nd needs UCONN more than UCONN needs nd

[mhshuskies]

So Muffet claims UCONN needs nd more than the other way because of the conference they play in? What is so tough about the ACC? Duke is supposed to be so great, but they never show up in the big game. The toughest team in the conference (MD) is moving out. UNC, that is supposed to be loaded with talent, under-performs and is never a serious threat. Maybe Louisville will add some competition to that conference next year, but what else is there?

 

[rocky rococo]

I wouldn't say UNC is "never" a serious threat. The only time I've ever seen the Huskies completely blown out, it was by the Tar Heels led by Ivory Latta. I can't imagine a conference where UConn would be a better fit than the ACC, whether we're talking FB, MBB or WBB. (If we're talking $$$, of course the B1G would be preferable.)

 

[jsloanjr]

I Agree RR that UCONN would be a good fit in the ACC, I think the B 10 will sway away UCONN after next season............The ACC will be ok when Louisville joins...UNC will grow from this season and DUKE will be running for 3rd or 4th place next season.. How do you have so many AA's on their bench and never get any better. I feel sorry for the players.

 

[DobbsRover2]

The key player in that debate might be Louisville, and this year ND seems to be ending up in the wilderness of ACC teams that are just good enough to get 5 teams in the Sagarin top 20 but with only ND looking that good. Ironically, ND blew away any chance for the ACC to look good this year by crushing Duke on the road. The Louisville-UConn games are now where the interest is heating up in what might well be at least one decently close contest. So UConn doesn't need ND at all this year when they still have Louisville and the ACC is a bit meh.

Next year the situation could be different as ND and Louisville will get to renew their series and UNC presumably will be older and wiser. But ND without Achonwa and McBride and Louisville without Shoni Schimmel and Slaughter could take a step back, but who knows.

I think all the teams in every conference will be saying, "Help, I need somebody."

 

[Fightin Choke]

So Muffet claims UCONN needs nd more than the other way because of the conference they play in? What is so tough about the ACC? Duke is supposed to be so great, but they never show up in the big game. The toughest team in the conference (MD) is moving out. UNC, that is supposed to be loaded with talent, under-performs and is never a serious threat. Maybe Louisville will add some competition to that conference next year, but what else is there?

The title of your thread puzzles me. It's pretty clear that UConn's competition in the AAC next season will be far weaker than Notre Dame's competition in the ACC next season. According to Sagarin, the best teams UConn would play in the AAC would be USF (ranked 56th) and Temple (ranked 63rd), and the increase in teams to 11 next season means that UConn plays 20 conference games with an average rank of 114th. Notre Dame plays a 16-game conference schedule next season with an average SOS of 52nd, with 10 of those games against higher ranked opponents than UConn's best conference opponent. As many posters have already written in the past year, it is in UConn's best interest to get out of the AAC as soon as possible. Until then UConn needs to schedule a rigorous OOC schedule, perhaps even more so than this season's murderer's row of an OOC schedule. But due to the increase in the AAC's size, UConn will need to accomplish that feat in 2 fewer OOC games than this season. This is a difficult situation, and UConn is certainly the WCBB program that is best equipped to handle this dilemma.

 

[Geno-ista]

The key player in that debate might be Louisville, and this year ND seems to be ending up in the wilderness of ACC teams that are just good enough to get 5 teams in the Sagarin top 20 but with only ND looking that good. Ironically, ND blew away any chance for the ACC to look good this year by crushing Duke on the road. The Louisville-UConn games are now where the interest is heating up in what might well be at least one decently close contest. So UConn doesn't need ND at all this year when they still have Louisville and the ACC is a bit meh.

Next year the situation could be different as ND and Louisville will get to renew their series and UNC presumably will be older and wiser. But ND without Achonwa and McBride and Louisville without Shoni Schimmel and Slaughter could take a step back, but who knows.

I think all the teams in every conference will be saying, "Help, I need somebody."

I think Notre Dame is still loaded for bear next year- post may be a bit scary- but that big power forward- I keep thinking Steph Mavunga from N Car-Taya Reimer- if she gets in better shape- I think she will be a real force down low next year- and they still have a lot of talent!

 

[bballnut90]

I think Notre Dame is still loaded for bear next year- post may be a bit scary- but that big power forward- I keep thinking Steph Mavunga from N Car-Taya Reimer- if she gets in better shape- I think she will be a real force down low next year- and they still have a lot of talent!

As good a both Uconn and Notre Dame are this year, both could be better next year. Uconn loses their all American guard in Hartley and the top center in Dolson, but KML should be healthy, Stewart and Jefferson take on bigger roles, and they have their prized freshmen class coming in AND get Tuck back. Not to mention Kia Stokes.

Notre Dame loses Achonwa/McBride/Baker, but get in Turner who should be a huge force in the paint from day 1. Add in Reimer with a year of experience, Jewell Loyd who could contend for POY and point guard Lindsey Allen...this is a really talented team. Not to mention Cable and Mabrey who are both lights out from long range.

Other teams like Duke, Tennessee, South Carolina and others should be strong but I think it'll be another UCONN-ND show next year.

 

[uconnfan68]

The title of your thread puzzles me. It's pretty clear that UConn's competition in the AAC next season will be far weaker than Notre Dame's competition in the ACC next season. According to Sagarin, the best teams UConn would play in the AAC would be USF (ranked 56th) and Temple (ranked 63rd), and the increase in teams to 11 next season means that UConn plays 20 conference games with an average rank of 114th. Notre Dame plays a 16-game conference schedule next season with an average SOS of 52nd, with 10 of those games against higher ranked opponents than UConn's best conference opponent. As many posters have already written in the past year, it is in UConn's best interest to get out of the AAC as soon as possible. Until then UConn needs to schedule a rigorous OOC schedule, perhaps even more so than this season's murderer's row of an OOC schedule. But due to the increase in the AAC's size, UConn will need to accomplish that feat in 2 fewer OOC games than this season. This is a difficult situation, and UConn is certainly the WCBB program that is best equipped to handle this dilemma.

It doesn't matter. No one will be able to compete with a healthy UConn next year. Or probably the year after either...

 

[mhshuskies]

The title of your thread puzzles me. It's pretty clear that UConn's competition in the AAC next season will be far weaker than Notre Dame's competition in the ACC next season. According to Sagarin, the best teams UConn would play in the AAC would be USF (ranked 56th) and Temple (ranked 63rd), and the increase in teams to 11 next season means that UConn plays 20 conference games with an average rank of 114th. Notre Dame plays a 16-game conference schedule next season with an average SOS of 52nd, with 10 of those games against higher ranked opponents than UConn's best conference opponent. As many posters have already written in the past year, it is in UConn's best interest to get out of the AAC as soon as possible. Until then UConn needs to schedule a rigorous OOC schedule, perhaps even more so than this season's murderer's row of an OOC schedule. But due to the increase in the AAC's size, UConn will need to accomplish that feat in 2 fewer OOC games than this season. This is a difficult situation, and UConn is certainly the WCBB program that is best equipped to handle this dilemma.

But other than Louisville the ACC will be a conference of underachievers.

 

[DobbsRover2]

As good a both Uconn and Notre Dame are this year, both could be better next year. Uconn loses their all American guard in Hartley and the top center in Dolson, but KML should be healthy, Stewart and Jefferson take on bigger roles, and they have their prized freshmen class coming in AND get Tuck back. Not to mention Kia Stokes.

Notre Dame loses Achonwa/McBride/Baker, but get in Turner who should be a huge force in the paint from day 1. Add in Reimer with a year of experience, Jewell Loyd who could contend for POY and point guard Lindsey Allen...this is a really talented team. Not to mention Cable and Mabrey who are both lights out from long range.

Other teams like Duke, Tennessee, South Carolina and others should be strong but I think it'll be another UCONN-ND show next year.

Yeah, the thing is with the top teams is that they really just relock and reload, and even when you lose irreplaceable parts like Dolson and Hartley or Achonwa and McBride, a new team is put together in a new format that is also really good. As we have been talking about with the UConn 2001 team though, sometimes even amazing amounts of talent don't quite mesh well, and some years you're dogged by critical injuries, so nothing is certain. In addition, sometimes teams improve from one year to the next but another team in their conference improves even more and leaps ahead. UNC could be in position to do that next year, or they could fall flat.

The ACC will be interesting to watch next year, for WCBB fans, but that does not necessarily equate to the "UConn needs ND" type publicity situation, and in fact it could be the other way around. With all the flux of MD leaving, Louisville moving in and needing to replace key losses, ND working to replace key losses, old standard bearer Duke seemingly stuck in a twilight stasis of second level performance, and a group of teams like NC State, Syracuse, and Virginia clawing to move upward, the ACC's image will be a bit muddled even if the action for fans is cool. But ESPN may not be salivating if the big ACC tourney game is Syracuse vs. Louisville, and the general population goes, "Huh, isn't that the Big East?"

UConn's position could be pretty spectacular if it is riding a second consecutive NC. Give up two OOC games? So what, if you just make a few more of them the showcases against top teams that will satisfy the public. 7-8 top games should be enough, as UConn does not need to have the #1 SOS again next year. Meanwhile, after a top OOC campaign, SNY can sail through the UConn juggernaut-of-the-AAC games again that highlight how spectacular the Huskies are while the ACC teams beat each other up and possibly lose some luster by blowing a road game to a lesser conference mate.

And I know some BYers are writing the AAC off as kind of an America East lookalike (but without even SUNY Albany), but with USF, Temple, and SMU lodging in a more competitive 50-80 region in Sagarin, developing teams like Memphis and Cinci picking up some nice wins over Rutgers and Ohio State, and two new members from CUSA, East Carolina and Tulane posting some good looking records as they prepare for the AAC action, I'm feeling that some of these teams may emerge and start moving well into the top 50 as they pick up some lessons from UConn. I know I'm probably the only one that feels that way, but this looks a lot like it was in the mid to late 1990s when UConn ruled the Big East and a bunch of teams came in to the conference and moved way up to challenge them. I can live with that.

 

[huskybill]

Yeah, the thing is with the top teams is that they really just relock and reload, and even when you lose irreplaceable parts like Dolson and Hartley or Achonwa and McBride, a new team is put together in a new format that is also really good. As we have been talking about with the UConn 2001 team though, sometimes even amazing amounts of talent don't quite mesh well, and some years you're dogged by critical injuries, so nothing is certain. In addition, sometimes teams improve from one year to the next but another team in their conference improves even more and leaps ahead. UNC could be in position to do that next year, or they could fall flat.

The ACC will be interesting to watch next year, for WCBB fans, but that does not necessarily equate to the "UConn needs ND" type publicity situation, and in fact it could be the other way around. With all the flux of MD leaving, Louisville moving in and needing to replace key losses, ND working to replace key losses, old standard bearer Duke seemingly stuck in a twilight stasis of second level performance, and a group of teams like NC State, Syracuse, and Virginia clawing to move upward, the ACC's image will be a bit muddled even if the action for fans is cool. But ESPN may not be salivating if the big ACC tourney game is Syracuse vs. Louisville, and the general population goes, "Huh, isn't that the Big East?"

UConn's position could be pretty spectacular if it is riding a second consecutive NC. Give up two OOC games? So what, if you just make a few more of them the showcases against top teams that will satisfy the public. 7-8 top games should be enough, as UConn does not need to have the #1 SOS again next year. Meanwhile, after a top OOC campaign, SNY can sail through the UConn juggernaut-of-the-AAC games again that highlight how spectacular the Huskies are while the AAC teams beat each other up and possibly lose some luster by blowing a road game to a lesser conference mate.

And I know some BYers are writing the AAC off as kind of an America East lookalike (but without even SUNY Albany), but with USF, Temple, and SMU lodging in a more competitive 50-80 region in Sagarin, developing teams like Memphis and Cinci picking up some nice wins over Rutgers and Ohio State, and two new members from CUSA, East Carolina and Tulane posting some good looking records as they prepare for the AAC action, I'm feeling that some of these teams may emerge and start moving well into the top 50 as they pick up some lessons from UConn. I know I'm probably the only one that feels that way, but this looks a lot like it was in the mid to late 1990s when UConn ruled the Big East and a bunch of teams came in to the conference and moved way up to challenge them. I can live with that.

The question posed was does ND or UConn need the other more because of the conferences they play in? it all depends what 'needs' mean. It's almost certain that this year the two teams will get to the final 4 without meeting. In that case, why does either team need the other no matter what conference they play in? However the comparison of the AAC and ACC was one-sided. Can anyone really believe that in women's basketball, the ACC will not be much stronger than the AAC (hereafter Amer?) The Amer. is losing their second and third best teams. There seemingly are no replacements yet for those teams. One of them is going to the ACC. Last year the ACC picked up ND, certainly one of the best teams in WCBB the last several years. I think that ND and Louisville is a good trade for Maryland. And as bad as Duke has been in losing the 'big game,' they've made the elite 8 the last 3 years and could make it again this year. What Amer team (other than UConn) is a realistic candidate for the sweet 16?

I'm disappointed that DR, who usually has some grasp on reality, is trying to build up the other Amer teams to make the conference sound more formidable than it is. "...teams may emerge and start moving well into the top 50." I hope DR is correct, but as Bogart said in Casablanca, "when you get there, call me."

The problem isn't that the AAC will look like an American East. It's that UConn will end up like La. Tech or ODU, two of the best teams of the 80s and 90s who had no other teams in their conference to give them any competition. You end up depending more and more on coaches from the major conferences willing to take a loss to see how good they are. I don't think there are too many Taras out there.

 

[miked1958]

So Muffet claims UCONN needs nd more than the other way because of the conference they play in? What is so tough about the ACC? Duke is supposed to be so great, but they never show up in the big game. The toughest team in the conference (MD) is moving out. UNC, that is supposed to be loaded with talent, under-performs and is never a serious threat. Maybe Louisville will add some competition to that conference next year, but what else is there?

I think that ND is threatened because out of all the times they beat us they hardly have anything to show for it Title wise. After last year I think I see a trend now where we will beat them when we face them. I think we have the advantage

 

[DobbsRover2]

The question posed was does ND or UConn need the other more because of the conferences they play in? it all depends what 'needs' mean. It's almost certain that this year the two teams will get to the final 4 without meeting. In that case, why does either team need the other no matter what conference they play in? However the comparison of the AAC and ACC was one-sided. Can anyone really believe that in women's basketball, the ACC will not be much stronger than the AAC (hereafter Amer?) The Amer. is losing their second and third best teams. There seemingly are no replacements yet for those teams. One of them is going to the ACC. Last year the ACC picked up ND, certainly one of the best teams in WCBB the last several years. I think that ND and Louisville is a good trade for Maryland. And as bad as Duke has been in losing the 'big game,' they've made the elite 8 the last 3 years and could make it again this year. What Amer team (other than UConn) is a realistic candidate for the sweet 16?

I'm disappointed that DR, who usually has some grasp on reality, is trying to build up the other Amer teams to make the conference sound more formidable than it is. "...teams may emerge and start moving well into the top 50." I hope DR is correct, but as Bogart said in Casablanca, "when you get there, call me."

The problem isn't that the AAC will look like an American East. It's that UConn will end up like La. Tech or ODU, two of the best teams of the 80s and 90s who had no other teams in their conference to give them any competition. You end up depending more and more on coaches from the major conferences willing to take a loss to see how good they are. I don't think there are too many Taras out there.

HB, you always take the shot glass three-quarters-empty outlook. And I will be calling you, just not saying when it's going to be.

You prefer to use ODU and LA Tech as examples, which is very fine for gloomy minded gnomes, but I think a better model is a team from way back in the 1990s who was stuck in this nothing of a conference and still managed to rise above it and go on to win 8 NCs. My old addled brain can't quite remember who it was, but I know they had a mascot that was very similar to the first part of your name. You Can, or something like it.

Around this time last year, some BYers were moaning about what a disaster of a conference the AAC would be this year with mainly just UConn doing anything, with maybe that sneered-at Louisville team that was piling up the losses hopefully giving the conference a a little more success somehow. Now here we are with the AAC having two top 4 teams and left-for-dead Rutgers looking to also be a likely tourney team and a conference rating that is better than the PAC by some measures. Once the Cardinals and Knights pass onward, the way is open for any of a group of 7 to 8 teams to pull a BEast and start kicking the tired old B1G and ACC and SEC teams out of the way. They're learning.

That's the old American half-glass-full view, and I'll be calling you about it, maybe sooner than you think.

 

[huskybill]

DR, call on me anytime and I'll give you the low-down. And I only take the 3/4 empty outlook when I can't find the completely empty one.

Your example of UConn over LaTech and ODU seems a funny one. Both of the latter teams rose far above their conferences. But the Big East had things going for it in the 90s the other conferences did not. The Big East's men's basketball league was moving to be one of the best if not the best men's league around. Some of the enthusiasm found its way to their women's teams. A few ADs even supported women's basketball. And the BE added ND and Louisville and Rutgers and West Virginia and Miami to a league that had some good programs even before UConn got big. I don't see the similarity to that situation in todays AAC conference. BTW, wasn't Louisville the national runner-up last year? What's this 'piling up the losses' stuff? In any event I was talking about the next year AAC, not this year's.

I want the AAC to become as good as the Big East became and I cheerfully admit that I never thought it would be as good as it became. But as far as I can see, that main reason you think the AAC women will become a strong conference is because the second and third top teams are leaving. I think the glass is at least 2/3 empty.

 

[Rob Signor]

Notre Dame is getting Turner next year who is arguably the best player in the class, Ive seen videos of her play and she looks incredible.

 

[Striper69]

I think WCBB in general could use UCONN- ND as well as UCONN- Tenn etc. Too bad they can't play later in the season as well.

 

[Geno-ista]

I think WCBB in general could use UCONN- ND as well as UCONN- Tenn etc. Too bad they can't play later in the season as well.

They probably will be any way - even without scheduling in advance!

 

[Woof 101]

So Muffet claims UCONN needs nd more than the other way because of the conference they play in? What is so tough about the ACC? Duke is supposed to be so great, but they never show up in the big game. The toughest team in the conference (MD) is moving out. UNC, that is supposed to be loaded with talent, under-performs and is never a serious threat. Maybe Louisville will add some competition to that conference next year, but what else is there?

Screw the conference stuff as there is no dominating womans conference. There are only a handful of dominating teams. ND needs us and we need them, this amoung the several others at this level to promote the game. The blow outs during the season only create a lack of intrest, where as the head to head of the best during the season do nothing but generate it.

Not saying we need home and home every year with every elite team but the GAME needs us a couple of times a year aginst ND, Stanford, Tenn, etc, just like they need ND and others in the upper tier doing the same thing.

We must forgive Muffy and understand her ND ego has gotten out of control, thus causing her to forget the conference and the coach that taught her how to win...Hopefully she regrets waiting to see us in the final four...

 

[DobbsRover2]

Some of the enthusiasm found its way to their women's teams. A few ADs even supported women's basketball.

Um, yeah, the huge success of the Rutgers' men's team certainly inspired the Rutgers women to big heights, and the Syracuse and Pitt guys inspired their women's teams to become earth shakers. The ND women rose to frequent FF status because their guys' team was always fighting to the top.

C'mon hb, if you keep stretching things like that, we may need to put you on a Procrustean rack and stretch you up to 3'6" or so. If you really think that the BEast's men's teams supported the women's team into prominence (other than at UConn, of course, which had two head coaches that were so buddy-buddy), I've got an undergraduate diploma from UNC I'd like to sell you. The women's teams that fought their way to the top did it on their own.

 

[Vowelguy]

The ACC will get 7 or 8 teams in the tournament. The American will get 2 or 3 this year, but only 1 or 2 next year.

I doubt ESPN is going to want to televise any UConn conference game next season, which pretty much means no national TV after mid January, while far more interesting ACC and SEC games dominate the schedule. With ND, Louisville, Duke, and UNC, there will be lots of attractive match ups.

 

[uconnfan68]

The ACC will get 7 or 8 teams in the tournament. The American will get 2 or 3 this year, but only 1 or 2 next year.

I doubt ESPN is going to want to televise any UConn conference game next season, which pretty much means no national TV after mid January, while far more interesting ACC and SEC games dominate the schedule. With ND, Louisville, Duke, and UNC, there will be lots of attractive match ups.

And I will be watching SNY for UConn games.

 

[jdubct]

Which school has the most "need" to play the game may vary from season to season. More importantly, ESPN does not want to be without an annual ND/Uconn game. So the series will continue whether or not either school is reluctant for the series to continue.

 

[Henry]

Maybe Geno should boycott ND like Tennessee does us. Just kidding. I don't believe Muffett meant anything malicious but it was a pretty stupid thing to say. Geno routinely has the toughest out of conference schedule especially from the days when the Big East was weak. At that time, ND was no great shakes either. Whether she admits it or not, we helped build ND womens' basketball.

 

[semper]

This Muffet Geno thing is out of line, I believe. I think they like each other, respect each other, and will play each other every year for years to come. This year was fluke, as we all know.

 

[DobbsRover2]

With ESPN's ratings sliding downward to the point that even trails the History Channel in the 4th cable spot, of course it will want to do something stupid like ignore WCBB's marquee team for the whole second part of the season next year. Why show a boring UConn\Temple or UConn\SMU match when the whole country wants to watch those juicy SEC UTenn\Arkansas matchup or a scintillating Duke\Syracuse matchup that they hope viewers will be too drunk to notice it's not a men's game?

Couple of points. Along of course with CBSSN likely wanting the UConn\USF games again, at worst ESPN may ask that a good UConn OOC game be slid into the AAC schedule in February. Second, ESPN does know that Hartford is by far its top viewer region for WCBB. Even when it's a Baylor\ND matchup for the NC game, Hartford is far out in front of the other regions for eyeballs on the game. So anyone who thinks that ESPN will decide that it's not worth throwing any UConn games on the set during January and February next year is not someone you want managing your money.

Fact is, most of the UConn games against top teams have been extremely lopsided, so throwing on one more lopsided conference game won't be a big difference.