Well, first of all thanks for the honest answers and not personal attacks. It's an interesting discussion for sure. So far I've gathered:
1. That Seton Hall with a 5 star PG and the #9 recruiting class in 2014 and DePaul (31 NCAA appearances between both and 3 Final Fours) are the same as Tulane and Tulsa which have 18 NCAA appearances between both and 0 Final Fours and certainly terrible recruiting). That's quite the stance to take. It's no contest that SHU and DePaul are much better. SHU has been picked by some experts to make the tourney this year because they really lit up the recruiting trails lately. SHU was also ranked just a few years ago…when's the last time Tulsa/Tulane were ranked?
2. There is a total commitment to football, because UConn believes another lifeboat will come. This is just wishful thinking IMO. Maybe it does come, but there's every reason to believe it won't. UConn football can barely compete with the likes of SUNY Buffalo and Villanova. And that is not a slap, that is true. Plus, major college football will never catch on in the northeast. This is an NFL region and if anyone around here cares about college football they are Michigan, Notre Dame, or Penn State fans. I just can't see UConn ever making money on essentially a FCS level football program playing in the FBS. Eventually if they keep losing money I think they will be forced to pull the plug. UConn is taking a MAJOR risk by gambling on football. I don't think UConn fans realize how big it really is. If the P5 continues to leave you behind, those rings earned in your Big East era will fade away. UConn is in a major transition from Big East era (where literally all your success came) to the AAC era (where there is a lot of unknown and lots of potential for trouble).
3. The assumption that hoops will be fine…because…the past? UConn was sitting pretty in the old Big East. Last year, the first year in the AAC, you do realize that you still had one last gasp from the old Big East right? You had a HOF coach's recruits still (Calhoun) and had that battle tested team from the old Big East. But it's over now. UConn won a championship with old Big East recruits and no doubt the championship will help their recruiting for a few years alone. But I'm talking about LONG term. Are you really going to convince major recruits to play in a conference that plays a few major schools and mostly mid major to low major schools? That will definitely hurt at some point when the Big East mystique wears off and the AAC becomes more the norm. The Big East is recruiting extremely well despite losing the football schools. It seems many people just blindly believe that because UConn has rings, it will always be successful which is not true. Your current conference affiliation has you on the outside looking in and your hoops will suffer because of it. UConn downgraded in basketball to a mid major conference (save for 2 other schools) to go all in for football. No way around it.
4. Football schools make the tournament the most and go deep the most. Well, where does it all start? Recruiting. As long as the recruiting is there, it doesn't matter if you have football. And the new Big East has not skipped a beat recruiting. Once you make the tourney, anything can happen. UConn themselves were major underdogs in the past two championship runs. They got hot at the right time. So I'm not worried about how far Big East teams can go. Nova is primed to always make runs, G'Town is bouncing back after a down year, Marquette is reloading after Buzz, Butler is reloading after Stevens, and Creighton is reloading after McDermott. Give it some time. The Big East was nowhere close to its potential last year and we had 4 teams in. By the way, there are always cinderella runs and major upsets. That's why it's called March Madness. All you need is some good recruits, a ticket, and a little luck.
5. The Big East is on a bad network (FS1). Really? First of all, how can you judge a network that literally just started last year? It has had almost no time to get its name out there. They have been picking up big time college football and other events building their brand. It's still FOX SPORTS at the end of the day…it's not like some obscure name. People will find the games if they are good enough. The fan bases of the teams playing on the channel will always find it. At least we have every game nationally televised which is another big recruiting ploy. By the way, St. John's will be on CBS and ESPN this season when facing Duke and Cuse. So it's not like we are only on FS1. The schools here also make double what the AAC schools make in their TV deal. It's not a bad gig at all.
It really just pains me to see UConn putting its life on the line for a sport they are terrible in. You can blame the C-7 schools for your position but at the end of the day UConn shot itself in the foot by making an awful decision to prioritize football instead of the 1 sport they are known nationally for and excel greatly in. What will really be interesting is if the P5 takes Cincy, UCF, ECU and leaves out Memphis and UConn. What would happen then? The pressure for UConn to leave the AAC is only going to mount, and the Big East would be the only chance for them to stay in a good conference that isn't P5. I'm so glad we don't play football…I wouldn't want to be a part of this mess constantly losing sleep at night wondering if we will play in a mid major or major conference. All can be solved by waving the white flag on the football program.