should the big 10 add uconn?

[tzznandrew]

The Ohio State article is fair, minus the Rutgers comment. Though even that isn't wildly offbase. His assessment of our geography and basketball programs is fairly precise. The problem for us with the B1G is that they don't need us in any way, we would be a vanity add for them more or less. Until our football program starts having regular success, it's more difficult for the B1G to justify us as a vanity add. The Big 12 would seem to be in a different predicament.

Need? No one needs to expand. But we definitely add something: a good market (Conn and parts of MA), a tightening on their NYC grip, strong basketball, a hockey program with potential, some other strong olympic sports.

Our director's cup standing was lower this year than last, but I wonder if the improved recruiting/money from the B1G would help that rise. And our football--f these people who have no vision.

In the B1G they'd recruit well and compete well quickly.

So, really, they don't need to, but it's pretty much all upside.

 

[31GuardTrap]

What was the question?

 

[coachcap]

The conspiracy theorist in me thinks that he was paid under the table to write that drivel by the Ath. Dept.'s on the Raritan & in the shadows of Mount Nittany. It's a corollary to Rule #1. Denigrate UCONN at all costs. We can't have them successfully recruiting in N.J. & Pa. No more Donald Brown's must be allowed to matriculate in the Nutmeg State.

 

[NYUConn]

The conspiracy theorist in me thinks that he was paid under the table to write that drivel by the Ath. Dept.'s on the Raritan & in the shadows of Mount Nittany. It's a corollary to Rule #1. Denigrate UCONN at all costs. We can't have them successfully recruiting in N.J. & Pa. No more Donald Brown's must be allowed to matriculate in the Nutmeg State.

If RU was going to pay off an Ohio State journalist to write something like this...

1) It should have been a lot more negative than it was.

2) They can aim a little higher than SB Nation.

 

[Dooley]

The Ohio State writer doesn't think highly of UConn football, nor should he. He covers Ohio St football. I don't think too highly of Ohio St basketball. Apples and oranges comparisons when comparing each sports programs. The part that I disagree with, and it's not just when he says it, is the perception that UConn football would be "terrible" in the B1G. I don't think that would happen at all. In fact, I think we would be a competitive .500 level team. Some years we could win 7-9 games, others we would win 4-6 games. But programs like Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern, RU, Maryland, Minnesota, and in most years, Iowa don't scare me whatsoever. We would compete with Penn State in 2016 if a game were played, possibly even beat them. Sure, we would get trashed by Ohio St every season for 5 straight seasons. But guess what? Ohio St trashes every program in the B1G except Michigan St.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

How many B1G teams beat a top ten football team this year.
UConn did
Next question.

 

[Gfunk]

The Ohio State writer doesn't think highly of UConn football, nor should he. He covers Ohio St football. I don't think too highly of Ohio St basketball. Apples and oranges comparisons when comparing each sports programs. The part that I disagree with, and it's not just when he says it, is the perception that UConn football would be "terrible" in the B1G. I don't think that would happen at all. In fact, I think we would be a competitive .500 level team. Some years we could win 7-9 games, others we would win 4-6 games. But programs like Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern, RU, Maryland, Minnesota, and in most years, Iowa don't scare me whatsoever. We would compete with Penn State in 2016 if a game were played, possibly even beat them. Sure, we would get trashed by Ohio St every season for 5 straight seasons. But guess what? Ohio St trashes every program in the B1G except Michigan St.

I've made several pitches for UConn to the BIG, here and and on actual BIG boards, whether in general or specific BIG programs. I hope UConn makes it to the BIG because I'm a hoops fan, foremost then hockey.

I'm not buying your OSU basketball claim, well at least not on an actual historical level. The program has 10 FFs, a NC & Matta's tenure includes 2 FFs and NCG. In other words, UConn football is not even remotely the equivalent to OSU basketball. Matta has also coached OSU to 3 EEs and 5 s16s in his 12 year tenure. OSU is clearly a football first school - no kidding - but they are sure one underrated basketball program with plenty of in-state talent in arguably the best prep and college bb region of the country (Ohio River Valley).

We don't give the Ohio River Valley the love it deserves because it's overlapped by so many conferences (SEC: Ky, ACC: Lville with ND on the very outskirts, BIG: IU & OSU, you could technically say WVa, Butler, Xavier, Pitt & Cincy make up the Ohio River Valley region as well - that's three more overlapping conferences. In all, that's a lot of college basketball history there - really the best in any comparable regional radius - including Tobacco Road up into Va & even DC, but we clearly hear more about this region because the ACC has all of the marquee programs under one conference roof.

Bottom line: the fact that IU and OSU fans via SB Nation are talking UConn to the BIG is great press which of course reveals debate and strong opinions. But 1 year ago, you hardly heard a peep about UConn to the BIG on a larger scale.

 

[upstater]

I've made several pitches for UConn to the BIG, here and and on actual BIG boards, whether in general or specific BIG programs. I hope UConn makes it to the BIG because I'm a hoops fan, foremost then hockey.

I'm not buying your OSU basketball claim, well at least not on an actual historical level. The program has 10 FFs, a NC & Matta's tenure includes 2 FFs and NCG. In other words, UConn football is not even remotely the equivalent to OSU basketball. Matta has also coached OSU to 3 EEs and 5 s16s in his 12 year tenure. OSU is clearly a football first school - no kidding - but they are sure one underrated basketball program with plenty of in-state talent in arguably the best prep and college bb region of the country (Ohio River Valley).

We don't give the Ohio River Valley the love it deserves because it's overlapped by so many conferences (SEC: Ky, ACC: Lville with ND on the very outskirts, BIG: IU & OSU, you could technically say WVa, Butler, Xavier, Pitt & Cincy make up the Ohio River Valley region as well - that's three more overlapping conferences. In all, that's a lot of college basketball history there - really the best in any comparable regional radius - including Tobacco Road up into Va & even DC, but we clearly hear more about this region because the ACC has all of the marquee programs under one conference roof.

Bottom line: the fact that IU and OSU fans via SB Nation are talking UConn to the BIG is great press which of course reveals debate and strong opinions. But 1 year ago, you hardly heard a peep about UConn to the BIG on a larger scale.

He didn't write what you think he wrote. He didn't compare UConn football to OSU basketball.

He wrote UConn would not be awful in the B1G. I mean, UConn has played a few B1G schools recently, including Michigan, Indiana, Maryland and Rutgers. UConn has a few B1G wins.

 

[Gfunk]

He didn't write what you think he wrote. He didn't compare UConn football to OSU basketball.

He wrote UConn would not be awful in the B1G. I mean, UConn has played a few B1G schools recently, including Michigan, Indiana, Maryland and Rutgers. UConn has a few B1G wins.

To some degree he did, second sentence.

I've had to deal with the arrogance of OSU fans my whole life, it is what it is. They are one of the most profitable brands in college sports & have been for a long time. They are one of the few schools that can boast a NC in football and basketball. They sit in a rich region for both these sports - recruiting wise. The fans know it, often take it for granted, and they dish it out at other programs. Oh well. Despite OSU's long-term hoops success, I'll take the Calhoun era over the entire history of OSU hoops.

 

[pj]

Kentucky/Indiana/Ohio is indeed a great basketball hotbed, and OSU has an excellent basketball history. Similar to Syracuse whom we're more familiar with.

Hopefully we can get into the B1G and continue these debates from a position of ongoing rivalry and without the chip-on-the-shoulder that comes from worrying about realignment status.

 

[upstater]

To some degree he did, second sentence.

I've had to deal with the arrogance of OSU fans my whole life, it is what it is. They are one of the most profitable brands in college sports & have been for a long time. They are one of the few schools that can boast a NC in football and basketball. They sit in a rich region for both these sports - recruiting wise. The fans know it, often take it for granted, and they dish it out at other programs. Oh well. Despite OSU's long-term hoops success, I'll take the Calhoun era over the entire history of OSU hoops.

Second sentence just basically said he's not impressed by Ohio State bball.

 

[Dooley]

He didn't write what you think he wrote. He didn't compare UConn football to OSU basketball.

He wrote UConn would not be awful in the B1G. I mean, UConn has played a few B1G schools recently, including Michigan, Indiana, Maryland and Rutgers. UConn has a few B1G wins.

To some degree he did, second sentence.

I've had to deal with the arrogance of OSU fans my whole life, it is what it is. They are one of the most profitable brands in college sports & have been for a long time. They are one of the few schools that can boast a NC in football and basketball. They sit in a rich region for both these sports - recruiting wise. The fans know it, often take it for granted, and they dish it out at other programs. Oh well. Despite OSU's long-term hoops success, I'll take the Calhoun era over the entire history of OSU hoops.

Sorry, I didn't mean to start a whole OSU basketball debate. My point was this: the writer doesn't think much of UConn football. I (me only) don't think too much of OSU basketball. Do I think they're competitive? Absolutely. And I fully acknowledge the power and greatness of OSU's athletic department as a whole. I'm just thinking in simplistic terms (the same way I think the writer is of our football program). Do I consider OSU basketball an annual threat to win a national championship? Honestly, I do not. That doesn't mean they can't run into one every now and again. I liken OSU basketball to some of the programs we used to play in the Big East - Georgetown, Nova, WVU, ND, Cuse, etc. Competitive? Yes. History? Yes. National championship quality? Not really. Again, that's all me.

OSU football has won several national championships and is enjoying a recent run of success to boot. Of course they aren't going to think highly of UConn football. We aren't a NC caliber program and we might never be. I take issue with the opinion that we can't be competitive. We can be and will be competitive if we were in the B1G. We were competitive as Big East member and are digging out of one bad coaching hire right now. But the writer has an elitist football opinion in the same way I have an elitist basketball opinion. We are likely both wrong...and that's fine. I guess there is only one way to change both of our opinions: become conference mates.

 

[HoopsFan21]

UConn has 14 basketball titles in the last 20 years (4 men + 10 women). UConn is the only school to win both titles in the same season, and they've done it twice in the last 12 years. Sorry, but when it comes to hoops, anything OSU does pales in comparison to what UConn has done without the $100 kajillion athletic budget that OSU has because you know OSU athletes "ain't come here to play school." Just count trophies. That's what we do at UConn. Anything less means you're just the best loser. It's amazing how people look down on UConn football. It's been around for what 15 years (at the D-IA level) and they went to a BCS game and are showing that they are on an upward trajectory. UConn right now is already a better football program than some of the freeloading teams in the B1G, never mind basketball.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

OSU Basketball does have a fine tradition Fred Taylor's 1959-60 team was one of my favorites.
Everyone knows how good Havlicek became but he wasn't the star of that team ,Jerry Lucas was not only one of the leading scorers in the country but was a also among the leaders in rebounds and assists. He was somewhat undersized for he NBA but had a decent career none the less. Their backcourt of Segfried and Nowell was considered amongst the best in the country. Their sixth man was a guy named Bobby Knight .They blew through the NCAA tourney routing the Defending Champs Cal and their star Darrell (the big D) Imoff in the final
They were mostly sophomores and only lost one player to the NBA and everyone expected a dynasty.
Their in state rival Cinn. and Lead byPaul Hogue and Tom Thacker keep them from winning a couple more and becoming a truly legendary group. Beating them in the next two championship games.
That's was a post Big O Cinn. I suspect OSU fans still hate them
OSU actually played a key roll in UConn's rise to national recognition.
When we beat them in the NIT it opened a lot of eyes. I remember my KY friends who had dismissed this Yankee in their midst who wore these blue sweatshirts with a dog on them as some regional BB nut. After we beat OSU the Ky faithfull remarked you just beat a team we lost to last year. Needless to say that win gave us national cred.