Rothstein on the AAC

[champs99and04]

I love the rocket scientists like you know that already know before the season starts how many AAC make the tourney.....if 5 AAC teams are worthy then 5 will get in, if 4 are worthy then 4 will get in...I would say right now the AAC could have 5 potential tourney teams but who knows & who cares right now.

Yup. People on this board are in for a surprise if they think it's going to be the same AAC that it's been for the last three years. There are seven or eight different teams that have legitimate tournament aspirations and probably five or so with top 25 type talent.

The TV contract is a disaster, but geographically speaking, they did a very good job assembling this conference. I think we're starting to see the pay-off of schools like UCF and Houston recruiting AAC players instead of whatever the hell they were recruiting previously. These days, they aren't quite as hapless. Save for a couple of games there won't be many gimmes this year.

It's on the teams to prove it in the non-conference, though. They haven't done a great job of that.

 

[UConnfan8]

I love the rocket scientists like you know that already know before the season starts how many AAC make the tourney.....if 5 AAC teams are worthy then 5 will get in, if 4 are worthy then 4 will get in...I would say right now the AAC could have 5 potential tourney teams but who knows & who cares right now.

What makes the AAC so special this year as opposed to others to make you think that 5 will convince the committee enough to put them in. When has the committee shown us that they have any confidence in the AAC. Especially with UConns supposed down year (again). The committee has ZERO respect for this conference.

 

[UConnfan8]

It's on the teams to prove it in the non-conference, though. They haven't done a great job of that.

Bingo. That's all that matters in this conference.

 

[Fishy]

What makes the AAC so special this year as opposed to others to make you think that 5 will convince the committee enough to put them in. When has the committee shown us that they have any confidence in the AAC. Especially with UConns supposed down year (again). The committee has ZERO respect for this conference.

No one wanted this conference to exist.

The NCAA selection committee loves to drive that point home. One year, it was treated well....the others, not so much.

 

[shizzle787]

No one wanted this conference to exist.

The NCAA selection committee loves to drive that point home. One year, it was treated well....the others, not so much.

Yeah, the year Lousiville was still in it and the dregs (they know who they are) weren't.

 

[King Husky]

Wichita St might be a preseason top 5 team, definitely top 10. They'd be favored to win one or two "power" conferences, let alone the AAC.

As good as they are, this a big change for them and they will be at a disadvantage relative to the familiarity the other AAC teams have with each other. They will have a few unexpected slip ups. I'd pick them to finish second behind cincy.

 

[Pudge]

Don't think of these Opponents as UCF or Houston. They are Programs.

And with that ... nobody should be surprised that Kelvin Sampson has a competitive Program. And watch Johnny Dawkins. He's actually quickly brought good things to the table. They are in some stark contrast to whomever proceeded them. And then ... tough games. For us Seton Hall was an easy win back in the day when Raftery was HC; and Mullaney at PC. Got better quick.

 

[champs99and04]

The one thing I will say in defense of the (typically loathsome) committee is that they've been fairly consistent. For all the griping about how poorly SMU has been seeded, they haven't beaten anybody OOC. And for as much of a joke as their seeding of 2014 Louisville was, the same could have been said of that team.

You can earn a high seed in a non-power league just as long as you impress OOC. It's unfair, because power schools aren't held to those same standards, but at least it's evident at this point. Wherever the AAC is ranked as a league heading into conference play will determine how they are treated come tournament time. If the league surprises and ranks 3rd or 4th in conference RPI, you'll see teams get rewarded. If it's 7th or 8th like it has been, they won't be.

 

[uconnbill]

UConn will surprise the "experts" and will bounce back from last year's injury-plagued year big time.

Year of the Dog, Husky dog

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I think he based his lack of confidence in UConn on his Boneyard lurks.

 

[Hi-Low]

What makes the AAC so special this year as opposed to others to make you think that 5 will convince the committee enough to put them in. When has the committee shown us that they have any confidence in the AAC. Especially with UConns supposed down year (again). The committee has ZERO respect for this conference.

I'm not saying 5 teams will get in but if the teams perform well on the court who knows..........by adding Wichita St & with UCF trending up (& usual suspects of Cincy, SMU, UConn) the AAC has more legitimate depth. I know UConn will have a really good non-conf schedule.........if they can win some of those games & some vs the top of the conference they will be fine this year. The AAC has a chance to do some damage in tourney with Wichita, Cincy looking really good & hopefully UConn joining the party.

 

[CL82]

I thought it was fair. If not just a tad optimistic.

Is UConn back?

It all depends on the frontcourt. The backbone of the Huskies’ program during Jim Calhoun’s latter years was the ability to protect the front of the rim. The person who fills that role for this team is still yet to be determined. With Amida Brimah exhausting all of his eligibility and Juwan Durham and Steve Enoch opting to transfer, UConn has major questions in the middle.

Nevertheless, as long as Alterique Gilbert and Terry Larrier — two players who played in a combined seven games a year ago due to season-ending injuries — are healthy, Kevin Ollie will have enough firepower on his perimeter to keep opposing defenses honest. Those two guys — along with Jalen Adams, Christian Vital, and Fordham grad transfer Antwoine Anderson — are more than enough to stabilize the backcourt, but who on this team is going to rebound?

UConn’s top returnee on the boards is Larrier, who averaged five rebounds in the four games he played last season. Freshman big man Josh Carlton, Cornell grad transfer David Onuorah, and JUCO transfer Eric Cobb are going to have to rebound the ball if this team is going to return to the NCAA Tournament.

Another thing to monitor with the Huskies? A brutal early-season schedule. UConn will play three games in the PK80, face Syracuse at Madison Square Garden, and travel to both Arizona and Auburn before Christmas.
​

What can you disagree with in that summary? We just need Onuorah, Cobb and Carlton to combine to produce decent PF-center numbers. That's not unreasonable. We've had success with a center by committee before.

I think that this team is going to surprise people and has a shot at being pretty good come February.

 

[Mr. French]

I thought it was fair. If not just a tad optimistic.

Is UConn back?

It all depends on the frontcourt. The backbone of the Huskies’ program during Jim Calhoun’s latter years was the ability to protect the front of the rim. The person who fills that role for this team is still yet to be determined. With Amida Brimah exhausting all of his eligibility and Juwan Durham and Steve Enoch opting to transfer, UConn has major questions in the middle.

Nevertheless, as long as Alterique Gilbert and Terry Larrier — two players who played in a combined seven games a year ago due to season-ending injuries — are healthy, Kevin Ollie will have enough firepower on his perimeter to keep opposing defenses honest. Those two guys — along with Jalen Adams, Christian Vital, and Fordham grad transfer Antwoine Anderson — are more than enough to stabilize the backcourt, but who on this team is going to rebound?

UConn’s top returnee on the boards is Larrier, who averaged five rebounds in the four games he played last season. Freshman big man Josh Carlton, Cornell grad transfer David Onuorah, and JUCO transfer Eric Cobb are going to have to rebound the ball if this team is going to return to the NCAA Tournament.

Another thing to monitor with the Huskies? A brutal early-season schedule. UConn will play three games in the PK80, face Syracuse at Madison Square Garden, and travel to both Arizona and Auburn before Christmas.
​

What can you disagree with in that summary? We just need Onuorah, Cobb and Carlton to combine to produce decent PF-center numbers. That's not unreasonable. We've had success with a center by committee before.

I think that this team is going to surprise people and has a shot at being pretty good come February.

Good post. Nothing further to add, I think it's spot on.

 

[awfuldan]

 

[David 76]

I think our overall national perception in the last few years has definitely hurt Adams.

Going into his junior year, he's as poised to be a stud as our prior studs, but those teams were mostly in the national conversation.

He deserves to be thought highly of, but its no surprise he isn't getting the same run as he probably deserves.

The team ranking is justified. Both should be used as bulletin board material.

Real question. Were we in the national conversation in 2014?

 

[CL82]

Real question. Were we in the national conversation in 2014?

When it mattered, yes.

 

[imno1]

I thought it was fair. If not just a tad optimistic.

Is UConn back?

It all depends on the frontcourt. The backbone of the Huskies’ program during Jim Calhoun’s latter years was the ability to protect the front of the rim. The person who fills that role for this team is still yet to be determined. With Amida Brimah exhausting all of his eligibility and Juwan Durham and Steve Enoch opting to transfer, UConn has major questions in the middle.

Nevertheless, as long as Alterique Gilbert and Terry Larrier — two players who played in a combined seven games a year ago due to season-ending injuries — are healthy, Kevin Ollie will have enough firepower on his perimeter to keep opposing defenses honest. Those two guys — along with Jalen Adams, Christian Vital, and Fordham grad transfer Antwoine Anderson — are more than enough to stabilize the backcourt, but who on this team is going to rebound?

UConn’s top returnee on the boards is Larrier, who averaged five rebounds in the four games he played last season. Freshman big man Josh Carlton, Cornell grad transfer David Onuorah, and JUCO transfer Eric Cobb are going to have to rebound the ball if this team is going to return to the NCAA Tournament.

Another thing to monitor with the Huskies? A brutal early-season schedule. UConn will play three games in the PK80, face Syracuse at Madison Square Garden, and travel to both Arizona and Auburn before Christmas.
​

What can you disagree with in that summary? We just need Onuorah, Cobb and Carlton to combine to produce decent PF-center numbers. That's not unreasonable. We've had success with a center by committee before.

I think that this team is going to surprise people and has a shot at being pretty good come February.

Call it summer optimism but I think Diarra will be a strong rebounder for us

 

[navery12]

Call it summer optimism but I think Diarra will be a strong rebounder for us

I just think with the law of averages someone has to step up. We have so many mediocre/average bigs that someone is gonna have to seize some playing time. My money is on Diarra/Onuarah early. Hopefully Carlton by the end of the season

 

[HuskyHawk]

I understand Wichita State being first, and even Cinci 2nd. Beyond that? SMU has lost too much, Semi was the glue to that team. UCF? I don't see them being better than the Huskies. My prediction is 2nd place for UConn. Wichita State will be good, but will realize that this league is tougher than the MVC.

 

[champs99and04]

I understand Wichita State being first, and even Cinci 2nd. Beyond that? SMU has lost too much, Semi was the glue to that team. UCF? I don't see them being better than the Huskies. My prediction is 2nd place for UConn. Wichita State will be good, but will realize that this league is tougher than the MVC.

Nobody thought SMU was going to go 17-1 this year after losing Nic Moore, Markus Kennedy, and Larry Brown. At a certain point, the team that has won the conference title two of the last three years (and if we're being honest, they likely would have won it again in 2016 if they were eligible) and compiled a 45-9 record deserves the benefit of the doubt. They still bring back a lot.

 

[SouthBayHusky]

Real question. Were we in the national conversation in 2014?

We were much more in the national conversation in 2014 as we were at least ranked in the top 20 preseason.

 

[Robertelamin]

We were much more in the national conversation in 2014 as we were at least ranked in the top 20 preseason.

We were in the top 25 on selection Sunday too. No one expected a 7 seed at all.

 

[Mr. French]

Real question. Were we in the national conversation in 2014?

Yeah, we were. We weren't all over the radar as a national title contender, but we were a top 25 team, our only MAJOR blems were the Louisville games, and Shabazz was a top player in the country.

How they molded and how more unknown guys (nationally) stepped up was a surprise, but we weren't like this or even like 2011 preseason.

 

[CL82]

Call it summer optimism but I think Diarra will be a strong rebounder for us

Me too. I inadvertently omitted him.

 

[Jerry1714]

If Wichita State comes in and wins the league in their first year, we are in more trouble that we realized.

stick to the cesspool.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Nobody thought SMU was going to go 17-1 this year after losing Nic Moore, Markus Kennedy, and Larry Brown. At a certain point, the team that has won the conference title two of the last three years (and if we're being honest, they likely would have won it again in 2016 if they were eligible) and compiled a 45-9 record deserves the benefit of the doubt. They still bring back a lot.

You may be right. But I think Semi was the guy who made them go the last two seasons. So my prediction is that they will take a step back. I see WSU and Cinci as the top two then UConn, SMU, UCF, Temple and Houston all being good but with question marks. SMU is the least likely to fall far from that group however.

 

[kobe]

We're not going to let a team from South Dakota win the conference.

 

[Jerry1714]

Yeah, the year Lousiville was still in it and the dregs (they know who they are) weren't.

No it was not. It also an ignorant statement to say it was treated fairly only one year, but the year it got the shaft was actually the year Lville was in it.

 

[kobe]

No it was not. It also an ignorant statement to say it was treated fairly only one year, but the year it got the shaft was actually the year Lville was in it.

Yup. Louisville finished #4 in the AP Poll and got a 4 seed.

 

[Mathman]

You may be right. But I think Semi was the guy who made them go the last two seasons. So my prediction is that they will take a step back. I see WSU and Cinci as the top two then UConn, SMU, UCF, Temple and Houston all being good but with question marks. SMU is the least likely to fall far from that group however.

Semi only played one year for SMU.