadyLady]

And that was after that poster called me a "garden variety troll." I said, I respond in kind.

Yes, that was Fishy - he is a succinct man. Glad you responded directly to him - or wait - you didn't.

But then you proved you were a troll by shouting and collectively insulting the board telling us we are not good fans and "downers", and of course recommending sedation, where as I and others in responding to you have tried to hold a civil conversation - still disagreeing with you.

Look, this thread is not about Miss Manners - it is about an article posted on ESPN that UConn is not going to look for another conference for now...and (most) UConn fans are not happy.

 

[intlzncster]

By the way, I agree with the statement about the future of the ACC having risk - the "sure things" are B1G, PAC12 and of course the SEC. The Big 12 and ACC have somewhat more challenging futures as it looks, although I think with its TV rights thing that the ACC is probably more secure than the Big 12.

And yet, the buyout on the ACC is now massive, is it not? That helps.

 

[Big UConn]

Yes, that was Fishy - he is a succinct man. Glad you responded directly to him - or wait - you didn't.

But then you proved you were a troll by shouting and collectively insulting the board telling us we are not good fans and "downers", and of course recommending sedation, where as I and others in responding to you have tried to hold a civil conversation - still disagreeing with you.

Look, this thread is not about Miss Manners - it is about an article posted on ESPN that UConn is not going to look for another conference for now...and (most) UConn fans are not happy.

If you say so. I guess name calling is okay if you like the one doing it.

And the comments about downers had to do with the doom and gloom I was seeing. In addition, one of your regulars posted a warning to me that in essence he had given up posting his point of view since he was just overwhelmed with negativity. The post is still there.

Please understand, I like vigorous debate. I don't like name calling. There have been many sarcastic remarks made about me in this string. Nobody seems to mind them.

 

[RadyLady]

If you say so. I guess name calling is okay if you like the one doing it.

I am not doing it.

And the comments about downers had to do with the doom and gloom I was seeing. In addition, one of your regulars posted a warning to me that in essence he had given up posting his point of view since he was just overwhelmed with negativity. The post is still there.

You post on just the one thread and call the folks who disagree with you on this thread "downers" and insisting that anyone who disses the AAC is dissing UConn. SMH. Again I point out that you could not have looked at the rest of the forum, for there you would see multiple threads that state otherwise. You based your opinion on one thread and on your own opinion. And as for that other fellow who was deluged with negativity, he, too could not see the forest for the trees in debate, however to his credit he did not resort to calling the folks on this board "downers" and suggesting that they sedate themselves.

Please understand, I like vigorous debate. I don't like name calling. There have been many sarcastic remarks made about me in this string. Nobody seems to mind them.

People debate on this forum all the time, and at the beginning of this thread, there was much civil debate on the topic. It is clear that you like debate - and shouting...as for name calling, well, if you don't like something, why reciprocate? However, sarcasm is something that this board is famous for, both in seriousness and in jest. If you wish to continue to post here, and I invite you to view other threads, you will have to develop a much thicker skin.

Happy to take this off line if you wish to discuss further.

 

[jplotinus]

Fishy, I have tried to explain that to jplot from the beginning. The bad news is he doesn't want to accept the truth. The worse news is he now has a partner although I suspect the possibility of a clone.

Have you forgotten dobbsRover? Many more are likely come to their senses, recover from their inferiority complexes and throw away the green tinted glasses.

 

[doggydaddy]

And that was after that poster called me a "garden variety troll." I said, I respond in kind.

Your ESPN board attitude doesn't work here you won't last a week if you continue to post this way.

"Careful what you say, buddy, this is a women's basketball board", a post by you, was the first argumentative vs debating style post.

Your "home schooled" comment gave away who you are. I would suggest you either lighten up or find another board. Just a suggestion.

 

[doggydaddy]

Have you forgotten dobbsRover? Many more are likely come to their senses, recover from their inferiority complexes and throw away the green tinted glasses.

Wow.....three posters now? You might get to 1% of the posters here that agree with you eventually.

 

[Icebear]

I agree with the cupcakes in March thing, but I disagree with the idea that NO ONE will schedule us in February or March. I went to the Baylor game last year, and although I do not remember the date, it seems to me that it was in February. It also seems that Duke was in the last half of the season. I am sure that Notre Dame, for example would schedule us in late January or February if it meant that otherwise they could not play us.

And as for my being nice, I have responded in kind. If someone calls me a name, I will push back. You might want to reread this thread to see who started making nasty comments. That having been said, I have no desire to be in a mud slinging contest. I like civilized debates, but I do like debates. If someone cannot tolerate another poster disagreeing with them, that is not my problem.

Those games are usually onesies and only onesies created for the benefit of ESPN scheduling.

 

[Big UConn]

Your ESPN board attitude doesn't work here you won't last a week if you continue to post this way.

"Careful what you say, buddy, this is a women's basketball board", a post by you, was the first argumentative vs debating style post.

Your "home schooled" comment gave away who you are. I would suggest you either lighten up or find another board. Just a suggestion.

Doggy, nice to see you. We always seemed to agree on ESPN. However, I would point out that what you say was the first "argumentative" comment was long after several others. There were in fact several early comments suggesting anyone who believed the AAC was a good deal was "drinking Koolaid." You may consider that debate, but I consider that provocative. Certainly anything I said was no worse.

You're right about who I am. I am still trying to make up my mind about this board. I don't want to spend time debating fellow UConn fans, since frankly, if prospective recruits ever read this thread they would go running. And I am not sure about the culture of this board. I really like the debating style of IBYRD, and a few others there. (Do you know where he went?)

Good to see you.

 

[intlzncster]

You're right about who I am. I am still trying to make up my mind about this board. I don't want to spend time debating fellow UConn fans, since frankly, if prospective recruits ever read this thread they would go running. And I am not sure about the culture of this board. I really like the debating style of IBYRD, and a few others there. (Do you know where he went?)

While insulting recruits/players is out of the question, for decorum purposes alone if nothing else, this board is far from a recruiting tool, nor should be considered as such.

 

[jplotinus]

Wow.....three posters now? You might get to 1% of the posters here that agree with you eventually.

Wait, DD, your 1% claim does not do justice to the complexity of conference realignment. It's not simply 3 versus everyone else. There are those who suffer from acute conference envy who might be said to seriously dislike the AAC and who do not recognize any merit in any of its members in any sport or in any academic criterion. Then there are those who simply pine for the ACC because they think Clemson is better than Memphis, just because.

There are likewise many who avoid the obvious weakness of the claim that some conferences are "better" than others by limiting the comparison to present teevee revenue and by assuming the present $$ difference will continue.

There are some, like the OP that acknowledge the AAC is likely to be uconn's conference for awhile, but who hope another conference that currently does not want UCONN will eventually change their mind and that when such a conference says come here UCONN, UCONN will say thank you lordy and will drop the AAC in a flash and jump in with the conference that previously wouldn't touch UCONN with a ten foot pole.

And there are other variants as well.

By the way, DD, where do you think the grass is greenest?

 

[jplotinus]

Doggy, nice to see you. We always seemed to agree on ESPN. However, I would point out that what you say was the first "argumentative" comment was long after several others. There were in fact several early comments suggesting anyone who believed the AAC was a good deal was "drinking Koolaid." You may consider that debate, but I consider that provocative. Certainly anything I said was no worse.

You're right about who I am. I am still trying to make up my mind about this board. I don't want to spend time debating fellow UConn fans, since frankly, if prospective recruits ever read this thread they would go running. And I am not sure about the culture of this board. I really like the debating style of IBYRD, and a few others there. (Do you know where he went?)

Good to see you.

I hope you will decide to become a regular poster here. It is good to have company on the conference envy question. But, that doesn't mean you and I will agree on all matters. There could come a time when we will differ and disagree and dispute and get at 6s&7s and go right up to the limit of what the board rules allow.

So, I hope you'll stick around and post up a storm

 

[doggydaddy]

Wait, DD, your 1% claim does not do justice to the complexity of conference realignment. It's not simply 3 versus everyone else. There are those who suffer from acute conference envy who might be said to seriously dislike the AAC and who do not recognize any merit in any of its members in any sport or in any academic criterion. Then there are those who simply pine for the ACC because they think Clemson is better than Memphis, just because.

There are likewise many who avoid the obvious weakness of the claim that some conferences are "better" than others by limiting the comparison to present teevee revenue and by assuming the present difference will continue.

There are some, like the OP that acknowledge the AAC is likely to be uconn's conference for awhile, but who hope another conference that currently does not want UCONN will eventually change their mind and that when such a conference says come here UCONN, UCONN will say thank you lordy and will drop the AAC in a flash and jump in with the conference that previously wouldn't touch UCONN with a ten foot pole.

And there are other variants as well.

By the way, DD, where do you think the grass is greenest?

I'm talking about 1% here that think that the AAC is as good as the major conferences. Probably the same number that are happy with theconerence situation.

I can't control the conference situation, and I'm not one to complain about it here....pretty much over and over as some do.

They are what they are and I will support Uconn wherever they are.

I thin the BIG 10 would be the best situation.

 

[Buzzyboy]

What inaccurate numbers? Be specific. I checked all the numbers I posted. Intlz, for example tried to post the number of NCAA National Championships the AAC teams had won, and forgot about Cincinnati.

If you cannot state what facts I got wrong, then don't make the claim.

I know that there are many UConn fans who prefer the style of basketball that the UConn women play, to the men. There is a lot of playground in men's basketball, with athleticism seeming to win out over skills there. I'm quite a bit older then the average guy on this board I guess but I love the similarity of the top women's teams to the old Celtic teams of the 50's and 60's where ball movement and all the subtle nuances of the game came into play. In a lot of men's basketball, it tends to be more about athleticism than skill level. Some teams seem to have no one who can actually shoot from outside of ten feet from the hoops and were it not for layups and putbacks and dunks, their shooting percentages would come a lot closer to single digits than to 50% from the field. There are obviously some wonderfully skilled (and athletic) men's teams but far too many never emphasize basic skills. Everyone wants to be on ESPN's top 10 plays of the day rather than make the great pass or set the great pick or take the charge. I'm a big men's basketball fan but I also recognize the soundness and the fundamentals of the better women's teams.

 

[Buzzyboy]

I have pretty much decided that I am not going to win the Miss Congeniality award. However, I feel that dissing UConn's conference is dissing UConn. This is especially ironic since we just left the Big East where outside of Notre Dame, not a single team had ever stopped UConn from winning the Season BE championship, or the BE Tourney, or both. The BE had some of the crappiest women's teams in the world, such as Seton Hall. Yeah, that carries over to the AAC. So what is different? But you are worried about Memphis, which actually has a decent men's team, and most of the football teams we will be playing will be our equals or more. I just don't see the problem.

As for the ACC having better women's basketball, the last time we played North Carolina, we beat them by 50 points. The last time we played Duke, we beat them by 30 points. The last time we played Maryland we beat them by 26 points. And those are the ACC powerhouses. Really, what is the problem? THERE IS NO CONFERENCE THAT CAN GIVE UCONN COMPETITION IN WOMAN'S BASKETBALL. Once you digest this, then you realize it doesn't make any difference what conference we play in.

One of the things I remember is how pitiful the Big East women's basketball was. There were only two or three teams that were worth anything but as a result our women's team showing the way and some schools using future games played against UConn as incentive to recruit talented young women for their teams, the St. John's and Georgetown and Syracuse and even Notre Dame got appreciably better. Why can't that same magic happen in this new league. It's already been noted how UConn has methodically pummeled the ACC over the last years so they are a giant step below UConn and UConn actually had more competitive games in some of their Big East games then they had against many supposed Top 10 teams that were only Top 10 because they played in a major conference with crappy teams that allowed them a great won lost record. In reality they weren't all that good, just a lot better than the rags in their conference. Notre Dame will probably dominate the ACC because they've gotten good on the tails of the UConn women's program. I think that magic can happen to some of our new league opponents. Why NOT???????????????????

 

[pap49cba]

My personal reaction to this entire thread.....

 

[HuskyNan]

And that was after that poster called me a "garden variety troll." I said, I respond in kind.

Fishy isn't your run of the mill poster, he's a moderator. He didn't call you a name; he was advising me of his opinion on your posting style. You'd know Fishy is a mod here if you bothered to learn something about the Boneyard before jumping in and yelling at people.

 

[HuskyNan]

My personal reaction to this entire thread.....

Here's mine.....

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

And yet, the buyout on the ACC is now massive, is it not? That helps.

It is the TV "Grant of Rights" that has probably stabilized the ACC for now. I don't know the details, but IIRC the schools turned their media rights over to the conference for a specified period of time, and yes, there is a massive buy-out as well.

An interesting article about the whole Grant of Rights thing that my wife read parts aloud to me indicated that the major conferences have put it in place "except the SEC which doesn't have to". There is a lot said by that statement.

 

[doggydaddy]

I guess it's what some people need to do. Complain ad nauseam about something they have absolutely no control over. No ability to bring change. And does it really matter in the short term what conference is better? Certainly for womens basketball, the great OOC schedule is good enough to test Uconn and prepare them for the post season.

I'm so sick of it. And no one tell me not to read it if it bothers me. It's there. Hard to ignore. Hell, we have an entire forum to talk about it.

I follow Uconn sports for FUN. It's great entertainment. And it's a social thing where we can talk about the games, the players, the recruits.

But conference threads? Enough already. Until something happens, Uconn is a member and guiding star of the AAC. How about we just support the teams, go to more games and show the country how great a program Uconn is. The way the conference have shuffled, it's hard to believe its done. So, wait, see what happens, but in the meantime, enjoy the women going for #9, the men competing for a league title and long run in the NCAA tourney and the football team surprising everyone with a decent bowl game. Not to mention a rising hockey program, a solid track program and the usual nationally competitive men and women's soccer and women's field hockey team. AND the new basketball facility to go along with a top notch football facility. Along with incredible coaching in all sports (ok, football is a stretch).

Too much complaining with all the good that is happening. I didn't even mention the 150 million from the state and the improving academic situation.

Whew. That was exhausting.

 

[intlzncster]

It is the TV "Grant of Rights" that has probably stabilized the ACC for now. I don't know the details, but IIRC the schools turned their media rights over to the conference for a specified period of time, and yes, there is a massive buy-out as well.

An interesting article about the whole Grant of Rights thing that my wife read parts aloud to me indicated that the major conferences have put it in place "except the SEC which doesn't have to". There is a lot said by that statement.

Football IS king.

 

[Big UConn]

I hope you will decide to become a regular poster here. It is good to have company on the conference envy question. But, that doesn't mean you and I will agree on all matters. There could come a time when we will differ and disagree and dispute and get at 6s&7s and go right up to the limit of what the board rules allow.

So, I hope you'll stick around and post up a storm

JP, thank you for your encouragement. I am glad you and some others are able to see the big picture, and I probably will stay, but I will be very careful about what topics I post on. You were clearly spot on with your first post about the ambiance of this board.

As for "agreeing with me or not" that is trivial. No one in the world agrees with me on everything, and life would be boring if everyone did. I like spirited discussion and disagreement. I am just unsure about how much disagreement will be tolerated here. I am also posting on other boards, College fans only and Rebkell.

 

[doggydaddy]

JP, thank you for your encouragement. I am glad you and some others are able to see the big picture, and I probably will stay, but I will be very careful about what topics I post on. You were clearly spot on with your first post about the ambiance of this board.

As for "agreeing with me or not" that is trivial. No one in the world agrees with me on everything, and life would be boring if everyone did. I like spirited discussion and disagreement. I am just unsure about how much disagreement will be tolerated here. I am also posting on other boards, College fans only and Rebkell.

We have a wonderful private message application here if you feel the need to talk about the board as you have in this post.

And you can always PM the mods, Huskynan, JS and Biff, if you have questions on the board ambiance.

 

[intlzncster]

JP, thank you for your encouragement. I am glad you and some others are able to see the big picture, and I probably will stay, but I will be very careful about what topics I post on. You were clearly spot on with your first post about the ambiance of this board.

I think you'll find that people have more problem with your hubris and delivery than they do with your opinion. Whether you intend it or not, this reads "we are obviously correct, and all those who disagree are ignoramuses destined to one day have their eyes forcibly opened to 'reality' as I (we) see it. Fools."