The days of the ACC being an elite BB conference are over.

[nelsonmuntz]

The ACC, like all the P4's, is missing a fundamental understanding of the product they are selling. They think they are selling the top programs, because that is kind of what happened during the last 15 years or so during the peak of the cable bundle era. What they are actually selling is the games. They are selling matchups that fans care about took decades to develop, and a few years to tear apart. Fans are not going to care much about a lot of the games in the new ACC schedule. They don't know the schools and have no history with them.

College sports is one of the most unusual entertainment options anywhere in the world, and it developed in a large part because fans cared about their own schools, but they also cared about the schools they were playing. Who in the ACC cares about SMU? Who are Virginia Tech fans going to feel about less games against the North Carolina schools, and more games against California schools.

I think fan interest in the former Pac 12 schools is going to fall off a cliff. These were schools that always had trouble attracting fans, even when they were good, and now they have schedules littered with Clemson and Iowa and Cincinnati. People in the West play sports, but they don't necessarily watch sports.

 

[John]

These things run in cycles, I wouldn't tap dance on the ACC grave quite yet

 

[jibsey]

It seems like as long as you’re in a decent conference it doesn’t matter. The big names will continue to be so and UCONN has cemented their spot especially with Hurley now. What did the ACC do for Pit, Cuse and BC?
We’re in a good enough conference, no reason to feel inferior and with Hurley bringing in great talent we’ll be in the mix every year. What more can you ask?
We don’t have five 5 stars coming in like Duke but who does? And it only makes our successes sweeter.

 

[Hoophound]

It seems like as long as you’re in a decent conference it doesn’t matter. The big names will continue to be so and UCONN has cemented their spot especially with Hurley now. What did the ACC do for Pit, Cuse and BC?
We’re in a good enough conference, no reason to feel inferior and with Hurley bringing in great talent we’ll be in the mix every year. What more can you ask?
We don’t have five 5 stars coming in like Duke but who does? And it only makes our successes sweeter.

This goes back to revenue. You can’t run a basketball championship mill like we do on $4,000,000 a year. We need football money or we will soon be non-competitive in paying coaches and building facilities. We are pretty much maxed out. As much as some people want to ignore this, it’s real. One day, you’ll wake up to hear KU or UK is paying their basketball coach 12 mill per year and our goose will be cooked.

 

[superjohn]

This goes back to revenue. You can’t run a basketball championship mill like we do on $4,000,000 a year. We need football money or we will soon be non-competitive in paying coaches and building facilities. We are pretty much maxed out. As much as some people want to ignore this, it’s real. One day, you’ll wake up to hear KU or UK is paying their basketball coach 12 mill per year and our goose will be cooked.

Coach K was making 10 million per year over a decade ago, over three times what Calhoun was making. K made nearly 14 million in his final season. UConn never had a problem competing against them.

 

[Fan1978]

This goes back to revenue. You can’t run a basketball championship mill like we do on $4,000,000 a year. We need football money or we will soon be non-competitive in paying coaches and building facilities. We are pretty much maxed out. As much as some people want to ignore this, it’s real. One day, you’ll wake up to hear KU or UK is paying their basketball coach 12 mill per year and our goose will be cooked.

Unless alumni step up and fill the revenue void

 

[auror]

ACC schools, top 50 KenPom finishes in the last 5 seasons:
Duke - 5
Virginia - 4
UNC - 4
Fla St - 3
Miami - 2
Clemson - 2
Syracuse - 2
Va Tech - 2
Louisville - 2
NC State - 1
Wake - 1
Ga Tech - 1
Notre Dame - 1
Pitt - 0
BC - 0
--
Stanford - 1
Cal - 0
SMU - 0

Crazy stat I stumbled into. BC hasn't finished in the top 60 of KenPom in 16 years.

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

ACC schools, top 50 KenPom finishes in the last 5 seasons:
Duke - 5
Virginia - 4
UNC - 4
Fla St - 3
Miami - 2
Clemson - 2
Syracuse - 2
Va Tech - 2
Louisville - 2
NC State - 1
Wake - 1
Ga Tech - 1
Notre Dame - 1
Pitt - 0
BC - 0
--
Stanford - 1
Cal - 0
SMU - 0

Crazy stat I stumbled into. BC hasn't finished in the top 60 of KenPom in 16 years.

Feeble

 

[uconnfan68]

Funny that Apple News picked up that Norlander article from CBSSports.com.

ACC votes to add Stanford, Cal, SMU: Conference presidents approve expansion to 18 schools

Had a chance to laugh at them for their choosing SMU over UConn last night. But instead the football team decided to look like an A10 program against a very beatable Wolfpack squad. That wolfpack squad is expected to be the 4th best team in the ACC.

the-boneyard.com

Why does Norlander hate UConn? That has to be the stupidest comment I’ve heard regarding the game.

 

[HooperScooper]

Why does Norlander hate UConn? That has to be the stupidest comment I’ve heard regarding the game.

Which comment? Are you talking about this comment below? Not sure why that showed up in there. I should have done something to take it out but that's what showed up when I put in the link to the post.

Had a chance to laugh at them for their choosing SMU over UConn last night. But instead the football team decided to look like an A10 program against a very beatable Wolfpack squad.

That's not from Norlander. That's from @mauconnfan in that thread. Don't think Norlander mentioned UConn at all in the article.

 

[CL82]

Exactly tbd. Uconn still may land there so don’t be haters until the musical chairs stop

I will hate them even after the musical chairs stop, regardless of whether we end up there. Don't judge my hate.

 

[UConnSwag11]

This whole realignment game has gone stale.

Three scenarios I’d be interested in:
Most likely: UCONN keeps all sports in BE and joins a football only conference with the likes of Army, Navy, Buffalo, Temple, UMass, WSU, OSU, plus 2 to 4 more. Ride this until the whole thing blows up.
Much much less likely: BE merges with B1G to form a mega conference.
Extremely unlikely: SEC makes a northern push and grabs some northeast schools. Just like Rutgers going to B1G didn’t dilute their football image, the SEC could absorb some weaker football schools.

SEC brings in UCONN. UCONN agrees to play 40% of their home games in Boston, Jersey, or Philly

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

SEC brings in UCONN. UCONN agrees to play 40% of their home games in Boston, Jersey, or Philly

Not sure the SEC would care enough about NE markets for us to pay the SEC to join.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

These things run in cycles,

That is what everyone at a company or in an industry heading into permanent decline says.

 

[CTBasketball]

I still think this whole conference realignment thing blows up eventually, money gets spread more evenly, and we revert back to regional conferences.

 

[PNolanFan]

ACC schools, top 50 KenPom finishes in the last 5 seasons:
Duke - 5
Virginia - 4
UNC - 4
Fla St - 3
Miami - 2
Clemson - 2
Syracuse - 2
Va Tech - 2
Louisville - 2
NC State - 1
Wake - 1
Ga Tech - 1
Notre Dame - 1
Pitt - 0
BC - 0
--
Stanford - 1
Cal - 0
SMU - 0

Crazy stat I stumbled into. BC hasn't finished in the top 60 of KenPom in 16 years.

Imagine showing this to the ACC athletic directors 7/8 years ago, they wouldnt believe it, Notre dame, pitt louisville syracuse alll declining at the same time is interesting... I wonder if it has to do with anything specific that happened about 7/8 years ago

 

[XLCenterFan]

I prefer UConn in the Big East than the ACC.

I prefer Uconn right where we are over anywhere else. DO NOT make decisions based on money - it never works out. I live my life by this. If a new job offers $50,000 more per year BUT I have to work way more and/or sacrifice more time and happiness, I will never take it. Money is just an idea...a thought. My life and my happiness are real. Unfortunately, I don't think many others think like this, and we will eventually end up in another conference. It's sad.

 

[mcs333]

I too want to stay in the BE. We have some very good rivalries and will continue to build more ie Creighton,Xavier. I am ok with the Football team staying independent. Hopefully they continue to improve year over year. We will never be a football powerhouse and that’s OK. I want us to remain an elite basketball school. The BE can help us achieve this.

 

[uconnfan68]

Which comment? Are you talking about this comment below? Not sure why that showed up in there. I should have done something to take it out but that's what showed up when I put in the link to the post.

Had a chance to laugh at them for their choosing SMU over UConn last night. But instead the football team decided to look like an A10 program against a very beatable Wolfpack squad.

That's not from Norlander. That's from @mauconnfan in that thread. Don't think Norlander mentioned UConn at all in the article.

Not mau!

 

[Hoophound]

Coach K was making 10 million per year over a decade ago, over three times what Calhoun was making. K made nearly 14 million in his final season. UConn never had a problem competing against them.

That was one coach. Wait until it’s 20 of them. It just isn’t a risk we want to take.

 

[superjohn]

That was one coach. Wait until it’s 20 of them. It just isn’t a risk we want to take.

I'm not in the least bit concerned about our basketball program.

 

[tzznandrew]

With traditional basketball schools like Cuse , Louisville , Duke , UNC, VA , even FSU , Miami , NCS , GT , Wake , Clemson
Pitt have had moments I think writing their obituary may be a bit premature.
BC is a hopeless case

Ummm. Half these schools are not "traditional basketball schools." Sure, Cuse, Louisville, UNC are. Virginia has a title now. NC State used to be great, so sure, I guess, almost in the same way that Oklahoma State is a traditional power.

But the rest of those schools have essentially no history.

• Clemson has 1 Elite 8 ever. In 1980. And they have only ever won the ACCT once.
• Wake has a Final Four in the 1960s but hasn't been in the second weekend since 1996. Before then, 1984.
• Georgia Tech has 2 Final Fours ever. They haven't been out of the first weekend since 2004 and if not for a miracle run in the ACCT would have missed the NCAAs for well over a decade.
• Miami has 2 E8s and 1 FF ever. Those two E8s were the last two years.
• Florida State has 1 Final Four in 1972 and has done essentially nothing from then until Hamilton showed up. A few S16 and a 2018 E8 is not a "traditional basketball school" and certainly not one that can buoy a weak conference.

 

[REB1094]

It's a super top heavy conference and the top is solid. But with recent additions, it's obvious their focus is not on basketball. I don't know much about realignment but I'm sure that will catch up to them soon. Last year was not a good look for them

I think Miami has turned the corner and will remain a really good team. But with FSU likely leaving, will they even stay in the ACC? I won't give the new Cuse coach the benefit of the doubt, but anything should be an improvement and a start in turning that program around

They have a lot of teams that will be horrible in perpetuity (BC, Wake, GT, Louisville, probably Cuse). The 3 new additions will also be in that list. They need Duke, UNC, and UVA to be permanently great to keep relevance

Again I don't know much about realignment, but a member publicly saying they're going to leave tells me that the conference will blow up soon. If they center their rebuild around football instead of basketball, they'll kill the conference

 

[UconnFanDC]

I totally disagree that they'll be horrible by adding these schools. I'm sure SMU will be attractive to recruits. I only have problems with

ACC schools, top 50 KenPom finishes in the last 5 seasons:
Duke - 5
Virginia - 4
UNC - 4
Fla St - 3
Miami - 2
Clemson - 2
Syracuse - 2
Va Tech - 2
Louisville - 2
NC State - 1
Wake - 1
Ga Tech - 1
Notre Dame - 1
Pitt - 0
BC - 0
--
Stanford - 1
Cal - 0
SMU - 0

Crazy stat I stumbled into. BC hasn't finished in the top 60 of KenPom in 16 years.

I feel the travel just isn't attractive to recruits and their parents. Games aren't really fair driving distance. Flying can be very expensive

 

[caw]

My main question is why Cal hired Mark Madsen and Stanford didn't?