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Living and working in Boston, and teaching and knowing a number of students/peers who went to UMass Amherst (and it's important to distinguish--this doesn't hold true for UMass-Boston, Lowell, or others), I respect the school. Students often now look to UConn as a better option (a matter of degree--my best students see UConn and UMass as "safeties," my good students see UConn as a reach and UMass not as a safety school, but as one they feel good about getting into). I've met tons of nice and smart people who went to UMass, and back in the 1990s, always wanted the two schools to play.
But the University needs to show commitment to athletics. Sustained commitment.
This isn't like 1979, when the Big East was being formed. Back then, St. John's PC, Syracuse, BC, and Georgetown had solid histories and were looking up. They were able to take a flier on UConn because UConn had demonstrated basketball excellence in a small conference. UMass isn't there yet...
But the University needs to show commitment to athletics. Sustained commitment.
This isn't like 1979, when the Big East was being formed. Back then, St. John's PC, Syracuse, BC, and Georgetown had solid histories and were looking up. They were able to take a flier on UConn because UConn had demonstrated basketball excellence in a small conference. UMass isn't there yet...