In the new (2014-15) Big East, who will challenge Uconn?

[jdubct]

As of the 2014-15 season, I believe the all-sports members of the Big East will be as follows:

Cincinnati Connecticut DePaul Georgetown Houston Marquette Memphis
Providence St. Johns Seton Hall SMU Temple Tulane UCF
USF Villanova

Looks like the biggest women's basketball rivalries would be with St. Johns and Georgetown (possibly Temple) with relatively little challenge in the Big East Schedule. I wonder what other people think.

 

[pap49cba]

Short answer = none of the above

 

[Vowelguy]

BE membership is like NE weather. If you don't like it, wait a minute for it to change.

 

[jdubct]

BE membership is like NE weather. If you don't like it, wait a minute for it to change.

Agreed, but I prefer spring to deepest winter.

 

[01Neaggrad02]

Oh God.... We will become Stanford and the Pac10. No one to challenge us.

 

[UConnFan23]

Oh God.... We will become Stanford and the Pac10. No one to challenge us.

And, without the Stanford academic reputation to help our recruiting. Ugh, I can't wait for this to be over, and hopefully with UConn in the ACC - - PLEASE!

 

[tomcat]

Oh God.... We will become Stanford and the Pac10. No one to challenge us.

Much, much worse, actually. There are a bunch of reasons to go to Stanford, basketball aside. UConn does not have that kind of academic cachet. From a basketball point of view, there is just no reason why a top flight recruit would want to be in the Big East except UConn.

 

[pap49cba]

Why is everyone ignoring the recent interviews with our players when they said the conference was not a factor in their decision to attend Uconn?

 

[Wbbfan1]

No one will challenge UConn in the new Big East. ND and Louisville had the resources to adequately support and improve their WBB program. I don't see the remaining schools in the Big East doing so. While UConn already has the best Out of Conference Schedule, IMHO Geno will need to add additional tougher schools to the schedule to make up for how weak the New Big East is.

 

[jdubct]

No one will challenge UConn in the new Big East. ND and Louisville had the resources to adequately support and improve their WBB program. I don't see the remaining schools in the Big East doing so. While UConn already has the best Out of Conference Schedule, IMHO Geno will need to add additional tougher schools to the schedule to make up for how weak the New Big East is.

Agree. It would be ironic if Uconn were to schedule Rutgers and more ACC teams to make up for the gap.

 

[60'sfan]

According to ESPN last night, Cincinnati sent an appeal to the ACC to add them to the conference.

 

[tomcat]

Why is everyone ignoring the recent interviews with our players when they said the conference was not a factor in their decision to attend Uconn?

A couple of reasons. First, what do you think they are going to say? "Gee, if I had to do it all over again, I'd think twice"? Not likely, because they are loyal to the school and loyal to Geno and most likely honestly believe they did what was right for them. And second, because they were being asked about a decision they made based on what the Big East was like when they were recruited. They were not being asked whether, given that the Big East does not have any decent women's basketball teams left, they might think differently today. That's a hypothetical, and it's always difficult to get a real answer to a hypothetical question.

That's why I think there's no real way to know whether this will have an influence or not, though I am betting it does. Unless some recruits just happen to mention that they chose an ACC team not only because they wanted to go to the school, but because of the first-class schedule that team played as a result of being in a premier women's basketball league.

I agree with the poster who said that it probably won't matter a great deal right away, but down the road -- and I'm thinking 3-4 years -- it could matter a great deal.

A part of me also is thinking that the UConn haters and Geno haters out there must be eating this all up.

 

[vtcwbuff]

Lets see now, Big East schools to challenge UConn in WBB -

Providence
Seton Hall
St Johns

Is there anyone else left?

 

[ed4ourgirls]

I think Geno is going to have to think long and hard about
having teams like Holy Cross and Colgate on his non-conference
schedule in the future.

Of course, it's not just up to him. The better teams are going
to have to agree to play UConn, and that's not a given.

 

[Icebear]

There will be absolutely zero challenges within the Big East.

 

[UConnChapette]

There will be absolutely zero challenges within the Big East.

I agree with you, Ice. UConn will not be challenged other than their OOC games and the NCAAs.

 

[semper]

Geno should keep the ND game going and needs to get a game with UNC; we used to have this. Plus the usual suspects.

 

[Phil]

If a cupcake school wants to schedule UConn, the process won't be that difficult. First step, ask for admission to the Big East, then the scheduling will be automatic. Probably even easier than now.

 

[Vowelguy]

Gotta hope that the new coaches at G'town and St Johns can continue those schools' recent success and provide some competition. DePaul & Marquette too.

Also, Houston and SMU have had some success in the past. Hopefully bigger stage and favorable recruiting area can cause them to elevate.

 

[EricLA]

In 2 years, the big east probably wont even resemble the teams it does now - I'm hoping more changes are in store.... USF, Cinci and UCONN are all dying to get out. If UCONN is left in the Big Least, it will be a problem in the long run - it's looking like a glorified C-USA league. Hopefully as the landscape continues to shift towards 5 super conferences, UCONN is asked to be in one of them...

The thing is, tho, UCONN will play anyone, anywhere. Hopefully enough top 25 teams continue to be willing to schedule UCONN in the future.