I could be totally wrong, but I have felt since November and how the whole last cycle of realignment played out, from our administration's silence and inferred apathy to how espn and the ACC promoted Louisville and their assumed selection "over" us, were all signs that point towards UConn always being in the Big 10's plan. Actions speak louder than words, and UConns actions since then hint at only one direction. Personally, I dont think the Big 10 ever looked at Maryland and Rutgers as stand alone additions. To me, they were the initial step, for whatever silly reasons they may have had, to locking in the NYC and DC markets. In translation, to me, when the Big 10 decided on the latest round of realignment, their plan all along was to include Rutgers then UCONN and Maryland then UVA, in that order. So as we think back to when it felt like UConns world was imploding and Louisville was chosen over us, we can interpret that as a desperate attempt by both school(Louisville) and conference(ACC) to justify their existence, but we all know it was just panic. More than just hoping that my thoughts are proved true, I really hope one day it is leaked out that UCONN said no to the ACC, not vice versa.