OT: NBE on top

[awfuldan]

@Ewekon might have been drinking with that last post. Anyway, I happened to notice the other day that the official Villanova MBB account on twitter has more than twice as many followers as ours. It struck me as odd, because while I would have expected that sort of disparity in comparison to Kentucky or Duke, I figured that as programs we were on fairly equal footing. Obviously they've been a lot better lately, but 2014 wasn't that long ago, UConn is a much bigger school, and the program at large is still more decorated. It'll be tough to convince me that this isn't part of a larger image/marketing problem that long preceded the current drought. Freaking Memphis has more followers than us.

Conversely, the general UConn Huskies official twitter account has 10 times as many followers as the Villanova athletics twitter page. 2x as many followers as Memphis's page, too.

 

[superjohn]

@Ewekon might have been drinking with that last post. Anyway, I happened to notice the other day that the official Villanova MBB account on twitter has more than twice as many followers as ours. It struck me as odd, because while I would have expected that sort of disparity in comparison to Kentucky or Duke, I figured that as programs we were on fairly equal footing. Obviously they've been a lot better lately, but 2014 wasn't that long ago, UConn is a much bigger school, and the program at large is still more decorated. It'll be tough to convince me that this isn't part of a larger image/marketing problem that long preceded the current drought. Freaking Memphis has more followers than us.

Were you drinking with him?

 

[Zissou]

Conversely, the general UConn Huskies official twitter account has 10 times as many followers as the Villanova athletics twitter page. 2x as many followers as Memphis's page, too.

UConn football > Nova football x10 times

 

[A10 fan]

Mid major = no regular season number 1. See @Uconn 2014. Only way is to win it all.

Temple, UMass, and St. Joe's were all ranked #1 as members of the A10, so no reason why an AAC team can't do it.

 

[kobe]

This is the least interested I've been in a UC team in a while. If we have the talent that I think we possess and still can't run good offense than this is just the reality of the program. Uninspiring, boring basketball. I'll check back in around conference play and see if things have picked up.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

This is the least interested I've been in a UC team in a while. If we have the talent that I think we possess and still can't run good offense than this is just the reality of the program. Uninspiring, boring basketball. I'll check back in around conference play and see if things have picked up.

You guys are very good. Just not great. PG will haunt you against top tier teams. You really can't trust Jennifer or Broome.

Good luck tonight. Should knock Miss State from the unbeatens.

 

[awfuldan]

This is the least interested I've been in a UC team in a while. If we have the talent that I think we possess and still can't run good offense than this is just the reality of the program. Uninspiring, boring basketball. I'll check back in around conference play and see if things have picked up.

Wow, that's depressing.

 

[StunningSteve]

Temple, UMass, and St. Joe's were all ranked #1 as members of the A10, so no reason why an AAC team can't do it.

lol. He's trippin... If Nova can get to #1, so can Wichita State... especially after Nova loses to Temple tomorrow.

Quintin Rose Be Thy Name. NBE gonna NBE

 

[superjohn]

Wow, that's depressing.

Hung out with a big Bearcats guy two Saturday's ago and he tore Cronin apart. Said he's even more of the pissant in person than what he comes across on TV. He made it sound like the people at Cincy are getting sick of him.

 

[kobe]

Hung out with a big Bearcats guy two Saturday's ago and he tore Cronin apart. Said he's even more of the pissant in person than what he comes across on TV. He made it sound like the people at Cincy are getting sick of him.

It certainty doesn't help that he is extremely unlikeable. Just a little man in every sense of the word. Just constantly saying dumb . I've been on this for a while, I think the Xavier incident with Macura pushed a lot more UC fans over the edge.

With that being said this is still a 24-7 or 25-6 type team. Playing good defense wins a lot of regular season games.

 

[champs99and04]

Were you drinking with him?

No but even if I was you don't find it odd that the Memphis MBB account has more twitter followers than the UConn account?

Again, I'll go back to what I said the other day...the UConn fans I follow on twitter like tcf and storrs south seem to put more effort into marketing the program than the actual people who get paid to do that. I feel like something has been missing there, but it's admittedly just a hunch. Maybe it's a Herbst thing.

 

[Windsorlocks]

Mid major = no regular season number 1. See @Uconn 2014. Only way is to win it all.

If they are #3, they can be #1. The two teams above them lose, teams right below them lose, they can be #1. That's just the way the polls work. Doesn't mean they would be unanimous, or even the best team in the country, it's just the way the polls work. There is no unwritten rule that says a mid major cannot be number 1 in the polls.

 

[Paesano]

The Big East doesn't have any special powers that the AAC doesn't. It has better coaches.

 

[JSB60]

I think most Novans actually prefer the nBE to the ACC. There is no sense of waiting for or wanting a future ACC invite.

They are smart enough to know they're a basketball school.

 

[FDNY99]

This Big East doesn't have any special powers that the AAC doesn't. It has better coaches.

This is about as good a post as I have seen regarding the differences between the BE and the AAC....UConn is where it is because of Ollie's performance's as a recruiter closing deals, his strategy and in game coaching moves. Nothing more..nothing less. For those of you that think taking basketball back to the BE will make everything better...I say you live in a fantasy world. The crowds will be the same, the results may actually be even worse. Like it or not..Kevin Ollie has full ownership of this mess...and it doesnt look like it is getting better any time soon.

 

[John]

This Big East doesn't have any special powers that the AAC doesn't. It has better coaches.

the NBE slapped a Ferrari nameplate on a Ford and call it a Ferrari.

 

[UConNation]

the NBE slapped a Ferrari nameplate on a Ford and call it a Ferrari.

Is that what happened to Rodney?

 

[champs99and04]

the NBE slapped a Ferrari nameplate on a Ford and call it a Ferrari.

It's kind of worked though. I mean, the TV ratings are terrible and the buzz is a fraction of what it was, but the overall prestige of the conference has been preserved in a way that I did not anticipate. There is still a sentimental appeal to basketball-first schools playing at Madison Square Garden. Tickets to the BET were going for more than the ACCT last year and both were in NYC. Contrast that to the AAC playing in Hartford and it's night and day.

 

[superjohn]

It's kind of worked though. I mean, the TV ratings are terrible and the buzz is a fraction of what it was, but the overall prestige of the conference has been preserved in a way that I did not anticipate. There is still a sentimental appeal to basketball-first schools playing at Madison Square Garden. Tickets to the BET were going for more than the ACCT last year and both were in NYC. Contrast that to the AAC playing in Hartford and it's night and day.

It has absolutely worked. The teams that were struggling in the old Big East stepped up their games, they added a few more basketball schools and they have the Garden. It's good hardnosed basketball with a city feel, I'm jealous.

 

[ecasadoSBU]

It's kind of worked though. I mean, the TV ratings are terrible and the buzz is a fraction of what it was, but the overall prestige of the conference has been preserved in a way that I did not anticipate. There is still a sentimental appeal to basketball-first schools playing at Madison Square Garden. Tickets to the BET were going for more than the ACCT last year and both were in NYC. Contrast that to the AAC playing in Hartford and it's night and day.

Add to that a Villanova championship and all those NCAA bids. Its going to be hard to kill the Big East.

I think the only reason there is not as much Buzz is because ESPN remains indifferent to that league. They cover it more than they did initially but still the coverage is lacking for a league of its strength.

Just think about this: Big East currently has won 81.25% of its games. When was the last time the previous Big East did that? Its crazy

 

[Zissou]

... especially after Nova loses to Temple tomorrow.

Your support of Temple is cute.

 

[whaler11]

The Big East has the advantage of being able to sell recruits that they are the BMOC.

They have schools that are passionate about winning at basketball. They aren’t trying to balance it or move resources towards anything else.

It’s a very good league and will continue to be a very good league.

 

[Guapo]

The Big East doesn't have any special powers that the AAC doesn't. It has better coaches.

I think the main point of people's arguments for going to the NBE is partially basketball quality, but I think the bigger point is it's a business decision.

I don't think there's any doubt that ticket sales and interest in the program would increase. The NBE has better basketball brands, both old and new. It's recognizable to people.

I'll speak for myself, but I know others feel this way; similar to people rooting for schools in the SEC in football, rooting for UConn in the Big East felt like we were rooting for something bigger.

It was part of our cultural identity.

I don't hate the AAC, I think it's a fine conference and I'm still willing to wait it out if that's what the powers that be choose to do.

However, as it's been stated before, it's an island of misfit toys.

It simply does not have the brand equity or the cultural cohesiveness that the Big East had and the NBE has. People yearn for that.

 

[Paesano]

the NBE slapped a Ferrari nameplate on a Ford and call it a Ferrari.

That isn't fair. They slapped a Ferrari shield on a Toyota.

The AAC is a Honda. People here want to believe that the AAC is a Kia and the Big East is a Porsche so they can believe the narrative that KO is the best coach we can possibly hope to get,

 

[champs99and04]

The Big East has the advantage of being able to sell recruits that they are the BMOC.

They have schools that are passionate about winning at basketball. They aren’t trying to balance it or move resources towards anything else.

It’s a very good league and will continue to be a very good league.

I think that's an important point. Add that to the fact that a lot of these Big East schools are significantly smaller than state schools, and the general density of your popularity is probably greater than it would be even at UConn. It's been one of the appeals to Duke for decades and I think it also plays a role in how successfully schools like BU are at recruiting in hockey.