In Retrospect Was Leaving the AAC for the New Big East the Best Move? | Page 4 | The Boneyard

In Retrospect Was Leaving the AAC for the New Big East the Best Move?

LoyalFanCT said:
So many basketball fans thought that leaving the AAC for the New Big East was the long-term solution for UConn basketball. With unexpected tournament losses for both the men's and women's teams this year, it does not appear to be the case so far. And football season as an independent has yet to start, and things look bumpy at best. Should UConn revisit its decision?
Expand ...
I’m assuming this is either a joke or you thought you would say something ridiculous and watch this board react. That is as much of a response that is deserved.
 
JetsUC93 said:
I’m assuming this is either a joke or you thought you would say something ridiculous and watch this board react. That is as much of a response that is deserved.
Expand ...
Pure trollery, as is his handle.
 
Certainly, UConn’s move to the Big East a few months after they began recruiting Clingan made a huge difference, his father noted. It would be hard to imagine him turning down Big Ten schools to play in the American Athletic Conference.
 
I’ve come around on this. The NEWBIE is a really good regional league and outside Villanova, has no interest in being a major national conference, in anything really. In all the major sports it is basically not participating ( football) or not trying ( baseball, women’s basketball. Note UConn in the women’s equivalent of Villanova.). Most UConn fans and the athletic program are quite satisfied with being a “ regional” power. The AAC, whether it succeeds or not, wants to be the 6 th Power Conference. I don’t know if it will get there. Probably not. But that isn’t UConn’s goal any longer anyway. We are thrilled to get to the NCAA tournament. Get into the bottom of the top 25. Play a regional schedule of mostly like minded teams. Beat Seton Hall and Providence. The exceptions being Villanova at the high end, DePaul at the low end and Georgetown wishing for all the world that the Ivy League wanted a Catholic member si it didn’t have to hang with these trade schools. It is fine and it lets everyone get what they want while pretending to be important in the national scheme of things because the league takes the name of a once powerful national conference.
 
Who Ha said:
Certainly, UConn’s move to the Big East a few months after they began recruiting Clingan made a huge difference, his father noted. It would be hard to imagine him turning down Big Ten schools to play in the American Athletic Conference.
Expand ...
Let’s see. One kid’s father says he thinks the Big East made a difference. All the proof I need. ;)
 
freescooter said:
I’ve come around on this. The NEWBIE is a really good regional league and outside Villanova, has no interest in being a major national conference, in anything really. In all the major sports it is basically not participating ( football) or not trying ( baseball, women’s basketball. Note UConn in the women’s equivalent of Villanova.). Most UConn fans and the athletic program are quite satisfied with being a “ regional” power. The AAC, whether it succeeds or not, wants to be the 6 th Power Conference. I don’t know if it will get there. Probably not. But that isn’t UConn’s goal any longer anyway. We are thrilled to get to the NCAA tournament. Get into the bottom of the top 25. Play a regional schedule of mostly like minded teams. Beat Seton Hall and Providence. The exceptions being Villanova at the high end, DePaul at the low end and Georgetown wishing for all the world that the Ivy League wanted a Catholic member si it didn’t have to hang with these trade schools. It is fine and it lets everyone get what they want while pretending to be important in the national scheme of things because the league takes the name of a once powerful national conference.
Expand ...
well, this is not very nice. inaccurate too, but mostly not very nice.
 
.-.
Waquoit said:
Why is anyone still tilting at this windmill? It's been a year and the results speak for themselves in all sports. The AAC is nothing but a bad memory.
Expand ...
Precisely. Everyone is thrilled beyond words that we made the tournament. And are ranked 23 in some preseason poll or other. One of two NEWBIE teams ranked. It is all just so Seton Hally.
 
.-.
Our "brand" is strong enough to have an allure even in football as an independent. Sure is better than being in the AAC.

The AAC wasn't a bad conference. Felt quite out of place. Our 2 nearest opponents are a 5 hour drive away. The rest? Double digit hour drives.

We're in the top 30 for national championships, so clout is now naturally there.
 
LoyalFanCT said:
So many basketball fans thought that leaving the AAC for the New Big East was the long-term solution for UConn basketball. With unexpected tournament losses for both the men's and women's teams this year, it does not appear to be the case so far. And football season as an independent has yet to start, and things look bumpy at
Expand ...

Uh, yeah.
 
LoyalFanCT said:
So many basketball fans thought that leaving the AAC for the New Big East was the long-term solution for UConn basketball. With unexpected tournament losses for both the men's and women's teams this year, it does not appear to be the case so far. And football season as an independent has yet to start, and things look bumpy at best. Should UConn revisit its decision?
Expand ...

We are not getting an invite to ACC , B1G or SEC. Things are trending to less teams not more. Mega conferences if they come to be down the road will pick teams they want. We are not one of them. Moving to the Big East and Indy was the best decision to make then now and in future.

Indy is full of possibilities where whatever is left after the next move will be a hodge podge mess.
 
Last edited:
.-.
huskymedic said:
Expand ...

Will we be the visionary leader or will we be the college that might have wound up in a P5 conference (B12 scooping up AAC members) but left the AAC too soon because we were impatient? And now we have football independence and a mid-ranked college basketball program in the so-called New Big East. Still, somehow we may be able to sneak into the ACC if the state's and university's priorities are in order.
 
LoyalFanCT said:
Will we be the visionary leader or will we be the college that might have wound up in a P5 conference (B12 scooping up AAC members) but left the AAC too soon because we were impatient? And now we have football independence and a mid-ranked college basketball program in the so-called New Big East. Still, somehow we may be able to sneak into the ACC if the state's and university's priorities are in order.
Expand ...
There's no more P5. And a basketball league made up of the B12 and AAC remains would still be below the BE in quality and perception
 
LoyalFanCT said:
Will we be the visionary leader or will we be the college that might have wound up in a P5 conference (B12 scooping up AAC members) but left the AAC too soon because we were impatient? And now we have football independence and a mid-ranked college basketball program in the so-called New Big East. Still, somehow we may be able to sneak into the ACC if the state's and university's priorities are in order.
Expand ...
So, we're putting you down for a "no"?
 
LoyalFanCT said:
Will we be the visionary leader or will we be the college that might have wound up in a P5 conference (B12 scooping up AAC members) but left the AAC too soon because we were impatient? And now we have football independence and a mid-ranked college basketball program in the so-called New Big East. Still, somehow we may be able to sneak into the ACC if the state's and university's priorities are in order.
Expand ...

Some say pioneers get slaughtered and settlers prosper.
 
This bed's been made. The only conference that would even look at UConn is the ACC. Connecticut politics will keep us about an arms length away from AAU status. That being said, there's no way that that island of misfit toys will be a power conference. No way. The Big12 will do the merging not the other way around. The AAC is that annoying friend of your 8 year old little brother. A pain in the.......
The Big12 has the brand. If Aresco had not sold off the Big East name then the AAC would have the brand but alas that's all in the rear view mirror. We'll see what happens with football and these conferences. Needless to say, cord cutting will continue. Options will arise and it'll be different but there's no way that we're New Hampshire or Massachusetts or even as mentioned Loyola-Chicago. We are the basketball capital of the world. We fill up Madison Square Garden. We produce professional players.
 
.-.
2022 NC said:
There's no more P5. And a basketball league made up of the B12 and AAC remains would still be below the BE in quality and perception
Expand ...

I'm not sure about the basketball angle. If the new AAC/Big 12 team membership is:

Kansas, Baylor, Cincinnati, Houston, Memphis, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Texas Tech, West Virginia, TCU and Iowa State that's a pretty damn good basketball league and better than the New Big East.
 
Slasher said:
I'm not sure about the basketball angle. If the new AAC/Big 12 team membership is:

Kansas, Baylor, Cincinnati, Houston, Memphis, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Texas Tech, West Virginia, TCU and Iowa State that's a pretty damn good basketball league and better than the New Big East.
Expand ...

In the last 25 years New Big East schools have had 6 men's national basketball champions. The Little 12 can't match that, or even come close to it.
 
Last edited:
Of course 4 of those are us.. the Little 12 exceeds the New Big East titles simply by pivoting us over.

The real math is New Big East 2 (Nova x2) - Little 12 2 (Baylor, Kansas). UConn's four goes wherever they are. You can't count them in any objective measure of the two conferences.
 
ScottVib said:
Of course 4 of those are us.. the Little 12 exceeds the New Big East titles simply by pivoting us over.

The real math is New Big East 2 (Nova x2) - Little 12 2 (Baylor, Kansas). UConn's four goes wherever they are. You can't count them in any objective measure of the two conferences.
Expand ...
Lol, how does that make any sense? We’re in Big East of course our titles count.
 
Easily. If you're evaluating which conference is the better conference in the context of should UConn join the Little 12 or remain in the New Big East (ultimately an irrelevant argument, as UConn will not be joining the Little 12). Then UConn's titles aren't/can't be part of the measure. They'd follow UConn to whichever conference they were in.

Little 12 + UConn = 6. or New Big East (including UConn) = 6.

There are plenty of other stats you can use to make the point you want to make... national titles just isn't the one to hang your hat on...
 
The argument was which conference is better as currently configured, the answer is the Big East.
 
.-.
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
168,352
Messages
4,566,718
Members
10,469
Latest member
xxBlueChips


Top Bottom