Lol @ the fools who think the AAC is better

[Guapo]

It's more reservations of the general fit of UConn in the BE conference.

1. Big East is not an all-sports conference (structurally quite dissimilar to the P5 which is where many of us feel we belong). Are we torpedoing our P5 chances by essentially waving the white flag?
2. Big East member schools are all private/small Catholic universities with very little growth/scalability potential. UConn will be the odd-man-out 800 lb gorilla as far as size and budgets. Is this a big deal? Not sure.

The problem here is many are viewing this change with the myopic view of just basketball.

yeah sure it was better for the school to go behind a paywall to play Tulsa.

what you and your fellow fools can’t seem to grasp is that staying in the AAC was waving the white flag. UConn was Capt. Smith on board the titanic.

 

[August_West]

It's more reservations of the general fit of UConn in the BE conference.

1. Big East is not an all-sports conference (structurally quite dissimilar to the P5 which is where many of us feel we belong). Are we torpedoing our P5 chances by essentially waving the white flag?
2. Big East member schools are all private/small Catholic universities with very little growth/scalability potential. UConn will be the odd-man-out 800 lb gorilla as far as size and budgets. Is this a big deal? Not sure.

The problem here is many are viewing this change with the myopic view of just basketball.

Heres the deal as I see it.


We werent getting into P5 anyway. At least not anytime in the near future. So if we are ever fortunate enough to be in that position I dont see any advantage to being in the AAC rather than the NBE. Either way the odds are infitessimal. We've wasted 7 years on this football folly and are further than ever from a P5 invite. (which we STILL would be even if we werent circling the drain on the gridiron, it simply doesnt matter). Might as well play some decent hoops against some regional competition and put some fannies back in the seats.

 

[Durks07]

[

I saw someone post something on Twitter this weekend that said after July 1st they would pay as much attention to the AAC as they do to the Big South. Count me as a member of that camp.

Aside from specifically watching Uconn games, I paid as much attention to the AAC as the Big South. July 1st isn't going to change anything for me.

 

[John]

yeah sure it was better for the school to go behind a paywall to play Tulsa.

what you and your fellow fools can’t seem to grasp is that staying in the AAC was waving the white flag. UConn was Capt. Smith on board the titanic.

you could get your point across without being a continual DB about it. You're a real tool.

 

[Guapo]

you could get your point across without being a continual DB about it. You're a real tool.

Don’t pretend like you don’t come into these conversations thinking you’re smarter than everyone because you’re the contrarian here.

Although, I do admit you are less abrasive than the others that I’m lumping you in with. I appreciate that you’re at least willing to discuss. I shouldnt take out my frustration at Pal and others on you just because you’re the one willing to respond.

 

[UConnJim]

on track to be a two, maybe 1 bid league. if anything it gets too much credit

not sure if you're referring to just people on this board, but if you want to see tons of people arguing that very thing, this tweet and comments are a gold mine

Two things the tweet writer wouldn't have known at the time was James Wiseman, the probable first draft pick in the NBA draft, would not play the season and UConn would announce they were leaving for the Big East. And, last year, the top 10 teams in the American were rated by Ken Pom about the same as the top 10 schools in the Big East:

Big East average rating of top 10 = 70.0 (30, 33, 55, 60, 65, 72, 79, 88, 100, 118)
American average rating of the top 10 = 68.9 (12, 29, 34, 56, 66, 69, 98, 99, 107, 119)

The problem the American has is with the bottom two teams, typically ECU and Tulane. Last year, they were rated 264 and 283. That is a killer for strength of schedule.

Also, on paper, the American had a better 2019 recruiting year with 7 top 80 recruiting classes including Memphis at #1 vs. 6 top 80 classes with the BE.

And, the Sagarin average team rating of the American has been trending upwards:

2020: 78.97
2019: 78.44
2018: 77.26
2017: 76.74
2016: 77.77
2015: 75.05

The American is an improving basketball conference and it can be a very good basketball conference, but it was a bad fit both geographically and culturally for UConn which is the most important point for UConn fans. I think it would have been very hard for UConn to make the Final 4 out of the American, but I think it is possible out of the Big East. Potential UConn recruits would rather play in the Big East over the American.

 

[scoscox]

Two things the tweet writer wouldn't have known at the time was James Wiseman, the probable first draft pick in the NBA draft, would not play the season and UConn would announce they were leaving for the Big East. And, last year, the top 10 teams in the American were rated by Ken Pom about the same as the top 10 schools in the Big East:

Big East average rating of top 10 = 70.0 (30, 33, 55, 60, 65, 72, 79, 88, 100, 118)
American average rating of the top 10 = 68.9 (12, 29, 34, 56, 66, 69, 98, 99, 107, 119)

The problem the American has is with the bottom two teams, typically ECU and Tulane. Last year, they were rated 264 and 283. That is a killer for strength of schedule.

Also, on paper, the American had a better 2019 recruiting year with 7 top 80 recruiting classes including Memphis at #1 vs. 6 top 80 classes with the BE.

I understand why an eager AAC fan would get carried away and think that, but anyone doing any bit of research would've known the big east was simply down last year and was gonna be loaded this year. i think there were 11 total seniors who started for big east teams last year. sometimes that happens (the acc this year is a good example)

the recruiting thing is a red herring for a number of reasons (ECU bringing in 4 3 stars is viewed as a "better" class than providence bringing in one top 60 guy for example). suffice it to say that the big east has recruited, and is recruiting much better on the whole

Like i said, I can understand an american fan getting overly excited but for anyone in sports journalism/media to say that is pretty bad

 

[ecasadoSBU]

Two things the tweet writer wouldn't have known at the time was James Wiseman, the probable first draft pick in the NBA draft, would not play the season and UConn would announce they were leaving for the Big East. And, last year, the top 10 teams in the American were rated by Ken Pom about the same as the top 10 schools in the Big East:

Big East average rating of top 10 = 70.0 (30, 33, 55, 60, 65, 72, 79, 88, 100, 118)
American average rating of the top 10 = 68.9 (12, 29, 34, 56, 66, 69, 98, 99, 107, 119)

The problem the American has is with the bottom two teams, typically ECU and Tulane. Last year, they were rated 264 and 283. That is a killer for strength of schedule.

Also, on paper, the American had a better 2019 recruiting year with 7 top 80 recruiting classes including Memphis at #1 vs. 6 top 80 classes with the BE.

And, the Sagarin average team rating of the American has been trending upwards:

2020: 78.97
2019: 78.44
2018: 77.26
2017: 76.74
2016: 77.77
2015: 75.05

The American is an improving basketball conference and it can be a very good basketball conference, but it was a bad fit both geographically and culturally for UConn which is the most important point for UConn fans. I think it would have been very hard for UConn to make the Final 4 out of the American, but I think it is possible out of the Big East. Potential UConn recruits would rather play in the Big East over the American.

You do know that last year was a down year for the Big East right? It was the worst year post-2013 for the league. It would be better to compare the average of the Big East vs the AAC of the past 6 years to get a better sense of where each league stands.

 

[CL82]

How is that any different from early iterations of the Big East? Catholic schools have always had a strong footing on this league.

S---hit, I'm not even religious. I don't even care about the subject. but why so much anti-catholic rhetoric here?

It is a start up rather than the original conference which was started in 1979. The NBE was formed in 2013. It merely purchased the rights to the Big East name. It's not the same conference. How is that hard to understand?

That said, it is a good basketball conference and I look forward to playing in it next year.

(Note: effective July 2020, I will join the rest of NBE fans and pretend that it is the same conference that Gavitt started in 1979 and of which UConn was a founding member.)

 

[Waquoit]

To be fair, the guy has another month to be correct.

 

[scoscox]

To be fair, the guy has another month to be correct.

sure. that wasn't really why i posted it

 

[DefCONNOne]

Another fool identified

Oh good, your smug sense of superiority is still intact. I was worried you didn't have it anymore.

 

[UConnJim]

I understand why an eager AAC fan would get carried away and think that, but anyone doing any bit of research would've known the big east was simply down last year and was gonna be loaded this year. i think there were 11 total seniors who started for big east teams last year. sometimes that happens (the acc this year is a good example)

the recruiting thing is a red herring for a number of reasons (ECU bringing in 4 3 stars is viewed as a "better" class than providence bringing in one top 60 guy for example). suffice it to say that the big east has recruited, and is recruiting much better on the whole

Like i said, I can understand an american fan getting overly excited but for anyone in sports journalism/media to say that is pretty bad

First, I am excited by the BE move and I think the BE is a much better basketball conference. But, the American is an improving basketball conference, but losing UConn in the long run will hurt the American.

As for recruiting, last year, the American recruited about equal to the Big East for the first time:

Top 50 recruits:
American 4 (1, 15, 38, 49)
Big East 2 (16, 17)

Top 100 recruits:
American 8 (1, 15, 38, 49, 52, 58, 66, 92)
Big East 9 (16, 17, 57, 62, 67, 71, 75, 89, 99)

Top 200 recruits:
American 17
Big East 16

 

[AuRevoirAAC]

First, I am excited by the BE move and I think the BE is a much better basketball conference. But, the American is an improving basketball conference, but losing UConn in the long run will hurt the American.

As for recruiting, last year, the American recruited about equal to the Big East for the first time:

Top 50 recruits:
American 4 (1, 15, 38, 49)
Big East 2 (16, 17)

Top 100 recruits:
American 8 (1, 15, 38, 49, 52, 58, 66, 92)
Big East 9 (16, 17, 57, 62, 67, 71, 75, 89, 99)

Top 200 recruits:
American 17
Big East 16

So what happens when you take away the 7 Memphis recruits for impermissible benefits, and shift all of the 3 UConn recruits to the Big East side. This becomes pretty lopsided, no?

 

[scoscox]

First, I am excited by the BE move and I think the BE is a much better basketball conference. But, the American is an improving basketball conference, but losing UConn in the long run will hurt the American.

As for recruiting, last year, the American recruited about equal to the Big East for the first time:

Top 50 recruits:
American 4 (1, 15, 38, 49)
Big East 2 (16, 17)

Top 100 recruits:
American 8 (1, 15, 38, 49, 52, 58, 66, 92)
Big East 9 (16, 17, 57, 62, 67, 71, 75, 89, 99)

Top 200 recruits:
American 17
Big East 16

Like I said, i think that was a red herring for a number of reasons. #1 being that memphis' recruiting pace was clearly a result of a unique situation and wouldn't be sustainable. #2 being that multiple AAC teams basically overhauled their entire rosters and had enormous classes that kind of inflated their numbers a bit. And of course all of UConn's recruits were big east recruits for all intents and purposes, so it's kind of a moot point.

the american is improving, but people took more from that than was really there. this year it's back to normal

 

[ecasadoSBU]

It is a start up rather than the original conference which was started in 1979. The NBE was formed in 2013. It merely purchased the rights to the Big East name. It's not the same conference. How is that hard to understand?

That said, it is a good basketball conference and I look forward to playing in it next year.

(Note: effective July 2020, I will join the rest of NBE fans and pretend that it is the same conference that Gavitt started in 1979 and of which UConn was a founding member.)

Great. Because legal charters are so important on defining whats what for basketball fans. I didn't know you guys were all lawyers who took these things so seriously. But if you guys care so much about that then its fair to add that the current alignment of the Big East bought the name, the assets, and the basketball records from pre-2013 Big East. So for all purposes the current league IS the Big East and has the legal right to claim 1979 and everything after as it's own history

The current alignment of the Big East is closer to the original alignment more than ever before. It will have 6 out of 9 of members and will stay true to basketball. UConn will return to playing with the same "small catholic schools" the fans loved back in the day

 

[CL82]

Great. Because legal charters are so important on defining whats what for basketball fans. I didn't know you guys were all lawyers who took these things so seriously. But if you guys care so much about that then its fair to add that the current alignment of the Big East bought the name, the assets, and the basketball records from pre-2013 Big East. So for all purposes the current league IS the Big East and has the legal right to claim 1979 and everything after as it's own history

The current alignment of the Big East is closer to the original alignment more than ever before. It will have 6 out of 9 of members and will stay true to basketball. UConn will return to playing with the same "small catholic schools" the fans loved back in the day

Lol, “legal charters?”

I have always been a loss to understand why the New Big East fans don’t just enjoy the fact that they are a good basketball conference, rather than pretend that they are the conference that Dave Gavitt started in 1979. I also love how they wrap themselves in the history that Connecticut achieved. No original Big East school won more regular season championships, tournament championships, or, of course, National championships in that conference than University of Connecticut. Really why not just be happy with the fact that the conference had 5 top 25 teams in it currently and that Villanova that represented it well earning two national championships in it?

That said, I am happy we are joining the new Big East and I look forward to playing against quality opponents in drivable games.

 

[scoscox]

Lol, “legal charters?”

I have always been a loss to understand why the New Big East fans don’t just enjoy the fact that they are a good basketball conference, rather than pretend that they are the conference that Dave Gavitt started in 1979. I also love how they wrap themselves in the history that Connecticut achieved. No original Big East school won more regular season championships, tournament championships, or, of course, National championships in that conference than University of Connecticut. Really why not just be happy with the fact that the conference had 5 top 25 teams in it currently and that Villanova that represented it well earning two national championships in it?

That said, I am happy we are joining the new Big East and I look forward to playing against quality opponents in drivable games.

they bought the rights to the history, as well as the name, rights to msg, and have 5 of the original 8 members, why wouldn't they carry themselves that way? they gave up millions of dollars to do it.

i never see the league "wrap themselves" in UConn's big east accomplishments.

 

[CL82]

they bought the rights to the history, as well as the name, rights to msg, and have 5 of the original 8 members, why wouldn't they carry themselves that way? they gave up millions of dollars to do it.

i never see the league "wrap themselves" in UConn's big east accomplishments.

Agree, they are a league that started in 2013 that bought the name the Big East. Much of the "history' fans lay claim to were UConn games, UConn's 5 wins in five days on the way to it's 2011 National Championship, UConn's 6 overtime game vs Syracuse etc. Those are wins by teams that aren't in the New Big East and never have been. It's kind of silly, in my opinion, to say that's our history, it happened before we were even formed, those teams have never been in our conference, but we bought it so it ours. It is as if I found Buster Douglas and paid him to "buy the rights to his championship" and then claimed that I was former heavyweight champion. Kind of dumb, right?

But I don't really care about it all that much. Come back in July and I'll pretend the NBE is league the UConn joined in in 1979 twenty-eight years before the NBE was established, but it really won't change the reality of it. It's just odd to me because I think it makes more sense to celebrate what the conference is today rather than pretend it has a claim to things that happened before it was formed.

 

[superjohn]

Agree, they are a league that started in 2013 that bought the name the Big East. Much of the "history' fans lay claim to were UConn games, UConn's 5 wins in five days on the way to it's 2011 National Championship, UConn's 6 overtime game vs Syracuse etc. Those are wins by teams that aren't in the New Big East and never have been. It's kind of silly, in my opinion, to say that's our history, it happened before we were even formed, those teams have never been in our conference, but we bought it so it ours. It is as if I found Buster Douglas and paid him to "buy the rights to his championship" and then claimed that I was former heavyweight champion. Kind of dumb, right?

But I don't really care about it all that much. Come back in July and I'll pretend the NBE is league the UConn joined in in 1979 twenty-eight years before the NBE was established, but it really won't change the reality of it. It's just odd to me because I think it makes more sense to celebrate what the conference is today rather than pretend it has a claim to things that happened before it was formed.

Wonderful, now please stop calling The Big East the NBE.

 

[John]

Wonderful, now please stop calling The Big East the NBE.

what should it be called?

 

[scoscox]

Agree, they are a league that started in 2013 that bought the name the Big East. Much of the "history' fans lay claim to were UConn games, UConn's 5 wins in five days on the way to it's 2011 National Championship, UConn's 6 overtime game vs Syracuse etc. Those are wins by teams that aren't in the New Big East and never have been. It's kind of silly, in my opinion, to say that's our history, it happened before we were even formed, those teams have never been in our conference, but we bought it so it ours. It is as if I found Buster Douglas and paid him to "buy the rights to his championship" and then claimed that I was former heavyweight champion. Kind of dumb, right?

But I don't really care about it all that much. Come back in July and I'll pretend the NBE is league the UConn joined in in 1979 twenty-eight years before the NBE was established, but it really won't change the reality of it. It's just odd to me because I think it makes more sense to celebrate what the conference is today rather than pretend it has a claim to things that happened before it was formed.

i've never heard a fan lay claim to anything that schools that aren't in the league anymore accomplished. the most they will do is show clips of old big east tournaments in promo's. they bought the history, so teams like georgetown could still lay claim to patrick ewing and his records, terry dehere at seton hall, etc. uconn, syracuse, pitt, etc. are never mentioned.

 

[scoscox]

what should it be called?

you could just call it by it's name

 

[superjohn]

what should it be called?

By it's name, The Big East Conference.

This really shouldn't be difficult.

 

[CL82]

i've never heard a fan lay claim to anything that schools that aren't in the league anymore accomplished. the most they will do is show clips of old big east tournaments in promo's. they bought the history, so teams like georgetown could still lay claim to patrick ewing and his records, terry dehere at seton hall, etc. uconn, syracuse, pitt, etc. are never mentioned.

"We bought the history... we bought the history!"

 

[scoscox]

"We bought the history... we bought the history!"

lol they bought the history because most of it is their history, but, like i said it's not like fans go around claiming uconn or syracuse's national titles for the current league.

villanova, georgetown, providence, etc. just want to be able to claim what they accomplished

it's better than ecu, smu, ucf, etc. laying claim to big east records

 

[superjohn]

NBE is a step down for UConn no matter how you look at it. Hurley should have been given the opportunity to win big in the AAC. He had already turned the team into a hustling no quit group. He had already recruited Akok and Bouk. Hurley could have dominated the ACC for years. So what? The league is not all that great will be the response. Hurley, by dominating in basketball and advancing deep in the NCAA tournamment, could have saved the football program, bought it time to hire the right coach. AAC football is not a joke. It is competetive with most P-5 schools. UCONN ONCE BEAT NOTRE DAME IN FOOTBALL. That will never happen again.

10 am is way too early to be this drunk.

 

[BugsyCT]

There wasn't much question it's an overall better move for the hoops teams just from a local rivalry & recruiting standpoint, the question was and still is how it will affect the other UConn sports teams. If football can survive financially and the team actually gets competitive again, they can weather this move to indy status. AD Dave is off to a good start with the future scheduling. Baseball will be a step down in this league unfortunately. Hockey is safe in Hockey East. The others? Guess they're ok.

 

[scoscox]

There wasn't much question it's an overall better move for the hoops teams just from a local rivalry & recruiting standpoint, the question was and still is how it will affect the other UConn sports teams. If football can survive financially and the team actually gets competitive again, they can weather this move to indy status. AD Dave is off to a good start with the future scheduling. Baseball will be a step down in this league unfortunately. Hockey is safe in Hockey East. The others? Guess they're ok.

women's hoop should be better on the whole. i think big east average NET last year was half of the aac's. men's soccer just had a huge year. 4 teams in the sweet sixteen, georgetown won it all, and i think st john's made the final four. it was the best league in the country last season

 

[Friarsnoop]

People forget that the Big East has had several down stretches in its history. The six years before UConn won its first championship in 1999, the conference averaged 4.5 bids per year (39%), and had one Final Four team in that period. In the last six years, they've averaged 5.3 bids per year (53%), with two national championships.

UConn was willing to pay $17 million to get out of the AAC, plus an entry fee to get into the Big East. That should tell everyone how much better off UConn is in the Big East.