ND Not Interested in Playing UConn

[uconnell]

Not to be cynical, but I bet these teams are hoping that UConn crawls away and dies in this conference and they are going to do everything they can to help it along.

 

[Fishy]

At this level, the coach determines the schedule.

If Notre Dame doesn't want to play UConn, it's because McGraw doesn't want to play UConn.

There's no wiggle room there.

 

[UcMiami]

I think there is a certain amount of shake-out going on with conference realignment that is messing with scheduling plans as the new conferences figure out exactly how they are scheduling their games - when they start, how many games, format of their tournament. And as for anyone planning on freezing out Uconn - just don't think that is on the cards unless more teams are planning on going the Baylor route with their OOC schedules, ducking any team ranked in the top 50.

 

[doggydaddy]

If coaches of top teams are going to not schedule UConn in order to try to bring UConn down a peg, well, that is just pathetic.

Thank you Tara and Stanford.

 

[CL82]

They know that they might be in the same conference soon so why waste the time and lose dates for other games like Mount St Mary, College of Charleston and the heavy Creighton....

Wait ND is finally going to B1G?

 

[Stray Cat]

If Notre Dame doesn't want to play UConn, it's because McGraw doesn't want to play UConn.

Really? Do you know that for a fact, and that there is no other possible reason for ND not wanting to schedule UConn next year? It couldn't be like there wasn't a mutually agreeable date -- the reason UConn couldn't do it this season -- UConn could have postponed a lower level OOC opponent to open up a spot for ND if they really wanted to play them. Remember, ND and UConn are playing conference games on different days of the week now, and who knows what future games had already be scheduled. If I am going to give any coach a little slack, it's Muffet McGraw. She is and has always been first-class all the way, and is a good friend of Geno's.

At the same time, that's not to say I am not ruling out that there isn't any gamesmenship going on here. Let's be realistic, ND is certainly set to be a Final Four contender for the foreseeable future. Playing in the ACC, the Irish are not going to have SOS issues, and playing in the ACC will provide them many games on the East Coast. ND might be looking to spread out their OOC road games to different areas they are recruiting in. Plus, if you're ND, you know based on past history, that you can play with UConn, but that you feel your chances of beating them are greater if you don't play them prior to the NCAA tournament. The bottom line, UConn needs quality games more than contending teams from the major conferences. However, I don't see other teams "conspiring" to avoid playing UConn...they just aren't going to schedule the Huskies unless they it's the right situation for them.

 

[jdubct]

Is this an ACC approach, as posted above, to degrade Uconn's OOC? If another ACC like North Carolina refuses to play Uconn then this idea will be strongly reinforced. In any event, this does not auger well for Uconn joining the ACC.

 

[UConnCat]

Really? Do you know that for a fact, and that there is no other possible reason for ND not wanting to schedule UConn next year. It couldn't be like there wasn't a mutually agreeable date -- the reason UConn couldn't do it this season? Remember, ND and UConn are playing conference games on different days of the week now...and who knows what future games had already be scheduled. If I am going to give any coach a little slack, it's Muffet McGraw. She is and has always been first-class all the way, and is a good friend of Geno's.

The reason UConn and ND didn't play this season had nothing to do with failing to find a mutually agreeable date. The reason was that UConn had already reached agreement with teams to fill out its OOC schedule (actually one more game than usual) by the time ND announced it would compete in the ACC. Fitting ND on the schedule would have required that UConn go back and cancel one of its agreements which it didn't want to do.

I'm sure Muffet will soon clarify what's going on from ND's perspective.

 

[Fishy]

Really? Do you know that for a fact...

Yes, I do.

The answer wasn't a "which date" or a "maybe next season", it was a flat "no".

 

[hjoerring]

CL82, good point. I didn't know Uconn was (also) headed to the BIG! See what conspiracy can uncover. Prying a frame here, could it be Uconn spreading a little press. And realistically, do they really have a need to play us? ND, Duke & NC have a rivalry unfolding. We are the outsider who wants in. Personally, I think it's the ACC asking ND to concentrate inward- leaving the rivalry with Conn on hold. And the Uconn people going public. Wait until Duke refuses to play before the conspiracy become real.

 

[Kibitzer]

Except that would mean the Muffet is duplicitous which I do not think she is.

I think she is being disingenuous at best and deceitful at worst. She is locked into that ND arrogance that enabled them to join not one, but two, conferences (first Big East, now ACC) without including their football team. And Geno lambasted them publicly for that.

More recently, Muffet looked to the future and saw what Pat saw (when looking ahead) a few years ago: continued UConn dominance because Geno had her number.

Pat hid behind that phony NCAA complaint (through her AD) and the "Geno knows" line and now Muffet (through her AD) puts out that crap about how the demands of her ACC schedule prevent an OOC game vs. UConn.

Now McCallie is getting cold feet.

Give Tara credit. She'll bring her team east to play UConn and welcome them to California. Game On!

 

[Kibitzer]

If I am going to give any coach a little slack, it's Muffet McGraw. She is and has always been first-class all the way, and is a good friend of Geno's.

I believe you are perpetuating two myths, popularly subscribed to but no longer true.

 

[pap49cba]

Sorry, but when it comes to ND I don't trust any of their pronouncements or motivations. Muffet, or no Muffet. Unfortunately, they think they are God's gift to college athletics.

 

[Icebear]

I think she is being disingenuous at best and deceitful at worst. She is locked into that ND arrogance that enabled them to join not one, but two, conferences (first Big East, now ACC) without including their football team. And Geno lambasted them publicly for that.

More recently, Muffet looked to the future and saw what Pat saw (when looking ahead) a few years ago: continued UConn dominance because Geno had her number.

Pat hid behind that phony NCAA complaint (through her AD) and the "Geno knows" line and now Muffet (through her AD) puts out that crap about how the demands of her ACC schedule prevent an OOC game vs. UConn.

Now McCallie is getting cold feet.

Give Tara credit. She'll bring her team east to play UConn and welcome them to California. Game On!

I think what you are saying is largely true of the ND athletic department I prefer for the moment to give Muffet the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Adesmar123]

Both Tennessee and ND decided to drop UConn off its schedule when the respective team strengths were not in their favor.

 

[pap49cba]

Both Tennessee and ND decided to drop UConn off its schedule when the respective team strengths were not in their favor.

I doubt that is ND's issue.... They are going to be very strong the next few years. There must be another agenda at work here.

 

[Adesmar123]

If ND wished to play UConn, they could find a way.

 

[rjp172]

As a ND fan this is surprising. Perhaps it is merely the timing of the game offered. UConn likes to play OOC during the conference schedule...ND does not. ND already has one game OOC scheduled during the conference season with Tennessee next year and the year after.

 

[Icebear]

As a ND fan this is surprising. Perhaps it is merely the timing of the game offered. UConn likes to play OOC during the conference schedule...ND does not. ND already has one game OOC scheduled during the conference season with Tennessee next year and the year after.

UCONN obviously plays OOC games during both in and out of the conference schedule so that should not be the issue.

 

[UConnCat]

As a ND fan this is surprising. Perhaps it is merely the timing of the game offered. UConn likes to play OOC during the conference schedule...ND does not. ND already has one game OOC scheduled during the conference season with Tennessee next year and the year after.

UConn doesn't like to play OOC games during its conference schedule; it has simply been willing to do so when ESPN has called wanting to include UConn games as part of its Big Mondays. There were a couple of seasons in which UConn played 3 OOC games on Monday nights during its Big East schedule but it has never played more than 3 such games. Last year UConn played 2 OOC games in January and February (Duke and Baylor, both on ESPN Big Mondays) and this year will only play Baylor during conference play.

According to the quote from Deb Corum the issue is not one of simply finding mutually agreeable dates (“I did reach out to them and they were not interested in playing us in the near future"). Perhaps she misunderstood ND's position; I hope so.

 

[TheTruthBelow]

SC and UConn will play next year, per Debbie Antonelli.

 

[msf22b]

Geno's comments (despite being true) were pretty incendiary, last season, particularly with regard ND.
I can certainly understand their admin having a long memory and sharp knives.

 

[chrissaran]

Maryland leaving for the Big Ten is certainly not going to help the ACC. Maybe Notre Dame has UConnitis. Too many games and only 1 NC.

 

[willtalk]

This was a discussed possibility during the realignment of the conferences on this very board. It is conceivable that major WCBB powers could by not scheduling Uconn weaken the program over time. It sort of reminds me of the bathroom scene in " How to succeed in Business without Really Trying" when the executives do their " I got To Stop that Man" musical number even after a public simpatico display. Since Uconn has been dominating WCBB, it would be in the other major programs best interests to take them down in anyway possible. The only teams that benefit from their present dominance would be the the teams in the AAC.

 

[HuskyNan]

This is an interesting article. According to someone who should know, it is untrue that ND is not interested in continuing the series. Perhaps there was a misunderstanding, but I have heard that ND is very willing to schedule the Huskies.