Like I was saying...

[intlzncster]

Since 2013-2014 season:

AAC: 15 NCAA bids
New Big East: 28 NCAA bids

Yeah, but it's about going forward. Not looking back. Past performance gets you nothing.

 

[DMIL]

Im not blaming just the conference, but it played a major role. I just said in another post that for schools like SMU, Houston, Memphis, and Wichita, the AAC is an immediate upgrade compared to the conference they came from. UConn is the one school in the country that has gotten hurt the most in the last round of realignment. Getting stuck in the AAC is a downgrade for UConn, and Cincinnati. The difference with Cincinnati is they played in Conference USA for years before joining the Big East in 2005, so their time at the top of the mountain was relatively short compared to us.

Understand what you're saying however we need to turn the page here and make the best out of the situation. We have our coach, the conference has some good coaches and the overall recruiting is solid. UCONN has to do it's part. Starting from the ground up isn't easy but that is where we are and we are 2 years from getting seriously back in the mix. Once we start dominating this conference the way our Women have then we can revisit the discussion around conferences. As far as I'm concerned the ship has sailed so we need to move on. We have something to work with for the future and we will be back. I expect this will be the last UCONN losing season in a very long time.

 

[DMIL]

Initially I did blame the conference but you are correct, we have been middle and now bottom of the league. Hurley has to get them here and I bet he is going all out from this day forward.

That's exactly right.

 

[PAHusky]

I'm convinced if the current Big East had changed the conference named to something like "the Catholic bois + scraps" or something equally scintillating instead of continuing to use the BE name we wouldn't be subject to so many of these idiotic threads.

The old Big East is dead. The new Big East is on par basketball wise with the AAC right now. We're nowhere near good enough to contend in either. Let it go.

 

[intlzncster]

So park football elsewhere. CT doesn't care about college football

If that's the strategy, then just get rid of football. NBE ain't going for it. And the 'new' football conference wouldn't either.

Wait for an olive branch. If it doesn't come, reevaluate the whole thing.

 

[gampelcrazies]

Yeah, but it's about going forward. Not looking back. Past performance gets you nothing.

Ok looking at this year. Big East and the AAC are projected the same amount of bids (4) according to ESPN.

This is considered one of the best years for the AAC and one of the weaker years for the Big East.

 

[willie99]

What does the Big East have to do with any of this? The American is better this year, and I expect the AAC to continue to climb the ladder

We need to be part of the solution, we started strong but we've faltered. That's going to change

 

[gampelcrazies]

What does the Big East have to do with any of this? The American is better this year, and I expect the AAC to continue to climb the ladder

We need to be part of the solution, we started strong but we've faltered. That's going to change

That’s TBD

 

[Lynyrd]

John Henry, why do we abuse ourselves?

 

[intlzncster]

Ok looking at this year. Big East and the AAC are projected the same amount of bids (4) according to ESPN.

This is considered one of the best years for the AAC and one of the weaker years for the Big East.

Actually, going into this year, it was damn near universally accepted that this was setting up to be a down year, with a weak AAC field. They outperformed.

Next year projects to be even better for a lot of these schools.

 

[Ts5034]

Understand what you're saying however we need to turn the page here and make the best out of the situation. We have our coach, the conference has some good coaches and the overall recruiting is solid. UCONN has to do it's part. Starting from the ground up isn't easy but that is where we are and we are 2 years from getting seriously back in the mix. Once we start dominating this conference the way our Women have then we can revisit the discussion around conferences. As far as I'm concerned the ship has sailed so we need to move on. We have something to work with for the future and we will be back. I expect this will be the last UCONN losing season in a very long time.

I agree. I think we hired the right guy to bring us back from the dead. Im hoping it takes another 30 years before we are even close to finishing under .500 again.

 

[BY06518]

I'm convinced if the current Big East had changed the conference named to something like "the Catholic bois + scraps" or something equally scintillating instead of continuing to use the BE name we wouldn't be subject to so many of these idiotic threads.

The old Big East is dead. The new Big East is on par basketball wise with the AAC right now. We're nowhere near good enough to contend in either. Let it go.

Its a better basketball conference than ours, Let's just look at the facts

Teams winning the National Title:
BE: 2
AAC: 1

Teams in the Final Four:
BE: 2
AAC: 1

Teams in the Elite Eight:
BE: 3
AAC: 1

Teams in the Sweet 16
BE: 5
AAC: 1

Total Conference Bids:
BE: 28
AAC: 15

 

[DMIL]

Its a better basketball conference than ours, Let's just look at the facts

Teams winning the National Title:
BE: 2
AAC: 1

Teams in the Final Four:
BE: 2
AAC: 1

Teams in the Elite Eight:
BE: 3
AAC: 1

Teams in the Sweet 16
BE: 5
AAC: 1

Total Conference Bids:
BE: 28
AAC: 15

We are talking about current state and where the AAC is trending which is up. The grass is greening my man.

 

[UCDaveD]

I'm convinced if the current Big East had changed the conference named to something like "the Catholic bois + scraps" or something equally scintillating instead of continuing to use the BE name we wouldn't be subject to so many of these idiotic threads.

The old Big East is dead. The new Big East is on par basketball wise with the AAC right now. We're nowhere near good enough to contend in either. Let it go.

Spot on. They can't separate the past from the present.

 

[intlzncster]

Its a better basketball conference than ours, Let's just look at the facts

Teams winning the National Title:
BE: 2
AAC: 1

Teams in the Final Four:
BE: 2
AAC: 1

Teams in the Elite Eight:
BE: 3
AAC: 1

Teams in the Sweet 16
BE: 5
AAC: 1

Total Conference Bids:
BE: 28
AAC: 15

They've been better in recent history, but most of that BE success is the result of one team.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

This thread is such bad mojo for our football program that I nearly hit a jaywalking Randy Edsall in Storrs downtown less than 15 minutes ago.

I wish I were joking.

 

[BY06518]

We are talking about current state and where the AAC is trending which is up. The grass is greening my man.

Will, any of the teams make it past the 1st weekend?

 

[BY06518]

They've been better in recent history, but most of that BE success is the result of one team.

I think you'll note any AAC success is by UConn.

 

[intlzncster]

I think you'll note any AAC success is by UConn.

If you are talking the one Championship, then yes. But outside of that, none of it is.

Removing the two championship teams, and it's not much to get excited about either way. They've been better, but nothing to write home about.

 

[DMIL]

Will, any of the teams make it past the 1st weekend?

Houston is the obvious favorite to do that and I like Cincinnati as well. We'll see. I think if we get 2 teams in the sweet 16 that would be an over perform but certainly possible. With descent teams and good coaches a lot can happen in the dance. Both of these teams fit this profile.

 

[Lynyrd]

Its a better basketball conference than ours, Let's just look at the facts

Teams winning the National Title:
BE: 2
AAC: 1

Teams in the Final Four:
BE: 2
AAC: 1

Teams in the Elite Eight:
BE: 3
AAC: 1

Teams in the Sweet 16
BE: 5
AAC: 1

Total Conference Bids:
BE: 28
AAC: 15

So Villanova has been more successful than UCONN lately ... got it

 

[CL82]

Yeah we should drop our football program and go to a worse basketball conference so we'd have a better shot to win.

... but you will also get less money, so there's that. (BE will be about half the AAC deal which begins in 2020.)

 

[Alum86]

We need to recruit in hoop like St Mary’s.

 

[gampelcrazies]

 

[Huskymagic]

...UConn needs to join the Big East.

I agree. Not because of the conference because the AAC is trending up and doing a good job of building. However, we have no rivalries in this conference nor we create any because UCONN's rivals are already established in the collective psyche of fans. Allowing the Catholic schools to take the BIG East name was a HUGE mistake.

We play in front of mostly empty arenas and a conference tournament that draws nobody.

Our former rivals are having the same issue as the Cuse have zero rivals in the ACC, and are getting clowned annually by Duke, UNC, and Virginia. Pitt has become a nobody. Louisville has similar issues in the ACC with no real rivals.

PS: Basketball is the future not football. Interest in football is declining among the youth.

PS: However, I think the AAC needs to be aggressively courting Gonzaga for basketball only and BYU for all sports. If Aresco can make that happen, I'd rather the AAC be our home, and it would be like creating a new BIG East once again. This would force ESPN and Fox to pay the AAC close to P5 levels.